🦅 He Got Fired in 24 Hours, Sold Hot Dogs, and Made $27M

In this issue, you’ll find:

• He got fired in 24 hours, sold hot dogs, and made $27M

• News creators should know

• Which automation tool do you use the most?

He Got Fired in 24 Hours, Sold Hot Dogs, and Made $27M

Sam Parr isn’t your typical creator.

He’s gone from getting fired by Airbnb (for hiding a drug arrest) to selling The Hustle for $27M, building My First Million into a podcast juggernaut, and launching exclusive communities like Hampton.

Here are three lessons every creator should steal from Sam Parr’s wild journey.

1. Real Marketers Are Unstoppable—Obsession Wins

Sam’s edge? Pure, shameless obsession. Whether it was a weird hot dog cart or his famous newsletter, Sam proves that if you push harder than anyone, you become undeniable.

Relentlessly try “bad” or weird ideas (the hot dog cart, a newsletter about boring businesses) until something catches fire. If you can’t stop thinking about an idea, double down—obsession is a growth engine.

2. Build the List, Build Anything

The Hustle wasn’t an immediate success. Sam promoted it by hand, using conference attendee lists, cross-promos, and referral programs with real-world rewards. He focused on the audience first and monetization later.

Your email list is your “permission asset.” Even a few hundred subscribers let you test, launch, and pivot faster than any social algorithm ever will. Invest 10 times more energy into growing your list than into any other metric.

3. Own Your Contrarian Takes

Sam Parr didn’t invent newsletters, business podcasts, or exclusive communities. What made him stand out was doing things his own way—bold, weird, or even controversial.

You don’t need to be the first to start something. In fact, it’s usually smarter to build on what already works—just make sure you stand out.

Don’t rush to be “early.” Spend your time making your offer, content, or story stand out as unique. Study what others are doing, then zig where they zag. The best businesses aren’t first—they’re the ones people remember.

How to Cold Email a Billionaire (and Get a Reply)

This founder received responses from Travis Kalanick and Eric Lefkofsky by applying one rule: it’s not about persuasion—it’s about trade. Spend 90% of your time figuring out what they value. Then? Prove competence quickly, make your request clear, be honest about your self-interest, and show effort beyond the email.

→ Find out more

Long-Form Content Still Wins in SEO—Here’s Why

Posts over 1,500 words consistently rank higher in search. They align better with user intent, keep readers engaged longer, and earn more backlinks. Depth signals authority—and Google rewards it.

If you want lasting traffic and SEO gains, short posts won’t cut it.

→ Find out more

10 Storytelling Lessons From a Decade at Disney

Jonathan Hurwitz spent 10 years at Pixar and Disney, and he’s boiled that down into 10 storytelling tips you can use. Think: wants vs. needs, emotion over plot, and visuals that instantly signal meaning.

Whether you're crafting a brand or a social post, these principles turn stories into something people feel.

→ Find out more

Last poll: Which AI Tool Do You Use Most Often?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟢 ChatGPT (54.55%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🔵 Claude

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🟡 Grok

That’s it for now, everyone! We’ll meet again next week to discuss some more of this!

Don’t forget to try Hypefury (for free) if you haven’t yet.

Feel free to reply to this email. It goes directly to me.

Cheers,

Yannick Veys
Co-founder and CMO of Hypefury