Future Squared with Steve Glaveski - Helping You Navigate a Brave New World Steve Glaveski

In this episode, we delve into the complexities of social media influence, authentic leadership, and the pursuit of happiness in entrepreneurship.
Today's guest is the remarkable Taryn Williams, a veteran entrepreneur who founded Wink Models, The Right Fit (exited), The Influencer Agency (exited), and the innovative gifting service, #Gifted. 
In a candid discussion, Taryn talks about the challenges and successes she faced building businesses in her 20s and stepping back into a leadership role, and emphasizes the vital roles of self-care, mentorship, and maintaining genuine team connections. 
Taryn shares invaluable insights on navigating the influencer economy, the shift towards micro and nano influencers, and the importance of organic growth and audience engagement.
She also reflects on the impact of social media on young people, stressing the need for authenticity over appearance.
We weigh in on the dangers of "struggle porn" and the reality behind the pursuit of universal success through social media platforms, shedding light on the psychological effects of these digital tools on our values and aspirations.
 
Show Notes:
Instagram: instagram.com/tarynwilliams
#Gifted: www.hashgifted.com
Get your free content audit and strategy: www.sonicboom.vc 
 
Timestamps:
00:00 Founded multiple successful businesses, including Wink Models.
05:00 Supportive network, fair pay, collaborative approach, success.
08:44 Early on, I struggled with delegation.
12:15 Scaling a business requires talented team.
15:18 Founder values cultural fit, technical understanding, learning.
18:33 Consistent follow-up for building and maintaining relationships.
20:00 Act on feedback to gain mentor's support.
24:26 Find market fit, build, test, adapt.
25:53 Planned sabbatical interrupted by successful business venture.
29:32 Regret over past decisions, focus on relationships.
32:40 Self-reflection on motivations for success and happiness.
37:46 Chasing external markers of success leads to unhappiness.
41:29 Navigating societal pressures to pursue personal ambitions.
44:04 Navigating sensitive topics while maintaining authenticity online.
48:38 TikTok sale may change US algorithm. Instagram adapts.
49:41 Brands prefer Instagram over TikTok for control.
54:03 Clarify goals to shape effective marketing strategy.
57:34 Steve invites weekly email subscribers for updates.

Michael Thomsen is a freelancer writer, author, and UFC tragic from New York.
 
He is the author of Cage Kings: How an Unlikely Group of Moguls, Champions & Hustlers Transformed the UFC into a $10 Billion Industry, which unpacks the rapid rise of the UFC an mixed martial arts, the UFC’s business model and economics, the one man tour de force that is longtime UFC president Dana White, the role of the UFC’s owners over time - SEG, Zuffa and Ari Emanuel, and the organization’s anti-competitive behaviors and adversarial relationship with its fighters, which aren’t employees, but independent contractors - most of whom would earn more working a run of the mill admin job in the public sector.
 
Thomsen’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, Vanity Fair, The Daily Beast, Aeon, Forbes, Al Jazeera America, Adult, Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Review of Books, Complex, The Paris Review n+1, Bookforum, The Believer, The New Republic, Kill Screen, The New Inquiry, and The Millions.
 
With that, here’s my conversation with the one and only, Michael Thomsen.
 
Show Notes:
1. Twitter: https://twitter.com/mike_thomsen?lang=en
2. Get Cage Kings: https://www.amazon.com/Cage-Kings-Unlikely-Champions-Transformed-ebook/dp/B0BHTM6YRY
3. Email Mike: mikthom@gmail.com 

Originally published: 2017
Jason Calacanis is a tech entrepreneur, wildly successful angel investor, and the host of the popular weekly podcast This Week in Startups. He's the founder of a series of conferences that bring entrepreneurs together with potential investors.
As a “scout” for top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and later as an angel investor, Jason has invested in 150 early-stage startups including four that have achieved billion-dollar valuations (so far) such as Uber, Evernote and Tumblr.
Jason's newly released book "Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups: Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000" puts readers inside the minds of successful angel investors, helping to understand how they prioritize and make the decisions that have resulted in phenomenal profits.
Jason provides a step by step roadmap, revealing how leading investors evaluate new ventures, calculating the risks and rewards, and explains how the best startups leverage relationships with angel investors for the best results.
In this episode we go back to Jason’s rough upbringing in Brooklyn, NY in the early 80s and cover a lot of ground leading up to the present day so you can expect to learn a lot of things, including:
How to pick a billion dollar founder or startup How to bounce back from failure What Jason thinks of and what advice he has for corporates investing in startups All topics discussed:
Jason’s humble beginnings in Brooklyn, NY What got Jason into startup investing The alchemy of startup investing Why you should always wait for external validation from other investors before investing Why ideas are a dime a dozen and you should invest in startups that have demonstrated traction The biggest mistake first time startup investors make The changing nature of angel investing and venture capital On books becoming a business card for many people Why building quality deal flow is a popularity contest of sorts How to get started investing with little money The number one thing Jason looks for in entrepreneurs Other factors to evaluate startups and entrepreneurs, including Jason’s ‘four founder questions’ How Jason navigated his Silicon Valley Reporter going bust during the dot com boom How to ask good questions What Jason’s views on corporate venture capital are and what advice he has for corporates looking to or already investing in startups How to go about taking lots of small bets when diversifying and building your portfolio What Jason thinks about ICOs, cryptocurrency and blockchain Show notes:
Get the book: https://amzn.to/2QpLqkX The book: Angelthebook.com   @jason on Twitter Jason’s podcast: ThisWeekInStartups.com

Oliver Burkeman is a British author and journalist who has written for The Guardian and other publications. He was born in 1975 and has authored several books on topics such as time management, productivity, happiness, and self-help culture.
His works include "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals," "The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking,", "Help! How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done", and his most recent book, "Four Thousand Weeks," is a philosophical and practical exploration of time management and how to make the most of our finite lives.
Show Notes:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oliverburkeman 
Web: https://oliverburkeman.com 

Niki Scevak is co-founder of Startmate, and founder and partner at Blackbird VC, Australia’s largest venture capital fund, with its 5th fund having raised AUD$1B (US$640M). Blackbird was an early investor in Canva, SafetyCulture, CultureAmp, BugCrowd, RedBubble, and many more, and has to date generated a net internal rate of return of 56%. 
 
Niki joined me today to discuss:
His life before Blackbird
Successfully raising his first fund back in 2012, without having a network or any startup successes of his own 
Getting beyond the trough of disillusionment
How Australian superannuation funds are opening their wallets to VC
Scaling culture
Generating deal flow
Advice for founders and budding VCs on raising capital in a down market
The AI investment landscape
The battle between AI-powered indie hackers and venture-backed startups
Whether sophisticated investor rules preventing retail investors from getting direct exposure to venture capital is just increasing the wealth gap 
Diversity, quotas, and Startmate’s merit-based selection criteria
And more. 
 
Show Notes:
Email Niki: niki@blackbird.vc 
Web: www.blackbird.vc  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nikiscevak?lang=en
Contact Steve on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/steveglaveski
Email Steve: hello@steveglaveski.com 

Mick Wall has spent over four decades interviewing rockstars and chronicling their amazing stories, and today, we're turning the tables on Mick Wall and unpacking his story in this marathon 3-hour and 40-minute, Joe Rogan-esque interview.

 

Our conversation focuses on the early years, taking in Mick’s childhood all the way through to Sounds magazine, Heavy Publicity, and the inception of the world-famous magazine Kerrang! magazine.

 

We touch on ghostwriting, his feud with Axl Rose, and revelations about the rock 'n roll lifestyle.

 

As you might expect, there’s plenty of sex, drugs n rock n roll, and some valuable life lessons.

 

So strap yourself in for my chat with Mick Wall.