Personal IPO

Tom Stefaniuk is the founder of Small Screen, a creator management agency generating $3 million a month in revenue. In this episode, Tom and Nathan discuss how most creators are leaving money on the table, the most profitable niches on social media, and the outreach and retention strategies behind one of the fastest growing agencies in the creator space.__ Small Screen Website InstagramTom StefaniukLinkedInInstagramXYouTube__ Timestamp 00:00:00 Introducing Tom Stefaniuk 00:01:05 The best niches to make big money 00:10:57 Revealing creator's revenues 00:17:44 The #1 reasons creators are undermonetized 00:25:22 Executing a great brand partnership 00:34:20 Generating leads to a $30M+ business 00:38:00 Mastering cold emails and outreach 00:45:59 The values of a top 1% creator agency 00:54:09 Living a fulfilling life 01:02:33 How to get what you want from life 01:06:35 Motivations from a young age 01:12:15 Making your first money online 01:14:37 How death can change your mindset 01:19:44 Best advice for younger self

Jonathan Javier is the founder and CEO of Wonsulting, an agency that has helped tens of thousands of people land jobs at companies like Meta, Google and Netflix, generating $240,000 in a single month entirely through organic content. In this episode, Jon breaks down the exact systems he uses to generate close to a billion views a year, how he converts that attention into a business, and the tactics anyone can use to stand out in today's job market.__ Jon Javier Instagram LinkedIn X Facebook YouTubeWonsultingWebsite LinkedIn Instagram TikTok YouTubeX __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Jonathan Javier and Wonsulting 01:58 Helping over 10,000 people get a job 10:43 The power of lead magnets 19:04 How to get 400k+ LinkedIn followers 26:59 Viral formats that get a billion views a year 36:21 Getting your first million views 43:27 Making data-driven decisions 50:07 From side-hustle to millionaire 59:08 The best piece of advice, from Sam Parr

Vin Matano went from six years in tech sales to running a B2B influencer marketing agency doing 200k a month in under two years. In this episode we cover how B2B creators with small audiences are making serious money, the LinkedIn content strategy Vin used to build inbound demand from scratch, and the sales tactics that actually close deals.__ Vin MatanoLinkedInYouTubeTwitter/XInstagramCreatorbuzz__ Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Vin Matano 00:02:08 The reality of influencer marketing 00:07:44 Making $100,000+ as a niche creator 00:11:27 How to quit your job for content creation 00:20:04 How to make sales 00:27:23 Dealing with tough moments in business 00:40:08 The three types of LinkedIn posts for growth 00:45:51 Making connections through content creation 00:53:53 How to start making content 00:57:22 Turning attention into sales 01:02:49 How to find content inspiration 01:09:31 Getting the most from a conference 01:25:08 The value of a supportive family in entrepreneurship

Lara Acosta went from severely unemployed and depressed to building multiple businesses doing over $300,000 a month. In this episode, she breaks down the exact tactics she used to grow from zero to hundreds of thousands of followers on LinkedIn, land her first clients, and engineer a $85,000 launch with no prior experience selling online. __ Lara Acosta LinkedIn YouTubeTwitter/X Instagram Kleo The Known Club __Timestamps00:00 Introducing Lara Acosta 00:51 Fame or fortune03:35 The many paths to success 07:13 Why you shouldn't follow your passion 10:50 The three skills everyone should learn 17:00 How to get your first client 23:27 From unemployed and depressed to viral and rich 32:07 Making $80k in 5 days 39:11 How to build your LinkedIn to get leads 46:39 The cost of building on YouTube 56:24 Are you happy?

Jacob Klug is the founder of one of the largest Lovable dev agencies, generating millions per year at just 22 years old. In this episode of Personal IPO, we break down how he’s using OpenClaw to automate content, streamline operations, build AI-assisted agencies, and why he believes tools like this could soon “run a company.” __ Jacob Klug — YouTube— Twitter/X — Instagram — LinkedIn Nathan May— LinkedIn⁠ ⁠— Twitter⁠/X __ Timestamps 00:00 What OpenClaw actually is 03:11 4 things that make OpenClaw special 12:13 Using OpenClaw in your business 15:07 Creating content with OpenClaw 26:11 Automating personalized outreach with OpenClaw 36:04 Building a $10k/mo agency that's different 46:19 How I'm using OpenClaw in my business 48:30 OpenClaw hype vs reality

Alex Cooper is the founder of AdCrate, a creative agency for e-commerce brands and digital products or services spending $50K+/mo on paid social. __ Alex CooperLinkedIn YouTubeTwitter/X InstagramNathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠/X__ Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Alex Cooper 00:01:02 From college dropout to $385k/month 00:08:30 How to keep pushing when nothing is working 00:10:03 Getting your first client 00:14:37 The power of niching down 00:19:29 Don’t do outbound, make content 00:28:19 The importance of acting fast 00:32:51 Why care about copywriting in 2026 00:37:10 Getting shoutouts from Sam Parr and Joe Rogan00:39:20 Why do ugly ads work? 00:44:54 Three rules for copywriting and creative 00:54:32 Case studies: Why this ad worked 01:06:28 Building the best ad creative AI model 01:10:23 A stoic mentality in business 01:18:16 Getting kidnapped in Thailand 01:21:36 Being a better person

This is Nick Saraev — he built a one-person business teaching AI automation and bringing in hundreds of thousands a month with extreme margins. In this episode, we break down how he attracts attention, lands clients, and builds scalable systems that actually make money. __ Nick Saraev Makers Skool YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Nathan MayLinkedIn⁠ ⁠X/Twitter⁠ __Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Nick Saraev 00:02:45 Give the knowledge, teach the application 00:08:08 4 reasons to learn AI automation in 2026 00:14:47 The key AI automation to learn 00:22:31 Momentum is everything 00:28:18 How to get $10k/month in 90 days 00:37:29 Using organic YouTube content to capture leads 00:43:43 The 3 pillars of YouTube content 00:52:53 Perfecting your title and thumbnail strategy 00:57:57 Hiring for YouTube 01:01:35 Converting your YouTube audience to a $400k+ business 01:11:54 The principles of a landing page that converts 01:19:28 Education, motivation, accountability 01:25:25 Building culture in a community 01:33:15 Straying from the typical life path 01:38:39 You have to believe it's possible 01:43:43 Balancing the 3 pillars of life 01:47:25 Goals for 2026

This week on Personal IPO we're joined by Shamus Madan. He has built a $1.5M business using LinkedIn as his main growth channel. He helps founders turn LinkedIn into consistent pipeline and revenue. In this episode, he explains how founders should actually be using, how to write the perfect hook, and what most people get wrong. __ Shamus Madan Work with Shamus LinkedIn Twitter Instagram __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Shamus Madan 01:54 The biggest mistakes people make on LinkedIn 06:59 How to write a good hook for LinkedIn 12:18 Using images and videos on LinkedIn 14:06 The power of numbers in tactical posts 16:30 The three types of LinkedIn posts 19:13 Utilizing vulnerability in your posts 23:07 Finding ideas for your posts 29:38 The perfect CTA 31:52 Reconstructing a failed LinkedIn post 42:52 What time of day is best to post to LinkedIn 43:07 Writing a LinkedIn post from scratch

In this episode of Personal IPO, Max Sturtevant breaks down how he went from freelancing on Upwork to building a high-margin email marketing agency doing tens of thousands per month — all while still at college. We dive into how he uses simple Instagram and YouTube content to attract clients, why low-effort beats overproduction, and the exact growth and monetization tactics anyone can replicate.__Build your newsletter on beehiiv: https://www.beehiiv.com/__ Max Sturtevant Well CopyYouTubeLinkedInTwitter/XInstagram Nathan MayLinkedIn⁠ Twitter⁠/X __Timestamps 00:00 Making millions of dollars in your early 20s 05:13 Building a business on organic content  14:06 Making $10k/mo on Upwork 18:18 Using Instagram to get hundreds of leads 33:10 Paying $30k for coaching 39:00 Hire great talent and keep margins high 50:00 Creating a culture of winners in your company 57:32 The worst moments of being a founder 01:06:06 Living two lives, founder and frat bro01:12:37 Discovering your passion 01:20:36 Finding of deep obsession within the sadness 

Josh Suggs is the founder of a Street Talk, a fast-growing street interview agency that went from nothing to a multi-million-dollar business in just one year. In this episode, we break down the mindset, decisions, and daily actions that can completely change your life in 12 months if you commit and go all in. __ Josh Suggs Street Talk LinkedIn Twitter/X Instagram Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Twitter/X⁠ __ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Josh Suggs and Street Talk 02:00 Building the largest, unscripted, authentic media brand 05:24 Spotting an opportunity and going all in 10:27 Using social media to scale 16:38 Pick your niche and be obsessed 21:18 How to sell yourself and get in the right rooms 37:40 The traits you need for success in business 41:43 Learning from your mistakes 44:31 Finding a partner and splitting the business 58:55 Selling the vision 01:02:01 Giving away equity will make you richer 01:04:16 The goal to inspire people 01:09:06 Getting a shoutout on My First Million 01:13:16 Meeting Jake Paul 01:15:30 Inspirations in life and business

Ben Kelly has built an entire career buying “boring” small businesses using bank financing and minimal upfront capital. In this episode, he breaks down exactly how anyone can use SBA loans, smart deal structures, and retiring baby-boomer owners to buy profitable companies instead of starting from scratch. If you’ve ever wondered how to acquire a $1M business with limited experience or savings, this is the playbook.__Ben Kelly Acquisition Ace YouTubeLinkedIn Instagram Twitter/X Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠X/Twitter⁠ __Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Ben Kelly 02:14 The Silver Tsunami 03:18 Businesses that never fail 06:27 Typical investment and return 17:20 The importance of due diligence 19:59 Success stories 26:30 Finding the perfect deal 33:33 The value of a third party expert 38:15 How to stop a deal falling through 43:08 The funnel for acquiring students 54:05 Content hooks for cold traffic 01:04:10 Maintaining a family orientated lifestyle

Matt Epstein is the 23-year-old behind Shown Media, the viral launch agency running 8–10M view product announcements for some of the biggest SaaS brands. In this episode, Matt breaks down how he built a multimillion-dollar agency entirely through his X/Twitter account, engineered massive launch moments, and scaled from 3 to 40 employees in under two years. __ Matt Epstein Twitter/X LinkedIn Shown Media Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Twitter/X⁠ __Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Matt Epstein 00:02:56 The world of viral product launches 00:05:30 Key philosophies of a viral launch 00:13:06 The art of influencer partnerships 00:21:17 Knowing if a post will hit 00:25:22 The three keys to a viral launch 00:31:05 Building a personal brand 00:40:29 Mistakes made early in business 00:54:14 E-com vs agencies: Which is for you?00:58:03 The mentality of a leader in business 01:09:22 Creating focus and obsession 01:14:40 Learning to value hard work 01:17:26 Business advice from mentors

Daniel Fazio is the founder of Client Ascension and ListKit. He went from making $12K a month at 20 to $1.2 million a month by 28. In this episode, he breaks down the exact offer systems, cold-email strategy, and mindset that built his seven-figure empire.__ Daniel Fazio YouTubeLinkedIn Twitter/X Instagram __Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠X/Twitter⁠__Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Daniel Fazio 00:02:00 Origin story of making 1.2M/mo at 27 years old 00:12:16 Making a course that people love 00:21:47 Creating a value ladder 00:28:28 When to give info and when to sell 00:37:29 Knowing when to kill a project 00:41:36 Niche down and be actionable 00:53:19 The most important level for scaling 00:59:52 The mentality of a young founder 01:07:10 Mastering work/life balance as a founder

This week on Personal IPO, Nathan sits down with Eric Siu — founder of the marketing agency Single Grain, podcast host, and longtime business strategist. In this episode, he breaks down the systems and mindset that turned a struggling $2 agency into a $10M+ business, sharing how focus, content, and AI transformed everything.__Eric SiuYouTubeLinkedIn Instagram Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠X/Twitter⁠__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Eric Siu 01:40 Strategy #1: Stay Hands-On with High-Leverage Work 06:12 Strategy #2: Build a Content Flywheel That Compounds 20:31 Strategy #3: Use AI to Systemize Operations27:48 Strategy #4 Create Accountability Through Data 33:27 Strategy #5: Build Leverage Through Community

In this episode of Personal IPO, Nathan sits down with Tim Huelskamp, co-founder and CEO of 1440, the daily newsletter read by over 4 million people. Tim shares how he left private equity to build a $20M+ media business from scratch — breaking down the math, mindset, and management behind 1440’s success. You’ll learn how he mastered unit economics, built a lean and profitable team, and created one of the most trusted newsletters in the world.Join 1440 __Tim HuelskampLinkedIn Nathan May⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠X/Twitter⁠ __Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Tim Huelskamp 03:08 What Tim learnt working in private equity 11:37 Why start a newsletter? 20:39 The unit economics of a newsletter business 28:35 The history and evolution of 1440 35:10 When you should raise equity 38:30 How to get your first $10k/mo 44:50 The difficulties of running a media business 51:43 The importance of building a strong culture 59:42 1440's future plans to scale

This week on Personal IPO we're joined by Jesse Pujji. Jesse is a founder who’s built and scaled multiple businesses to millions in profit — from co-founding Ampush, one of Facebook’s earliest marketing partners, to running Gateway X, a portfolio doing over $10M+ annually. In this episode, he breaks down the playbooks behind his success, including bootstrapping without funding, building elite talent pipelines, and using organic social to generate thousands of leads.__Jesse Pujji Bootstrapped GiantsLinkedIn⁠ Twitter/X⁠ Instagram⁠ Gateway X⁠ __Nathan May ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠Twitter/X__Timestamps00:00 Introducing Jesse Pujji 03:00 Breaking down the Gateway X portfolio 04:16 The story of Jesse's first success, Ampush 12:31 The value of hiring great people 17:00 An argument against diversification 20:15 When did you feel rich? 23:50 The multi-million dollar tweet 30:00 The mutual intro playbook 37:13 Jesse's parents' influence 42:50 The difficulties of running these companies 47:17 The problem isn't demand, it's supply 49:26 It's not a zero sum game 53:30 Mistake founders make 56:45 Who does Jesse admire?

Justin Welsh In this episode we’re talking to Justin Welsh — he’s a former CRO who scaled the startup PatientPop to $70M in revenue, then walked away to build a one-person business. Today, Justin runs one of the biggest personal brands on LinkedIn and has sold over $10 million in digital products as a solopreneur.We dive into his journey from being fired three times in sales, to leading high-performing teams, to reinventing himself after burnout. Justin shares the exact frameworks he uses for selling, hiring, and content creation — plus the playbook behind his $900,000 launch of Creator MBA.__Follow JustinLinkedInWebsiteX/TwitterInstagramFollow NathanLinkedIn X/Twitter__ Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Justin Welsh 02:41 Justin Welsh’s early days 05:26 When Justin Welsh’s career turned around 09:52 The value of mentors in business 14:47 The secret sauce to success 21:30 Building a culture of high performance 30:00 Justin’s breaking point — building from rock bottom 36:07 Becoming one of LinkedIn’s biggest personal brands 40:42 Turning your knowledge into a product 49:35 The framework for selling via email 57:26 What’s next for Justin Welsh? __Personal IPO Podcast is where top creators, founders, and operators share how they build businesses that thrive on owned platforms.Each episode, we dig into:→ How they started and scaled their audience→ Tactics that drive their growth and revenue→ Stories from their biggest wins and toughest failures→ Ideas and philosophies shaping what they built

In this episode of Personal IPO, Nathan sits down with Isaac French — the designer, builder, and creator behind Live Oak Lake, a stunning micro-resort in Texas that he turned into a $7 million business. Isaac shares the full story: how he started with just $19,000 in savings, went $500K over budget, got banned by Airbnb two weeks after launch, and still built a brand that generated $500K+ in its first year with 55% margins. It’s a conversation about risk, design, belief, and what it means to build something truly beautiful, both online and in the real world.__Isaac French Website YouTubeLinkedInTwitter/X Instagram__Nathan May LinkedIn Twitter/X __Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Isaac 02:05 The story of Live Oak Lake 11:16 Building value direct to customer 16:27 From rock bottom to thriving business 22:35 Creating with passion and care 33:20 A unique upbringing 36:33 Building a personal brand 40:32 Helping others build value driven businesses 47:00 The value of connecting with communities __Personal IPO Podcast is where top creators, founders, and operators share how they build businesses that thrive on owned platforms.Each episode, we dig into:→ How they started and scaled their audience→ Tactics that drive their growth and revenue→ Stories from their biggest wins and toughest failures→ Ideas and philosophies shaping what they built

For this episode of the Personal IPO podcast Nathan is joined by Dickie Bush. Dickie is a former BlackRock trader and Princeton graduate who helps people learn to write online. His portfolio of businesses generate a revenue of almost $10M a year and in this episode he dives deep into growing an online audience and how, through the power of copywriting and marketing, you can sell anything to anyone. __Dickie Bush LinkedIn Website Twitter/X Instagram __Nathan May LinkedIn Twitter/X __Timestamps 00:00:00 Introducing Dickie Bush 00:01:15 How much money is Dickie making? 00:04:25 Revenue breakdown 00:07:31 The 4 pillars of a $10M portfolio 00:11:48 Using AI to enhance, not replace 00:15:52 The key to a successful coaching business 00:22:37 The art of scaling a business sustainably 00:29:47 Mastering email marketing 00:37:48 Most valuable steps for beginner businesses 00:49:13 Paying Alex Hormozi $50k for business audit 00:59:10 The most valuable skill to learn right now in 2025 01:05:48 Pushing through the pain 01:12:25 The value of community as a solopreneur 01:21:39 Finding appreciation through loss 01:26:37 Future plans in life and business 01:35:14 Advice for young entrepreneurs __Personal IPO Podcast is where top creators, founders, and operators share how they build businesses that thrive on owned platforms. Each episode, we dig into: → How they started and scaled their audience → Tactics that drive their growth and revenue → Stories from their biggest wins and toughest failures → Ideas and philosophies shaping what they built

For the very first episode of Personal IPO we’re joined by the one and only Sam Parr. Sam is the founder of The Hustle, a media company that was acquired by HubSpot in 2021. He is also the host of one of the biggest business podcasts in the world, My First Million. Sam’s latest project, Hampton, is a private community for entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs. __Sam ParrTwitter/X LinkedIn Instagram My Frist Million Podcast Hampton __Nathan May LinkedIn Twitter/X__Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Sam Parr 01:18 Sam’s previous businesses 05:00 The inspiration behind Hampton 10:01 How to choose a co-founder 16:51 Building a positively confrontational environment 23:00 Success can happen to anyone 25:05 The power of a community and being a friend billionaire 32:02 It’s a simple business, but hard 37:08 Hampton’s badass events 44:34 Delegate, don’t abdicate 48:00 What does success look like? __Personal IPO Podcast is where top creators, founders, and operators share how they build businesses that thrive on owned platforms.Each episode, we dig into:→ How they started and scaled their audience→ Tactics that drive their growth and revenue→ Stories from their biggest wins and toughest failures→ Ideas and philosophies shaping what they built

Hosted by Nathan May (The Feed Media) in partnership with beehiiv 🐝, each episode reverse-engineers the playbooks behind the entrepreneurs all over your feed - how they built an audience, scaled business, and created their own luck.