TKS: The Karnjanaprakorn Show

Kevin Dahlstrom might be the most balanced person I’ve ever met. He’s a 4x Founder, 3x CMO, and investor in over 55 companies. He also pursues rock climbing at an elite level — all while prioritizing his family. He says it’s only possible because of his “ideal end state” exercise. It aligns his actions with his true desires, allowing him to design a life he never needs to escape. As a result, he’s reduced work to just 10% of his identity. As I navigate my 40s, I wanted to get his advice on making the most out of this decade. I chatted with Kevin to get his perspective on work, identity, health, lifestyle design, and more. Guest Kevin Dahlstrom is a 4X founder, 4X CMO, 50X PE investor, and avid rock climber. Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:27 The Text 05:39 Lifestyle Design 11:38 Ideal End State Exercise 18:19 Manifesting Goals 21:28 Compounding 22:25 Reflections at 50 26:59 Work-Life Integration 32:08 Retirement 33:16 Minimalism 35:40 Climbing 37:09 Identity Beyond Work 39:50 Curating Your Tribe 41:39 Hobbies 47:27 Giving Back 52:40 Mental and Physical Health 01:04:12 End Quote Host I am the ex-founder of Skillshare, and now exploring what's next. The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) follows my journey as I chat with others taking unique approaches to business and life. Learn more about me: ⁠https://mikekarnj.com

Dan has sold four companies throughout his career. We discuss what that was like and dive into what he’s doing next—building a venture studio. He shares his playbook and how he's leveraging his strengths, and I get his advice on navigating post-exit life. Plus, we discuss philanthropy and finding purpose and fulfillment beyond financial success. Guest Dan Reich is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist. He has co-founded Spinback (acquired by Buddy Media), Tula (acquired by Procter & Gamble), Dibs Beauty, and Troops.ai (acquired by Salesforce). Links Company Builders Dan's Personal Website Follow Dan on Twitter Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:14 Dan's Journey 09:47 Venture Studios 13:16 Creators 22:40 Financing 25:44 Why Again? 28:01 Daily Routines 29:31 Post-Exit Emotions 40:49 Philanthropy 43:07 Angel Investing 44:59 Final Thoughts Podcast I am the ex-founder of Skillshare, and now exploring what's next. The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) follows my journey as I share what I learn along the way, and chat with others who are taking unique approaches to business and life. Learn more about me: https://mikekarnj.com

I chatted with Geoff Roberts about how they designed the company at Outseta, where they do things differently. Everyone makes $210,000 and can choose to work one to five days a week. They operate without budgets, targets, or OKRs, maintaining a flat hierarchy with no bosses. The company prioritizes life profitability for both the team and customers. Geoff discusses the motivation behind these decisions and how a high-trust, fully transparent work environment facilitates this unique culture. Guest Geoff is the co-founder of Outseta, an all-in-one membership software that makes it easier to build SaaS products, membership sites, and online communities. Learn more about their unique culture here. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:57 Bootstrapping 05:21 Ambition & Lifestyle 06:45 Life Profitability 13:52 $210,000 Salary 19:37 Flat Hierarchy 23:42 Resolving Conflicts 27:42 Attracting Talent 29:36 Lessons 32:18: Living Abroad 38:38 Advice Podcast I am the ex-founder of Skillshare, and now exploring what's next. The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) follows my journey as I share what I learn along the way. Learn more about me: https://mikekarnj.com/

In this episode, I share the cycle many former founders go through as they decide between starting another company or riding off into the sunset. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:28 Founder Cycle 07:59 Redefining Success Podcast I am the ex-founder of Skillshare, and now exploring what's next. The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) follows my journey as I share what I learn along the way. Learn more about me: https://mikekarnj.com/

In this episode, I explore lifestyle design, a philosophy centered around creating a life that aligns with freedom, work-life integration, purposeful living, and income autonomy. I question the conventional path to success and explore examples of people who are doing it differently. And share steps on how you can design your own lifestyle. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:25 Core Principles 02:57 Examples 08:44 Reflection Podcast I am the ex-founder of Skillshare, and now exploring what's next. The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) follows my journey as I explore ideas related to life, business, and technology. Learn more about me here: https://mikekarnj.com/

I had a conversation with Ryan Sneddon, who has built a successful local email newsletter in Annapolis, Maryland. We discussed the playbook for building a local business empire, and we both pitched different business ideas in real estate and YouTube. Guest Ryan Sneddon runs Naptown Scoop, a local newsletter serving Annapolis, Maryland. He's built an audience of over 18,000 (nearly half the town's population) and is building a local empire. Links Ryan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifeof_scoop Naptown Scoop: https://www.naptownscoop.com Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:31 Local Newsletters 09:53 Local Business Empire 22:58 Real Estate Newsletter 40:10 YouTube 51:32 Internet Podcast After working in tech startups, I'm now exploring what's next. The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) follows my journey as I explore ideas related to life, business, and technology.

In this episode, I share three career failures: not getting into business school, the failure of my first startup, and the ten pivots we went through at Skillshare. READ Failure Resume PODCAST After working in tech startups, I'm now exploring what's next. The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) follows my journey as I explore ideas related to life, business, and technology. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:06 Business School 02:35 By/Association 06:06 Pivots 09:40 Learnings

Tarpit ideas seem promising but trap founders in companies that are hard to scale. The first version of Skillshare was trapped. I also share a list of common tarpit ideas. Stay away from these! CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 02:33 Skillshare 06:02 List of Tarpit Ideas READ MORE Tarpit Ideas PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show (TKS) is a podcast in which I explore ideas related to life, business, and technology.

I compiled a list of my ten most important life decisions. There are many more, but these were the top decisions I made before I turned 40. I also share some thoughts on how to best make those decisions. LIFE DECISIONS Who should I marry? Should I have children? Where should I live? Which career should I pursue? How should I manage money? What healthy habits should I adopt? What calculated risks should I take? What values and beliefs should I uphold? Which relationships should I nurture and maintain What hobbies and interests should I explore? CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:41 Life Decisions 03:09 Being Right 04:02 The Click 05:47 Reflecting BLOG POSTS Life Decisions Being Right The Click

In this solo episode, I share three ideas about business: 1) how to get to your first $100K, 2) playing a different game, and 3) impact. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:30 Investing in Yourself 02:38 Metagame 06:53 Legacy

In this solo episode, I share four of my favorite blog posts from the past month. This episode aims to inspire you to rethink your approach to life, creativity, and what it means to be successful. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:53 Craftsmanship 05:52 Success Addiction 09:27 Parent Stories 14:27 Assets PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show is where I explore ideas across life, startups, and technology. As the former founder of Skillshare, I am now following my curiosity. This show follows that journey, exploring topics like longevity, emerging technologies, living a fulfilling life, and more.

In this episode, we discuss what happens after you sell your company. Ben sold his company to Zapier in 2021 for an undisclosed amount, but it was enough for Ben to retire from working. We discussed why he sold the company, what he did in the first year, and the wave of emotions he felt after selling the company. We also talked about how he spent the money and what he’s investing in today. I also picked his brain on how he’s building an AI Assistant. GUEST Ben Tossell writes an AI Newsletter, Ben’s Bites, and invests in early-stage AI startups. He was previously the founder of Makerpad, a no-code education site, which was acquired by Zapier. He also just launched a new community called Acquired Founders. LINKS Ben Tossell Ben’s Bites Acquired Founders PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show is where I explore ideas across life, startups, and technology. As the former founder of Skillshare, I am now following my curiosity as I figure out my next thing. This show follows that journey, exploring topics like longevity, emerging technologies, living a fulfilling life, and more. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 12:49 Why Sell 19:16 First Year 25:07 Stay or Leave 35:19 Money, Spending, Investing 45:53 AI Executive Assistant

In this episode, we bring back Safwaan Kay to discuss trends in technology, culture, and business. We cover polyamory, AI wearables, and buying iconic internet brands. GUEST Safwaan Kay invests and incubates in emerging tech at Founders, Inc. PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show is where I explore ideas across life, startups, and technology. As the former founder of Skillshare, I am now following my curiosity as I figure out my next thing. This show follows that journey, exploring topics like longevity, emerging technologies, living a fulfilling life, and more. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 00:52 Polyamory 11:19 AI-Enabled Hardware 27:24 Buying Iconic Companies

We reached a big milestone today. We reached the top 1% of podcasts by publishing our 21st episode. In this episode, I'll share some lessons learned, along with the future direction of the podcast. PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show is where I explore unique ideas across life, startups, and technology. As the former founder of Skillshare, I am now following my curiosity and going down intellectual rabbit holes. This show follows that journey, exploring topics like longevity, investing, emerging technologies, living a fulfilling life, and more. HOST ⁠Michael Karnjanaprakorn⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael’s newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Twitter

My guest is Herbert Lui. I brought him on the podcast to talk about the creative process and developing a creative habit. There is no one-size-fits all approach but there are common frameworks that everyone can follow. We cover a lot of topics including the four-step creative process, capturing ideas, quality vs quantity, and promoting your own work. We also dive deep into the inner working of his note-taking process that was inspired by Ryan Holiday. Herbert has a very organized chaotic process which I can relate to and I’m sure many of you. If you can take one idea or tactic to apply to your own process then this will be worth you time. GUEST Herbert is the author of Creative Doing which is a collection of exercises, mental models, and true stories from artists to help you find your own unique creative process. He is a writer an an editorial director. His editorial studio Wonder Shuttle works with companies such as Shopify, Twilio, and Skillshare, which is where I originally met him. He is prolific and has many creative projects including the book The World According to Kanye which was featured in Hypebeast. And the host of Prologue where he talks with artists like Post Malone to talk about the early days of their creative journeys. Links Herbert Lui Creative Doing CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 03:28 - Creative Process 10:07 - Quantity Over Quality 20:16 - Note-Taking Process 35:43 - Daily Blogging 44:51 - Promoting Your Work PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show is a podcast where I explore novel ideas on the fringes. As the former founder of Skillshare, I am now following my curiosity while I figure out my next thing. This podcast follows that journey as I go down intellectual rabbit holes, exploring topics like longevity, philosophy, futuristic technologies, and more. HOST Michael Karnjanaprakorn ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael’s newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter

In this episode, I chat with Emi Gal who is the Founder/CEO of Ezra, which offers affordable MRI screenings to detect cancer. We talk about early cancer detection, longevity protocols, annual challenges, and technology advancements within healthcare. GUEST Emi Gal is the CEO/Founder of Ezra, an AI startup focused on creating a new way to screen for cancer using MRI & AI. LINKS For the Ezra story, go here. For the longevity protocols, go here CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction 02:47 - Ezra 20:38 - Longevity Protocols 29:06 - Exercise Routine 32:02 - Optimizing Biomarkers 48:56 - Annual Challenges 53:11 - Technology Trends PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show is a journey into living a fulfilling life across all areas. I'm known to many as the founder of Skillshare or Otis. As I approached my 40th birthday, I experienced a mid-life transition and took a year-long sabbatical. This period led me to reassess my priorities. I realized that aspects I once valued — success, status, wealth — weren't as fulfilling and were detracting from other areas of my life, such as health and relationships. This insight prompted me to explore my passions and interests beyond work, including running, philosophy, and exploring the unknown, whether in the form of new ideas, people, or experiences. I look for novel ideas and share them through this podcast so join me on this journey! HOST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael’s newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Twitter

In this episode, we discuss Personal Holding Companies (PHCs) that center on your personal interests, passions, and lifestyle. Yong-Soo shares his experiences and provides practical advice on how anyone can take a similar path. We also cover trends like AI and the development of healthy habits. The main takeaway from this discussion is that aligning your personal and business interests is very possible. GUEST Yong-Soo is a serial entrepreneur bootstrapping his business from $0 to $20m in over 8 years. LINKS First Class Founders Twitter CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 01:25 - PHC Philosophy 03:13 - New Playbook 05:43 - Audience Building 13:53 - Trends 18:19 - Habits PODCAST The Karnjanaprakorn Show is a journey into living a fulfilling life across all areas. I'm known to many as the founder of Skillshare or Otis. As I approached my 40th birthday, I experienced a mid-life transition and took a year-long sabbatical. This period led me to reassess my priorities. I realized that aspects I once valued — success, status, wealth — weren't as fulfilling and were detracting from other areas of my life, such as health and relationships. This insight prompted me to explore my passions and interests beyond work, including running, philosophy, and exploring the unknown, whether in the form of new ideas, people, or experiences. I look for novel ideas and share them through this podcast so join me on this journey! HOST ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael’s newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter

I chat with Henrik Werdelin (co-founder of Barkbox) about pursuing interests rather than goals for starting companies, based on the idea of open-endedness. We also talk about how Henrik using AI to crystalize his ideas, longevity protocols, and his 8+1 framework for life planning. GUEST Henrik Werdelin is an entrepreneur and author best known for co-founding Bark / Barkbox (NYSE Listed $BARK). As well as starting Prehype, a venture building research and development group headquartered in New York. LINKS ⁠Henrik Werdelin⁠ ⁠8+1 Framework⁠ Follow Henrik on Twitter CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro 02:34 - Open-endedness 13:00 - Longevity 19:13 - 8+1 Framework 24:52 - Personalized Bedtime Stories

I was curious about buying software-based businesses so I reached out to Justin Duke who started Third South Capital. We talk about his journey from working at Stripe to starting his own company to acquiring five software companies. GUEST Justin Duke runs Buttondown and invests at Third South Capital. Before that, he spent four years at Stripe building data products. Here's his article on buying software businesses. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction 05:44 - Buying 16:27 - Challenges 22:45 - Advice 27:48 - Code 41:41 - Operations 42:24 - Sustainability 52:29 - Media Consumption

I chat with Kevin Lee, Founder of immi, discussing everything from healthy ramen to productivity in both business and personal life. We delve deep in Kevin's journey of creating a low carb, high protein ramen, addressing health concerns within Asian communities, and personal productivity processes. GUEST Kevin Lee is a co-founder of immi, which invented the world's first low carb, high protein, and 100% plant based instant ramen. He previously led better-for-you food & beverage investing at Pear VC and is an angel investor in 40+ companies. He grew up working alongside his grandparents on their produce farms in Taiwan. Follow Kevin on ⁠Twitter⁠ Check out immi HOST Watch on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael’s newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Michael⁠⁠⁠ CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction 05:25 - Asian Culture and Nutrition 17:55 - Company OS 33:57 - Personal OS 44:44 - Life Dinner Concept 50:14 - Coffee Sobriety