Bilal Zaidi

Creator Lab - interviews with entrepreneurs and startup founders

Business EN ↓ 93 episodes

Conversations with leading entrepreneurs, non-profit founders, award winning designers, educators, artists and everything else in between. We dig deep into their stories, have honest conversations about how they made their ideas come to life and the lessons learned along the way.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.creatorlab.fm

Author

Bilal Zaidi

Episodes

Zaid Admani // 100mil+ Views, Going Viral On TikTok, Creative Spirit vs. Slave To Algo 21.09.2023 1:59:56

Zaid Admani is a creator and part-time Civil Engineer. He creates content on finance and business that is both educational and entertaining. He has built up a following of ~400k people & has generated more than 100 million views across social media. Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j-he_V_V5nY Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:04:14) - Zaid's Creator Journey (00:21:04) - Zaid...

Suneel Gupta // Finding Purpose, Dealing With Burnout, 85% Rule & The Music Mindset 24.08.2023 1:12:36

Suneel Gupta is a writer and entrepreneur. He studies leaders from around the world to discover and share simple, actionable habits that enhance performance and deepen ones state of well-being. Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kZwbKcnsdbY Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:49) - Suneel's Backstory (00:03:35) - What is Dharma? (00:17:38) - The Arrival Fallacy (00:24:44) - The...

Kallaway // 100mil+ Views, Growing on TikTok & Vertical Video Deep Dive 27.07.2023 2:15:14

Kallaway is creator with a passion for producing content centered around tech and cult brands. He has generated over 100 million views and amassed a large following across social media. Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/etQpm_bQJH8 Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:22) - Kallaway's Backstory (00:17:07) - Distribution is King (00:20:57) - Why Short-Form Video? (00:28:56) - Actionab...

Mario Gabriele, The Generalist // Emerging Tech, ChatGPT vs. Google, Contrarian Views & Raising A $15mil Fund 27.02.2023 1:32:13

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zJBc0-rsnVo Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Start 00:04:26 - What VCs do & how it overlaps with Mario's experience 00:08:00 - Why Be A Generalist vs. Specialist? 00:11:32 - Surprising characteristics of "who becomes an entrepreneur"? 00:15:52 - Average age of entrepreneurs - fact vs fiction 00:17:58 - Emerging Tech (AI, Crypto, Health) 00:22:34 - Valuations in...

Timo Armoo, Fanbytes // 8-Figure Agency Sale, Influencer Marketing & Expertise Gap Opportunities in 2023 14.02.2023 1:17:46

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/c1vgzbouoXY Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview (00:06:43) - Selling Companies & Expertise Gap (00:15:40) - Expertise Gap in 2023 (00:20:18) - Selling Company: Strategic vs Financial Buyers (00:23:50) - Getting New Clients & Figuring Out Pricing (00:39:29) - Sponsor Break: Virtual Gurus (00:40:32) - Press, Scaling Beyond You...

James DeJulio, Tongal // Future of Hollywood & Advertising, Impact of AI on Creative Work & Who Wins The Streaming Wars? 30.01.2023 1:21:50

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FNCgWJNR9ok Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview (00:01:55) - What Is Tongal? (00:04:07) - Types of Content: Branded, Original + Advertising (00:07:08) - Scale Of Tongal (00:12:14) - Background in Hollywood (00:24:57) - The Company Before Tongal (00:34:54) - Power of Cold E-mail (00:36:53) - Company Origin Story (00:41:12) -...

Ben Tossell, Ben's Bites // AI Hype Cycle, 2023 Predictions & OpenAI vs Google vs Microsoft 16.01.2023 1:15:06

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2XHlteP32Sc Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:24) - Start Of Interview (00:02:48) - Zapier + AI (00:05:56) - No Code + AI (00:17:16) - OpenAI vs Google vs Microsoft (00:26:32) - AI assistant (00:39:20) - Sponsor Break: The Virtual Gurus (00:40:21) - OpenAI vs Big Tech (00:46:49) - askmybook.com (00:54:58) - AI Hype Cycle? (01:00:05) - Predictions...

Danny Postma: OpenAI, GPT-3, AI Business Ideas & His 7-Figure Sale 05.12.2022 1:11:17

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4PWqRILYz8U Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:07) - Start Of Interview (00:01:25) - Who Is Danny Postma (00:04:04) - Slowmad Lifestyle (00:06:54) - Early Indie Hacking (00:15:21) - What Is GPT-3? (00:18:18) - Training AI (00:24:07) - First-Hand Experience (00:25:36) - Use Cases (00:28:41) - Should we learn to code to play with AI? (00:34:19) - Jas...

Tom Osman, Shiny // AI Co-Pilots, Web3 & Online Communities 21.11.2022 1:20:50

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K26L7HwTLcU Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:06) - What Is Shiny? (00:03:48) - Hyperfocused On Being Unfocused (00:06:14) - Shiny Object Social Club + Shiny Token (00:11:09) - Crypto Sentiment & Price Action (00:16:10) - Open AI & What's Driving The Growth in AI? (00:22:08) - Image, Video, Podcast AI + Generative Art (00:27:42) - Jasper - All-in-...

Mike Evans, Grubhub // Building A $2bil Company, Going Public & Leaving It All Behind 07.11.2022 1:17:48

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YbEAIBbQA5E Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:25) - Start Of Interview (00:01:56) - How Grubhub Started (00:03:26) - Software Developer to Starting Grubhub & Fixer (00:05:13) - Seven Deadly Sins (00:06:48) - Idea To Reality (00:08:45) - The Evolution (00:13:26) - Knowing When To Go Full Time (00:22:00) - Prioritizing & Managing Time (00:25:25) - R...

Michael Brandt: Ketones, Stem Cell Preservation, 7-Day Fasts & Micro-Dosing 17.10.2022 1:24:15

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8HlTDcNCDxI Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:26) - Start of Interview (00:01:42) - Starting HVMN (Health Via Modern Nutrition) (00:07:48) - Scale Of Business & Google Background (00:13:02) - Ketosis & Keto (00:18:23) - How The Brain Uses Energy (00:21:39) - Exogenous Ketones (00:35:31) - Athletes Using Exogenous Ketones (00:38:55) - Sponsor: Just...

Annie Duke: When To Quit, Monkeys vs Pedestals & The Dark Side of Goals 10.10.2022 1:50:17

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EtsZ36eaBPc Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:37) - Start Of Interview (00:01:30) - Annie Duke's Background In Poker (00:03:49) - Growing Up (00:06:11) - How Games Help Your Life (00:09:53) - What Makes A Great Poker Player (00:17:52) - Annie Duke's Role At First Round Capital (00:22:56) - Knowing When To Quit (00:38:39) - Müller-Lyer Illusion (00...

Elijah: History of UK Grime, Pirate Radio & The Future of Music 26.09.2022 1:58:17

Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hXHZLKFpTu8 Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:27) - Sponsor Break: Sendinblue (00:01:17) - Who Is Elijah? (00:07:10) - Sound System Culture (00:09:13) - What's A Reload? (00:12:26) - Origins of UK Grime (00:16:30) - Controversy of Form 696 (00:27:21) - Pirate Radio (00:31:45) - How Musicians Make Money (00:36:07) - How Much You Get Paid Per Stream...

Trung Phan: Backstory, Writing in Public, Twitter Growth & Power of Memes 12.09.2022 1:11:28

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dytmn7fcBxo Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:02:34) - How The Phan Family Got To Canada (00:07:34) - Trung's Exposure To Writing (00:11:28) - Twitter: The Good & Bad (00:14:29) - South East Asia To America (00:24:42) - Anxiety & Writing Publically (00:27:12) - Growing A Podcast (00:32:04) - Sponsor: Linkedin Jobs (00:33:04) - Sponsor: Ju...

Adrian Aoun, Forward + Sidewalk Labs // Smart Cities + The Future of Healthcare 15.08.2022 57:07

Adrian Aon is the founder & CEO of Forward. They've raised more than $225mil from the world's leading VCs to "build an insurance-free healthcare system from the ground-up". Before that, he was the Director of Special Projects for Google's CEO & founder of Sidewalk Labs, the startup at Google tasked with re-inventing cities & sold Wavii to Google for $30mil. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IwO12...

Kathryn Minshew, The Muse // Future of Work, Attracting Talent + How Job Sites Make Money 12.07.2022 58:30

Kathryn Minshew is the Founder & CEO at The Muse Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZKOgdHTnKc8 Timestamps: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:00:40) - Sponsor Break: AppSumo (00:01:19) - What Is The Muse (00:05:29) - How Big Is The Muse (00:06:46) - Pay-Per-Click vs Pay-Per-Hire Business Model (00:11:38) - Hiring Is The More Important Thing (00:16:16) - The Average Cost To Hiring People (00:22:2...

Tiago Forte // Building a Second Brain in Practice + Sustained Behavior Change 23.06.2022 58:38

Tiago Forte is the creator of Building a Second Brain. Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/h04N_6tmMeg Timestamps: (00:00:00) – Intro (00:00:40) – Sponsor Break: AppSumo (00:03:23) - How Second Brain Began (00:05:49) - Building a Second Brain (00:13:31) - Multi-Million Dollar Live Courses. (00:16:23) - What Makes People Have Sustained Behavior Change (00:24:15) - 4 Steps...

Sam Corcos, Levels // Metabolic Health, CGM Market & Growing A Health Tech Company 27.05.2022 1:22:14

Sam Corcos is the co-founder & CEO of Levels Health Subscribe & watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iI331lJkPm0 Timestamps: (00:00:00) Preview (00:00:34) Sponsor - AppSumo (00:01:02) Intro to Sam (00:10:23) Problems Caused by Metabolic Dysfunction (00:15:43) Current Stage of The Company (00:22:49) Alternative Business Model (00:28:47) Product Market Fit (00:39:56) Sponsor: Linkedin Jobs (00:42:17)...

Colin Sapire, Beast Health + Nutribullet // Scaling To $500mil & Launching A Physical Product Business 28.04.2022 1:20:14

Colin Sapire is the founder of Beast Health & Nutribullet. Watch & subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lqSfvL7QHRo Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Snippet 0:00:39 - Sponsor: AppSumo 0:01:07 - Intro + Landing In The US 0:07:45 - Origins Of Nutribullet 0:11:21 - Finding A Differentiator + Landing On Pricing 0:13:17 - Reaching Half A Billion Dollars In Revenue 0:15:57 - Transitioning To Beast Nutrition + Ge...

Ramon van Meer, Alpha Paw // Bootstrapping To $35mil+ Revenue, Buying vs Building + DTC Growth 16.12.2021 1:36:30

Ramon is a Dutch immigrant who dropped out of high school before finding an entrepreneurial path. Most recently he acquired a DTC dog ramp business (Alpha Paw) for $300k + which he's grown to $35mil+ in sales. Previously, he grew a soap opera blog to 30mil+ monthly pageviews before selling it for $9mil. In this conversation you'll learn: – why buy vs build – buying a company with little money dow...

Eric Jorgenson // Philosophy of Wealth + Happiness // The Almanack of Naval Ravikant 15.11.2021 2:11:15

In this conversation, we explore: Eric's approach to writing a book entirely made up of Naval's words philosophy around wealth + happiness eastern vs western approaches permissionless leverage + ownership why desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy freedom to vs freedom from Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J7j-5sgDkxQ Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Snippet 0:01:50 - In...

Future Of Advertising: Google + YouTube Breakdown 10.08.2021 36:38

Bilal breaks down the secret sauce that makes Google + YouTube two of the greatest businesses of all time. We discuss the ad auction, how Google understands intent better than anyone, the future of advertising + compare YouTube, Netflix + live TV. Subscribe + listen to the full episode on "Not Investment Advice": https://linktr.ee/notinvestmentadvice Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/...

Mary Grove // Google For Startups + Bread and Butter Ventures 24.06.2021 1:03:56

Mary Grove is Managing Partner of Bread and Butter Ventures. She brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in technology, early-stage investing, and startup ecosystem growth. She began her career working on the Google IPO, and went on to lead new business development partnerships, negotiating early-stage product and technology deals worldwide. She was the founding director of Google for...

Ryan Berckmans // Ethereum Deep Dive, Earning Yield From Staking, Exploring DeFi + Alternatives 10.06.2021 1:48:04

Ryan Berckmans is an ex-Amazon + fintech startup engineer. He's been involved with the Ethereum community for many years + invests in the crypto space. He recently published a bullish thesis for investing in ETH at: ethereumcashflow.com Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u3IGTSBzwOk Let us know what you think on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bzaidi https://twitter.com/RyanBerckmans In this conversa...

Crypto Crash Recap, Decentralized Social Networks + A Special Guest // Not Investment Advice 21.05.2021 32:46

Bilal Zaidi is joined by Jack Butcher, Trung Phan & Alex Cohen to discuss the latest in business, technology & memes. Listen to the full convo on "Not Investment Advice": Apple: https://pod.link/notadvicepod.apple Spotify: https://pod.link/notadvicepod.spotify YouTube: https://youtu.be/t1MmZk6aWnI Let us know what you think on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bzaidi http://twitter.com/trungtphan http:/...