beast mode

Wow. I can’t believe this. Today we have a world famous guest joining us. That’s right - today, no Uncle Shaan.

Today, our guest is none other than the world’s biggest YouTuber.

…Ladies & Gentlemen - welcome MrBeast. 

Now. I know what you’re thinking - there’s no-effing-way uncle shaan got Jimmy to agree to guest post in his Friday newsletter. 

MrBeast gets 100s of millions of viewers on every single video. He’s more watched than the superbowl, every single month.

Well, you’re right. Mr Beast isn’t here. But we do have a leaked memo he wrote to his production team. 

Now, you’ve probably seen a bunch of threadbois posting about the doc on Twitter all week. But this is gonna be different. Because unlike your average blog boy, I actually know MrBeast. 

• I’ve been to his house

• I’ve bet him $10,000 on a halfcourt shot (and won) 

• And I’ve seen his brilliance first hand

He’s the real deal.

So here’s what you’re going to do. Read the memo. Then read it again. Then put that thang down flip it and reverse it(it’s your fremme neppa venette 🎵).

Because if we’re being honest, you’ll learn more from this doc than you will from a semester at Harvard Business School.

Alright, let’s get to it.

Here were my 3 Golden Nuggets (favorite lessons) from the doc: 

Golden Nugget #1 - no doesn’t mean no

When we met his team - this was the first thing that stood out. 

I don’t think Jimmy understands the word “impossible”. No matter how big or crazy the idea, he operates under the assumption that it’s doable. 

When launching his chocolate brand - he didn’t just post a video saying “hey guys, checkout my new chocolate bar!” 

Instead, he built an entire chocolate factory mimicking Willy Wonka, with an actual chocolate river. In a brainstorm, this sounds somewhere between “insane” and “impossible” to do.

But they did it, and the launch video got 317M views (that’s how you create the fastest growing chocolate brand ever).

When I met his team - I realized there’s a flywheel.

Golden Nugget #2 - wearing a suit doesn’t make you smart

The doc is intentionally raw. There’s no diagrams. No colors. No letterhead. No stock photos.

In fact, he starts it with: “prelude (idk what that means)”.

hahahaaaahahahha.

Most company memos are just ‘business theater’. Beautiful formatting, fluffy fonts, and zero substance. If you read them, nothing happens. If you don’t read them, nothing happens. 

This is the opposite. A black and white doc. Bad grammar. Just a list of raw, hard-earned insights on what actually makes viral youtube videos that get a bazillion views.

Golden Nugget #3 - the ‘wow’ factor

Here’s what Jimmy wrote about going viral:

BTW, speaking of the ‘100 days in the circle video’ — did you know I’m in it??

Look, that’s me!

This video sounds simple. A guy has to stay in a red circle for 100 days, to win $500,000. That’s it.

But one of MrBeast’s core principles is the ‘wow factor’.

The video starts with him dropping the house into the circle using a giant crane. And halfway thru the video, he took a GIANT SAW and cut the house in half.

These weren’t ‘necessary’, in fact, they’re nuts. If you had a CFO in charge, they would immediately cut these unnecessary risks and expenses. 

But he knows the ‘wow factor’ matters.

My friend George Mack says “only the weird behaviors get remembered”. 

What he means is that – if you want to build a reputation, you have to do what others don’t & won’t, in situations where you didn’t have to. 

— OK, enough chit chat. Go read the doc. Thank me later.

Stay thirsty,

Uncle Shaan

That’s a wrap for today’s Good Friday.

Now do me a small favor… tell me what you think!

I wrote it. You read it. How was it?

P.S. - we’re gonna be posting these weekly on the blog too.