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#235July 21, 20211:06:35

#202 - A Breakdown of Trendy New Businesses & Boring 9 Figure Bu…

About This Episode

Sam and Shaan explore 'couch cushion' and 'boring' business models, ranging from the billion-dollar monopolies of Jostens and Pantone to the rise of stretching gyms and ephemeral tattoos. They also discuss personal content strategies, including Shaan's challenge to write an original episode of 'The Office' and the necessity of shifting to a YouTube-first podcast strategy.

Episode Description

In this episode Shaan (@ShaanVP) and Sam (@theSamParr) discuss upcoming trends they are seeing along with old school businesses making hundreds of millions of dollars. Sam also talks about how he wants to grow the podcast, and Shaan shares a new writing goal he has. They end the episode talking about businesses that set of their spidey sense and may be scams. --------- * Want to be featured in a future episode? Drop your question/comment/criticism/love here: https://www.mfmpod.com/p/hotline/ * Support the pod by spreading the word, become a referrer here: https://refer.fm/million * Have you joined our private Facebook group yet? Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/ourfirstmillion and join thousands of other entrepreneurs and founders scheming up ideas. ---------

Show Notes

  • * (:55) Intro
  • * (1:56) Sam's YouTube push
  • * (5:11) Shaan's 30 day writing challenge
  • * (15:33) Trendspotting - Stretching gyms
  • * (25:52) Trendspotting - Semi-permanent tattoos
  • * (32:24) The billion dollar class ring business
  • * (45:49) The Pantone color book
  • * (49:43) The trend makers - WGSN.com
  • * (55:04) Scammy businesses - recovering items from TSA checkpoints

Key Takeaways

1

The 'boring default' position is a powerful business moat; companies like Jostens and Pantone succeed by being the hard-to-change standard rather than through constant innovation.

2

Material science breakthroughs, such as biodegradable tattoo ink, can 3x-4x an addressable market by removing high-commitment barriers for consumers.

3

Walking is a superior weight loss tool compared to high-intensity running because it burns similar calories over distance without triggering the extreme hunger that causes overeating.

Business Ideas Mentioned

Custom Commemorative Class Sneakers

E-commerce

Modern Workplace Culture Compliance Posters

Boring Business

Direct-to-Consumer Class Ring Alternative

E-commerce

View all ideas

Featuring

Hosts

SP

Sam Parr

Host

SP

Shaan Puri

Host

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Quick Stats

Duration1:06:35
Guests0
Ideas Discussed3
Topics0