{"podcast":{"title":"First Principles","slug":"first-principles-7708985","podcast_index_feed_id":7708985,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN4765221373","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/06eebd2a-0779-11f1-826e-37926ac18342/image/fca7c8febd1441fc3b0d54084418b06d.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Adrian Wells","episode_count":426,"summary":"First Principles isn't another business podcast recycling the same startup stories. Adrian Wells takes the fundamentals that actually matter and breaks them down like you're having coffee with the smartest professor you ever had. Wells spent twelve years teaching philosophy and critical thinking before ditching the lecture hall for the microphone. Turns out, the same principles that help you think clearly about ancient Greek ethics also work pretty well for modern business decisions. Who knew? Every episode strips away the latest trends and buzzwords to focus on the core ideas that don't change. How to actually evaluate evidence when everyone's throwing around statistics. Why most \"revolutionary\" business advice is just old wine in new bottles. The thinking patterns that separate smart decisions from lucky guesses. You won't get hyped-up success stories or flavor-of-the-month strategies. Instead, you'll learn how to think through problems the way philosophers have for centuries, applied to the stuff that matters in your work and life right now. Multiple new episodes drop daily, so there's always something fresh when you need it. Follow now if you're ready to think better, not just…","last_synced_at":"2026-09-20T02:18:54.580675+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985"},"episode":{"title":"The $1M Business Lie Every Guru Sells (And What Actually Works)","slug":"the-1m-business-lie-every-guru-sells-and-what-actually-works","published_at":"2026-09-09T17:21:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/the-1m-business-lie-every-guru-sells-and-what-actually-works","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN4328336798.mp3?updated=1776257557","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN4328336798.mp3?updated=1776257557","summary":"What if everything you've heard about building a million-dollar business is backwards? Adrian Wells cuts through the guru BS to reveal why the \"no hard work\" promise is actually sabotaging entrepreneurs. Plus, the Census Bureau data that shows exactly what separates winners from the 98% who never make it. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why only 2% of businesses hit $1 million (and it's not what you think) • The 50-60 hour reality most successful founders won't admit • How 90% of million-dollar companies actually scale their teams • The reinvestment secret that keeps winners growing while others plateau 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners and anyone tired of get-rich-quick schemes who wants to understand what business success actually requires. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian Wells exposes the million-dollar lie [01:45] The brutal Census Bureau truth about business failure [03:30] Why \"work smarter, not harder\" is incomplete advice [05:15] The hiring pattern every million-dollar business follows [07:20] The reinvestment rule winners use (60-80% back in) [09:30] What actually works when building to seven figures [11:00] Your next steps without falling for more lies The gurus selling \"passive income\" and \"4-hour work weeks\" aren't lying to hurt you. They're lying because the truth doesn't sell courses. But if you want real results instead of fairy tales, this episode gives you the data-backed foundation most entrepreneurs never get. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow First Principles on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next breakthrough insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: entrepreneurship, business growth, million dollar business, startup reality, business statistics Find all episodes at First Principles --- Keywords: motivation psychology, s…","meta_description":"What if everything you've heard about building a million-dollar business is backwards? Adrian Wells cuts through the guru BS to reveal why the \"no hard wo…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":970,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/the-1m-business-lie-every-guru-sells-and-what-actually-works/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/the-1m-business-lie-every-guru-sells-and-what-actually-works.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}