Podcast Summary
Learning from successful entrepreneurs: Success in business comes from hard work, creativity, and a bit of luck. Entrepreneurs like Mark Rober share their stories and offer advice on building a sustainable income through innovation and high-quality content.
Building a successful business, whether it's a podcast or a YouTube channel, requires a combination of hard work, innovation, and a bit of luck. As we heard in the discussion, Terry Gross from Fresh Air is launching a new podcast series called "how I built this," where entrepreneurs can share their stories and receive advice from successful businesspeople. One of the guests on the show, Mark Rober, built a hugely successful YouTube channel by making science fun and accessible. He spent years experimenting and investing significant resources into creating high-quality content that reached tens to hundreds of millions of people. Despite the competition and the challenges, Mark's background in physics and engineering, as well as his relentless curiosity, helped him stand out and build a sustainable income through his channel and related products. So, whether you're trying to start a business or just looking for inspiration, remember that success often comes from a combination of hard work, creativity, and a little bit of luck.
From problem-solver to YouTube entrepreneur: Mark Rober's journey: Mark Rober's determination, resourcefulness, and passion for science led him from a young age to become a successful YouTube entrepreneur, despite facing challenges and starting out with unconventional methods.
Mark Rober's passion for math and science, combined with his determination and resourcefulness, led him from a young age to become a successful YouTube entrepreneur, despite starting out with unconventional methods. Mark, who grew up in a family of five in California, was always fascinated by problem-solving and science. He attended Brigham Young University in Utah, where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduation, he applied for a job at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he worked on the Curiosity rover for seven years. However, before getting the job at JPL, Mark faced several challenges, including a humbling interview experience at Solar Turbines that taught him the value of admitting what he didn't know. Mark's journey from a young problem-solver to a former NASA engineer and YouTube entrepreneur is a testament to his determination, resourcefulness, and passion for science. Despite starting out with unconventional methods, Mark's dedication to his interests and learning from his experiences led him to achieve his goals.
A designer and engineer's dedication to NASA and storytelling: NASA experience instilled deep responsibility, passion for storytelling, and a unique blend of engineering and video skills
The interviewee's experience at NASA as a designer and engineer, specifically working on the Curiosity rover, instilled in him a deep sense of responsibility and dedication to his work. He saw himself as a lifer, committed to contributing to larger projects and teams. Simultaneously, he nurtured a passion for storytelling through video creation, starting from his high school days. His first YouTube video, although simple, reached a large audience of 13 million viewers. The combination of his engineering background and storytelling ability proved to be a unique blend of skills that he continues to leverage in his career. Despite the challenges and high stakes of designing for space exploration, and the low-tech beginnings of his video projects, his dedication to both fields remained unwavering.
Creating relatable content leads to unexpected success: Making complex ideas relatable can resonate with a wider audience, leading to viral success and opportunities
Creating relatable content can lead to unexpected success. The speaker, who gained fame for creating a "transparent body" costume using iPads, did so with the goal of being featured on a tech blog. After achieving viral success on YouTube, he continued to experiment with content, focusing on making ideas accessible to a wider audience. The speaker's success came from his ability to make complex ideas relatable, resonating with viewers who felt they could replicate his projects at home. Despite initially creating content for the sake of spreading ideas, the speaker's videos eventually gained a significant following, leading to recognition and opportunities. This experience taught the speaker the importance of relatability in engaging and educating audiences, especially in fields like engineering and physics.
From iPad costume to profitable business: Passion for an idea can lead to unexpected opportunities and financial success, even for those not identifying as entrepreneurs.
Passion and creativity can lead to unexpected opportunities and successes. The speaker, an engineer at JPL, shared how a simple idea for an iPad costume evolved into a profitable business, Digital Duds. Starting with a YouTube video that gained significant views, the speaker was inspired to make the concept more accessible and affordable, leading to the creation of an app and a print-on-shirt design. With hard work and dedication, Digital Duds generated $250,000 in revenue in its first year. The success of the business caught the attention of major retailers, leading to an offer for the speaker to join their team and bring future ideas to life. Despite not initially identifying as an entrepreneur, the speaker's relentless pursuit of his ideas demonstrates the power of following one's passions and turning them into something meaningful.
Leaving NASA for a small business led to personal growth and unexpected opportunities: Starting a small business can lead to valuable experiences, personal growth, and unexpected opportunities, even if it doesn't initially succeed financially.
Starting a business, even a small one, can provide valuable experiences and opportunities for personal growth, even if it doesn't initially turn out to be a financial success. The interviewee shared how a $250,000 signing bonus from a Halloween costume company led him to leave his engineering job at NASA. Although the decision was not easy, he saw it as an opportunity to learn how a small company operates and to explore his entrepreneurial side. He continued to make YouTube videos during this time and developed his unique voice and presentation style. Despite not seeing immediate results, he persisted and improved over time. Later, while working at the company that bought his business, he received an offer to work at Apple as a design engineer. This opportunity came about through his network and his continued growth on YouTube. The interviewee emphasized that personal improvement and taking risks, even if they don't turn out as planned, can lead to unexpected opportunities and successes.
Balancing Personal Passions and Professional Opportunities: Considering personal passions and professional opportunities together requires careful thought and may involve difficult decisions. Sacrifices may be necessary to pursue both.
Personal passions and creative pursuits can sometimes clash with professional opportunities, leading to difficult decisions. In the story shared, an employee with a popular YouTube channel was offered a job at Apple but was asked to give up his channel as a condition of employment. Despite the allure of working for one of the most desirable tech companies, the employee ultimately chose to continue making videos, demonstrating his strong commitment to his craft. This incident highlights the importance of considering personal passions and professional opportunities together and the potential sacrifices that may be required in pursuing both. Additionally, the story also touches upon the power dynamics within corporations and the role of influential individuals in shaping employment decisions.
Staying true to interests and pursuing them: Persistence and creativity can lead to unexpected opportunities, even when faced with challenges or skepticism. Social media and viral content can also play a role in gaining a larger audience.
Persistence and creativity can lead to unexpected opportunities. Mark, a former Apple employee, gained attention with a viral watermelon video, which caught the eye of Jimmy Kimmel and led to appearances on his show. Despite initial resistance from his superiors at Apple, Mark continued creating content and gained recognition both internally and externally. In 2017, he created a dartboard that moved to hit the bullseye, which further increased his popularity. This story highlights the importance of staying true to your interests and pursuing them, even when faced with challenges or skepticism. Additionally, the power of social media and viral content was evident in Mark's journey to gaining a larger audience.
From side project to full-time business: Passion and innovation can lead to financial success, even from a side project. A turning point could be a significant brand deal, and ideas will keep flowing if you stay true to your passion.
Passion and innovation can lead to financial success, even if it starts as a side project. The speaker, an early YouTube creator, shares his experience of turning a YouTube channel into a viable business. He discusses the financial turning point, which was a $40,000 brand deal, surpassing his income at Apple. He then describes the process of creating a complex technology project, a moving dartboard, using existing technologies and collaborating with friends. The speaker mentions that ideas come easily to him and he always has a backlog of video concepts. He also shares his initial fears about losing passion and feeling isolated once YouTube became his full-time job. However, these fears proved unfounded, and a significant milestone was reaching out to Jimmy Kimmel's team, leading to a TV show offer, solidifying his belief in the potential of his YouTube career.
Unexpected opportunities from determination and creativity: Determination and creativity can lead to unexpected opportunities. Taking calculated risks and staying true to your passions can lead to rewarding outcomes.
Determination and creativity can lead to unexpected opportunities. The speaker, a YouTuber, shares how a prank video he made to get revenge on package thieves caught the attention of Jimmy Kimmel, leading to a TV show offer. However, making the decision to leave a stable job at Apple to pursue this opportunity was not an easy one. He had personal considerations, including the stability required for his son with autism. Despite the uncertainty, he chose to take a risk and follow his passion, knowing he had enough support and opportunities to make it work. It's a reminder that taking calculated risks and staying true to your passions can lead to rewarding outcomes.
Staying true to passion and creativity: Maintaining control over the creative process is crucial for content creators, even as they grow their teams and audiences. Understanding and catering to the audience's needs and preferences is also essential for building a successful and sustainable content platform.
Passion and creativity are more important to content creators than managing a team or focusing on the business side alone. The individual in this conversation, who started as a successful YouTuber while working at Apple, shared how he continued to write, edit, and produce content himself even after growing his subscriber base and hiring employees. He emphasized the importance of maintaining control over the creative process and not wanting to become just a manager. Additionally, the conversation highlighted the demographic of the creator's audience, which is primarily young people, with a median age of 23. The creator's goal is to make learning fun and engaging, using relatable and entertaining content to capture the audience's attention and deliver educational value. This conversation underscores the importance of staying true to one's passion and creativity while growing a business or personal brand. It also emphasizes the significance of understanding and catering to the audience's needs and preferences to build a successful and sustainable content platform.
Building the World's First Jello Pool: A Complex Engineering Challenge: Turning a childhood dream into reality required careful planning, enormous resources, and determination to overcome complex engineering challenges
Creating something seemingly simple, like a jello pool, can be a complex engineering challenge. A man shared his experience of turning his childhood dream into reality by building the world's first jello pool. The process involved careful planning, cooling, and layering the jello mixture. However, the challenge was not only in the execution but also in the engineering aspect, which required boiling and refrigerating an enormous amount of jello. The project, which held 15 tons of jello, cost around $80,000 and took place during the pandemic when people were stuck at home, making it an unexpected success for the YouTuber involved. Despite the challenges and the less-than-ideal smell of the gelatin, the man was able to deliver on his promise and create a viral video. This experience showcases the determination, creativity, and innovation that can come from pursuing a childhood dream, even when faced with complex challenges.
Starting small and staying true to your vision: Starting small can lead to unexpected success. Stay true to your vision and goals to avoid burnout and potential negative consequences.
Starting small and staying true to your vision can lead to unexpected success. Mark Rober, a former NASA engineer turned YouTube sensation, started live streaming science classes as a way to realize his dream of being a high school physics teacher. This decision led him to starting a successful company, CrunchLabs, which sells subscription science boxes to kids. Rober shares that he didn't see himself as running a business, but rather as a performer or even a high school teacher. He also mentions that he was protective of his work pace and didn't want to take on too many ideas that would increase pressure and potentially lead to burnout. The story of Pepsi's failed promotion in the 90s, shared in the podcast, serves as a reminder of the importance of carefully considering the potential consequences of offers and promotions. In both cases, staying focused on their goals and visions led to unexpected but positive outcomes.
Leveraging existing IP for a new business opportunity: Building a successful IP through YouTube led to a $50M offer. With a $3M investment, the speaker self-financed a new business and sold out initial inventory in days.
Identifying a unique opportunity and leveraging existing IP can lead to significant success in business. The speaker, who had built up a decade of IP through his YouTube channel, was encouraged by a friend to create a physical product that could reach more kids with his message. Around the same time, he had also created a successful class with monthly.com. When he shared his idea with the company's founder, he received an offer of $50 million, confirming the potential demand for his product. With a $3 million investment, he was able to self-finance the business and sell out of his initial inventory in just a few days. Despite the initial hesitation and the time and attention required to run the business, the speaker's existing IP and the demand from his audience made it a worthwhile investment.
Effective time management and hiring talent are crucial for successful content creation in complex fields: To build a successful content business in complex fields, invest in hiring talented teams and effectively manage your time to create valuable educational resources for your audience, while reinvesting revenue to expand your reach and impact.
Successful content creation, especially in complex fields like science, requires effective time management and the ability to invest resources in hiring talented teams. For example, the speaker, who runs a science education company and a popular YouTube channel, has grown his business to employ over 60 people. The YouTube channel primarily functions as a marketing tool for the business, and the speaker's primary focus is on building his brand and intellectual property. Although individual YouTube videos may not generate significant revenue, the overall impact of releasing new content can lead to substantial income through increased viewership and engagement with the back catalog. The speaker emphasizes the importance of reinvesting this revenue into expanding the business and creating valuable educational resources for teachers and students.
Creating engaging and educational content with a trusted figure leads to sustainable growth: Leveraging personal brand and evergreen content can reach millions and potentially generate revenue through subscriptions. Timing and luck also play a role in success, but consistency and authenticity are key to audience engagement.
Creating engaging and educational content, especially when delivered by a well-known and trusted figure, can lead to sustainable growth and reach a large audience. Mark Rober's success with Crunch Labs is an example of this, as his personal brand and evergreen content have allowed his videos to reach millions of homes and potentially generate revenue through subscriptions. However, the importance of timing and luck cannot be ignored, as even with hard work and dedication, success is not guaranteed. Rober acknowledges the role of both factors in his own journey and the importance of stacking the odds in one's favor. Additionally, maintaining consistency and authenticity in content is crucial to keep the audience engaged and satisfied.
Measuring Success by Positive Impact: Success is not defined by wealth or fame, but by the positive difference we make in the lives of others. Creativity and resourcefulness can lead to effective solutions.
Success is not measured by material wealth or fame, but by the positive impact we leave on the world. Mark Rober, a YouTuber, Engineer, and Founder of Crunch Labs, shared this perspective after reflecting on the unexpected ripple effects of his life. His mother's passing and his son's special needs friends inspired him to focus on leaving a net positive impact. Creativity and resourcefulness, as demonstrated by cleaning out a jello pool with a porta potty company, can also lead to effective solutions. Ultimately, the true measure of success is the difference we make in the lives of others. As Guy Raz, the host of How I Built This, concluded, "By that measure of success, my son and his special needs buddies and like my mom are just like, you know, giants living amongst us mere mortals."
