The Quest Pod with Justin Kan

Latest Episodes:

Storytime: Books That Changed My Life (with Jason Tan) Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

You are sabotaging your own personal and professional growth if you're not finding time to read. Today I'm joined by my good friend Jason Tan (previously CEO of Sift) on books that shaped who are.

Here are the 9 books:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Chapman, Jim Dethmer, and Kaley Klemp
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
Shogun by James Clavell
Dare To Lead by Brené Brown

I also talked about the 9 books on my YouTube channel and Twitter. Drop a comment to let me know what you think! I'd love to get some book recommendations from you guys too.

A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.

Substack Founder on How to Monetize Your Ideas @Chris Best Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Chris Best is the CEO and founder of Substack, an online publication platform that provides independent writers with distribution, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure. Chris represents an open challenge to both traditional media institutions and social media. I love the idea of empowering anyone to publish and monetize their ideas and own their audience.

In this episode, Chris and I explore the origin story behind Substack, discuss the effects of social media on writing and publishing, how to effectively distribute your content, media outlets, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people.

Check out the full uncut episode on YouTube!

A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.

Storytime: We Burned $140 Million Learning What Not to Do in a Startup (with James Beshara) Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

We burned through $140 million dollars making these mistakes, so you don't have to.

On this bonus episode, I'm joined by my friend James Beshara, CEO of Tilt, who also recently started Magic Mind. We talk about the mistakes we've made as founders, and our learnings through blood sweat, and tears. Here are some of them:

Don't wait forever to start your company.
Commit to truth, not consistency.
Don't start a services company.
Never lose your focus.
Don't start companies with co-founders that you've just met
Always do background reference check.
Don't raise money just because you can.
...

Check out the full episode for more! (Here's the YouTube version)

You can find James on Twitter and Instagram.

Go try out Magic Mind and use my code JUSTIN for 50% off.

A thank to our sponsors Universe and CashApp for making this podcast possible.

Storytime: I Break Down My Most Popular Tweets Sep 14, 2021

Show notes

I explain the thinking behind some of my best tweets: starting with the product v. distribution debate.

Check out the tweets here:

First v second time founders: tweet 1
Motivation in startups: tweet 2
Psychedelics meme: tweet 3
Real and fake friends: tweet 4

Watch this episode in 4K! It's so much more fun: YouTube link.

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Check out The Quest Media: https://bio.thequest.media

Steve Huffman: Reddit, Y-Combinator, Ask Me Anything (2020) Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Steve Huffman is the founder and CEO of Reddit. I’ve watched his whole journey since we both started as entrepreneurs in 2005: from founding Reddit, getting acquired by Conde Nast, leaving the company and coming back again as CEO in 2015.

In this episode Steve opened up in a broad ranging conversation that covered the Reddit origin story, his personal growth journey, quitting alcohol, his sometimes contentious relationship to the Reddit community, and more.

Reddit just raised a Series F, bringing its total capital raised to $700M. I think this is a timely moment to revisit Steve's story. You can also check out Reddit's other co-founder Alexis Ohanian's episode here.

(This episode was originally released as S1:E8 in 2020)

📺 Stream this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6ZbNt3XZ_fk

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Sasha Grey: Adult Entertainment, Twitch, Content Creator, Author, Musician Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

Sasha Grey is one of the coolest personalities on the internet. While she is probably best known for her legendary tenure in the porn industry, she has since found success as an artist. Sasha has transitioned into a writer, musician, and popular Twitch streamer with almost 1 million followers.

Something that really struck me about Sasha is her tenacity and grit, qualities that I think are exclusive to the greatest creators and founders. She went from bussing tables at a steakhouse, saving up a couple thousand dollars, and betting it all on moving to LA to pursue her dream. We discuss her rapid ascent to stardom in the porn industry, why she left it all behind, and the struggle to be taken seriously by people who dwell on the past.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/k6wlWVuBS2I

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Alexandra & Andrea Botez: Twitch, Chess, Startups, Content, YouTube Aug 24, 2021

Show notes

Alexandra and Andrea Botez are my favorite content creators in the game right now. The sisters run BotezLive, one of the biggest chess-streaming channels on Twitch and YouTube with over 900,000 subscribers. Since the age of six, Alexandra has fought tooth and nail to earn her recognition and success. These experiences developed the resilience that fueled her professional chess career, and transitioned her into the content creation grind.

In this episode we dive deep into the gritty reality of what it really takes to become a full-time streamer, lessons from failed startups, learning how to take constructive criticism, and figuring out how to bring authenticity to content creation. If you are an aspiring creator yourself, the Botez sisters have some extremely valuable takeaways - so stay tuned.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/AphAW83yano

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Alexis Ohanian: Reddit Founder, Y-Combinator, Seven Seven Six, Parenting, Investing Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

I’ve known Alexis Ohanian for almost fifteen years, ever since we were in the trenches together as part of the first Y Combinator cohort. He is best known as the co-founder of Reddit, a fellow former partner at YC, and the founder of his new venture fund, Seven Seven Six.

Alexis and I became close friends during our time at YC together, and I witnessed the trials and tribulations he went through while building Reddit first-hand. I’ve had the pleasure of watching my friend grow into a great founder, leader, investor, and parent. In this episode, Alexis opens up about his personal struggles during the early days of Reddit, the challenges of modern parenthood, and the philosophy behind Seven Seven Six. I really appreciate Alexis for being so vulnerable in this episode, and I think it is a powerful message that all founders need to hear.

Follow Alexis on Twitter here, and find out more about Seven Seven Six here.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/k4x7fF6G2C8

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Austen Allred: Lambda School, Y-Combinator, Free Education, Programming and Code Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Austen Allred is the founder and CEO of Lambda School, an online coding school that doesn’t charge students tuition until they get hired. Growing up Mormon, Austen worked as a missionary and lived out of a car before applying to Y-Combinator. These experiences taught him about resilience, which kept him laser focused on candidate success through media praise and controversy.

Austen’s mission to democratize education really resonates with me. In this episode, we discuss moving to the Valley, going through Y-Combinator and being caught in the political tensions surrounding free education. We dive into the concepts of ISAs, the future of education and American Dream as a service.

You can follow Austen on his Twitter, and check out Lambda School here.

The Quest x Universe Site-Building Contest (until 17th August):

The Quest Pod is partnering with Universe App to give away $1000 in cash, plus a chance to pitch me your worst startup ideas (and get roasted ) in a YouTube video! The rules are simple:

Come up with the worst startup/product idea ever - the more unethical, inefficient, or useless it is, the better,
Download the Universe app and build a basic landing page for your idea. Must clearly state what the product/company is, and its purpose,
Follow me on Twitter, and submit your site URL and basic details on the attached entry form
Keep an eye on your Twitter DM’s - I’ll contact you if you win.

The entry form is available here.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Watch this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/Moyq4j4bKBg

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media

Matteo Franceschetti: Eight Sleep, Tech, Y-Combinator, Health, Fitness and Longevity Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

Matteo Franceschetti is the CEO and co-founder of Eight Sleep, a smart mattress company focused on optimizing sleep quality, duration, and recovery through insights and analytics. The company has raised over $40 million since its inception in 2014.

In this episode, we discuss practical advice on improving health and longevity through optimizing sleep, the importance of prototyping your product, and the unique challenges of scaling a hardware company. Matteo recounts the development of his intense competitive drive as a boy growing up in Italy, his pivot into startups coming from a career as a lawyer, the YC experience, learning to be an effective communicator and leader, and the laborious process of finding product-market fit.

The Quest Pod x Universe Site-Building Contest:

The Quest Pod is partnering with Universe App to give away $1000 in cash, plus a chance to pitch me your worst startup ideas (and get roasted ) in a YouTube video! The rules are simple:

Come up with the worst startup/product idea ever - the more unethical, inefficient, or useless it is, the better,
Download the Universe app and build a basic landing page for your idea. Must clearly state what the product/company is, and its purpose,
Follow me on Twitter, and submit your site URL and basic details here
Keep an eye on your Twitter DM’s - I’ll contact you if you win.

Enjoyed this episode? The incredible stories on this podcast are made possible by our sponsors, check them out to support The Quest Pod:

Universe | The best mobile command centre for building your online business and content.

Cashapp | Spend, save, invest in stocks and cryptocurrency easily

📺 Experience this episode in 4K: https://youtu.be/IOpF5W5ufjo

🍎 iTunes: https://apple.co/3lU3fZs

🎵 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3srzJwq

✍️ The Quest Pod in print: https://thequest.media

🌎 Everything Quest: https://bio.thequest.media