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My favorite podcast is My First Million (you should subscribe to it) because Sam and Shaan deliver straightforward, no nonsense business insights and advice with chutzpah.

In this special episode, they talked to three Formidable Fellowship grantees – each who’d received a $1000 Fellowship grant and who brought a question for Sam and Shaan as they try to scale their businesses.

While their advice was individualized to Lincoln, Ayaan and Abigayle, it was clear as I listened their advice that it would be incredibly valuable to entrepreneurs at any stage and so I wanted to share excerpts as part of this My First Million MBA.

MBA Lesson 1: Market Positioning 101

First up was Lincoln Snyder who started Sunshine Exteriors and who also appeared on the Future Titans podcast here where he delivered a masterclass in entrepreneurship.

Lincoln, a high school senior, has built a $60,000 revenue business cleaning windows, gutters, and power washing homes. What impressed Sam and Shaan immediately was his sophisticated marketing approach – instead of simply saying he “cleans gutters,” he positions his service as “helping homeowners protect their investment.” This subtle reframing demonstrates advanced marketing instincts, showing that age doesn’t limit business acumen.

MBA Lesson #2: Skills Acquisition Framework

When Lincoln asked about paid advertising strategies, Sam and Shaan offered some powerful advice:

The message is clear: when learning any new business skill, attack from all angles. Don’t just rely on free YouTube videos or just paid courses – do both, while also finding successful people in your field who can mentor you. Then double down on whichever learning method gives you the fastest results.

MBA Lesson #3: Geometric Growth Strategy

For someone looking to scale a neighborhood-based business, they offered this brilliant distribution hack:

This strategy of “cloning what works” in adjacent territories is something many entrepreneurs overlook. They’d rather try something completely new than replicate a proven model in a new location.

MBA Lesson #4: Introduction to Growth Economics

Next up was Ayaan Jain, a 9th grader, who has built Teens2Table, an unbelievable baked goods business. You can hear Ayaan’s full story on Future Titans here. It is unreal what he’s done already and just in 9th grade. Watch out Mrs. Fields.

His challenge was scaling production while maintaining quality and profitability.

When he expressed concern about losing profits after hiring help, Sam and Shaan zeroed in on the real issue:

This advice about raising prices rather than accepting diminishing margins is something many established business owners still struggle with. The willingness to charge what your product is truly worth is often the difference between thriving and merely surviving.

MBA Lesson #5: Advanced B2B Sales Psychology

They also offered creative B2B selling strategies that could transform Teens2Table’s business model:

This insight about selling to businesses who can derive much greater value from your product than the direct cost is brilliant – a car dealership closing one additional $35,000 sale because of a positive cookie experience makes the cookie’s price almost irrelevant.

They share insights on reciprocity, premium pricing & more.

MBA Lesson #6: Narrative Capital Theory

One of the most profound pieces of advice came regarding the value of building your entrepreneurial story:

MBA Lesson #7: Growth Vector Recalibration

Abigayle Lett, a 17-year-old senior, runs a business growing and selling mums (chrysanthemums) for autumn decoration. With $15,000 in revenue and impressive profit margins, she was seeking advice on growth strategies. (Here’s her full conversation on Future Titans)

When discussing scaling her business, Sam and Shaan pushed her to think bigger:

This advice to pursue 10x growth rather than incremental growth is transformative. By thinking about 10x’ing her business, she has to think totally differently. By focusing on landing major retailers instead of more small sales, Abigayle could leap forward in her business journey.

MBA Lesson #8: Time-Limited Advantage Windows

They also emphasized the unique advantage young entrepreneurs have for a limited time:

This reminder that youth itself can be a business advantage with a limited shelf life is something many young entrepreneurs don’t fully leverage until it’s too late.

MBA Lesson #9: Cold Outreach Methodologies

Finally, they shared one of the most actionable pieces of advice about cold outreach:

This detailed explanation of how to approach seemingly unreachable people demystifies the process of cold emailing. The insight that most people never even try, coupled with practical follow-up strategies, offers a clear roadmap for anyone looking to make meaningful connections.

The Final Exam

Whether you’re in high school or have decades of business experience, the fundamental principles which you need to remember remain the same:

• understand your unique value
• charge appropriately
• replicate what works
• leverage your story
• think bigger than incremental growth
• be persistent in your outreach