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#728February 11, 202554:46

The insane story of Blake Schroll: the high school dropout who’s…

About This Episode

Shaan and Sam explore the concept of 'high agency' through the success stories of Blake Scholl, Nick Mowbray, and an unconventional e-bike entrepreneur named Andy. They break down how these founders bypassed traditional industry hurdles using extreme persistence, from building DIY factories in China to securing $5 billion in pre-orders at Y Combinator.

Episode Description

Episode 675: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) tell the three stories of founders with insanely high agency.

Show Notes

  • 0:00Boom Supersonic
  • 30:50Nick Mowbray, #1 most impressive founder
  • 43:43The Moped King

Check Out Shaan's Stuff

  • Shaan's weekly email
  • Visit
  • Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies!
  • Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC

Key Takeaways

1

Cultivate High Agency: Success is driven by individuals who refuse to accept standard constraints and instead take direct action to bypass obstacles rather than waiting for permission or external help.

2

Scale the Mission to Attract Talent: High-caliber engineers and executives are more likely to join a 'moonshot' project (like supersonic travel) than a mundane one, making massive ideas paradoxically easier to staff than small ones.

3

The Intelligent Ask: When pitching high-profile partners, don't ask for their money; ask for their brand association or a partnership that aligns with their personal interests to lower the barrier for a deal.

Business Ideas Mentioned

Renegade Chinese Founders Media Series

Content & Media

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Quick Stats

Duration54:46
Guests0
Ideas Discussed1
Topics0