The $5M Question, The Company You Would Build If You Had the Time, VR Therapy, and More

About this video

Sam and Shaan discuss the massive business opportunities in kids’ YouTube content and theatrical productions, exploring the surprising scale of creators like Rebecca Zamolo and Dar (with billions of views) and the potential to create hit Broadway-style shows. They also brainstorm various business ideas including employee wellness products, gifting services for overseas business partners, and health-focused consumer goods.

Key takeaways

• Kids’ YouTube content creators operate surprisingly large production businesses—Sam’s contact Rebecca Zamolo runs 7 channels with 10+ million subscribers on her main channel, releasing 8 videos per week with a team of 8 people; Dar has 13.8 million subscribers and ~100 employees generating 6.3 billion views
• The theater/Broadway business model is extremely lucrative and scalable—Lin-Manuel Miranda earned tens of millions in royalties from Hamilton; the top theatrical productions (Lion King, Hamilton, Book of Mormon) have grossed hundreds of millions to over a billion dollars in ticket sales, with the advantage that shows run without the creator performing nightly
• Shaan’s framework for finding billion-dollar businesses is to ask ‘who do you want to employ?’ rather than just identifying problems—examples include stay-at-home moms (UserTesting’s model), high school students, military spouses, and ex-convicts; this approach both solves real problems and creates positive impact
• Streaming platforms are spending billions annually on original content, making it an optimal time to be a content producer or IP holder—recent mega-deals include South Park’s $900M deal with Paramount, Shonda Rhimes’ multi-hundred million Netflix deal, and Reese Witherspoon’s production company sale for ~$1B
• There’s a growing market for ‘footwear’ products (fear, uncertainty, doubt-based) that address modern health concerns—EMF-protected clothing, blue-light glasses, water filters, and laptop shields represent a class of products that capitalize on justified health concerns and represent recurring revenue opportunities

Episode details: published December 16, 2021 · 13K views · 1:06:49 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The business ideas, figures and results discussed are the hosts’ and guests’ own claims, shared as brainstorming and entertainment — not verified facts and not investment advice.

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