Advanced creator education
I brought back Becky Pierson Davidson to compare notes on where community is headed — and we found a few areas of disagreement. Becky works with 6, 7, and 8-figure businesses helping them build memberships and courses through design thinking and customer research, and she's seeing a major shift right now: course businesses are slowing down, and the smart ones are pivoting to membership models. The difference? Shared learning experiences are replacing self-paced education. Community is what people stay for.
We dig into the real mechanics: how to set expectations that don't feel like a bait-and-switch, why meaningful engagement isn't what most people think it is, the mastermind paradox (increases retention, decreases forum activity), and why in-person events might be the most important retention lever you're not using. Becky's hot take for 2026: content drops are dying. People don't need more stuff — they need connection and programming that moves them forward.
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(02:35) Defining community as a product, not a growth engine
(04:09) Why community is rising as a business model in 2026
(06:02) The reality of transitioning from courses to memberships
(08:01) Finding the right community design for your appetite
(10:02) How to avoid the bait-and-switch with member expectations
(13:06) Value perception vs. value experience
(13:57) The smallest viable promise for your sales page
(16:44) Where we disagree: transformation vs. community of practice
(21:14) Forum design: why fewer spaces wins
(23:17) Solving the engagement problem (what meaningful engagement actually is)
(25:50) How the best members actually use your community
(29:46) The mastermind paradox: retention up, forum participation down
(32:09) In-person experiences and the graduation weekend model
(36:39) The economics of offline events
(39:35) 2026 Hot Take: Content drops are dying
(43:07) Retention rethink: Did I get my money's worth vs. Will I next year?
(46:04) Why connection drives retention more than results
(48:23) Tool stack: Circle 9 times out of 10
(51:14) The future: personalization in community software
***
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→ Episode 197: Building Raving Fans
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Rob Walling is a godfather of the bootstrapped SaaS movement — he's started 6 companies (5 bootstrapped), built and sold Drip for 8 figures, and created the infrastructure behind MicroConf, TinySeed (which has raised nearly $60 million and invested in over 210 SaaS companies), and Startups for the Rest of Us (820+ episodes over 15 years). But here's what surprised me: Rob told me he's more of a creator these days than a software founder. The guy who built and sold an email marketing platform now gets his dopamine from podcasting, writing books, and making YouTube videos. And his experience on both sides gives him a perspective on the vibe coding trend that I think every creator needs to hear.
In this episode, we get into the actual mechanics of how Rob runs his business — the team of 11 people, the $100,000-$120,000 monthly payroll, the four brands he wishes were two. We talk about how he eliminated stress from his life through therapy, hiring owner-level thinkers, and handing the project management to someone else entirely. And we have a real conversation about why vibe coding a SaaS product is probably not the opportunity you think it is — even if you have a big audience. This is part 1 of a 2-part episode; part 2 lives on Rob's podcast, Startups for the Rest of Us.
→ Listen to Part 2 on Startups for the Rest Of Us
→ Rob Walling's YouTube Channel
→ TinySeed
→ SavvyCal (co-founded by Derek Reimer)
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:24) Introduction — why Rob Walling is a unicorn in the bootstrapped SaaS world
(02:40) Mapping the full Rob Walling business ecosystem: podcast, MicroConf, TinySeed, books, YouTube
(05:15) How Producer Ron keeps the trains running on time across four brands
(06:44) Inside the team of 11: roles, full-time commitment, and why Rob stopped hiring part-time
(07:53) The psychology of making your first full-time hire (and Rob's 8-year wait for MicroConf)
(09:33) Moving from task-level to project-level to owner-level thinkers
(10:27) Four brands, two LLCs — the insurance story behind the split and why Rob wants to consolidate
(12:18) Why Rob doesn't want his name on everything (and the legacy question)
(14:41) Identity shifts: from SaaS founder to serial entrepreneur to content creator
(16:31) The vibe coding reality check: why building SaaS is 10x harder than creating content
(19:09) Why SaaS churn makes recurring revenue harder than it looks for creators
(21:04) The construction analogy: tool sheds vs. skyscrapers and where vibe coding breaks down
(24:53) Data from 234 investments: only 10-15% of successful SaaS companies lack a technical founder
(27:00) The bigger opportunity for creators: equity partnerships instead of vibe coding
(29:00) 'Build your network, not your audience' — why audiences plateau for SaaS growth
(31:53) A week in Rob's life: deep work Mondays, advising Wednesdays, and the 329 TinySeed founders
(34:00) How Rob eliminated stress: therapy, delegation, and giving up project management
(38:46) Hiring for high-functioning: screening for 'Producer Ron'-level operators
(41:21) The positive tension of deadline stress and why containers make you ship
(43:09) Post-exit motivation: 6 months of comic books, guitar, and getting bored into purpose
***
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Mike Michalowicz is the author of Profit First, which is used by hundreds of thousands of companies across the globe to drive profit – Creator Science is one of those companies. Profit First has helped me develop sound financials for my business.
He’s also the author of Clockwork, a powerful method to make any business run on automatic, and seven other books as well.
With more than 500,000 book sales, all of Mike’s books have the same goal – to help small business owners and eliminate what he calls “entrepreneurial poverty.” Simon Sinek has called Mike “…the top contender for the patron saint of entrepreneurs.”
This conversation is divided into halves:
The first half explores Mike’s unique model as an author. For each book Mike writes, he partners with a third party to license the frameworks from his books and serve as the done-for-you service provider. This is super uncommon and part of why he’s been so prolific while running a very lean team. So we dig into how that works (and what he’d do differently if he were starting over today).
The second half of the conversation is all about writing books. Mike has published nine books since 2008 – including 7 in the last 8 years. So we dig into how he determines what ideas to turn into books and how to write them so quickly.
Full transcript and show notes
Mike's Website / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / LinkedIn
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→ #176: April Dunford – How self-publishing a book exploded her client service business.
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The world is changing faster than ever, and sometimes it feels like the old playbooks just aren't working anymore. In this solo episode, I share 12 opportunities I see for creators in 2026—ideas that range from the practical to the philosophical, from the obvious to the genuinely weird. These aren't predictions. They're possibilities. And you don't need to pursue all of them. But keeping a running list of where opportunity exists can help you find the direction that feels most right for you.
Some of these ideas might surprise you. Long-form writing making a comeback? In 2026? But I think there's real evidence for it. Others might feel more intuitive—like the continued importance of community, or the value of live learning as self-paced courses lose their luster. And then there are the weirder ones: effortful art, doing the unscalable, being a "good hang." The through-line? In a world racing toward automation and optimization, the most human things are becoming the most valuable.
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Introduction: Where the opportunities lie in 2026
(01:03) Idea #1: Long-form writing is making a comeback
(04:46) Idea #2: Demonstrations and "show don't tell" content
(06:37) Idea #3: Verifiable human experiences (why we still watch sports)
(08:44) Idea #4: Online community is more important than ever
(12:33) Idea #5: Live learning over self-paced courses
(15:29) Idea #6: Local media and community building
(17:47) Idea #7: AI for normies (niche-specific AI content)
(19:41) Idea #8: Effortful art in an AI world
(21:54) Idea #9: Being unapologetically yourself (be weirder)
(24:29) Idea #10: Doing the unscalable
(27:00) Idea #11: Fewer moves, bolder strokes
(29:07) Idea #12: Being a good hang
(32:03) Recap of all 12 ideas
***
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This week I'm joined by my good friend Chenell Basilio, creator of Growth in Reverse and one of the most thorough newsletter analysts in the space. We spent over an hour diving deep into what's really working in email right now — from the death of newsletter hype to the opportunity hiding in recommendation networks. Chenell shared her framework of "insanely valuable content" (the one thing that matters more than any growth hack), and we got surprisingly honest about using AI to create short-form content from our long-form work.
We also tackled the big question: how do you grow an email list if you refuse to use social media? Turns out there are more options than you think — from public homework challenges to old-school guest posting making a comeback. Plus, I introduced a new segment called "Unhinged Questions" where we played kiss, marry, kill with email platforms.
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Introduction
(02:21) Email maturity and the end of newsletter hype
(05:16) Why CPC advertising doesn't work for small creators
(06:08) Chenell's focus: turning recommendation subscribers into fans
(09:01) James Clear had 250K subscribers in 2012 (email inflation is real)
(11:20) "It's never been easier to reach someone, harder to sustain a relationship"
(12:33) "Insanely valuable content" — the one metric that matters
(15:28) The struggle with AI-generated content that performs well
(20:11) Short-form repurposing: employee vs. AI debate
(24:18) What's no longer working: recommendations (before the reframe)
(24:53) YouTube to email is massively underrated
(29:25) How to grow without social media (5 strategies)
(34:50) Public homework challenges (75 Hard, Tweet 100, Ship 30)
(43:31) Unhinged Questions: Kiss, Marry, Kill email platforms
(44:44) Operating on hunches without data
(45:31) "I hate that I'm not doing deep dives every week"
***
RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE
→ #147: Chenell Basilio – How the best newsletter operators grow to 50K+ subscribers
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Over the last 48-72 hours, I completely fell down the rabbit hole with a new AI tool called Clawdbot (rebranded TODAY to Moltbot). Instead of my planned episode about what's on my mind in January 2026, I decided to share my raw, unfiltered experience setting up this AI assistant that runs 24/7 and integrates with all my tools. This isn't your typical AI chat interface—it's an always-on assistant I can text through Telegram that proactively handles research, automates workflows, and maintains institutional memory of all my content.
I'll walk you through exactly how I discovered it, my security-first setup approach using a virtual private server, the learning curve (spoiler: it took me until 1:30 AM), and the specific ways I'm using it now. From automated guest research and fitness tracking to content ideation from my 300+ podcast transcripts, this tool is changing how I think about AI assistance. But I'm also wrestling with bigger questions about what this means for content creation, human creativity, and where we draw the line on AI-generated work.
→ Alex Finn video → Learn about Clawdbot → Setup video from Neil Stephenson → Setup video from VelvetShark
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Discovery Through Alex Finn's Video
(02:50) What Actually Is Clawdbot?
(05:46) Security-First Setup on Virtual Private Server
(09:48) Current Integrations: Notion, Oura, Fathom, and More
(14:15) Guest Research and Automated Workflows
(16:48) Writing Style Analysis Exercise
(19:13) Privacy Controls and Fathom Integration
(22:54) Security Threats and Ongoing Protection
(25:05) Future Plans: Show Notes and Automation
(28:38) Should You Use Clawdbot? Technical Requirements
(33:16) Costs, Setup Time, and What Can Go Wrong
(35:24) The Content Creation Philosophy Question
(40:02) Five Types of Content I Still Consume
(42:36) How Creators Need to Adapt to AI Reality
***
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Every month inside The Lab, I do what I call a monthly retro. It's short for retrospective. The idea is that, on a regular basis, you look back at what you have just done to learn from it, course-correct, and move forward.
So in my monthly retros, I look at the good things that happened, how I performed against my goals, the concerns I currently have, the changes I'm going to make moving forward, and my goals for next month.
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Reflecting on Growth and Challenges
(05:27) Strong Year-End Revenue Insights
(07:37) Signature Product Lab Launch
(13:35) Life-Changing Chair Experience
(16:23) Christmas Joy and New Nanny
(19:32) Video Podcasts Drive Higher Engagement
(20:53) Podcast Reflections and Hosting Challenges
(26:13) Social Detox and Podcast Focus
(29:04) Refining Strategy and Delegation
(30:51) Prioritizing Quality Over Schedule
(34:02) Exciting Updates and Reflections
***
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Paul Millerd is the author of The Pathless Path, which has earned Paul $325,000 in royalties to date. In the process, Paul turned down a publishing offer from Penguin, one of the major publishers in the industry. Then, in December, Paul decided to double down and produce a new version of The Pathless Path, an ultra-premium hardcover book that is just beautiful.
So in this episode, we talk about that decision, the dark side of traditional publishing, the book deal Paul WOULD have taken, and when traditional publishing actually makes sense.
→ Get The New Hardcover Pathless Path
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Intro
(05:53) Why He Self-Published
(08:01) Designing Books Beyond the Obvious
(13:13) Money Isn't A Reason to Write
(16:54) Book's Success and New Opportunities
(20:30) Rejecting Penguin
(22:00) Redefining Self-Publishing Potential
(25:00) Author Rights and Publishing Deals
(30:29) Reviving Unpublished Books
(31:33) Publishing Challenges and Opportunities
(37:11) Write a Book You Love
(39:38) Inside The Pathless Path Hardcover
(43:02) Overcoming Doubts, Achieving Success
(46:23) Inspired by Steel Brothers
(48:43) Direct Sales for Higher Margins
(53:04) Amazon Book Bundling Limitations
***
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→ #182: Noah Kagan — Behind the scenes of writing (and marketing) Million Dollar Weekend
→ #163: David Moldawer — Diving deep into book publishing with an industry insider
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A few weeks ago, I came across a post on X from a user named Yoni Smolyar. It said, "Posting a video on Instagram every day for 508 days in a row taught me that I never want to do that again." I realized that I had seen and followed Yoni on Instagram, where he has over 190,000 followers.
In the process, Yoni built an iPhone app called Brainrot, which had a $10,000 launch that he credits to his social media presence that he built during this daily Instagram posting challenge.
In this conversation, you'll hear Yoni's approach to Instagram, what worked for him, why he ultimately says he wouldn't do it again, and why he believes his ex-audience of 20,000 may be more valuable.
Full transcript and show notes
Yoni's Website / Instagram / Twitter / Brainrot App / YouTube / TikTok
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) 508 Days of Daily Videos
(05:08) Building Habits: A Month In
(08:55) From Hesitant Posts to Viral Storytelling
(12:35) Documenting My Entrepreneurial Journey
(14:07) Speak Your Mind, Hit Record
(19:38) Entrepreneurial Journey: Transparency & Growth
(21:19) Brainrot: Tackling Phone Overuse
(24:42) Overcoming Cringe Through Posting
(30:37) Seasons of Steak and Sizzle
(32:12) Origins of Social Media Sharing
(34:58) Trapped by Public Perception
(38:48) Short Form Video's Negative Impact
***
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→ #275: From ignoring short-form video to 3.5 billion views | Pat Flynn’s Pokémon juggernaut (Part 1)
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Today I am sharing an episode between Josh hall and myself. Josh hall is a good friend of mine, a business owner, and a creator here in Columbus, Ohio. His business is all about web design and he has a podcast called Web Design Business with Josh Hall, and I was a recent guest.
So this is a conversation with Josh as friends, talking about what I've learned over the last year. Plus as a new father, how that has impacted my work and why it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but definitely a choice I would make 10 times out of 10.
Subscribe to Web Design Business with Josh Hall
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Jay Clouse: Creator Science Insights
(06:37) Streamlined Video Content Creation
(10:52) Balancing Work, Parenthood, and Time
(20:42) Entrepreneurship: Survival and Uncertainty
(25:37) Reflecting on Event Insights
(28:28) Business Books vs. Viral Posts
(34:53) Balancing Timeliness and Evergreen Content
(37:59) Struggling with Content Switching
(46:17) Balancing Priorities and Podcasts
(51:55) Balancing Priorities and Passions
(58:36) Low-Priced Offers Drive Sales
(01:01:00) Scaling Success with Live Ads
(01:06:32) Jay: Creator Science Highlights
***
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In 2020, Ankur Nagpal sold his course platform, Teachable, for around $250 million. But he knew that the sale would come with a giant tax bill. So Ankur became obsessed with the tax code, and he wanted to make it easier for everyone to legally operate within it. That led him to discover Solo 401(k)s. So he built a new company called Carry that helps you legally keep more of what you earn and invest it the way you want.
This podcast is for informational purposes, and not intended to be financial advice. Please consult a financial advisor about your specific situation.
→ Get Ankur's Free Tax Guide → Sign up for Carry
Full transcript and show notes
***
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Introduction
(01:32) Ankur's Crash Course in Tax Law
(08:18) Tax Loopholes and Bias
(11:02) Solo 401(k) Benefits Explained
(14:32) Solo 401(k) Contribution Guidelines
(17:46) S-Corp Tax Benefits Explained
(20:11) Maximizing QBI Deduction Strategies
(23:22) Tax Planning CPA vs Planners
(26:29) Solo 401(k) Advantages Explained
(31:49) Direct Indexing
(32:34) Tax Loss Harvesting Strategy
(36:34) Maximizing Retirement Contributions
(41:07) Solo 401(k) Tax Planning Deadlines
(44:06) Solo 401(k) Setup Guide
(46:12) Tax-Saving Strategy Money Markets
***
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→ #280: How to LEGALLY Protect Your Channel (YouTube Lawyer Tyler Chou Explains)
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