Podcast
Founder's Journal
Hosted by Morning Brew · EN
Alex Lieberman, the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, gives you an insider’s look into building businesses. Alex explores the founder’s journey, from the painful challenges of 0-to-1 to the powerful frameworks that help you scale to millions in revenue as well as the emotional rollercoaster that is present throughout.
40episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
LEAKED MEMO from Shopify CEO
Apr 9, 2025Tap to summarizeAlex breaks down a leaked internal memo by Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify. The memo details Tobi’s view on AI, expectations of how Shopify employees will use AI, and six AI action items for the company, top-down. —Show Notes:(0:00) A note from our sponsor(2:26) Welcome back to Founder’s Journal(3:32) Shopify CEO AI interest(4:48) Leaked AI Memo(6:03) AI step function change (8:18) What is reflexive AI? (9:45) Point 1: AI is an expectation(9:05) Point 2: Prototyping requires AI(11:03) Point 3: AI performance reviews(11:40) Point 4: Share AI learnings (12:29) Point 5: AI before human(13:52) Point 6: AI adoption is required to-down(14:08): Use this memo as an instruction manual —Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex—Episode Link:• Shopify CEO memo: https://x.com/tobi/status/1909251946235437514 Check Out Alex’s Stuff:• storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/• growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/• CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/• X - https://x.com/businessbarista• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →7 tactics for non-cringy sales
Mar 12, 202500:21:34Tap to summarizeEpisode 141: Alex shares why sales is king of the hill in entrepreneurship & how you can be great at it.Here’s what to expect: Why sales is misbranded Why sales is a founder’s most important skill 7 tactics Alex used to sell at Morning Brew Tactics from 3 startup sales experts —Show Notes:(0:00) A note from our sponsor(2:26) Welcome back to Founder’s Journal(3:03) The Misconception of Sales(4:21) The Role of Sales in Entrepreneurship(7:50) Seven Effective Sales Tactics(17:26) Expert Sales Tips(20:40) Conclusion and Listener Engagement—Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex—Episode Links:• Naval tweet: https://x.com/naval/status/1002104154737684480• Jen Abel X thread: https://x.com/jjen_abel/status/1869530668054564866• Jason Lemkin article: https://www.saastr.com/what-is-the-best-sales-advice-you-can-give/Check Out Alex’s Stuff:• storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/• growthpair - https://www.growthpair.com/• CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/• X - https://x.com/businessbarista• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How Pieter Levels Hit $67k MRR in 3 Weeks
Mar 10, 202500:21:06Tap to summarizeEpisode 140: Alex breaks down Pieter Levels’ AI-coded flying game, which hit $67,000 in monthly revenue in just 3 weeks. Here’s what to expect: The stats & story behind Levels’ flying game Key lessons to take from this business Understanding critiques of the game —Show Notes:(0:00) A note from our sponsor(2:26) Welcome back to Founder’s Journal(3:09) Peter Levels’ AI-coded flying game(6:17) The power of AI in game development(8:00) The value of trusted distribution(13:24) Vibe marketing explained(15:58) Addressing critiques(20:15) Conclusion—Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex—Episode Links:• Flying game - https://fly.pieter.com/• Levels on X - https://x.com/levelsio• Andrej Karpathy - https://www.youtube.com/@AndrejKarpathyCheck Out Alex’s Stuff:• storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/• CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/• X - https://x.com/businessbarista• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why boring work is inevitable
Mar 5, 202500:16:12Tap to summarizeEpisode 139: Alex talks about the unsung hero of startups: boring work. He shares how society forgets that much of entrepreneurship involves doing boring work privately, to become celebrated publicly. He also breaks down three under-discussed aspects of boring work: It’s an unavoidable part of building a business, especially in the early days. Some founders stay in boring work for far too long, even when they no longer need to. Boring work is a gift that every entrepreneur should feel grateful for. —Show Notes:(0:00) A note from our sponsor(2:26) Welcome back to Founder’s Journal(3:15) Danger of celebritizing entrepreneurship(5:38) Boring work is unavoidable(8:57) Staying in boring work too long(13:00) Boring work is a gift—Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex—Check Out Alex’s Stuff:• storyarb - https://www.storyarb.com/• CTA - https://www.creatortalentagency.co/• X - https://x.com/businessbarista• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Can you make your business feel “effortless”?
Mar 3, 202500:18:03Tap to summarizeEpisode 138: Alex Lieberman, host of Founder’s Journal, announces the relaunch of the show. He shares what you can expect from Founder’s Journal & how he thinks about shifting his businesses from off-course to on-course, using the pirate ship approach.—Show Notes:(0:00) A note from our sponsor(2:28) Welcome back to Founder’s Journal(3:58) Effortless vs. effortful(5:38) Your business as a pirate ship(10:12) Ship example: storyarb—Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Gusto. Head to www.gusto.com/alex—Check Out Alex’s Stuff:• storyarb - www.storyarb.com• CTA - www.creatortalentagency.co• X - https://x.com/businessbarista• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lieberman/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Navigating Career Pivots (Kyle Hagge, Chief of Staff to the COO at Morning Brew & Co-Host of Per My Last Email)
Jun 13, 202400:20:07Tap to summarizeEpisode 137: This week, Kyle Hagge, Chief of Staff to the COO at Morning Brew and co-host of the podcast Per My Last Email is guest hosting Founder’s Journal to chat about career pivots. Kyle shares his own experience with career changes and discusses the importance of utilizing side projects, weak ties, and storytelling. Want to hear more of Kyle's career advice? Check out his podcast, Per My Last Email, here: https://link.chtbl.com/uMGkoryqSend us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com#FoundersJournal #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to Founder’s Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WWatch Founder’s Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/ Subscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Alex!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How to Become a Marketing Master (Noah Kagan, Appsumo & Million Dollar Weekend)
Jun 4, 202400:41:31Tap to summarizeEpisode 136: In today’s episode, I chat with marketing master Noah Kagan, the founder and CEO of Appsumo and New York Times bestselling author of Million Dollar Weekend. Noah shares his repeatable marketing playbook, and I have him rip apart my marketing strategy for Storyarb. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com#FoundersJournal #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to Founder’s Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WWatch Founder’s Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/ Subscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Alex!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How to Become Relentless as an Entrepreneur (Kian Sadeghi, Nucleus)
May 28, 202400:39:51Tap to summarizeEpisode 135: Today, I speak with Kian Sadeghi, one of the most impressive early-stage founders I have ever met. Kian's genetic testing company, Nucleus, has attracted investment from Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and Alexis Ohanian's 776, and he shares how he has employed relentlessness to build his company after dropping out of the University of Pennsylvania. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com#FoundersJournal #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to Founder’s Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WWatch Founder’s Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/ Subscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Alex!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How to Identify Top 1% Talent (Keith Rabois, Investor in Doordash, YouTube, Airbnb & Lyft)
May 21, 202400:35:55Tap to summarizeEpisode 134: Today, I speak to legendary executive and investor Keith Rabois about his ability to identify top 1% founders and employees. Keith has invested in a billion-dollar business every year for the last 20 years, including Doordash, YouTube, and Lyft. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Paypal, LinkedIn, and Square. We chat about how to find undiscovered talent, hiring barrels, and the two traits of 10X founders. Episode Transcript: https://foundersjournalpod.morningbrew.com/blog/how-to-identify-top-1-talent-keith-rabois-investor-in-doordash-youtube-airbnb-lyftSend us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com#FoundersJournal #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to Founder’s Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WWatch Founder’s Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/ Subscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Alex!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How to Use Entrepreneurship to Propel Personal Growth (Jesse Pujji, Ampush & Gateway X)
May 14, 202400:30:56Tap to summarizeEpisode 133: In today’s episode I chat with Jesse Pujji (@jspujji), co-founder of Ampush and founder of startup studio Gateway X. Jesse has used entrepreneurship as a vehicle for personal and professional growth, and we talk about the tools and tactics he's found valuable including, Zone of Genius, five levels of motivation, and context versus content. Send us an email and let us know what you think of the idea! foundersjournal@morningbrew.com#FoundersJournal #Startups #EntrepreneurListen to Founder’s Journal here: https://link.chtbl.com/OV4W93_WWatch Founder’s Journal here: https://www.youtube.com/@FoundersJournal/ Subscribe to Morning Brew!Sign up for free today: https://bit.ly/morningbrewytFollow The Brew!Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morningbrew/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MorningBrewTik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@morningbrewFollow Alex!Alex Lieberman (@businessbarista) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →