The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

210: Noah Kagan - How To Start A Business

The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

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Episode 210: Noah Kagan - How To Start A Business

Noah Kagan was the #30 employee at Facebook (started there in 2005), and the #4 employee at Mint.com. He came up with the idea of real-time updates and executed with one engineer (Mark Slee) at Facebook. He is now the Chief Sumo at Sumo.com (A domain in which he paid $1.5m to own. We discussed why on this episode).

This episode is different than most in that it was more conversational, and less interview. There was real-time coaching, and off the cuff conversation about how I should progress The Learning Leader. If you are uncomfortable with creative use of the English Language (re: use of curse words), then skip this episode. If not, I think you'll really like it.

"You shouldn't get a job... You should get a career."

Show Notes:

  • Sustained Excellence = Getting feedback from professionals
    • Noah hired pros from NPR to review his interview transcripts.
    • "Most of the time we have too much. Need to edit it down."
  • How to create a narrative -- The NPA producer changed his life
  • Employees -- "They are not my people. They are people I work with. I don't like the word employee."
  • How do you hold others accountable? -- Autonomy, coaching, help when needed. Hire correctly.
  • "What I'm great at is starting..."
  • How the quest to India changed Noah's life
  • "You'll almost always push hard on the last lap."
  • The impact Mark Zuckerberg had on him when he worked for him at Facebook
  • "When I was at Facebook, there was a singular focus: Growth."
  • "You shouldn't get a job, get a career." -- "I was a cubicle monkey at Intel"
  • Using a journal to plan your day/week/month
  • "Here is a story I've never shared before..."
  • Why you should always ask yourself..."What's exciting for me?"
  • Why you should go on walks with your spouse/significant other
  • Instead of building something in a month, why not build it by Monday? -- Do it quicker than you think possible
    • You need to constantly try and test it out... Don't overthink it. Will people pay me for this? Keep evolving
  • Keys to building your audience
  • "Art of The Deal" is a helpful book
  • Noah's salary? Low 6 figures
  • "Good people don't work for cheap rates"
  • The two ways to scale a business
    • Technology
    • People
  • What Noah learned about vision --
    • Initially didn't believe in it... But he has matured and fully believes in it. "As I've gotten older..."
    • "It's much easier to get what you want when you know what you want."
  • The impact of Noah's Dad dying had on him
    • "I'm much more protective of my time"

"Good people don't ask for cheap rates."

Social Media:

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 071: NateBoyer - Green Beret, Texas Football, The NFL

Episode 179: How To Sustain Excellence - The Best Answers From 178 Questions

Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

The Learning Leader Show is supported by Rhone. Use the code "Hawk" for 15% off. Rhone... premium activewear engineered with principle, performance and progress for the modern man. Rhone builds clothing around 3 main tenants: Cutting-edge Performance, Premium Comfort, and Simplistic Style.