Lessons from Sam Parr

Sam Parr is the founder of The Hustle and co-host of the My First Million podcast.

On Entrepreneurship and Success

On the definition of success: "Success is dreaming of becoming a certain type of person and then becoming it. Nothing to do with money." [1]
On the reality of being an entrepreneur: "maybe 80% of the time. like I'm unhappy in that I'm angry. at like something or I'm like this could be better. and this sucks. and we're going to die we're going to go out of business. but it's like it's thrilling. and I enjoy it" [2]
On the drive to succeed: “My entire existence in my career is driven by trying to prove wrong the people who made fun of me.” [3]
On achieving goals: "i think it means achieving your goals. i think it means starting a business or a company and being a boss that uh employs other people. and setting out goals and achieving them i think it means uh. being happy as well i think that if you're uh an unhappy. business owner you're a failure uh." [4]
On the power of entrepreneurship: "entrepreneurship is the most straightforward way to turn um visions into reality." [2][4]
On taking action: "action creates opportunity." [5]
On long-term commitment: "however long you think it's going to take assume it's going to take a lot longer. and in order to survive for a long period of time. you have to really kind of like enjoy the thing you're doing" [2]
On having a grand vision: "if you get yourself in a market, that's big enough to do that. Life's a lot easier. And even if you fail, you'll fail pretty well." [6]
On financial goals: Set a clear financial target and timeline to reverse engineer the steps needed to achieve it. Sam's goal was $20 million by age 30 for financial security. [1]
On the 'Ikigai' framework: Find the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. [1][4]
Prioritize needs over passion initially: When starting, focus on what the market needs and is willing to pay for, even if it's not your primary passion. [1]
Don't be afraid to look stupid: "I don't have too much fear of looking stupid." [4]
On bootstrapping vs. raising capital: "In most cases, you can get way richer and have more fun without raising money." [3]
On the importance of focus: "I focus a lot. People think that I don't...it's hard to do more than one thing well at a time, especially as a small startup team." [7]
On being an artist vs. a businessman: "I'm not really that much of a business person; I'm an artist. I was being a business person and I was worn out and I wanted to create, not have meetings and manage people." [8]

On Copywriting and Content Creation

The goal of copywriting: "copywriting is basically understanding what motivates someone and figuring out how to communicate. something to put in their brain that hopefully convinces them to take an action. or feel something that I want them to feel." [8]
The most important skill: "I think it's the most important skill a human can learn...in terms of the most important practical skill. I think copywriting is probably the highest." [8]
Create a "slippery slope": The purpose of the first sentence is to get the reader to the second, and so on, making them fall down the page. [9]
Copy the masters: "I would get the best sales letters and the best writing that I could find...and I would literally copy them by hand for hours every single day for months" [8] This practice is called "copywork." [3][9]
Write like you talk: Use a conversational and colloquial tone to build trust with your audience quickly. [10]
Simple language is key: Aim for a 6th-grade reading level to ensure your writing is sharp, engaging, and easy to read. [11]
The AIDA formula: For novices, remember Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. [12]
Headlines are a promise: Your headline should clearly state the value a reader will get from your content. [2]
Your first draft should be horrible: "Make your first draft horrible. Just write without overthinking. Get all your thoughts on the page, no matter how rough or unpolished they are." [11]
The power of a good story: "storytelling is one amazing trick or tool to make you feel or do a certain thing." [4]
Don't forget the incubation period: After writing a draft, step away to allow your brain to make new connections and generate fresh ideas. [11]
Content creation is about both quantity and quality: Especially when starting, consistent creation is crucial. [2]
Find content ideas in daily life: Pay attention to conversations, trends, and your own curiosity. Reddit is a great source for finding out what people are talking about. [6]
Don't be afraid to spark controversy: "Sam used a method on Reddit that helped him find controversial topics. He then took those topics, that went unanswered on Reddit and either wrote them, or had a writer write them. These were the articles that went the most viral." [13]
Content promotion is half the battle: Winning in content creation is 50% creation and 50% promotion. Diversify your channels across social media, email, and online communities. [2]

On Building a Business and Team

The difference between an audience and a community: "With an audience, you create content for them, and it's me to many people...A community means if I quit creating content or if one person leaves and you come back after two weeks, is there more content and more action than when you left?" [14][15]
Email is a platform you can own: "Email is probably the only platform that a creator can sort of own." [15]
Hire "weirdos": Look for people with unique perspectives and genuine passion for their work, not just skills. [7]
Let your team's freak flag fly: Create a space where eccentric and passionate people can thrive within clear boundaries. [9]
Delegate effectively by understanding motivations: "my po my goal is to provide value to employees. so I got to ask them what they like what's a win for you and then I'll just work to provide. it." [4]
Focus on one great product first: "go deep on one great product before expanding into adjacent areas." [7]
Don't undervalue your product: Put yourself in the customer's shoes to truly evaluate the value your product provides and price it accordingly. [7]
Utilize your network for growth and monetization: Your network can be a powerful tool for getting initial traction and finding early customers or sponsors. [12]
Be open to pivoting: Don't be afraid to switch your focus to a more scalable model, as Sam did when he pivoted from conferences to the newsletter. [12]
Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool: Incentivize sharing to build trust and acquire new users. The Hustle gained 300,000 subscribers through its referral program. [13]

Personal Philosophy and Learnings

On holistic wealth: "I'm rich, hopefully in money; rich, hopefully in spirit; and rich, hopefully in family." [14][15]
On making decisions: When considering a new project, ask: Is it fun? Can I make 7-figures from it? Do I have a unique expertise or advantage? [16]
On taking risks: "I think that you probably have to grind. and make sacrifices." [17]
On continuous learning: Read voraciously and from a wide range of sources. Sam recommends books like Advertising Secrets of the Written Word. [12][18]
On the power of observation: "Be aware of the surrounding vibrancy. It may be a humorous dialogue in a coffee shop, the creativity of a new local business, or even a trend spotted on social media. These pieces can be catalysts for displaying curious articles." [6]
Embrace transparency and authenticity: Sam openly shares his financial journey and challenges, which helps build a stronger connection with his audience. [1]
On early ventures: "Each of Sam's ventures taught him something new about business, customer needs, marketing, and more." [12] Even a hot dog stand can be a valuable learning experience. [19]
On persuasion: "I don't care if you're in business or you're in love. Get good at persuading people." [3]
On controlling your destiny: "I think controlling your own destiny. once you learn how to do that it's as if you lived a life with blurry vision. and you finally put in eye contacts. you know you could finally see clearly." [4]
On starting small: You don't need complex models or venture capital to build something big. You need a great product, a smart distribution channel, and the discipline to keep it simple. [15][20]

Learn more:

Lessons from Sam Parr

On Entrepreneurship and Success

On Copywriting and Content Creation

On Building a Business and Team

Personal Philosophy and Learnings

Written by Antoine Buteau

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