3 Underdog Stories That’ll Get You Inspired This Week

The Jewish Ed Sheeran (0s)

• The chapter tells the story of Noah Kahn, a singer-songwriter who describes himself as "the Jewish Ed Sheeran." Kahn had a small record deal early in his career but struggled to gain traction. After the pandemic hit, he moved back to Vermont and started posting his music on TikTok.
• One night, Kahn wrote a verse to a song called "Stick Season" and posted a 20-second video of it on TikTok. He initially thought the video was a flop and planned to delete it, but it went viral overnight, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes and comments.
• This viral success led to Kahn finishing the song, which became a hit. Within three years, he went from a struggling musician to selling out Fenway Park and Madison Square Garden.
• The chapter highlights the power of perseverance and the importance of putting your work out there, even if it's incomplete. It also emphasizes the potential for a single hit to change your life, especially in creative fields like music, film, and content creation.

The actual Ed Sheeran (10m22s)

• Ed Sheeran's early career was marked by his determination and a fortunate encounter with Jamie Foxx. Sheeran, despite having a small following in the UK, moved to LA with the goal of making it in the music industry. He performed at an open mic night where he was noticed by Jamie Foxx's business manager. Impressed, the manager brought Sheeran to Foxx's radio show, where Sheeran's talent was further recognized.
• Jamie Foxx took Sheeran under his wing, providing him with a place to stay and opportunities to perform. Foxx, known for his connections in Hollywood and his love of throwing parties, created a space for artists to connect and showcase their talents. Sheeran performed at one of these parties, catching the attention of those present.
• Sheeran's performance at a predominantly Black club solidified his talent and led to him getting signed. Foxx, wanting to test Sheeran's ability to connect with diverse audiences, took him to a club where the music was primarily rap, R&B, and hip-hop. Sheeran, despite being a white, ukulele-playing artist, impressed the crowd with his improvisation and a freestyle version of 50 Cent's "In Da Club." This performance, captured on video, showcased Sheeran's versatility and ultimately led to him getting signed.

Eric the Eel (15m0s)

• Eric, a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, qualified for the Sydney Olympics through a lottery system despite having never swam competitively before. He had only eight months to prepare and trained in a 13-meter pool, far shorter than the 100-meter pool he would compete in.
• Despite his lack of experience and training, Eric persevered and even received help from other swimmers and coaches at the Olympics. He faced immense pressure and anxiety, especially during the qualifying race where he struggled to complete the 100 meters.
• Eric's determination and resilience inspired the crowd, who cheered him on despite his slow pace. He ultimately qualified for the Olympic trials, though he did not win. His story exemplifies the Olympic spirit and the power of perseverance, proving that anyone can achieve amazing things with dedication.

How CarEdge is quietly crushing it (20m0s)

• CarEdge is a successful car buying service that started as a YouTube channel. The father-son duo behind the brand created a website that offers car buying services, including a database of car profit margins and a full-service car buying option. They have built a large following on YouTube and their business is now generating $10 million in annual revenue.
• CarEdge's success is attributed to their authentic and relatable online presence. The father-son dynamic is appealing to viewers, and their YouTube channel features a casual and informative style. They have also been transparent about their business journey, sharing their struggles and successes with their audience.
• The CarEdge story is an example of how a successful business can be built from a passion project. The son, Zach, had a history of starting small businesses and was always interested in learning how to make money online. The father-son duo's shared passion for cars and their willingness to experiment with different business models led to the creation of CarEdge.

How a car dealership is pulling millions of views on TikTok (29m21s)

• A young woman named Grace Kerber is creating a wildly popular series of videos on TikTok for her local car dealership, Mohawk Chevrolet. The videos are unscripted and feature Grace and other employees at the dealership, with storylines that are relatable and engaging. The series has garnered millions of views and attracted attention from major brands like Chevy and Geico.
• The success of Grace's videos is attributed to her creative approach and the fact that the dealership had nothing to lose by trying something new. The videos have also driven significant traffic to the dealership's website, demonstrating the power of TikTok marketing.
• Another successful example of gamification in the health and wellness space is Pokemon Sleep, a sleep tracking app that allows users to catch Pokemon based on their sleep quality. The app has been a huge success in Japan, generating over $100 million in revenue. The app's success highlights the potential of gamification to motivate people to improve their health and well-being.

100M+ Pokemon sleep tracking app (33m7s)

• The speaker discusses the Pokemon Sleep app, a sleep tracking app that has garnered over 100 million users. They highlight the app's effectiveness in helping them improve their sleep habits, even leading to a shift in their bedtime from 2 am to 10 pm. The speaker emphasizes the app's success in achieving a lifestyle change, which they claim is more effective than therapy. They also mention spending money on in-app purchases, highlighting the app's potential for monetization.
• The speaker then explores the potential for a gamified approach to health tracking, drawing inspiration from the Pokemon Sleep app's success. They propose a "Mario Kart" style step tracking app that would incorporate social elements and gamification to make tracking more engaging and fun.
• The speaker concludes by referencing a real-life example of a successful gamified health competition, where friends compete to burn the most calories in a month. They acknowledge the inspiration for this competition from Joe Rogan's "Sober October" challenge and highlight the effectiveness of gamification in motivating individuals to achieve health goals.

Nick Gray's new thing (35m55s)

• Nick Gray's "Done" Challenge: Nick Gray, a friend of the speaker, created a challenge called "Done" where participants commit to doing a specific action every day (like walking a certain number of steps or doing a cold plunge). The challenge is facilitated through a WhatsApp group where participants only send the word "Done" once they complete the action. This simple format encourages accountability and momentum, as seeing others complete the challenge motivates participants to do the same.
• The "My First Muscle Challenge" Inspiration: Nick Gray's "Done" challenge inspired the speaker to consider reviving the "My First Muscle Challenge," a previous challenge that involved a specific workout routine. The speaker believes that a similar challenge, with a clear start date and a focus on simple, achievable goals, could be highly motivating for participants.
• The "Interesting People" Event: The speaker attended an event called "Interesting People" hosted by Andrew Wilkinson in Victoria, Canada. The event brought together a diverse group of individuals for networking and discussion. The speaker's experience at the event led him to reflect on the nature of advice, concluding that the best advice is often simple and universally applicable.

“The best advice is free by definition” (39m37s)

• The best advice is often free because it is either incredibly simple or comes from people who are so successful they don't need to charge for it. The speaker argues that truly valuable advice is either so straightforward that it wouldn't be worth charging for or comes from individuals who have achieved such great success that they are willing to share their wisdom freely.
• The speaker believes that advice that falls in the middle, requiring payment and being overly complicated, is often not the most useful. They suggest that this type of advice is often just a way to make money and doesn't necessarily provide the most valuable insights.
• The speaker shares an insightful piece of advice from Patrick Campbell, who sold his company for $250 million. Campbell recommends that after selling a company, individuals should avoid making any major purchases or decisions for six to nine months. He emphasizes that there is no rush to spend the money and that individuals have the rest of their lives to enjoy it.

Take a 360 review of your life (43m29s)

• Patrick, a friend of the speaker, took a deliberate approach to self-reflection. He and his wife had an offsite where they discussed their life goals, both material and emotional, and created a list of shared aspirations. They also developed a scorecard to track their progress, including wins, areas they were bad at but accepting, areas they were working on, and losses they were no longer willing to tolerate.
• The speaker found this scorecard concept helpful because it normalized having highs and lows in life. He acknowledged that most people try to avoid addressing their shortcomings, but this approach encourages acknowledging and addressing them.
• The speaker believes that self-reflection and personal development are essential, even for successful individuals. He shared his experience attending an event where he learned from others and realized the value of investing in personal growth, even after achieving success. He also highlighted the importance of receiving feedback and connecting with others who share similar experiences.

Shaan bombs a talk at a conference (lessons learned) (50m16s)

• Shaan initially planned to tell a story at the start of his talk, but he only had 15 minutes to prepare and the story wasn't very good. He realized that he was trying to be different for the sake of being different, and that didn't always work out.
• He then decided to share his failures and how he lost $100 million due to poor decisions. However, he quickly realized that this was a downer and not the right approach for the end of the event. He felt he was bringing the energy down instead of leaving the audience feeling inspired.
• For his next talk, Shaan shifted his approach and focused on energy and interaction. He had the audience move into a circle, engaged in crowd work, and even had them do push-ups to change their energy levels. He believes that good decisions come from good energy, and that shifting the energy first is crucial for making good decisions. This approach was much more successful and left the audience feeling energized and engaged.