Hardware Podcasts

Complexly: Hank and John Green

How I Built This · 16 Jan 2023 · 1h 24m

What this episode covers

Hank and John Green, the brothers behind Complexly and the Vlogbrothers channel, explain how they transformed a personal video diary into a sprawling media empire including Crash Course, VidCon, and DFTBA. They discuss the strategic decision to keep all educational content free, relying on advertising, crowdfunding, and grants rather than subscriptions, while maintaining profitability through bootstrapping. The brothers detail their journey from early YouTube experiments to launching major ventures like the educational platform Crash Course with a $450,000 investment from YouTube, and the merchandising company DFTBA, which supports other creators. They also reflect on the cultural impact of their work, the importance of earnestness in community building, and their commitment to donating profits to charity while keeping their salaries modest.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Complexly, DFTBA, Scientific American, Patreon
Products
Vlogbrothers, Crash Course, VidCon, The Fault in Our Stars

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Just Gonna Send It · 1h 04m

    Mike Burroughs (Founder / Creator, Stanceworks)

    Mike Burroughs, founder of Stanceworks, explains how he pivoted from a car culture blog to a full-time YouTube career, driven by the decision to buy and modify a Ferrari 308 with a Honda engine swap. He details the financial risks of funding his ambitious Ferrari F40 tube-chassis project by liquidating other assets, leaving him with only $258 to his name. Burroughs also discusses the operational realities of running a small content business, including managing sponsors like Send Cut Send and balancing creative momentum with production demands.

    Creator businessCrowdfunding & preorders
    5 chapters

  • Making It · 1h 00m

    397: The Gift Curtain

    Jimmy Diresta celebrates hitting 2 million YouTube subscribers, attributing the growth to YouTube Shorts and discussing his upcoming pool table build and house restoration. David Picciuto shares his experience building a folding chair and the challenges of capturing genuine excitement on camera. Bob Clagett details his work on a trade show booth and a custom carrier for a life-size R2D2 droid. The hosts then discuss 'bad investments,' including Jimmy's abandoned 1967 Cadillac, Bob's unused ShaperOrigin and TIG welder, and David's failed car painting course and real estate fears.

    Crowdfunding & preordersPricing, margins & unit economics
    6 chapters

  • Making It · 1h 03m

    376: This one only has four utters

    Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss their current projects, including David's boat build and Bob's in-house product launch, while addressing the challenge of narrowing content focus to maintain relevance on YouTube. Bob details the operational complexities of producing and shipping his first physical products in-house, defining success as learning processes rather than immediate profit. The group also reflects on the generational gap in media consumption, the importance of Patreon support for creative freedom, and shares recommendations for music and creators.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceMarketing & brand
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    #179 - Bootstrap Heroes: Hazard's Hop Water, SWAIR, Gourmend Foods

    Host Daniel Scharff interviews Ryan Hansen of Hazard's Hop Water, Carrie Sporer of SWAIR Hair, and Ketan Vakil of Gourmend Foods about bootstrapping their consumer packaged goods brands to six-figure revenues without venture capital. Hansen details scaling a non-alcoholic hop water brand to $500k by targeting golf courses and breweries, while Sporer explains how SWAIR reached $350k in revenue by focusing on fitness enthusiasts and managing co-founder dynamics. Vakil shares how he built Gourmend Foods to nearly $850k in revenue by reformulating low-FODMAP broths and leveraging online sales and dietitian networks.

    Starting a product companyPricing, margins & unit economics
    5 chapters

  • Thoroughly Considered · 49m

    134: Kevin Kelly Remains Undefeated

    Dan Provost, co-founder of Studio Neat, discusses his new custom guitar company, Offkilter Guitars, detailing the transition from hobbyist to small business, including sourcing parts from Warmouth and managing a fragmented manufacturing process. Myke Hurley shares insights from his successful Kickstarter campaign for 'Designed in California,' a historical podcast series with Jason Snell, explaining how pre-selling memberships helped fund ambitious production goals and overcome subscription fatigue.

    Crowdfunding & preordersStarting a product company
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.