Podcast
Noah Kagan Presents
Hosted by Noah Kagan · EN
The #1 podcast for entrepreneurs. Learn proven strategies to start and grow a business, improve productivity, and live a happier life. Hear from top performers in all industries. Guests include entrepreneurs, CEOs, consultants, and more.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
We Lost 50%… Now What?
2w ago00:23:17Tap to summarizeI'm feeding my baby while recording this… she's spilling milk, I'm spilling AppSumo updates. Everybody wins. So we've gone from 140 people down to around 40. Revenue has dropped hard. And for the first time in 16 years, staying in business actually feels uncertain. So this episode is about what we're doing now. What's working, what's not, and how we're getting things back on track. I talk about why we're focusing on just 30 great deals instead of hundreds, what AI is actually good for… and where it's total BS. And how I'm thinking about rebuilding the team in a way that actually works long term. Also sharing a mindset nugget I just heard and loved from an incredibly talented cyclist: 'when it's hard, that's when you're strong'. Turns out that applies to parenting… and business. You'll like this one if things feel messy right now and you're trying to figure out your next move. In this conversation, you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: What to do when your business gets cut in half How to rebuild a team after layoffs and uncertainty Why hard moments are where you level up Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. I have also been sharing emails on my brutally honest advice on a variety of topics. People have been loving it. Sign up at noahkagan.com and join 350k other people who get juicy insights every month.
Transcribe →Is This A.I. Slop?
Mar 3000:12:28Tap to summarizeWe were spending $56K/year on AI tools at AppSumo. A dozen subscriptions, nobody sharing anything. So we killed all of it and put the entire company on one Claude plan. Let's go. This episode I break down exactly how we rolled out AI to every single teammate in 3 weeks, why the tool itself wasn't the secret (the shared platform we built on top was), and the wild stuff that happened when non-technical people started building their own automations. From our deal of the day going from 25 minutes to 60 seconds, to our payroll specialist who'd never opened terminal building skills in her first week. In this conversation you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: How we saved $32K/year by killing every AI subscription and going all-in on one platform — and the exact 3-day rollout we used to get full adoption The real use cases that are changing how AppSumo operates — deal cards in 60 seconds, BD running everything from one screen, and our CMO shipping 6 AI skills in a single week Why the Slack channel #ai_daily became our secret weapon and how horizontal learning (not top-down training) is what actually drives AI adoption Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. My book Million Dollar Weekend breaks down how to start a business in simple steps you can do in one weekend. I also send brutally honest emails about business and life. Join 350k people reading them at noahkagan.com.
Transcribe →Baby #2
Feb 2600:19:07Tap to summarizeI just turned 44, and we just had our second daughter. Double girl dad. Let's go. This episode is a mix of life lessons, AI experiments, and some questionable investing decisions. I talk about what having a second kid taught me, why self-belief matters way more when revenue is down, and how getting older has made me care less about awards and more about meaning. I also tested OpenClaw, gave it real access to my life, and asked it to tell me what to say on this podcast. It lied. Then it admitted it lied. Which honestly felt very human. In this conversation you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: What becoming a dad (again) is teaching me about fear, confidence, and second reps Why picking the right partner and calling your parents might be the highest ROI decisions of your life How to ignore hype cycles, invest in boring things, and zag when everyone else zigs Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. My book Million Dollar Weekend breaks down how to start a business in simple steps you can do in one weekend. I also send brutally honest emails about business and life. Join 350k people reading them at noahkagan.com.
Transcribe →Standards Matter
Jan 2700:13:10Tap to summarizeI just had lunch with someone who sold a billion-dollar company. What stuck with me wasn't the money, it was how seriously he took standards. Not just in his work but through his entire life. This month I talk about what standards really mean, why they're just values in action, and how raising them creates clarity instead of chaos. This is about doing better work, even when things feel messy, and coming out stronger on the other side. In this conversation you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: How to set real standards instead of vague values How to rebuild trust when customers check out Why higher standards actually make decisions easier Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. My book Million Dollar Weekend breaks down how to start a business in simple steps you can do in one weekend. I also send brutally honest emails about business and life. Join 350k people reading them at noahkagan.com.
Transcribe →Leading in 2026
Dec 3100:37:34Tap to summarizeIt's New Year's Eve, and I've been taking stock of everything 2025 threw my way and what I want 2026 to look like. There were plenty of ups and downs, but what didn't work has forced me to rethink how I lead. In this episode, I talk honestly about what's changing at AppSumo, what I've learned by getting closer to the work again, and why leadership right now looks very different than it did. In this conversation you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: Setting goals that actually change your behavior Going easier on yourself when things don't work out Resetting direction when you've drifted Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. My book Million Dollar Weekend is for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start something without overthinking it. I break the process down into simple steps you can actually do in a weekend. I also send emails with my unfiltered thoughts on business, money, and life. People seem to like them. You can sign up at noahkagan.com and join 350k+ readers getting the good stuff each month.
Transcribe →AppSumo Horizon
Dec 100:25:31Tap to summarizeToday, I'm giving you part three of the AppSumo saga. Black Friday was rough, targets got missed, and the team felt it. But I zoomed out and the signals actually looked way better than expected. Refunds are dropping, deal quality is rising, customer sentiment is improving, and we're finally stabilizing the business after a horrible year. So in this episode I break down our simple three part plan to see out 2025, and talk about bundles, new partner offerings, the future of software, and how leadership really works when the scoreboard looks ugly. It's honestly the most exciting I've felt about AppSumo's horizon in a long time. In this conversation you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: How to course-correct when your Black Friday deal flops hard What I do when customers stop clicking How to avoid repeating the same mistakes next quarter Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. My book Million Dollar Weekend is for aspiring entrepreneurs who dream of starting their own business. I break down the process of starting into simple steps that you can do in just one weekend. I have also been sharing emails on my brutally honest advice on a variety of topics. People have been loving it. Sign up at noahkagan.com and join 350k other people who get juicy insights every month.
Transcribe →AppSumo Is at War
Oct 2200:18:29Tap to summarizeThe past few months at AppSumo have been brutal. People are voting with their wallets and return buyers are down 40%. We lost some of the trust we spent years building and drifted from what made us great. But the fire in my belly is back and I'm going to war for what we do best. I'm turning the battleship back towards curating high-quality tools that people actually love and I'm taking you inside the war room. In this episode, I share what's working, what's not and what I'm learning. If you've ever run a company or have just gone through a tough season, you'll love this one In this conversation, you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: Why simplicity and focus is the best strategy when things get messy. How direct conversations with customers and partners can rebuild trust Why curating truly great products (not just more of them) is key to winning back customers Enjoy these 3 things plus plenty of spicy behind-the-scenes stories along the way. My book Million Dollar Weekend is for aspiring entrepreneurs who dream of starting their own business. I break down the process of starting into simple steps that you can do in just one weekend. I have also been sharing emails on my brutally honest advice on a variety of topics. People have been loving it. Sign up at noahkagan.com and join 350k other people who get juicy insights every month.
Transcribe →I'm back as AppSumo CEO
Sep 3000:12:01Tap to summarizeMy book Million Dollar Weekend is for aspiring entrepreneurs who dream of starting their own business. I break down the process of starting into simple steps that you can do in just one weekend. After a year of paternity leave, I'm back as CEO at AppSumo… and holy moly, it's been challenging. In this episode, I share a behind-the-scenes of stepping back into my company, where we've gone wrong in my absence, and what I'm doing to fix it. From running a "listening tour" across the company, to rethinking our deal standards, this is me working in real time to bring AppSumo back stronger than ever. It's been exhausting but humbling. If you've ever faced chaos in your own business, I think you'll get a lot out of this one. In this conversation, you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: • How getting clear on "who owns what" keeps teams from drowning • Why true leadership beats management every time • Why making a call (even if it's not the right one) is always better than sitting on the fence Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. I have also been sharing emails on my brutally honest advice on a variety of topics. People have been loving it. Sign up at noahkagan.com and join 350k other people who get juicy insights every month.
Transcribe →Craftsmanship Is Sexy
Aug 2900:20:25Tap to summarizeMy book Million Dollar Weekend is for aspiring entrepreneurs who dream of starting their own business. I break down the process of starting into simple steps that you can do in just one weekend. As summer wraps up and I pack for Austin, I've been reflecting on my time in Europe. One book I stumbled across in Portugal hit the mood perfectly and got me thinking about craftsmanship, curiosity, and what it really takes to build something you're proud of. It's Always Summer on the Inside is the biography of Jack O'Neill, the surf pioneer who turned freezing San Francisco waves into a global wetsuit empire. His story is a sharp reminder that the best businesses are born from solving real problems and obsessing over quality. I also did my first bookstore event and spoke at a local high school. Both reminded me that deep down most of us already know the answers to our big questions. The real challenge is showing up, putting in the reps, and creating work that lasts. In this episode, you'll hear 3 BIG things: • Why craftsmanship and quality always beat shortcuts • How to stop waiting for permission and act on your intuition • Why success hides in the boring, unglamorous repetitions Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. I have also been sharing emails on my brutally honest advice on a variety of topics. People have been loving it. Sign up at noahkagan.com and join 350k other people who get juicy insights every month.
Transcribe →The $2000 Night Room
Jul 3100:19:11Tap to summarizeMy book Million Dollar Weekend is for aspiring entrepreneurs who dream of starting their own business. I break down the process of starting into simple steps that you can do in just one weekend. So this summer was a wild sweaty mess. After a pretty uncomfortable RV trip with my wife and one-year-old across France, I booked one night at a $2,000 luxury resort in Bordeaux, and it blew my mind! I'm not usually a baller-hotel guy (Bonjour Best Western, merci beaucoup), but this place nailed every little detail. In this episode, I break down the customer experience lessons and how you can apply them to your own business. No matter what you sell, there's always a way to go that extra mile for your customers. In this conversation, you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: How small, low cost touches can leave a big impact and wow your customers. Why consistency builds trust and long-term loyalty. How to turn around those unexpected complications should they arise in your business. Enjoy these 3 things plus many nuggets along the way. I have also been sharing emails on my brutally honest advice on a variety of topics. People have been loving it. Sign up at noahkagan.com and join 350k other people who get juicy insights every month.
Transcribe →