Episodes 279
Avg. Duration 20m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.9 (158)
Since Apr 2019
Latest Episode Jun 2026

Outreach Signals

Open to Sponsors

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
23%
Hosting
feeds.simplecast.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

A podcast for people working on startup ideas. We have 15-minute tactical episodes and occasional interviews with people who did the early things exceptionally well. We've helped launch hundreds of startups worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and these are the building blocks. "This is, without a doubt, the best podcast for people trying to build startups out there." "If you aren't listening to this podcast and you're considering building a business (or you're already building one), what are you doing?" "Must listen for first-time entrepreneurs - excellent storyteller."

Explore Statistics

Recent Episodes

S5E216 An Operating System to Help You Move Faster By Focusing On Less (feat. a monkey reciting Hamlet)

Jun 11, 2026 28m

Today is part 2 of our series helping you build an internal operating system. We identify the four things you'll need to have happen for your startup to gain momentum, then we organize those into a…

S5E215 15 Min(ish) Skill: Script the Start and End (ITS Classic)

Apr 15, 2026 14m

Today, we'll talk about one of the most effective methods to do hard things we've found at Tacklebox: Scripting the start and end.  Tacklebox Alternate Nostril Breathing Jr Jr - The Speed of…

S5E214 Thrust and Drag, Part 1: A System to Keep Momentum

Apr 08, 2026 20m

Today we'll talk about thrust and drag, the components of momentum. Momentum is the lifeblood for startups, but most people leave it to chance. By focusing on the inputs of momentum - thrust and drag…

S5E213 A Framework to Make Sure You're Building Something Useful

Mar 25, 2026 25m

Today, we'll talk through a framework that'll help you evaluate whether you're building something useful enough to anchor a business. Most startups fail because the thing they built doesn't make a…

S5E212 Running a Concierge MVP Live (feat. the four-step Concierge MVP framework) ITS Classic

Mar 18, 2026 24m

Today, we'll run through a Concierge MVP example live on the pod. Brian chooses an idea specifically because someone wrote in and said it was "un-Concierageable," which isn't a word but is the reason…

S4E17 Three Shortcuts to Actually Help You Get Started On Your Idea

Mar 05, 2026 22m

Today, we talk through the Silk Sheet Problem - how to do something new and hard when your life is fairly... comfortable. We help a listener get started on their idea - an AI tutor's assistant - with…

S5E211 Start a Startup in Ten Days with Four Questions (ITS super-classic)

Feb 19, 2026 22m

Today we'll talk through how to test out and build a startup idea in ~10 days by answering four questions. We'll use an idea that's oddly popped up a bunch lately: Kitchen Organizer. We do this with…

S5E209 Giving Your Startup an Identity

Feb 11, 2026 25m

Today, we’re talking about startup identity—why you need one, and how it makes every decision you face way easier. We’ll talk swimming and nervous systems, walk through the Decision Equation, and…

S5E208 How to Get Your First Customers (The Trust to Risk Ratio)

Feb 04, 2026 18m

Today, we'll help you get your first customers. We'll do it by learning how to use the trust to risk ratio - a way to identify the big risks that are holding your customer back and shoulder those…

S5E207 The One Thing That Matters - How to Find a Differentiator That'll Support Your Business (ITS Classic)

Jan 23, 2026 24m

Today, we'll help you find a differentiator powerful enough that it can support your business. We'll talk through what a differentiator actually allows you to do, five prompts to help you uncover and…

S5E206 How to Identify and Kill Bad Startup Ideas Masquerading As Good Ones (ITS Classic)

Jan 14, 2026 23m

Today, we'll lay out a framework to help you identify and kill bad ideas. It's hard to objectively evaluate your idea early on - this framework helps you rise above your idea to do it effectively. A…

S5E205 The Three Pillars of Sales for Entrepreneurs Who Hate Sales (ITS Classic)

Jan 07, 2026 27m

A 20(ish) minute skills episode on sales 101 for entrepreneurs who hate sales. We go through three tactics and a bunch of examples to help you build a system for sales that'll help you grow without…

S5E204 Three Ways to Create Trust (ITS Classic - top 1%)

Dec 31, 2025 17m

Today we'll talk about why people hand their keys over to random strangers on the street in New York City, how a person selling cures for baldness converts 80% of the people he speaks with, and how…

S5E202 The One-Inch Picture Frame

Dec 18, 2025 14m

Today we talk about two methods to help make your big startup plans for 2026 manageable. We borrow Short Assignments and Shitty Drafts from Anne Lamott, we get a little help from Martin Scorsese and…

S5E201 How to Find Your Customers In-Person (Even If You're SURE You Can't)

Dec 05, 2025 13m

Today, we'll talk through how you'll find customers in-person. This is the single most important acquisition tool for early-stage founders, and there's no excuse - any business targeting any customer…

S5E200 The Coffee Truck Idea I'd Start Tomorrow (Thanksgiving Mailbag)

Nov 26, 2025 21m

Today, we're digging into the mailbag for your Thanksgiving commute. First, what idea would Brian start if he had to start an idea? We go deep on why a coffee truck idea is the best possible business…

S5E199 How to Finally Get Your Ideas Into the World as a Right-Brain Founder

Nov 20, 2025 17m

This episode is a toolkit for right-brain founders who get lost in ideas and struggle to execute. Brian shares three practical systems—AI as your left brain, the Regroup System, and the Ice Box—to…

S5E198 How to Pick Your First Customer

Nov 13, 2025 32m

Today, we'll help you pick your startup's first customer segment. This decision dooms a huge percentage of first time entrepreneurs - if you don't understand what the job of your first customer…

S5E197 How to Niche if You're Afraid of Niching

Oct 30, 2025 23m

Today, we'll talk about the big question - should you start with a focused niche? There are pros and cons to the approach, but the perceived cons - "what if I get tired of the niche in a few years?"…

S5E196 How to Find and Solve Hard Problems (feat. a used car salesman and The Problem Hunters) ITS classic

Oct 23, 2025 18m

Hard problems are the only problems worth your time. Today, we'll talk about how to identify them and build a business around them. We'll dig in on decisions customers avoid and using those decisions…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Idea to Startup have?

Idea to Startup has published 279 episodes since April 2019, covering topics in Business, Entrepreneurship.

Is Idea to Startup still active?

Idea to Startup is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 20m.

How do I contact Idea to Startup for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Idea to Startup, including email and social media links.

Similar Podcasts