How I Went From Intern To CEO In 6 Months (My First Startup Gig)

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Episode 547: Shaan Puri ( / shaanvp ) and Sam Parr ( / thesamparr ) are dropping 16 career principles that will get you promoted so fast it’ll make your neck hurt.
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Show Notes:
(0:00) Intro
(3:00) Work WITH not FOR
(6:00) Write an internal newsletter
(10:00) Present your work well
(12:00) Be a maker not a taker
(13:00) Work in public
(14:00) Logos matter more than titles
(18:00) Choose your manager wisely
(19:30) 5% Rule
(23:30) Fix your zoom setup, dawg
(26:30) The McKinsey Pyramid for better communication
(29:00) Beat your numbers
(31:30) Ask assumption-breaking questions
(34:30) Find the 5 most interesting people
(37:30) Solve a papercut problem
(41:00) Work on the A+ problem
(41:30) Create a brand for yourself
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Check Out Sam's Stuff:
• Hampton - www.joinhampton.com/
• Ideation Bootcamp - www.ideationbootcamp.co/
• Copy That - copythat.com
• Hampton Wealth Survey - joinhampton.com/wealth
Check Out Shaan's Stuff:
• Try Shepherd Out - www.supportshepherd.com/
• Shaan's Personal Assistant System - shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant
• Power Writing Course - maven.com/generalist/writing
• Small Boy Newsletter - smallboy.co/
• Daily Newsletter - www.shaanpuri.com/
My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by The HubSpot Podcast Network // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano
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[@NZAutospares]

Listened to this pod twice in a row. once on spotify once on youtube. Questionable advice we want is Sam doing a masterclass on cold call sales and Shaan doing an ecommerce masterclass.

[@steam2277]

would love a ecommerce masterclass from Shaan!

[@--e]

Ecom masterclass from Shaan would be great!

[@nabilrise1551]

+1 on the e-commerce masterclass

[@collinbriggs6082]

For sure one of the best pods yall have produced... super actionable, noteworthy advice.

[@EliseGarnier-oq7go]

My advice to everyone is this : if you want to grow big this year especially in your finances. Be willing to take risks. Saving is great but taking risks puts you on a pedestal where you wouldnt have to worry about savings as you do now. Thanks to Samantha Jack, my portolio is doing really great and im proud of the decisions i made last year.

[@TeresaGonzalez-qf3rc]

Huge respect for you and what you teach us daily. Your videos have helped me grow tremendously and also special thanks to Samantha Jack she has been of tremendous help to me through my journey too.

[@EliseGarnier-oq7go]

gram with her username

[@EliseGarnier-oq7go]

Invest with Samantha Jackkk

[@leadgenjay]

The point about choosing your manager wisely is spot on. A little-known tactic is to conduct informational interviews within your company to understand leadership styles and find a mentor who can advocate for your growth. It's like internal networking to accelerate your career trajectory.

[@480brad]

My mentor had great advice on how to climb the ladder. He said to find the hardest, most complex problem and become an expert on that issue and solve it. You get noticed and help the company!

[@lauriesherman5340]

Guys, so nice to hear practical idea's...some known, some not known...LOVE the pod!

[@Boredasfuck342]

this is my favorit show!

[@beamishjames]

This came at the right time for me - great talk, thank you!

[@anthonyevans2039]

Damn, we here early💪🏼

[@inder11111]

Love this series! Keep it comin boys

[@btngo]

This is such a great podcast! This advice on communication is so on-point. I love your framing too of thinking of how you can move the needle for the company and do things that will be worth your time. Thank you!

[@oscarparty2007]

Dudes, this episode is awesome. I had a smile on my face listening. I will definitely try this stuff in the company I‘m working at. 😎

[@ingisigurdsson9548]

Absolutely killer episode. This is the first show I like so much I plan on re-listening to make sure I retain more of the info.

[@learnedgoat]

One of my favorite episodes! Very tactical thanks!

[@hrahman3123]

You guys are kiling it. Keep it up!

[@igrai]

Brilliant episode!

[@NeonriverProductions]

Amazing content here, will definitely listen to it again

[@energydrinkratings]

Both of y’all look great with your setups thanks for sharing what you use 😊

[@nblake7046]

Great advice!

[@u2b83]

Pure gold. Exactly what I saw at my last place, now with some labels to what it was.

[@minhtuenguyenhuu2170]

This is the most actionable video you've every recorded, followed!

[@RachaelMcCarthy]

Such a good episode! I am watching this on 'the KZbin' laughed out loud at that part.

[@applebearco]

Such an awesome episode 👏👏👏 -Lynsie from Boston

[@swiftzy3653]

I honestly like these advice videos better than interviews

[@PR4LFE]

These are solid, nice change of pace from the normal MO

[@pearse.fitzpatrick]

This is a fantastic pod and I love it every week learning and laughing. I was going to suggest a paper cut issue for the pod is remembering parts of your pod that resonated with me. I had been doing this by emailing notes to myself. Then (like a dumb ass) I find the great show notes you provide. Recommendation(What): Mention or use phrases like "check out the show notes in description" "Share part of this pod, see the show notes for timestamps" Why: Your pod is awesome, but new listener(watcher) the commitment bar is high (45 mins high). KZbin shorts are key or shared links with time stamps will help grow audience. So What: I can't watch the pod in full while on the "can" (avoiding my kids) , but I can read a message, watch a short, or let the youtube algos bring me lots of MFM shorts.... In summary I know you do shorts. But your call to share can be stronger only by proper chapterizing your show. (Key) while making it still seem like natural conversation. An awesome continuity guy might reorder it to better chapters for better sharing for better shorts

[@blamahsarnor3057]

Great insights and advice. Really enjoyed this episode a lot.

[@saymateo]

Killer hook in the intro - well done team

[@yurisinclair4160]

One of the top episodes of all time!

[@picturetrailers5657]

Thanks for the actionable tips!🏆🏋️

[@toluwaniyi]

This is pure fire 🔥🔥🔥

[@whoami1980]

dope episode

[@topmanga7105]

Well that's some serious and actionable talk the Bois had

[@timdagrimmogm]

Fan of the podcast. Really enjoy listening. Thank you guys for what y’all do.

[@cliffordganaseb8748]

Just listened to this podcast the second time around. I got value the first time and on a second pass allow me to interject my thoughts. "BE A MAKER, NOT A TAKER!" If that's all you take away... note it, think about it, and implement.

[@emizucca_]

Being noticed is one of the things people struggle with the most at large companies especially. For me the biggest thing is when people enjoy your presence. What Shaan did with the newsletter got people to like him for who he is and not only the work he produces. So when your coworkers like you they are more inclined to say positive things about your work.

[@seriouscash]

ppl will notice you if you save them time or make them money. at corporations sometimes ppl just want to be entertained. if youre fun you can get away with a lot

[@miximum1]

This was a good one! thanks. We'll they're all great. 404K Congrats!

[@Beatfreak19831]

I took your advice and bought myself a Røde microphone, now it's gonna be smooth sailing to Ceo 😅

[@UndergroundLiving]

Good tips if I ever get a job. After working for myself for so long I’d likely have done 80% of those by default but the other 20% I’m not sure I’d ever have thought about so it was a fun listen.

[@ayodelebabalola8351]

I would love to hear more about job hunting, especially about finding undervalued companies where you can gain experience fast.

[@mahmudrana7516]

@Shaan & @Sam, when's Naval Ravikant coming to MFM? That would be the most exciting day in my youtube life!

[@gabrielfurlong4042]

McKinsey is Minto Pyramid principle, structured communication technique designed to help professionals craft clear and compelling arguments and reports

[@jonnycwilson]

QUESTION FOR THE NEXT Q&A - Big Fan! Loving my MFM hoodies... Shout out to the MFM merch store!!! My Q.... When bootstrapping and growing a SAAS company with a low monthly subscription ($25), how do you think about balancing what's spent on marketing vs customer support. When both teams are wanting more budget and you don't want to take funding and you want to find the optimal ratio to split the new revenue - what numbers would you be looking to track and what internal strategies / team unity discussions would you be having. We've finished beta and are about to go to market with a couple hundred thousand of my own money. 👊🏻

[@jonnycwilson]

@_ShaanPuri There's no link to post questions on the channel or video description :(

[@swiftzy3653]

You guys should do one for being a star intern in a startup!

[@luke-bu6zy]

"If you're gonna be the janitor be the head janitor" - Shaan

[@davidhammers4614]

What a coincidence! Complete opposite: My MBA class on turnaround management just brought up this fun doc by the CIA on how to take down organizations. Look it up, its called the "Simple Sabotage Field Manual", widely used by the allies in WW2. Super interesting doc.

[@iftekarhossain1175]

I really like it when you guys talk about how you guys started your own business. Can you talk about how and why your guys started your newsletter business? I think when you started your newsletter you were not very famous. How did you get your first subscriber? How did you advertise your newsletter in the beginning? If I want to start a newsletter business for IMDB, how do you think I can get my first subscriber and how can advertise? I would appreciate it if you guys shared your thoughts on this. I love My First Million I listen to all the new episodes on my way to college. Last year I was top 3% fan on Spotify.

[@paullanthier]

Can you share the lists of equipment that you both use on a daily basis for the podcasts?

[@jeremymdavenport]

I would love to know how you guys set up and record your podcasts. Where are you positioning your dslr and what are you running your SM7B through? Do you record with Riverside?

[@user-bb5vm6co6k]

Commenting here on The KZbin 1. Give advice on how to put on a conference 2. Give advice about strategic partnerships 3. Give advice on how to connect with folks above you 4. Give advice or have a contest to have fans on the pod. Great stuff Sam and Shaan

[@Bearday11]

Do yall believe in this notion of knaves vs divas? I’ve heard how oftentimes you need a disagreeable person on the team so they prevent people from falling to groupthink, but what about knaves vs divas?

[@gabesmith2234]

How do y’all usually get yalls information? Where do y’all get yalls research on other niche and specific businesses?

[@MTGameMaker]

Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing thanks for a great episode🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@VastCNC]

This is the most beneficial podcast you’ve ever done for me personally.

[@guyacey]

This one is a save for later!

[@stevelynch254]

im currenty in this situation, doing animations that will be used for ads for a real estate brand. Theyve had teams but nothing was moving, im finding it hard to convince them the ads im creating are structured for a specific target or im bad at it but they want me to throw in all the house feature and dull it. Im one week in and pissed at the whole place Fun fact, if i get to work with them, itll be the highest i ever get paid (looking to 10X my offer) but im really okay if they dont agree though, I think the Noah Kagan episode and his stuff will come in handy for me to do my own thing.

[@bradenisraelsen986]

I was the 400K-th subscriber. Where’s my free “No Small Boy Stuff” hoodie?

[@Euripides32]

If you’re at a huge company, 15,000 employees, what level would you reach out to if you were just an individual contributor?

[@quinne5592]

A breakdown of the money in on companies you sold. So far it’s only been the one large number.

[@theTenorDrummer]

I'm still waiting for that layoff too :(

[@oliviacompanies3948]

My question: how do I get started in business when I have no experience working for a company or traditional jobs (I’ve been in low-level service/gig economy in my 20s so far), no real skill set or expertise (degree in social sciences, no family business so to speak), no business idea, but Im starkly entrepreneurly minded and have a bit of savings/capital (I’ve about 250k saved) to invest in a future business idea?

[@oliviacompanies3948]

Very limited networking being a single female from an immigrant middle class background and didn’t form much friendships due to shyness in school. Now as an adult, with no traditional workforce, no campus, and not enough money to really be partaking in golf or tennis lessons every week, I don’t run into many people.

[@oliviacompanies3948]

Hi! Flattered by a comment back. Unsure where you are directing me, however@_ShaanPuri

[@thebettermanprojectt]

Hey guys I'm a product designer from India, and I have an idea which I think would blow up if I do something about it, but I don't know where to start? Can you shed some light on how to start with a startup from scratch and how to pitch to investors?

[@ChrisNoland1]

I as told this a while ago... You need to toot your own horn or someone will end up using it as a funnel

[@grantelsenpeter5553]

Noticing the different thumb nails over the course of the day. Taking notes from Mr. Beasts 🤝

[@whiteknight7wayne493]

Doug sounds great , I like him already ( i may be biased ). lol .. Btw i struggled with politics at my large company but i was alway meant to be more of an entrereneur/engineer type or ideally in a smaller company... and it took me a while to wake back up. (Trigger comment -By having a lot of bad managers [Govmt run enterprise] some of us and particulary myself , learned what the mgmt and leadership roles should have likely looked like )

[@nicolasraffaele2489]

Do you really find it as interesting and exciting to work at someone else´s company? I personally hae struggled in the past and could never feel the same commitment in a big company compared to my own personal projects. Note I have not successfully ran a personal project for more than a couple of years, and I have moved from working for me to working for someone else in 2-4 years spans. I am now once more on the verge of moving tom something of my own, but this video has me thinking that maybe I could make it in a big company after all. I guess my question is, are there people who just cant commit to a project other thant their own? how can I get to feel the level of commitment other employees in the company feel?

[@nikolakalewis]

YOU GUYS NEED TO HAVE BOB CHAPMAN FROM BARRY WEH-MILLER ON THE POD

[@pamlico10]

How long should a business plan be for a start up?

[@steam2277]

I wish Shaan talked about the ones that failed while he was in corporate.

[@TheBaronQ8]

It's one of my favourite channels. Are you fans from Kuwait 🇰🇼

[@TheBaronQ8]

sorry, I meant you now have a fan from Kuwait 🇰🇼

[@TheBaronQ8]

@-ShaanPuri. sorry, I didn't get what you were trying to say. At 0:02, say what you did when you were 24 years old was a very amazing

[@TheBaronQ8]

@-ShaanPuri. done, thanks

[@justinpotier6836]

How do I navigate early startup deals like the kinds that accelerators and pre-seed investors offer. I don’t fully understand SAFE’s, convertible equity, etc.

[@gsantee]

Right to repair? Is BYD any different than US manufacturer s in this regard?

[@2frungjung]

I want so badly to stay far away from inter office politics as I possibly can for as long as I can - Saans story of being at twitch makes my eyes twitch

[@memyselfid]

anecdotes/best practices for owning failures you were largely responsible for that significantly affected other coworkers?

[@Beatfreak19831]

And please share all the stuff that didn't work as well, can be very useful or at least funny 😂🎉

[@kennyleaver]

Twitch must have a very good culture... i was in corporates in the first part my career... and most Fortune 500's... if you started sending a newsletter with your personal stuff.. it would def be scorned in the cultures i observed. And the whole thing about writing your own version of the annual plan... to prep for being the CEO... i just think your avg corporate is not designed to reward that type of thinking. They are typically designed to reward relationships & politics. And of course results to some extent. But the reps that are needed to move up the career ladder in most trad'l companies is more about how to be the best employee your manager can imagine. Which unfortunately excludes things like making your own annual plan for the company, etc.

[@kennyleaver]

@_ShaanPuri you mean your intro on this video at the 0:01 mark where you say "you're 24 yrs old" etc? Also, don't get me wrong... i love your way of thinking and run my own team now with similar principles. I just dont see it working in some of the corporates i was in. As it was often more about protecting turf and status quo.

[@kekule71]

may I ask who the second guy is (mentioned at 2:23)

[@healthyaisletoasia]

good shi*!

[@multiversityx]

What's the app he uses to record videos on his iPhone?

[@yashpathak9629]

I am a college student and i want to know how i can prepare my self for my future And i love your videos🙂🙂

[@user-iv6ty3cd5i]

Not sure if it’s important these days but you can start with spelling. My self= myself

[@HighResGlassPics]

Switch managers Shaan 😂. This was a rare time you were a bit out of touch.

[@HighResGlassPics]

@@Chris.......... Thanks, guy on the internet. Are you Shaan's personal nut licker he hired from the Philippines? The people I work for control people's paths very carefully to fit their own needs. You need to personally hunt or farm millions of ARR to gain any leverage.

[@MichaelKlucas]

Question for Questionable Advice: What is the absolute worst way in your guys opinion to try and start a side hustle while having a full time job?

[@Stierenkloot]

Probably one of the worst would be to try and do that all while riding a unicycle

[@EngineerDJ_Julius]

one day I'll be a c-suite

[@user-zd2dt6iu9x]

I wanted to hear the embarrassing failures too…good episode idea?

[@user-zd2dt6iu9x]

I wanted to hear about the embarrassing failures…future episode idea?

[@theTenorDrummer]

Question: How to make money off micro-niche when customers don't have disposable income (16-22yr old males)?

[@Cheesecake99YearsAgo]

1) Change target audience 2) Change niche

[@theTenorDrummer]

I've been thinking that too! @@Cheesecake99YearsAgo

[@niccolo4884]

Thank you.

[@mediatoryou]

You have the most successful peace program, and a contract with the courts, but are considered too small for investment by most foundations. What email would you send, and to whom? TY!

[@stevecarroll6760]

Also, some of the day-to-day advice could be more clear.

[@bullshark3000]

Gold nuggets

[@guyacey]

14:11 you mean WITH you? ;)

[@loganzrude]

Are yall deleting comments? They were more critical when I checked in earlier. If the pod isn’t received well don’t blame the comments…..

[@jimr879]

Explain further i dont see criticism in comments

[@TheSkatereel]

They are deleting comments. They probably delete this one too

[@thortonpaul3]

You’ve changed your thumbnail 3 times, hack for more viewers?

[@navneet10436]

40000 crossed

[@amanur90]

What is the Iphone app name?

[@aubthread]

Camo (Reincubate)

[@hellojeezai]

The Fastest Way To Get Promoted: do not work in corporate

[@CryptoGrit]

you forgot the most important one you need to be smart xD

[@Wil-dq5xq]

This pod was weird lol: Highly useful and tactical for W2 people / Almost no value for non-W2

[@lifebasesolutions3405]

You could apply the theory in almost any environment. I have been a 1099 for years. This would have been great in my last 4 year gig or next gig. Just use your creativity. One other commenter said it is a useful way for people to get to know you, presumably like you, and then better appreciate what you bring to the table.

[@parox1139]

Feel like MFM needs a singles mixer … likeminded business people with sense of humour … anyone game?

[@kevinconnelly5901]

Sam is well dressed

[@neocuriositi]

He's just wearing a T-shirt... Not sure what's there to highlight

[@IanHobday]

@@neocuriositi That's a button up shirt, not a t shirt.

[@samparr9899]

Yeah buddy

[@JackRoll-vw7ik]

Yes! What brand shirt ?