Podcast Summary: The Money Mondays

Episode: How the Next Million-Dollar Brands Are Built (And What It Takes to Lead Them) 🧠 EP144
Host: Dan Fleyshman
Guests: Adley (viral video engineer, founder of Viralish), Greg Zamfotus (founder and CEO, Gregory’s Coffee)
Date: October 21, 2025
Recording Context: Live at Zeta Global Conference
Duration: ~33 minutes (Adley: 0:00-12:58, Greg Zamfotus: 14:15-32:41)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Money Mondays brings together two powerhouse guests: Adley, a viral video innovator and educator, and Greg Zamfotus, founder of Gregory’s Coffee. Hosted by Dan Fleyshman at the Zeta Global Live conference, the conversations focus on three pillars:

• How to make money (building brands, content, and companies),
• How to invest money (in personal growth, team building, and infrastructure),
• How to give back (the essential role of philanthropy in influential brands).

Both guests share the behind-the-scenes formulas that built their million-dollar brands, offering actionable insights for creators, entrepreneurs, and aspiring business leaders.

[Adley: Cracking the Viral Video Code & Brand-Building for the Social Era]

(00:05 – 12:58)

1. Adley's Background & the Genesis of Viralish

• Origin Story:

  • Started as a prankster on The Voice, frustrated with waiting for others’ permission to entertain.
  • Shifted to self-made social content, initially unnoticed—even by her own parents.
  • Broke through in 2020 with prank videos—going from 20 million to 200 million weekly views during March 2020 (pandemic boom).

    “We had 15 people showing up to the house every day for three and a half years making 18–20 minute long videos a day. And a single video could do six figures.” — Adley [01:38]

• Data-Driven Creativity:

  • Developed story-driven, sometimes scripted viral content.
  • Leveraged fast feedback from social platforms to iterate quickly—a contrast to traditional entertainment.

• Viralish Company:

  • Transitioned from self-production to creating an agency/education platform after realizing her content modeling could help others compress “years into months”.

    “Once you crack a code for yourself... it is very natural to say, ‘I have something that can be an unlock for anybody.’” — Adley [03:19]

2. How to Make Money with Videos

• Two Monetization Paths:

  1. Earn from platforms (need massive views).
  2. Drive attention to personal product/service (smaller, focused audience can suffice).

  “Where attention goes, money flows.” — Adley [05:09]

• Advice for Beginners:

  • Focus on getting attention in a way that’s authentic and sustainable.
  • Pick a monetization model and align your content accordingly.

3. Investing in Your Personal Brand

• Continuous Self-Investment:

  • Importance of upskilling, hiring, and staying intentional about inputs and influences.

    “You first have to become a different version of yourself so that your personal brand is even sustainable.” — Adley [06:44]

• Forecast for Social Media:

  • Predicts an “automated advertising system” future, where everyone has a digital shelf presence whether they want it or not.

    “You're on the shelf whether you want to be or not.” — Adley [06:55]

4. Platform Strategy: Where Should Brands Post?

• Insights:
  • Don’t limit yourself to one platform; post everywhere to see where you hit.

    “We are Facebook first creators... but you can get where you want to go and elevate your personal brand by just being a LinkedIn creator, by just being a TikToker. ...But you’re not going to know that if you never started posting.” — Adley [08:21-09:16]

5. Charity & Influence

• Giving Back Philosophy:

  • Advocates for creators embracing charity as core to their work—not for ego, but as a fulfillment of one’s purpose.

    "Our gifts are given to us and our job is to refine them, to literally pay them forward and leave something in the world that makes it a better place." — Adley [09:51]

  • Praises the host for being “a river and not a reservoir”—letting fortune flow to others.

6. Notable Moments & Quotes

• About Husband Blake’s Journey:

  • Shows content creation formula is learnable: Blake, a non-creative engineer, hit 1 million TikTok followers in 4 months and 29 videos by following their process.

    “He was proof to me and many others that this is a muscle you can build.” — Adley [11:19]

• On Making Viral Growth Accessible:

  • Viralish exists to democratize the viral content formula, not just to “make rich people famous”. [12:44]

  • “We are in the greatest wave of free advertising the world has ever seen.” — Adley [12:38]

[Adley Contact]

• Everywhere: “Adley” (except YouTube: “Adley Kinsman” or “Viralish”) [10:54]
• Viralish: viralish.com

[Greg Zamfotus: Building Gregory’s Coffee—Scaling Brick & Mortar with Authenticity and Strategy]

(14:15 – 32:41)

1. Gregory’s Coffee: Growth Story & Brand DNA

• Founder Story:

  • Opened first store in Manhattan, 2006, with a focus on high-volume, high-quality coffee.
  • Now at 54 locations—expansion attributed to passion and personal authenticity.

    “If I felt like I wouldn’t want to consume it or I wouldn’t want to be a part of it, I wouldn’t do it. ...The brand felt authentic, the team was able to rally around me...” — Greg Zamfotus [15:04]

• Building Customer Community:

  • Creates unique “Gregulars” (loyal regulars) experience.

2. Evolution from 1 to 54 Stores

• What Changed:

  • Aesthetics modernized, menu expanded (in-house baked goods, matcha, clean energy drinks).
  • Adoption of technology: mobile orders, apps, delivery didn’t exist at launch.

    “My blood type might as well be espresso at this point in time.” — Greg [17:17]

• What Stayed:

  • Commitment to “see coffee differently,” focus on quality.

3. Ownership & Expansion Strategy

• Corporate Ownership:
  • All 54 stores are corporate-owned (high control over quality).
  • Shift to franchising expected in 2026 to facilitate broader expansion.

    “The best and most productive way to expand in those markets will be franchising.” — Greg [18:13]

4. Product Pricing & Value Creation

• Coffee Price Spectrum:
  • Higher price reflects ingredient quality, barista skill, and “affordable luxury” experience—not just commodity.

    “You could press a button and get a $2 coffee. I can’t speak to the quality... If you’re having a highly trained barista... that’s where the price starts to go up.” — Greg [19:07]

5. Starting a Coffee Shop: Advice

• Critical Factors:
  • Start with passion and a differentiated point of view (“third place” community).
  • Real estate is crucial; invest effort into location analysis and leverage modern data algorithms—measure “not once or twice... three or four times” before committing.

    “For a coffee shop like ours, might be about $500,000 investment... If you want to pay yourself back in 18–24 months, you don’t want to make a mistake on the real estate.” — Greg [21:07]

6. Investing in Team & Leadership

• Rationale:
  • Human capital ROI isn’t always immediate, but investing in key talent (e.g., $120–250K execs) is essential for scaling.

    “There’s nothing more important than your people. ...I would only expand or continue to grow the company depending on the amount of the quality of people I had around me.” — Greg [23:18]

7. Managing Costs at Scale

• Optimizing Sourcing & Margins:
  • Systems in place to monitor expenditures—small savings (even pennies) on items like cups or forks become massive at scale.

    “One penny drives huge, huge, huge differences. ...50% tariff is for us, could be a million dollars a year extra cost.” — Greg [25:06]

8. Philanthropy as Core Value

• Meaningful Giving:
  • Philanthropy must be genuine—not a checkbox. Gregory’s ties charitable work to its brand (e.g., for every bag of coffee sold, a pair of glasses is donated).
  • Consistently supports local initiatives (schools, soup kitchens).

    “If it can tie into the brand, that obviously makes a lot of sense as well. But it should be authentic and something you actually want to do.” — Greg [26:45]

9. Surviving the Pandemic

• Challenges:

  • 2020 shutdown almost wiped out years of work—prepared to lay off 90% of team.
  • Pivoted to mail-order coffee, personally wrote thank-you notes to loyal customers. This authentic connection built immense goodwill and loyalty.

    “It felt like everything I had built over 14 years was just getting lit on fire. ...But sort of woke up the next day and just said, well, what are we going to do next?” — Greg [29:02] “Handwriting hundreds of thank you notes... People want to surround themselves with other good people that are doing well and are helping their communities.” — Greg [30:44]

• Aftermath:

  • From 31 pre-COVID locations (focused on office-goers) to 54 locations, post-pivot.

10. Notable Quotes & Segments

• “This is a business about passion, about community, and creating third spaces for people.” — Greg [20:42]
• “When you have the ability to do good or to help others, it tends to come back around... It’s not a math equation here, as opposed to, like, a human element that I just find it’s so, so critical and so rewarding.” — Greg [27:24]

[Gregory’s Coffee Contact]

• Website: gregoryscoffee.com
• Instagram: @gregoryscoffee
• Founder IG: @Gregory Zamfotus

Key Takeaways

• Authenticity is non-negotiable: Both guests attribute sustainable growth to genuine passion and staying true to personal and brand values.
• Leverage data and adapt: From viral content engineering to coffee shop real estate, both advocate relentless data-driven decision-making and iteration.
• Invest in yourself and your team: Personal growth, leadership, and strategic hires are vital for scaling any venture.
• Purpose-driven giving: Charity and philanthropy enhance impact, reputation, and personal fulfillment—but only if rooted in authenticity.
• Community is king: Connection—whether via digital platforms or physical spaces—translates to brand loyalty and resilience.

Episode Timeline Highlights

| Timestamp | Topic / Quote | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:08 | “No one just comes out of the womb becoming a viral video engineer...” — Adley | | 05:09 | “Where attention goes, money flows.” — Adley | | 06:44 | On self-investment for personal brand sustainability — Adley | | 06:55 | “You are on that shelf whether you want to be or not.” — Adley | | 09:51 | “Our gifts ... are to refine and pay forward.” — Adley | | 11:19 | “He was proof...this is a muscle you can build.” — Adley on husband Blake | | 14:15 | “I poured myself into this...it just felt authentic.” — Greg Zamfotus | | 17:17 | “My blood type might as well be espresso...” — Greg | | 19:07 | On quality, price, and the ‘affordable luxury’ of coffee — Greg | | 21:07 | $500k investment and the importance of location — Greg | | 23:18 | “There’s nothing more important than your people.” — Greg | | 26:45 | “It has to mean something to you...it should be authentic.” — Greg (charity) | | 29:02 | Pandemic: “Felt like everything I had built ... getting lit on fire.” — Greg | | 30:44 | On handwritten thank-you notes and building strong brand community — Greg |

Summary prepared for listeners seeking direct, actionable inspiration and lessons from leaders building multimillion-dollar brands through creativity, authenticity, and a commitment to giving back.