🎙️ Full episode
DEBRIEFWritten and voiced by AI from the episode's audio
Shaan Puri shares three deeply personal embarrassment stories that became catalysts for growth and self-discovery. First, after selling a company, a personality test revealed a narcissism score of 110, forcing him to confront how his need for external validation drives his behavior—and teaching him to fill his own cup instead of chasing others' approval. Second, at 21, he pitched investors a 250-page business plan for a sushi restaurant and was demolished by a founder who pointed out he'd done planning instead of action; inspired by Seinfeld's George Costanza, Puri pivoted to "worshiping at the church of action," which became his defining operating principle. Third, as a shy teenager, he wrote a love note he was too afraid to own, lied about its recipient, and moved to China—where his sister revealed he could reinvent himself entirely. That decision to become the cool guy he admired shaped how he's approached life ever since, eventually leading him to start My First Million. Across all three stories runs a single thread: embarrassment, when processed, becomes wisdom. The wounds became doors.
🎧 AI Debrief
Show notes
$1M Solopreneur MVP guide: https://clickhubspot.com/ftws
Episode 870: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) tells 3 embarrassing stories. One from his personal life, one from business, and a most recent one.
—
Show Notes:
() intro
() recent embarrassment
() Lesson: “You Can Make Hell Out of Heaven”
() business embarrassment
() Lesson: “Worship at the Church of Action”
() personal embarrassment
() Lesson: “The Decision Is Upstream of All Action”
—
Check Out Sam's Stuff:
• Hampton (joinhampton.com): My community for founders. Average member does $25m/year. Many of the guests are members. Get after it...apply: http://joinhampton.com/mfm
—
Check Out Shaan's Stuff:
• Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com
• Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents.
• Mercury - Shaan uses Mercury across all of his companies. you can too: http://mercury.com/
Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., Members FDIC
• I run all my newsletters on Beehiiv and you should too + we're giving away $10k to our favorite newsletter, check it out:
beehiiv.com/mfm-challenge
My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano /