First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

Yong-Soo Chung

The next generation of successful entrepreneurs will be both founders & creators, leveraging their own audience to launch, build, and scale multiple companies into millions based on their own personal hobbies & passions.
This is the 'Personal Holding Company' philosophy. It's a lifestyle business on steroids: no venture capital investors, work whenever & wherever you want, turning your hobbies into businesses.
First Class Founders explores this PHC philosophy with tactical tips & strategies from today's top content creators and world-class company operators who are pioneers in this new wave of entrepreneurship.
The future of entrepreneurship is here. Listen & Follow!

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Top 10 First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Don't Make These Design Mistakes: How to Build Your Brand Identity with Nate Kadlac

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

02/14/24 • 41 min

E71: How do you design a personal brand that truly reflects you, stands out, and captivates your audience?
Do you find yourself lost in the sea of design choices? Not sure how to align your website elements with your personal brand values?
Today, host Yong-Soo (@YongSooChung) is joined by talented designer, Nate Kadlac (@kadlac). Nate will guide us through the crucial elements of your personal brand identity: Logo, Font, Color, Elements & Motifs, and Visual Layout. Nate will also tell us how to make key design decisions that align with our brand values for each of these elements.

On today’s episode, you’ll learn:
- The Four Key Elements
- The G.E.O.S. Framework
- How to Make Key Design Decisions
- How to Design a Great Personal Brand Website
Let's get down to business!
***
SPONSORS:
Riverside - If you have a podcast, do yourself a favor and check out Riverside. It's 100% free to start. Get 20% off using code FIRSTCLASS.

Spotted by Humphrey - If you have a dog, sniff out the DEAL$ and wag-worthy finds at Spotted by Humphrey. Use code FIRSTCLASS15 to get 15% off your next order.
***
EXCERPTS:
Choosing Fonts for Personal Branding: "They don't have to be the same. I think it's it's really about what appeals to you, what speaks to you. It's just one thing to kind of know about these things that people will feel a certain way. Not that you need to make a choice based on what people feel." — Nate Kadlac (19:04)
Design Tips from Experts: "A designer's secret is that most of us never use pure black or pure white. Our eyes read better like text that's just slightly off that black end is is a little bit more readable because it's not high contrast. High contrast tires our eyes out and we want to use it for design to kind of like grab attention." — Nate Kadlac (28:31)
***
LINKS:
Don't Make The Same Mistakes I Did — What I Wish I Knew About Content Creation and Personal Branding
ApproachableDesign.

JOIN: First Class Founders Premium Membership
DOWNLOAD: Hyper-Visuals For Our Episodes (Free)
***
FOLLOW / REVIEW:
- Follow
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***
CONNECT W/ YONG-SOO:
- X
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- Newsletter
***
First Class Founders is a show for indie hackers, bootstrapped founders, CEOs, solopreneurs, content creators, startup entrepreneurs, and SaaS startups covering topics like build in public, audience growth, product marketing, scaling up, side hustles, holding company, etc.
Past guests include Arvid Kahl, Tyler Denk, Noah Kagan, Clint Murphy, Jay Abraham, Andrew Gazdecki, Matt McGarry, Nick Huber, Khe Hy, and more.
Episode you might like:
Future of Newsletters with Tyler Denk, Founder & CEO at Beehiiv
From Zero to 100K Subscribers: How to Grow Your Newsletter like a Pro with Newsletter Growth Expert Matt McGarry
...

How to Turn Your Passion Into a Business

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

11/02/22 • 13 min

E1: How do you turn your passion into a business? Today, we discuss frameworks that might help you identify your passion and turn it into your next side hustle. And who knows? Maybe it might grow into something much bigger than you imagined.
***
TOPICS:
Concept of Time & Money (0:49)
Time and money are the two most influential forces in our daily lives. Changing our perspectives on these two concepts can stretch our minds and reevaluate what we're doing on a daily basis.
Reframing Money (2:30)
Someone mysteriously wires you a cool $10 million. How would this change your life?
Reframing Time (3:31)
There's been a major scientific breakthrough and now anyone can live forever. How would this change the way you live? How would you be spending your time?
How Urban EDC Started (5:41)
I pulled out my credit card statements from the past 30, 60, 90 days and looked through to see if there were any patterns. I noticed that I loved spending my hard earned cash on small, pocketable, well-made goods such as leather wallets, fancy bottle openers, titanium pens, even desktop toys like spinning coins. This gave me a clue into what niche and community I could get into.
Exercises for Identifying Your Passion (6:19)
Jot down any trends or spending categories that you notice going over your credit card statements. How are you spending your time? You can audit your own time and see if there's overlapping interests between your spending habits and how you're spending your time.
The Hedgehog Concept (7:48)
This concept is from Jim Collins, arguably one of the most impactful business thinkers today. Draw three circles overlapping one another: Your Passions, Your Strengths, Your Economic Engine. Once you find yourself in the middle of all 3 circles, you're golden.
Real World Examples Using Hedgehog Concept (11:18)
You're a big wine lover. If you enjoy writing and have a knack for great writing, you can become a wine critic and start reviewing different wineries. You're a Fantasy Sports fanatic. You could create an app or start a podcast.
Using Hedgehog Concept for Employees (12:15)
Ensure that each one of your employees is in a position they're good at, in an industry or company that they're passionate about, and the role should make sense financially for the company.

The Pros and Cons of Bootstrapping vs. Fundraising

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

11/16/22 • 11 min

E5: When does it make sense for you to bootstrap your business? And when should you raise funding? We're talking about the classic question of bootstrapping vs. fundraising. After making this important decision myself, these are the main considerations that you need to know and they may not be what you think.
***
TOPICS:
Stakeholders Deciding Your Company's Future (1:22)
Who are the decision-makers in your business? If you want full control over the future direction of your company, bootstrapping is the way to go.
Ty Haney & Outdoor Voices (2:46)
Outdoor Voices, an athleisure apparel brand, was one of the hottest direct-to-consumer startups at one point. At one point, Outdoor Voices had 130 employees with 11 brick-and-mortar stores nationwide. Outdoor Voices had raised more than $60 million in VC funding. Mickey Drexler, famous for building both the Gap and J. Crew into retail icons, invested in the company and served as chairman of its Board of Directors. Haney and Drexler had conflicting views on the company's future. Eventually, this divide drove Haney out of her own company.
Lifestyle Business (5:05)
If you're bootstrapped, you decide how you want to design your own life and how your business fits within it. As the primary decision maker, you choose how fast you want to grow.
Type of Business You Are Building (7:03)
If you are starting a company in a market that’s already well-established, it's better to bootstrap. If your company is changing or completely reshaping an industry, you may need to raise VC funding so that you can deploy as much leverage as possible.
Blitzscaling (8:42)
According to Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn and Partner at venture capital firm Greylock, blitzscaling is what you do when you need to grow quickly.
Optimizing for Money vs. Time (9:05)
A bootstrapped company needs to prioritize cash flow and preserve capital above everything else. A venture-backed company’s top priority is growing as fast as possible at all costs in a race to become the industry leader.
***
LINKS:
Episode 1 - How to Turn Your Passion Into a Business
Episode 3 - Secrets of Compounding

Rag to Riches: How I Built a Successful Business from Scratch

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

01/11/23 • 32 min

E13: I'm taking you on a personal journey of how I moved to the Bay Area 11 years ago with just one suitcase. I had no job and no place to live. So how did I bootstrap my business to where it is today?
***
TOPICS:
First Side Hustle (2:46)
My first side hustle was in freelance writing. I wrote for a popular personal finance blog. I was paid $25 per article.
One Way Ticket to San Francisco (8:59)
I landed in San Francisco with just 1 suitcase. I slept on the floor in my friend's tiny apartment. My back hurt after 2 weeks. I had no choice.
Partying with Coolio (10:15)
I attended SXSW in Austin, Texas. Coolio was performing at one of the parties hosted by our company and he needed a place to stay so he stayed with us. It was out-of-this-world.
Crazy Bootcamp (12:06)
For 12 weeks straight, I studied from Mon-Sat, 8am-9pm. At the end of those 12 weeks, I was fluent in Javascript. I was seeing code in my sleep.
Working at Ripple (14:56)
Ripple hired me as an early employee in early 2014. I worked with some of the smartest people I've ever met. The technology was advanced for its time. I knew I was working on something that could be huge one day.
Crypto to Knives (17:01)
Blockchain Engineer to Online Knife Seller. My colleagues thought I was crazy. I worked tirelessly day in and day out and launched on October 9th, 2015 to crickets. Not a single sale for the first 3 days.
Celebrity French Bulldog (22:20)
We took home a French bulldog named Humphrey. His videos went viral. He quickly gained more than 100k followers on Instagram.
Launching Dog Boutique (22:56)
My wife quit her job and launched Spotted By Humphrey, a dog boutique selling playfully curated dog accessories and apparel with Humphrey as our Chief Marketing Officer.
Launching a 3PL (23:56)
Our colleagues kept asking us to help with their fulfillment. We started taking on clients. Before we knew it, we had paying clients for a company we hadn't even named.
***
LINKS:
Episode 1
Episode 5
Spotted Humphrey IG
Spotted Humphrey TikTok

How to Find, Nurture, and Grow Your Audience

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

01/04/23 • 23 min

E12: The creator economy has exploded. It's more important than ever to build an audience. I've built a simple 5 step framework to help you find, nurture, and grow your audience. By the end of this episode, you will know how to build your audience AND grow a loyal following through engaging content. I'll break down what type of content you need to post for which segment of your audience.
***
TOPICS:
Find Your Voice (1:31)
Find your own unique voice. You don't wanna be just another creator in a sea of content creators. This is not how you'll be able to build an engaging audience. Why should anyone listen to you? Do you have an important message for your audience?
Identify Communities (5:47)
Go where your audience is. Communities can be found anywhere from in-person meetups to online forums to Twitter groups. Identify and go where your future audience hangs out.
Deliver Value to Communities (7:01)
Add value to each community. Establish your authority in that community. Once you've established your reputation within that niche, you can start broadening your area of expertise.
Content Structure (14:09)
Your content should have an enticing hook, which is your beginning. Next, we have the main body of your content. Don't forget to keep your content interesting by using metaphors and telling stories. Humans are wired to remember stories. Finally, we have the end. This is where you summarize the main points of your content in an easily digestible way so that your audience can quickly sum up your content in a few words. You should also have a call to action for your audience.
Content Breadth vs. Depth (16:22)
A broad type of content is something that's relatable to more people. This increases your potential reach and variety. Showcase your creativity and knowledge with content that goes deep. As part of your content strategy, you need both broad content and specific content. Broad content for relatability across a wider audience, specific content for building authority within your current audience.
***
LINKS:
Episode 1 - How to Turn Your Passion Into a Business
Episode 2 - How to Achieve Success in the Face of Adversity

Collaborate To Dominate: Effective Strategies to Grow Your Business

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

02/08/23 • 18 min

E17: We're talking about a growth strategy that not a lot of creators are taking advantage of to help you grow. I'll tell you what it is and how you can do it effectively to grow your audience and increase your authority at the same time. This is a powerful tactic that I'm using personally in my own e-commerce business to supercharge our growth. By the end of this episode, you'll be well-equipped with a new tool for taking your business to the next level.
***
TOPICS:
What is Collaboration? (2:30)

How to Collaborate Successfully (2:41)

Collaborating on Distribution (6:25)

Collaborating on Product (6:57)

Ask Me Anything (15:12)
***
LINKS:
The Success Journey Show

Building an Unforgettable Brand Identity: Sandy Chung of Spotted By Humphrey

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

01/25/23 • 19 min

E15: Sandy is the Founder of Spotted By Humphrey, a dog boutique curating playful dog goods for good dogs. The shop has grown tremendously since its launch in 2018. Sandy and Humphrey were even invited down to Los Angeles for a segment on Shopify's YouTube channel. This was a professional studio set with camera crew, backstage make-up artists, and real actors and actresses on the set. Sandy's secret to growth has been building a strong brand identity. She built an audience over 150k followers across all social media channels and today, she's going to share her framework for building a successful brand.
***
TOPICS:
Definition of Brand (2:38)
A brand is a feeling that consumers get when they're interacting with you. So it's something that's not definable by the company to the extent that a brand is defined by the relationship between the company and its customers.
Framework for Creating a Strong Brand (4:32)
Step 1: Identify your values.
Step 2: Live your values consistently.
Step 3: Be open to adapting your brand values.
Identify Your Brand Values (5:56)
Start with yourself. Think about how you see yourself as a brand, what values you live by, or simply just how your friends might describe you.
Stay Consistent with Your Brand Values (8:53)
Every touchpoint in the customer experience should embody these values. Think of the colors on your website, the tone of your social media posts, or the way that your emails look. So the more consistent they are, the more effective you'll be at reinforcing those values.
Evolve Your Brand Values (13:28)
It's only natural that a brand changes and evolves over time like humans do. It doesn't have to be drastic as a complete rebrand. It's really important to continuously observe the trends within your industry and assess what kind of changes feel appropriate to your brand.
Audit Your Brand Values (17:48)
If you have a business, when was the last time you did an audit on your brand values? Visit them now and update them.
***
LINKS:
instagram.com/SpottedHumphrey
tiktok.com/@SpottedHumphrey
SpottedByHumphrey.com

Amazon vs. Patagonia: A Tale of Two Retail Giants

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

11/23/22 • 15 min

E6: What do Patagonia and Richard Branson have in common? Likewise, how about Amazon and Elon Musk? We'll compare these two companies and two remarkable billionaire entrepreneurs. I'll also discuss strategies on how to differentiate yourself when you're a bootstrapped company by referencing Seth Godin's purple cow concept. Last but not least, we'll introduce and apply the mental model of First Principles Thinking and how you can use it to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems.
***
TOPICS:
Patagonia (1:56)
Founded in 1965 originally as Chouinard Equipment, the company was an early pioneer in the sustainability movement. Today, Patagonia still exemplifies this important mission of protecting our planet with innovative initiatives.Amazon (3:17)
Amazon was born during the frenzy of the dot com era in the 1990s. Amazon grew at all costs without much consideration for the harmful environmental impact of its growing logistics business, or even for its own employees.Seth Godin - Purple Cow (6:17)
To build a remarkable company that stands out from the crowd, you have to embody strong values that make your company unique and special.Henry Ford (7:50)
Henry Ford once said, "If I had asked what people wanted, they would've said faster horses." Ford mass-produced the first automobile thinking in first principles.
First Principles Thinking (8:07)
Thinking from first principles allows you to think outside the box and see what is possible using a whole different approach.Ray Kurzweil (11:14)
Ray Kurzweil thinks that humans are approaching an inflection in longevity, hitting longevity escape velocity.
Elon Musk (11:56)
Elon Musk is an entrepreneur who often thinks in first principles, coming up with the concept of the Hyperloop while working on Tesla and SpaceX. Musk is pushing into new frontiers that have yet to be explored by humanity.
Richard Branson (12:34)
Richard Branson is another successful entrepreneur. Utilizing Seth Godin's purple cow concept, his publicity stunts and framework for launching businesses in well-established industries is very different from the way Elon Musk approaches business building.
***
LINKS
Episode 5 - The Pros and Cons of Bootstrapping vs. Fundraising

Debunking the Myth of Solopreneurship: Why Flying Solo Will Hurt Your Business

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

02/15/23 • 23 min

E18: Today, we are debunking the myth of solopreneurship. Yes, there are a lot of benefits to being a solopreneur. But nobody talks about the downsides of solopreneurship. I'm here today to expose the truth. I know because I was also a solopreneur when I first started my own business back in 2015. But since then, I've scaled up my team and my company has grown with it.
By the end of this episode, I'll show you how you can still enjoy the benefits of solopreneurship while removing the roadblocks that come with being solo. I'll explain how you should approach your hiring strategy and where you should look to find your best employees.
***
TOPICS:
Rise of Solopreneurship (1:46)
Two Hidden Costs of Flying Solo (6:03)
Strategies on Hiring Your First Employees (11:04)
The Important of Your Zone of Genius (12:11)
Hiring Freelancer vs. Hire Employees (14:34)
Ask Me Anything (19:45)
***
LINKS:
FreeUp
Shepherd
Episode 3 - Secrets of Compounding: How to Leverage Time to Grow Your Business
Episode 14 - I / We / They Framework: 3 Simple Steps to Growing Your Business

How to Hire the Best Operators for Your Personal HoldCo

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

01/17/24 • 24 min

E67: What if I told you hiring the right operator for your PHC could supercharge your business? But get it wrong, and it could all go up in flames. Even worse, it could get swiped right from under you. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But believe me, I've lived that story. I've spent the last four years taking notes, testing strategies, and refining my hiring process.
On today's episode, I can finally say that I know how to hire the right operator. It's a delicate balance because you need someone who's fiercely independent, but at the same time, unwaveringly loyal to you. I will also share timeless lessons and tactical tips that will help you navigate the complex landscape of hiring an operator and building a successful business.
On today’s episode, you’ll learn:
- Irony of Hiring a Great Operator
- How to Identify a Great Operator
- The Two Paths of Hiring an Operator
- The Pros and Cons of Both Hiring Paths
This episode is a real game-changer!
***
SPONSORS:
Spotted by Humphrey - If you have a dog, sniff out the DEAL$ and wag-worthy finds at Spotted by Humphrey. Use code FIRSTCLASS15 to get 15% off your next order.
***
EXCERPTS:
Entrepreneurial Spirit in Business Operations: "Because I want the operator to feel a degree of ownership of the business they're handling. Yeah. I chose my words carefully there. I want them to feel a degree of ownership, but at the same time, I also want them to be fiercely loyal to me." — Yong-Soo Chung (05:03)
Employee Profit Sharing and Loyalty: "I found that implementing a profit sharing program enhances the sense of autonomy, ownership, and loyalty almost instantly. Because I am, in fact, directly giving them a part of my business's success. Because I am, in fact, directly aligning incentives to benefit everyone involved in the business." — Yong-Soo Chung (08:35)
***
LINKS:
I – We – They Framework: How I Scale My Personal HoldCo

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FAQ

How many episodes does First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo have?

First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo currently has 76 episodes available.

What topics does First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo cover?

The podcast is about E-Commerce, Marketing, Niche, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Startups, Podcasts and Business.

What is the most popular episode on First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo?

The episode title 'How to Turn Your Passion Into a Business' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo?

The average episode length on First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo is 30 minutes.

How often are episodes of First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo released?

Episodes of First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo?

The first episode of First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo was released on Nov 2, 2022.

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First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

Yong-Soo Chung

Top 10 First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo have?

What topics does First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo cover?

What is the most popular episode on First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo?

What is the average episode length on First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo?

How often are episodes of First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo released?

When was the first episode of First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo?

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