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Asking A 30-Year-Old Billionaire CEO How He’d Make $1,000,000 (Starting From $0)

The Iced Coffee Hour

Hosted by Graham Stephan and Jack Selby

2h 18m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

This episode features a conversation with the co-founder of Bloom, a massive consumer packaged goods and energy drink brand, discussing how he scaled the business to over half a billion cans sold and achieved nine-figure days. The guest and hosts explore the realities of modern entrepreneurship, explaining why the current digital landscape makes starting a business easier than ever while cautioning against outdated career advice from previous generations. Throughout the discussion, they examine the massive logistics behind scaling a beverage brand, the economics of retail slotting fees and distribution, and how maintaining an abundance mindset and ruthlessly prioritizing product quality drive exceptional growth.

  • Challenge the outdated career advice of older generations, as modern digital tools and e-commerce make building a fulfilling business in your 20s and 30s entirely possible. 1:29
  • Avoid relying on a single sales channel by diversifying your distribution across thousands of retail doors and direct-to-consumer platforms. 16:10
  • Optimize your daily physical performance and blood work regularly, as maintaining high cognitive and physical energy acts as a major competitive advantage in business. 1:55:24

Chapters

  1. 0:01
    Intro and Sponsor Announcement

    Hosts introduce the episode and announce the Google Chrome sponsorship.

  2. 0:36
    Bloom Founders Introduce Their Company

    Greg and host discuss Bloom, a supplement company, and their early days.

  3. 1:14
    Bloom vs. Public Markets: Ownership and Growth

    Debates whether to sell Bloom for billions or keep it private, considering future plans and non‑compete clauses.

  4. 2:12
    Barriers to Entrepreneurship

    Greg explains how generational myths hold people back from starting businesses.

  5. 3:00
    Action as the Next Step

    Greg emphasizes that taking action is the crucial next step after recognizing barriers.

  6. 4:00
    Financial Decisions After a $100M Exit

    Greg discusses how he used a $100 million sale to purchase a second home and invest wisely.

  7. 4:31
    Bloom’s Growth and Sales Tracking

    Greg details Bloom’s rapid sales growth and how he monitors daily sales data.

  8. 12:49
    Wrap‑Up and Closing Remarks

    Hosts wrap up the episode, thank Greg, and preview future content.

  9. 29:47
    High‑Interest Debt Relief via Home Equity

    Discusses using a Rocket Mortgage home equity loan to slash credit card APR and eliminate debt.

  10. 33:56
    Retail Partnerships and Shelf Fees

    Greg explains how he negotiated shelf space with Target and the economics of retail slotting fees.

  11. 37:49
    Marketing, Advertising, and Regulatory Challenges

    Greg talks about marketing strategies, caffeine regulations, and the pitfalls of targeting young consumers.

  12. 40:40
    Prime Ownership and Hydration Market Challenges

    Discussion of Congo Brands owning Prime and the difficulties of entering the hydration market.

  13. 41:50
    Celebrity Endorsements vs. Influencer Marketing

    Comparison between high-profile celebrity deals and grassroots influencer strategies for brand exposure.

  14. 46:29
    Creator Economy and TikTok Shop Dynamics

    Analysis of how TikTok shop and creator economy enable micro‑creator sales channels and brand growth.

  15. 47:48
    Energy Drink Market Landscape and Brand Positioning

    Overview of major energy drink brands, their marketing tactics, and Bloom’s differentiation strategy.

  16. 1:00:00
    Democratized Entrepreneurship and Startup Foundations

    Insights into launching a business with minimal capital and leveraging third‑party manufacturing.

  17. 1:13:46
    Entrepreneurial Lifestyle vs. Grind Culture

    Discussion on balancing work, personal life, and the myth of the relentless grind.

Highlights

  • 0:39

    Nine-Figure Revenue Daysdata

    The guest explains that he has experienced multiple nine-figure days through enterprise value transactions where he and his wife sold a portion of their business for cash.

  • 8:32

    Overcoming Academic Strugglesstory

    Growing up with severe ADHD and graduating college with a low GPA fueled a chip on his shoulder, which initially drove his pursuit of entrepreneurship to prove critics wrong.

  • 23:14

    Kicked Out of Student Bankingstory

    Early on when selling products on Instagram, the guest withdrew cash daily from a student bank account until the bank accused him of illegal activity and closed the account.

  • 27:31

    Costly Product Overproductionstory

    The guest details a painful $10 million write-off after overproducing a root beer flavored soda that failed to generate the consumer demand he anticipated.

  • 34:57

    Paying Millions for Retail Placementstrategy

    To secure premier shelf space and full-chain distribution in Target ahead of resolution season, the company paid a $1 million fee to accelerate retail expansion.

  • 42:18

    Surprising Endorsements and Salesinsight

    Despite a massive organic shoutout from Kylie Jenner, the brand experienced zero noticeable tick in Amazon searches or sales, highlighting changing consumer trust in celebrity posts.

  • 1:03:16

    Blind Energy Drink Tastingstory

    The founder participates in a blind taste test of major energy drinks, successfully identifying Celsius, C4, Bloom, and Red Bull based on flavor profiles and aftertastes.

  • 1:50:29

    The Status Symbol of Fitnessinsight

    The guest argues that when entering rooms with high-level executives before establishing a large business resume, being physically fit and well-groomed serves as a vital non-monetary status symbol.

Quotes

  • “I am choosing a life of pursuit. I am not choosing I'm going to make $100 million and then unplug everything and lay on a beach every day.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:16:20
  • “I am so excited to be here. I'm fangirling, walking around this place right now.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:25
  • “I think a lot of what's holding people back is, unfortunately, the lies from the last generation.”
    Unnamed speaker · 2:12
  • “The arena doors are wide open. Like the opportunities have been democratized.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:33
  • “The only reason Bloom sparkling energy is the size that it is today, seeing that 575 million cans number, isn't because we've sold the 575 million people.”
    Unnamed speaker · 44:36
  • “I have a team that I talk to every two or three months that, first of all, I'm not like a responsible money guy, like, at all.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:30:56
  • “Money has bought me the freedom to delegate things that I don't like.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:26:00
  • “Health would get in the way of any goal that anyone has.”
    Unnamed speaker · 1:54:43
  • “I only take 150 milligrams a week, which is like probably what just like a normal 18 year old guy has a testosterone level.”
    Unnamed speaker · 2:03:20
  • “I used to take like 50 supplements a day. Now I take like four or five a day.”
    Unnamed speaker · 2:04:45
  • Google Chrome 0:01–0:22
  • Google Chrome 8:53–9:17
  • Rocket Mortgage 29:53–30:17
  • Shopify 30:47–31:42
  • Clay 31:59–32:37
  • Gusto 32:56–33:51
  • Google Chrome 53:29–53:55
  • Google Chrome 1:31:53–1:32:17
  • Rocket Mortgage 1:32:18–1:32:52
  • Google Chrome 2:05:02–2:05:25

About this episode

Claude: Get started with Claude today at https://claude.ai/icedcoffee Clay: Use our link to get 2,000 FREE Credits at https://clay.link/coffee Gusto: Try Gusto for FREE for 3 months at https://gusto.com/ICED Upwork: Post your job free at http://upwork.com/COFFEE and connect with top talent to grow your business. *𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗨𝗦* 𝗜𝗚: https://www.instagram.com/icedcoffeehour 𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗞: https://www.instagram.com/jlsselby 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗠: https://www.instagram.com/gpstephan 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheIcedCoffeeHourClips 𝗫.𝗰𝗼𝗺: https://x.com/TheICHpodcast 𝗧𝗶𝗸𝗧𝗼𝗸: https://www.tiktok.com/@theicedcoffeehour 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆: https://open.spotify.com/show/5c2uoXBQkOjIiCOf60jJj7 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-iced-coffee-hour/id1515070058 For sponsorships or business inquiries reach out to: [email protected] Apply for The Index Membership: https://entertheindex.com/ For Podcast Inquiries, please DM @icedcoffeehour on Instagram! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:16 - How Did You Make $1 Billion Dollars 00:07:25 - The Key To Being Insanely Successful 00:13:39 - Sponsor: Claude 00:15:15 - What He Bought With $100 Million 00:23:07 - The $10 Million Dollar Mistake 00:30:24 - Sponsor: Clay 00:31:21 - Sponsor: Gusto 00:32:28 - How To Get Products In Target / Walmart 00:36:36 - What Went Wrong With Logan Paul & Prime 00:49:26 - The Future of Energy Drinks 00:54:41 - How Much Brands Pay Creators 00:59:42 - Sponsor: Upwork 01:00:59 - Blind Energy Drink Taste Test 01:09:14 - Is The Grindset Dead? 01:14:25 - Will Wealth Ruin People? 01:20:36 - How Much Money Does It Take To Be Happy 01:26:45 - How Much Money A Billionaire Spends Every Month 01:33:11 - Why Rich Founders End Up Alone 01:44:47 - How Fitness Is The New Status Symbol 01:50:09 - The Craziest Things Money Buys 01:56:32 - The Supplements To Be The Top 1% 02:04:24 - Rapid Fire Questions 02:12:02 - WATCH THE NEXT EPISODE! *Some of the links and other products that appear on this video are from companies which Graham Stephan & Jack Selby will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Graham Stephan & Jack Selby are part of an affiliate network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

0:00
2:18:43

29,420 words · 8 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Bloom
  • Target
  • Bloom Energy
  • AI
  • Red Bull
  • Prime
  • Bitcoin
  • Celsius
  • 76ers
  • BPC 157

Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated