Mike Posner’s Journey, Tequila for Moms, The Science of Grit, Zola, and Sales Tactics
Here are the episodes we cover this week:
How Mike Posner Built a Music Empire from His Dorm Room
My First Million
21 Seeds: Kat Hantas
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Grit and Perseverance — with Angela Duckworth
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Disrupting the Wedding Industry, with Zola’s Shan-Lyn Ma
Masters of Scale
20Sales: Biggest Lessons Scaling Slack | How to Build a Customer Success Machine, and more with AJ Tennant @ Glean
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
Mike Posner, the artist behind the hit single Cooler Than Me, rose to fame fast, but his story goes way beyond the music charts. In My First Million, Posner shares how his path took unexpected turns, from college dorms to the top of the industry and finally, to a life focused on purpose over fame. Here are some of the highlights:
The iTunesU hack – Long before record labels knew his name, Posner pulled off a strategic stunt that got him heard nationwide: he launched his music for free on iTunesU, a platform designed for college lectures. The result? A massive fanbase of college students before he’d even signed a deal. “Sometimes, you’ve got to be clever and turn disadvantages into advantages.” 💡
Doing hard things – Fame and money weren’t enough. Posner discovered that true growth comes from embracing discomfort and pushing limits. From walking across America to climbing Everest, he found resilience by tackling grueling challenges. “You get to know who you are when you’re willing to face discomfort… it’s not the comfortable times that define us.” 🏔️
Redefining wealth – Today, success for Posner is all about living in a “beautiful state,” inspired by Tony Robbins’ concept of “beautiful vs. suffering states.” Finding joy, health, and purpose in the present moment has replaced the chase for hit singles. “True wealth is health… finding joy in the present moment, not in the next dollar.” 🧘♂️
In the full episode, Posner opens up about his artistic journey, from navigating fame and building his creative process to going back to school and rediscovering his identity. He also shares deeply personal stories, reflecting on the impact of losing loved ones and how these experiences shaped his path.
When Kat Hantas traded her wine for tequila to escape dreaded “wine headaches,” she never imagined she’d shake up the spirits world with a $160M brand, 21 Seeds. But that’s exactly what she did, turning her homemade tequila infusions into a brand that speaks directly to women looking for a light, clean alternative to wine. Here’s how she pulled it off:
Spotting a niche audience – Hantas didn’t want just anyone drinking her tequila—she wanted moms! Realizing her friends were also swapping wine for tequila, she built a brand exclusively for women craving a clean, easy-drinking option. “I wasn’t just thinking about tequila… I was thinking about who’s actually drinking it.” 🍸
Crafting a fresh identity – Hantas knew the tequila shelf needed a makeover. With vibrant fruit labels, 21 Seeds bottles look more like high-end perfume than hard alcohol. Instead of traditional ads, she turned to Instagram and Pinterest, where her audience already spent time. Even Jessica Alba called 21 Seeds her “favorite new adult beverage”—hello, instant buzz. 👀
Perfect timing and the big payoff – Launched just before COVID, 21 Seeds’ timing was perfect as more people drank at home. Hantas’s team prepared for stock shortages, keeping shelves full while competitors ran dry. With strong sales and a dedicated fanbase, 21 Seeds quickly caught Diageo’s attention, leading to a cool $160M acquisition. 💸
In the full episode, Hantas also shares her journey building a team, navigating the male-dominated tequila industry, and securing buy-in from major retailers—all hard-won insights for anyone building a brand from scratch.
Angela Duckworth, psychologist and author of the New York Times bestseller, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, breaks down the science of grit on The Prof G Pod. It’s not just about muscling through challenges; grit is about combining passion with resilience and setting up conditions that keep the spark alive. Here’s how:
Passion in action – True grit is “passion in action”—not simply endurance, but a real love for what you’re doing. Top achievers keep going, not just because they’re tough but because they’re deeply attached to their purpose. “It’s about being so obsessed with your goal that even setbacks can’t shake you.” 🔥
Sample first, commit later – Don’t force early specialization. Research shows that sampling widely lets young people find what truly excites them. Think Olympians: many tried multiple sports before finding the right one. Instead of rushing to excel in just one thing, “Let them explore—it’s how they stumble on something they’ll stick with.” 🌱
Shape your environment – Here’s a warning: grit without the right environment can lead to burnout. Many people drain themselves because their environment demands more than they can sustain. The solution? “Make your situation your ally.” That could mean setting boundaries, finding mentors, or making small shifts to protect your energy. ⚖️
In the full episode, Duckworth also talks about how talent and grit interact, why some people thrive in tough situations, the surprising opposites of grit (hint: it’s not just laziness), and the secrets to raising resilient young people. Tune in or check out the book for more!
Imagine gifting your friend a single silver spoon because her registry had no better options. That’s the moment Shan-Lyn Ma knew the wedding industry needed a change. In this episode of Masters of Scale, learn how Shan scaled Zola from a simple registry idea to a $600 million company:
Instant seed funding – When Shan saw the outdated registry experience as an untapped market, she knew her background in e-commerce could change the game. She pitched her idea to her former boss Kevin Ryan, who didn’t hesitate and gave her the initial funding, sparking Zola’s journey. “It was the quickest fundraising story… but actually one of the longest-running, built on four years of hard work.” 🚀
Four years on one product – Shan’s strategy was simple: master one product first. Zola spent its first four years focused on perfecting the wedding registry, then grew to include websites, invitations, and home goods, keeping couples coming back. By year four, Zola’s registry had served over 2 million couples. 🏆
The pandemic pivot – COVID-19 could have spelled disaster, but Shan quickly adapted. Zola rolled out features like virtual wedding options, change-the-date cards, and launched Zola Home. The result? They stayed on track in a “make-or-break year” for the industry. 🔄
In the full episode, Shan shares her journey from Singapore to Silicon Valley, early inspiration from Yahoo, and the Gilt experience that honed her entrepreneurial skills. She dives into scaling challenges, pivotal moments that shaped her mission, and her vision for Zola’s future—including the surprising wedding gift couples secretly want.
Forget traditional sales tactics and stiff playbooks. AJ Tennant, who is VP of Sales & Success at Glean and who helped scale Slack from $6M to over $1B ARR, shares his fresh, no-nonsense approach to sales in this episode of The Twenty Minute VC. Here are some takeaways:
Ditch the playbook – Tennant’s strategy? Boil it down to the essentials: get meetings, create opportunities, close deals. “Sales is simple.” With Slack, this focus took the company from targeting smaller firms to winning accounts like Comcast. Simple but precise goals kept things on track, with no extra clutter. 🎯
Real ROI or bust – AI is a hot trend, but without measurable business impact, churn is inevitable. Glean learned early that without proven cost-savings or efficiency metrics, big contracts just won’t renew. “If there’s no real impact, it’s not renewal-worthy.” 💡
Stay for the success – At Glean, Tennant makes sure AEs stay involved post-sale to secure smooth deployments and happy clients. For T-Mobile, this hand-in-hand support turned a small initial deal into a seven-figure account. “The sale isn’t over when the contract is signed.” 🤝
Find quick thinkers – His hiring mantra is all about spotting adaptable problem-solvers. His “stress test” asks candidates to prioritize a mock book of business on the spot, which shows him “who’s able to think fast and handle pressure.” 🧠
Beyond these insights, Tennant dives into why founders should drive early sales strategy, handling enterprise security concerns, and finding resilience through rejection. He also shares tips on accelerated sales comp, overcoming hiring mistakes, and building a culture of high standards and empathy.
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— The Fast Track team.