Magic Minds

Description: In today’s episode, James is joined by his good friend Ajay Mehta to take callers from listeners. James starts the episode by talking about his experience on the Duncan Trussell podcast and how he originally got to know Duncan. The first caller, Rev from LA askes, What are some big realizations or new insights that have been learned in the past year? The second question comes from twitter, What is happening in tech and why are all the stocks crashing? To conclude the episode, James and Ajay dive deep into NFT’s and crypto and why decentralization can have its consequences when it comes to losing money or getting hacked. Timecode Description: 00:27 Intro 4:36 James meeting Duncan Trussell 11:15 First experiences in Silicon Valley 20:41 Voicemail 1: Big realizations or new insights in the last year 43:35 Voicemail 2: Tech market crash, what is causing it? 1:04:49 Voicemail 3: NFT’s, are they the future? Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline   Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co Shopify  https://www.shopify.com/belowtheline(Free 14 day trial for BTL listeners)  About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.  “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Karen X Cheng is an award winning director who has reached over half a billion views across all platforms. Some would say she is the queen of going viral on the internet. In today’s episode she explains to James how her first video that went viral was by accident. After that video, she decided to try to recreate that virality but this time on purpose. James dives deep into Karen’s tactics for film making and how she creates these masterpiece clips that go viral online. Karen speaks about the easiest ways to grow online and what platforms are the most lucrative. From “Girl Learns to Dance in One Year” to partnerships with Beats by Dre and Puma, Karen’s story is an inspiration to all creators. To conclude the episode, Karen speaks about how she has mentally evolved and how she decides what to give energy to.    Follow Karen https://instagram.com/karenxcheng   Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co   Shopify  https://www.shopify.com/belowtheline (Free 14 day trial for BTL listeners)   About your host, James:  James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line.   “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

In today's episode, James invites his friend Ajay Mehta on to take questions from listeners. The first caller, Sean from North Carolina, askes "What are the best tools or apps to become more productive?" Ajay and James dive deep into their career timeline and talk through the tools they have used in the past and the new found solutions to these tools that have helped them become more productive in modern day. The second question comes from David on Twitter, asking "What is a skill you wish you had?" James and Ajay bring up skills from their mentors that have been molded into their minds around time management and workflow. They also speak about how some of these mentors skills can make your daily workflow much easier and less stressful. To conclude the episode, Question #3 comes from Sarah on Twitter asking, "What is your biggest miss?" This topic ranges from investing to running a company and understanding upside vs downside. One 100x investment could potentially make up for those other 20 investments that turned into nothing. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Ajay Mehta: https://twitter.com/ajaymehta Blog Post mentioned: http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline  Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co Shopify https://www.shopify.com/belowtheline (Free 14 day trial for BTL listeners) About your host, James: James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

Today's episode is with one of the greatest business authors ever, Jim Collins. Jim is one of the most inspirational figures in James' career. Not only did he inspire James, but he also is one of James' fathers, favorite authors. This has formed a bond at a young age between the two and has helped form many ideas in James' head. James and Jim cover many topics today, in one of our longest podcasts ever recorded, they talk about a wide range of VERY useful topics for founders and creators. From, breaking down Jim's personal rubric on writing a book to how an idea turns into a book. Jim explains why it is important to keep turning the flywheel even when you feel like abandoning it. James and Jim, also speak about how great leadership, can take a company, far beyond what is projected on paper. Jim also explains the difference between Good and Great. To conclude the episode, Jim speaks about luck and how not only good luck is inevitable but so is bad luck, he explains how not all time in life is equal and how you should zoom in on the good luck and reevaluate the bad luck.   Find out more about Jim Collins here: https://twitter.com/level5leaders https://www.jimcollins.com/ Buy Jim's new book, Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0.   (https://www.jimcollins.com/books/BE2.html) https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co (Use Code BTL at Checkout for 20% off) About your host, James: James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

Today's episode is with the brilliant, Kevin Gibbon. Kevin is the Founder and CEO of Airhouse. He was previously the Founder and CEO of Shyp. Kevin opens up candidly about his experience in Silicon Valley and explains what it was like moving to the USA to pursue his dream of owning his own company. James and Kevin, speak about the Silicon Valley Network and why it is the hub for startups. They also dive deep into why investors are more likely to invest in a second time failed founder rather than a brand new founder just starting their company. Kevin also explains the lows, mentally, he endured during the end of his first company and how it impacts him still to this day. To conclude the episode, James and Kevin talk about the legitimacy behind CryptoCurrency and if it is here to stay! https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Kevin Gibbon: https://twitter.com/kevingibbon https://www.airhouse.io/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co (Use Code BTL at Checkout for 20% off) AppSumo http://appsumo.com/bff About your host, James: James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

In today's episode, James gets a voicemail from a caller asking "What is Vedanta?" James, has talked a lot about Vedanta in pervious episodes and today explains what it means to him in his own words. He has credited some of his success and peace in life to this philosophy.  Vedanta is a philosophy taught by the Vedas, the most ancient scriptures of India. Its basic teaching is that our real nature is divine. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co About your host, James:   James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

On today's episode, James takes voicemails from listeners. He invites his good friend Ajay Mehta on to discuss the topics from the callers. Ajay previously worked with him at Tilt and has founded two companies since, Birthdate Co. and Therapy Notebooks.  The callers asks wide range of questions all centered around the lifestyle of being a founder and an entrepreneur. From Health and Diet for productivity to how to start fundraising as a first time founder. James explains why 90% of the interaction with investors should be based on asking for advice before asking for a check. To conclude the episode, James and Ajay discuss what company or one project they would invest in if somebody theoretically gave them a million dollars.  https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Ajay Mehta: https://twitter.com/ajaymehta Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co (Use Code BTL at Checkout for 20% off) AppSumo http://appsumo.com/bff About your host, James: James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

Hiten Shah is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nira. A company that specializes in protecting companies documents from unauthorized access. Hiten has been working remotely for close to 18 years. Today he joins James to talk about The Remote Workspace Utopia. James and Hiten start the episode by giving listeners insight into all the technological gadgets used to help complete daily tasks and meetings remotely. James and Hiten also dive deep into the topic of meetings. Hiten explains the detrimental effects of mixing strategy and execution and why each topic should be discussed separately. To conclude the episode, James and Hiten talk about Communication in the remote workspace and what are the best practices in keeping your team on track. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Hiten Shah: https://www.twitter.com/hnshah https://www.nira.com/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors: Magic Mind https://magicmind.co (Use Code BTL at Checkout for 20% off) AppSumo http://appsumo.com/bff About your host, James:   James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

This episode premieres on the day our guest Nader Al-Naji's "Deso" launches a $50 million fund for a fully decentralized eco system. The Octane Fund will fuel development of early-stage social media projects for the blockchain. Nader Al-Naji, also known as "DiamondHands" is the creator of Bitclout and the blockchain DeSo. In today's episode, Nader speaks about his background for the first time on a podcast and how he got into creating a blockchain. From working as an engineer at Google, to discovering Ethereum in 2017, there has been immense amount of influences in Nader's life, which have helped him create what is known today as the DeSo blockchain. James and Nader, dive deep into the Monopoly of content we see today with online media and the plan with DeSo to ultimately decentralize content. Nader also speaks on the criticisms he received with Bitclout and how his team has made changes to ensure the longevity of DeSo the blockchain. To conclude the Episode, Nader tries to predict the future and the impact you may see on the world if online content becomes decentralized, in his opinion, its a win win for everybody involved.  https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Nader and The DeSo Blockchain: https://www.deso.org/ (Pie Chart of Ownership referenced 1:08:45) https://docs.deso.org/ https://twitter.com/nadertheory James' Original thoughts on Bitclout:   https://jjbeshara.com/2021/04/19/i-have-seen-the-future-and-its-bitclout/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co (Use Code BTL at Checkout for 20% off) AppSumo http://appsumo.com/bff About your host, James:   James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.

Jeff Jordan is a managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz. He was previously CEO and then executive chairman of OpenTable as well as Senior Vice President and General Manager of eBay North America. James refers to Jeff as one of the Best Venture Capitalist in the last ten years and one of his favorite mentors. Jeff was also on the board of James' former company, Tilt. In today's Episode, James and Jeff dive into the early career of Jeff at companies like Disney and eBay. Jeff Explains how he built eBay North America from 3 employees to thousands in just a few years.  James and Jeff also give insight on "How to Manage," this includes managing employees to managing tasks and time. They also dive into Network Effects and how it has helped them both make decisions on what companies to invest in. To conclude the Episode, Jeff explains the working relationship with James and his company Tilt. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Jeff: https://a16z.com/author/jeff-jordan/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors: Magic Mind https://magicmind.co (Use Code BTL at Checkout for 20% off) AppSumo http://appsumo.com/bff About your host, James:   James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such as Y-Combinator, Harvard Business School, Stanford University, TechCrunch Disrupt, and has been featured in outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, and Time Magazine. He’s been featured in Forbes, Time, and Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30” lists and advises startups all around the world. All of this is his “above the line” version of his background. Hear the other 90% of the story in the intro episode of Below The Line. “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Another Podcast Network.