Hormozi's Business Advice, Value in AI, Marketplace Secrets, MrBeast’s Viral Blueprint, and Boosting Dopamine
This week, get Alex Hormozi’s top business lessons, uncover Benchmark’s Eric Vishria’s views on where is the value in AI, learn the keys to marketplace success from Benjamin Lauzier, dive into MrBeast’s formula for viral success on YouTube, and discover how to boost dopamine and build mental resilience with Andrew Huberman:
13 Years of Brutally Honest Business Advice in 90 Mins | Ep 737 (July 2024)
The Game w/ Alex Hormozi
Benchmark's Eric Vishria on Where is the Value in AI
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
How Marketplaces Win: Liquidity, Growth Levers, Quality, and More | Benjamin Lauzier
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career
MrBeast Leaked Memo
Founders
Andrew Huberman: How to Increase Your Dopamine by 60% & Optimize Your Brain’s Response to Stress
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
In this episode of The Game, Alex Hormozi shares insights from his 13-year entrepreneurial journey, selling 9 companies and scaling Acquisition.com to over $250M in annual revenue. From focusing on big wins to avoiding shortcuts, here’s what he says matters most:
Sell to the rich first — Looking to grow fast? Start with high-value customers. Just like Tesla launched with a $250,000 Roadster instead of a budget model, going for the high-end market can give you the resources to grow faster. Wealthier customers fund your initial growth, letting you refine your product before expanding. 🤑
Hire A+ talent (even if they cost a fortune) — “You can’t afford not to.” Once, he paid $1M for a hire who saved his business $3M in 90 days. Hiring top talent might sting, but they’ll bring in multiple times their cost in returns. Quality people deliver quality results, so don’t skimp here. 🧠
Build a brand, not just sales — Sales are important, but a brand gives you staying power. Think Apple or Nike—they sell a lifestyle, not just products. Building a trusted brand means people stick around. Take the time to cultivate something people believe in, and the sales will naturally follow. 🔥
The big obvious thing matters most — Fix the glaring issues first. If your product is just “meh,” no amount of ads or SEO will save it. Make something people can’t stop talking about, and you’re golden. Look at Peloton: they nailed the experience, and people flocked to it. 🏆
Listen to the full episode for more details, including 3 other lessons: why you need to prioritize, the difference between busy and productive, and the danger of chasing hacks.
In this episode of The Twenty Minute VC, Eric Vishria, General Partner at Benchmark, challenges some of the biggest assumptions about AI and where its real value lies. Spoiler: The hype might be leading us astray. Here’s Vishria’s hot take:
Foundation models aren’t the endgame — "Foundation models are the fastest commoditizing asset in human history." While OpenAI and Anthropic dominate today, Vishria argues these models are quickly losing their competitive edge. The future? It’s all about the application layer, where practical innovations will create lasting value beyond foundational tech. ⚡
Nvidia won’t dominate forever — "I don't believe Nvidia is going to be the only game in town on infrastructure." Vishria predicts that in the next 3-5 years, new players will rise in AI hardware, disrupting Nvidia’s current stronghold. The tech world is evolving fast, and the AI infrastructure space is set for fierce competition. 🔄
Rapid growth isn’t always sustainable — "I put almost no value on going from zero to $4 million in four months... customers want to buy because these products feel like magic right now." Vishria warns against relying on flashy, “sugar-high” revenue spikes. While some companies are growing fast, long-term success comes from sustained advantage, not just early excitement. 🎢
Vishria also shares his views on how the AI landscape is shifting, why many companies will need to adapt (or get left behind), and how playing the long game will separate the winners from the hype machines.
Benjamin Lauzier has spent nearly 15 years cracking the code on marketplace success — from helping Lyft onboard 1% of the U.S. workforce to doubling growth at Thumbtack. Here are some insights he shared in this episode of Lenny's Podcast:
Liquidity is king. Think of liquidity as the ability to match demand with supply efficiently and quickly. It measures how well and how often the needs of buyers are met by the sellers on the platform. “At Lyft, we knew if a driver wasn’t within three minutes, people might switch apps.” Higher liquidity = higher user satisfaction, and it keeps them coming back. 💡
Start with the toughest side. Early-stage founders should focus on the hardest side of their marketplace. Usually, that’s supply. Thumbtack, for example, leaned on Craigslist in its early days, sourcing professionals to build initial inventory. The lesson? Don’t worry about creating a perfect balance at first — tackle the hardest piece to unlock growth. 🚀
Managed supply matters. When drivers wanted to drive but didn’t own a car, Lyft rented cars to them, creating a "managed" marketplace with partial supply chain control. This ensured vehicle quality, filled gaps, and maintained flexibility — all without the high costs of buying a fleet. It gave Lyft some control without owning every asset. 🚗
Community mentorship, overcoming challenges, and healthcare advocacy... Benjamin also discussed how Lyft's driver mentorship program built a strong community, why Sidecar's over-customization led to failure, and his latest healthcare venture, Nurra.
MrBeast’s rise to YouTube stardom isn’t accidental — it’s strategic. A leaked memo reveals the behind-the-scenes tactics that fuel his viral success. Let’s break it down:
Every Second Matters
Here’s a fact: "the longer people watch, the better your video performs." Jimmy compared two of his videos — one got 120 million views and another “only” hit 45 million. What made the difference? Viewers stuck around just 98 seconds longer on the first one. That tiny change brought in 80 million more views. Every. Second. Counts. That’s why he’s obsessed with every single moment. ⏳
Stunts Only MrBeast Can Do
MrBeast’s content is about blowing minds. In one video, he offered $500,000 for someone to live in a circle for 100 days, but the twist? Instead of just starting with a house, he dropped it in by crane 30 seconds into the video. Why? Because "who the f*** else on YouTube can do that?" It’s the wild, over-the-top ideas that keep viewers glued to the screen. 🎬
Consultants Are Cheat Codes
Jimmy doesn’t waste time figuring things out the hard way. His philosophy? “Consultants are a gift from God.” Need the world’s largest cake? Call the person who’s already made it. He taps into experts to fast-track success, saving time and energy. It’s all about working smarter, not harder. 💡
Beyond these strategies, the memo highlights Jimmy’s commitment to building an unstoppable team by hiring only A-players — obsessive, relentless, and the best at what they do, with no room for excuses. He also stresses pushing through every “no”, constant innovation, and never settling for “good enough”.
What if you could boost your dopamine by 60%, handle stress like a pro, and build mental resilience — all with a few simple practices? Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman shared some powerful strategies:
Master your stress: Stress itself isn’t the real issue — it’s how you react to it. One of Huberman’s top hacks? Long exhales. Controlled breathing instantly calms your nervous system, bringing down your heart rate and helping you stay cool when life heats up. A few deep breaths can be the difference between reacting or thriving. 🌬️
Boost dopamine with Yoga Nidra: Forget the ice baths… Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation practice that involves lying down and following verbal prompts to enter a state between sleep and wakefulness, where your body rests while your mind stays awake. It can give you a massive 60% dopamine boost, powering up your focus and mental clarity. Just a few minutes of it can leave you feeling energized, creative, and ready to tackle whatever comes next. 🧘♂️
Consistency is key — even in texts: Who knew that sending a simple “good morning” text could help boost your mental health? Regular check-ins with friends create predictability, which our brain craves. This small habit can help combat loneliness, strengthen social bonds, and give you a sense of safety every day. 📱
Do what you don’t want to do: Whether it’s jumping into a cold plunge or meditating when you’d rather not, embracing the hard stuff strengthens the part of your brain responsible for willpower and mental toughness. The more resistance you face, the stronger you become. 🧊
Beyond these tips, the episode dives deeper into the neuroscience of friendship and social bonding, tackling loneliness, the critical role of safety and acceptance, and the importance of staying open-minded. They also explore the value of cold plunges, structured routines, and other techniques to build mental and emotional resilience.
If you enjoyed this issue, feel free to share it with friends who might find it useful! And we’d love to hear from you — reply with your thoughts or send podcast recommendations for future issues. Thanks for reading! 🙏
— The Fast Track team.