Nikonomics - The Economics of Small Business

Nikolas Hulewsky
  • 4.9 (95)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Nikonomics—the show for entrepreneurs and Wantrapreneurs, looking to make their first million. I bring firsthand experience, having bought and sold over a dozen businesses, achieved multiple 7-figure exits, and generated over $100 million in revenue. Each week, I blend humor with real insights from successful entrepreneurs, sharing growth strategies, deal insights, and unique business ideas you won’t find elsewhere. Ready to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality? Hit play and let’s get to work. Follow me on Twitter @CoFoundersNik or YouTube @NikonomicsPodcast.

  1. 1D AGO

    277 - Best of 2025! Turning AI Ideas Into Real Income with Chris Koerner

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I sit down with Chris Koerner for another episode of Holdco Bros! In this episode, we brainstorm a fresh batch of business ideas, starting with a brand-new concept Chris launched minutes before recording: a "give-to-get" platform for discovering AI use cases. We debate the power of personality quizzes to revolutionize hiring and culture fit, and I share a game-changing prompt engineering hack that involves asking LLMs to reverse-engineer their own prompts.We also explore Manus, a tool that can generate full pitch decks in minutes, and discuss how to use Perplexity Labs to create high-value lead magnets from market data. Chris breaks down his real-time experiment validating a secret Pickleball Club using Facebook Ads and Typeform to measure high intent, and we wrap up with a look at the unsexy but profitable world of bathtub refinishing. Questions This Episode Answers: 1. How can AI help you create professional pitch decks in under 15 minutes? 2. What is the "reverse engineering" trick for writing better AI prompts? 3. How can you use personality quizzes to improve hiring and employee retention? 4. What is the most effective way to validate a local business idea using Facebook Ads? 5. How can industry reports generated by AI serve as powerful lead magnets for B2B sales? Enjoy the conversation! __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 - Underrated AI business idea 00:35 - “HowAreYouUsingAI.com” explained 05:22 - AI quiz to match tools with your business 10:16 - Personality-based hiring with AI 17:00 - Manus AI creates pitch decks automatically 24:35 -Genius AI prompt engineering method 29:25 - What Perplexity Labs can actually do 34:15 - $2K AI reports used as lead magnets

    37 min

  2. 6D AGO

    276 - Best of 2025! How Government Backstopping Impacts the Entrepreneurial Landscape with Jon Matzner

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Jon Matzner (https://x.com/MatznerJon). In this episode, we dive into the "Matzner Mind" and Jon’s unique approach to satirizing business influencers and gurus without being malicious. We discuss why building a massive following is often a trap, and why niche communities defined by influence and affluence are far more valuable than broad attention. The conversation heats up when we get into a serious debate about the SBA (Small Business Administration). Jon challenges me on whether SBA loans are just a "subsidy for boomers" and an inappropriate use of government force, while I argue they are a vital tool for economic mobility for entrepreneurs like myself. We wrap up by discussing why you should document your journey as a "fellow traveler" rather than trying to be an expert while building your business. Questions This Episode Answers: Why is having influence and affluence in a niche audience more valuable than millions of views?Is the SBA a necessary tool for entrepreneurs or an unethical use of taxpayer dollars?How can you critique business gurus and influencers effectively without being a "hater"?Why is distribution considered the only defensible moat in the age of AI?Why should founders create content about their struggles instead of just sharing "how-to" advice?Enjoy the conversation! __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 The Importance of Pointy Opinions 03:04 Influencers and Satire in Business 06:02 Building a Brand Through Authenticity 09:00 The Value of Distribution and Attention 11:49 Influence and Affluence in Community Building 14:46 The Role of Authority in Marketing 18:11 The Podcast as an Intimate Medium 21:03 Debating the SBA Loan Program 24:29 Understanding the SBA: A Boomer Subsidy or Entrepreneurial Support? 26:21 The Role of the SBA in Economic Mobility 28:47 National Defense and Economic Supremacy: A Dual Perspective 30:45 The Impact of Government on Monopolies and Economic Mobility 32:34 Causation vs. Correlation in Economic Growth 34:56 Healthcare Costs and Government Intervention 36:49 The SBA's Structure and Its Implications 39:14 The Debate on Government Involvement in Business Loans 42:35 Prioritizing Government Reforms: Where Should Focus Lie? 46:30 The Importance of Personal Journey in Entrepreneurship

    49 min

  3. FEB 3

    275 - Best of 2025! Beyond ChatGPT: Exploring Perplexity and the Deep Dive Revolution with Chris Koerner

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), for another episode of HCB with Chris Koerner! In this episode, we dive deep into the latest AI tools, debating whether the $200/month ChatGPT Pro plan is actually worth it compared to Perplexity's Deep Research features. We discuss why Chris prefers Perplexity over Operator for research tasks and share our specific prompting frameworks for getting the best results. We also brainstorm unique business ideas, including a breakdown of the banana ketchup market in the Philippines and how to validate niche trends using Google Trends data. Later, we get real about the state of AI agents versus Robotic Process Automation (RPA), pitch a mobile side hustle inspired by Activate Games, and share the wild story of Ethan Cohen pivoting from a sports book to retrofitting vending machines with credit card readers. Questions This Episode Answers: 1. Is the $200 ChatGPT Pro plan better for deep research than Perplexity? 2. How can you use AI and Google Trends to identify international product opportunities like banana ketchup? 3. What is the difference between true AI agents and Robotic Process Automation (RPA)? 4. How can you turn a high-cost retail concept like Activate Games into a low-cost mobile side hustle? 5. Can you build a profitable business by retrofitting old vending machines with modern technology? Enjoy the conversation! __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered:00:00 The Rise of AI and Deep Research 05:51 Custom GPTs and Their Applications 12:05 Exploring Business Ideas Through AI 18:06 The Future of Agents and Automation 23:54 Innovative Business Models and Side Hustles

    36 min

  4. JAN 29

    274 - Best of 2025! No Code, No Problem: Building a Startup with Lovable AI with Corey Pierson

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Corey about his journey building a SaaS application, PetDocument, entirely with AI without any prior coding experience. We dive into how he leveraged AI tools like Lovable AI to turn a "fairy tale business idea" into a live, functional platform at petdocument.com, solving a real-world problem for pet owners. Learn about his experience using natural language prompting instead of traditional coding and how he navigated the process from idea to launch in a matter of months. Questions This Episode Answers: • What's your business and how are you using AI? • What is your professional background? • Did you have any prior coding experience? • How did you actually build this SaaS platform? • How long did the entire building process take? Enjoy the conversation! __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 Harnessing AI for SaaS Development 02:57 Identifying Real-World Problems 06:13 Building a Pet Documentation Platform 09:07 The Development Process and Tools Used 12:02 Leveraging AI for Coding Assistance 15:11 Final Thoughts and Future Aspirations

    20 min

  5. JAN 27

    273 - Best of 2025! How Embracing a Grudge Can Fuel Your Success with Liana Fricker

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Liana Fricker (https://x.comlianafricker). Liana is an incredible entrepreneur who has operated at the fascinating intersection of SMBs and venture capital in the UK and wider Europe. She's helped over a hundred companies through her accelerator, becoming a key resource for founders. Our conversation explores her core belief: that where you end doesn't have to be where you start. We dive deep into how a doll idea transformed into Uplift 360, a venture-backed material circularity company for the defense industry. Liana shares her unique approach to identifying promising ideas using thematic intelligence and the PESTLE analysis framework, revealing how she spots future trends like the push towards "going analog" amidst digital overwhelm from things like ChatGPT. We also discuss the essential traits of successful founders, including openness, curiosity, humility, being of service, and the willingness to collaborate, and even the surprising power of having a "grudge". Finally, Liana unpacks the "tragedy of the purpose-powered founder" and the importance of embracing both ambition and profit. Questions This Episode Answers: • How do you know which startup ideas are truly worth pursuing? • What are the top traits that define successful founders? • How can entrepreneurs effectively spot and interpret emerging trends? • What does it mean to balance purpose with profit as a founder? • How did an accelerator grow from a community for skill-swapping? Enjoy the conversation! __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 The Purpose-Powered Founder 01:28 Entrepreneurial Journeys and Transformations 07:04 Building Community and Accelerators 09:49 Evaluating Ideas in Entrepreneurship 22:23 Traits of Successful Founders 30:00 The Balance of Altruism and Profit

    36 min

  6. JAN 22

    272 - Best of 2025! Sam Parr’s Million-Dollar Journey

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Sam (https://x.com/@thesamparr). In this episode, we dive into Sam's distinctive approach to building and running businesses. He shares how his desire for financial security led him to sell The Hustle and why he believes in laser focus on a single venture like Hampton, despite being constantly bombarded with new ideas.  We explore his insatiable curiosity for information and his unique methods for manifesting success, from his analog journaling to actively seeking out "weirdos" to identify the next big trend.  Discover what sets Sam apart, why he finds stubbornness and disagreeableness to be common traits among the ultra-successful, and how he views the traits that truly define successful people. Questions This Episode Answers: • How does Sam maintain focus on one business despite being exposed to countless opportunities? • What are Sam's personal strategies for integrating new information and generating insights? • How does Sam identify potential future trends by seeking out "odd" or "strange" people? • What surprising commonalities has Sam observed among highly successful individuals he's interviewed? • What seemingly small "indulgence" does Sam recommend for entrepreneurs seeking a better quality of life? Enjoy the conversation! __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 From Hot Dogs to Millions: The Journey Begins 02:48 Building a Lasting Legacy: The Family Business 06:07 The Dilemma of Focus: One Business or Many? 08:55 The Fear of Selling: Regrets and Reflections 11:46 The Quest for Financial Security: Balancing Risk and Reward 15:02 The Blueprint for Success: Learning from the Greats 17:56 The Art of Reflection: Integrating Knowledge into Action 20:48 Connecting with People: The Power of Relatability 24:01 The Value of Diverse Experiences: A Unique Perspective 28:25 The Importance of Health and Family Connections 29:57 Redefining Wealth Beyond Money 31:24 Embracing Life's Richness and Indulgences 33:47 The Journey to Financial Comfort 34:16 Superpowers: Tenacity and Curiosity 36:03 The Airbnb Experience and Lessons Learned 39:51 Building Networks and Community 43:02 Curiosity as a Connector 44:29 Identifying Trends and the Value of Oddities 55:54 Closing Thoughts and Call to Action

    57 min

  7. JAN 20

    271 - Best of 2025! How to Build and Sell Apps with No Code with Billy Howell

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), as I interview Billy Howell (https://x.com/billyjhowell)! I'm so stoked to have Billy Howell back on the show! Billy is a prolific entrepreneur who has built over 60 apps with AI despite having no traditional tech background. His agency, Stupid Simple Apps, helps other entrepreneurs build their own custom AI apps. This episode, I challenged Billy to teach me how to build a chatbot specifically for my podcast, so I can easily query my extensive archive of 200 transcripts. We also dive into practical small business use cases for chatbots, from HR and onboarding to sales processes and internal SOPs. You'll hear us discuss the challenges of managing large data sets and context windows, exploring solutions like OpenAI's embeddings (also known as RAG) and document summarization. I even share a Google Apps Script I built to summarize my transcripts into a spreadsheet database, which we then use as the foundation for our chatbot. Enjoy the conversation! Questions This Episode Answers: • How can a small business use AI chatbots for internal processes? • What's a cost-effective way to build a custom AI chatbot? • How do you handle large data sets, like 200 podcast transcripts, for an AI chatbot's context? • What's a PRD and how does AI use it to build an app in minutes? • How can you manage AI API costs and avoid unexpected token spikes? __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 Building Apps with AI: A New Era 03:01 Chatbots: Revolutionizing Business Communication 05:50 Optimizing Context for AI Chatbots 09:11 Creating a Podcast Database for AI Interaction 12:09 Developing a Web App: Step by Step 15:03 Debugging and Enhancing the App Experience 17:52 Exploring AI's Role in Everyday Tasks 20:50 Managing Costs in AI Development 24:10 Finalizing the Podcast Q&A App 26:54 The Future of AI in Gaming and Learning

    40 min

  8. JAN 15

    270 - Best of 2025! From Door-to-Door Sales Bro to Seven-Figure Summer with Chris Koerner

    MY NEWSLETTER - https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Join me, Nik (https://x.com/CoFoundersNik), and my business partner Chris Koerner (https://x.com/mhp_guy). In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world of Summer Sales and the unbelievable Economics of the Pest Control industry. We break down how unsexy services achieve 40% Net Margins and why Large Companies are willing to pay Mercenary Sales Crews more than a year's worth of Revenue just to acquire Sticky Contracts. From a genius Middleman play involving Specialty Licenses to the Vitamin vs. Painkiller framework for choosing a Business Model, we explore how to spot Arbitrage in everyday Convenience Businesses like Christmas Lighting. We even debate the "school of hard knocks" versus buying a Course to skip the line and avoid "straight to jail" Regulatory Mistakes. Questions This Episode Answers: 1. Why is Pest Control considered one of the most profitable "scams" in Business? 2. How can you leverage Specialty Licenses to create a passive Brokerage or Marketplace? 3. Why are Hired Gun sales teams paid 1.3x First-Year Sales to walk away from deals? 4. How did a Christmas Lighting startup turn into an Eight-Figure Business in just a few months? 5. Is it better to pay for a Course or learn through expensive, real-world Operational Mistakes? Enjoy the conversation! __________________________ Love it or hate it, I'd love your feedback. Please fill out this brief survey with your opinion or email me at nik@cofounders.com with your thoughts. __________________________ MY NEWSLETTER: https://nikolas-newsletter-241a64.beehiiv.com/subscribe Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5avyu98y Apple: https://tinyurl.com/bdxbr284 YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/nikonomicsYT __________________________ This week we covered: 00:00 Introduction and Personal Anecdotes 03:36 The Economics of Pest Control 06:45 Insights on Sales Ethics and Practices 12:12 Personal Experiences in Pest Control 15:50 Questioning the Effectiveness of Pest Control 17:15 Revelation: Pest Control is a Scam 18:08 The Convenience Business Model 19:22 Success Story: Christmas Lighting Business 24:46 Entrepreneurial Spectrum: Different Approaches 27:02 Learning from Mistakes: The Importance of Knowledge

    29 min
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4.9
out of 5
95 Ratings

About

Welcome to Nikonomics—the show for entrepreneurs and Wantrapreneurs, looking to make their first million. I bring firsthand experience, having bought and sold over a dozen businesses, achieved multiple 7-figure exits, and generated over $100 million in revenue. Each week, I blend humor with real insights from successful entrepreneurs, sharing growth strategies, deal insights, and unique business ideas you won’t find elsewhere. Ready to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality? Hit play and let’s get to work. Follow me on Twitter @CoFoundersNik or YouTube @NikonomicsPodcast.

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