Below The Line With James Beshara

]Today’s episode is with stand up comedian, actor, and podcaster Pete Holmes. James and Pete dive into the repulsion you feel in your early life that forces you away from things that aren’t intended for you. From leaving Massachusetts at an early age to finding his voice in comedy, Pete explains the feelings he had while falling upward. He also explains the craft behind Stand Up and what tactics he uses while on stage. To conclude the episode, James and Pete talk about why you don’t need to ask for permission. You have to find the freedom within yourself.  More Pete https://www.instagram.com/peteholmes/ Book Recommendations from the Episode: Being Aware of Being Aware https://www.amazon.com/Being-Aware-Essence-Meditation/dp/1626259968 Support Our Sponsors Chargebee https://chargebee.com/partners-signup and use promo code BTL Shopify https://Shopify.com/BelowtheLine Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.c

On today's episode James and actor, comedian and podcaster Bryan Callen dive deep into Bryan's early years of creating and why he started studying philosophy. He explains his fascination around fighting and why it has helped mold his brain into certain ways of thinking. Bryan also explains how he overcomes adversity and what it is like being 55 trying to come up with new ideas. To conclude the episode, Bryan and James talk about why your greatest strength is also your greatest liability and how to find courage within yourself.  Find Bryan Callen: https://www.bryancallen.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bryancallen/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline  Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co About your host, James: James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. Jam

Today’s episode is with Biz Stone, the Co-founder of Twitter. A man who early in his career knew nothing about tech but found a way to design websites which in turn started his own blogging career. He was then hired by Evan Williams, at Google working on Blogger, forming a bond which would go on to create a team at Odeo. They also hired Jack Dorsey. Biz explains why this was the starting ground for Twitter and how they came up with the idea. James asks Biz about the start of the company and how it went viral in 2007. Biz explains why he always put people before business and realized, over the years at a billion dollar company, you need humanity. To conclude the episode, Biz talks about how his unselfish nature has led him to greater opportunities instead of always trying to control the situation.    Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline  

Description: In today’s episode, James is joined by his good friend Ajay Mehta to take callers from listeners. James starts the episode by talking about his experience on the Duncan Trussell podcast and how he originally got to know Duncan. The first caller, Rev from LA askes, What are some big realizations or new insights that have been learned in the past year? The second question comes from twitter, What is happening in tech and why are all the stocks crashing? To conclude the episode, James and Ajay dive deep into NFT’s and crypto and why decentralization can have its consequences when it comes to losing money or getting hacked. Timecode Description: 00:27 Intro 4:36 James meeting Duncan Trussell 11:15 First experiences in Silicon Valley 20:41 Voicemail 1: Big realizations or new insights in the last year 43:35 Voicemail 2: Tech market crash, what is causing it? 1:04:49 Voicemail 3: NFT’s, are they the future? Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Karen X Cheng is an award winning director who has reached over half a billion views across all platforms. Some would say she is the queen of going viral on the internet. In today’s episode she explains to James how her first video that went viral was by accident. After that video, she decided to try to recreate that virality but this time on purpose. James dives deep into Karen’s tactics for film making and how she creates these masterpiece clips that go viral online. Karen speaks about the easiest ways to grow online and what platforms are the most lucrative. From “Girl Learns to Dance in One Year” to partnerships with Beats by Dre and Puma, Karen’s story is an inspiration to all creators. To conclude the episode, Karen speaks about how she has mentally evolved and how she decides what to give energy to.    Follow Karen https://instagram.com/karenxcheng   Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email Jam

In today's episode, James invites his friend Ajay Mehta on to take questions from listeners. The first caller, Sean from North Carolina, askes "What are the best tools or apps to become more productive?" Ajay and James dive deep into their career timeline and talk through the tools they have used in the past and the new found solutions to these tools that have helped them become more productive in modern day. The second question comes from David on Twitter, asking "What is a skill you wish you had?" James and Ajay bring up skills from their mentors that have been molded into their minds around time management and workflow. They also speak about how some of these mentors skills can make your daily workflow much easier and less stressful. To conclude the episode, Question #3 comes from Sarah on Twitter asking, "What is your biggest miss?" This topic ranges from investing to running a company and understanding upside vs downside. One 100x investment could potentially make up for those other 20 investments that t

Today's episode is with one of the greatest business authors ever, Jim Collins. Jim is one of the most inspirational figures in James' career. Not only did he inspire James, but he also is one of James' fathers, favorite authors. This has formed a bond at a young age between the two and has helped form many ideas in James' head. James and Jim cover many topics today, in one of our longest podcasts ever recorded, they talk about a wide range of VERY useful topics for founders and creators. From, breaking down Jim's personal rubric on writing a book to how an idea turns into a book. Jim explains why it is important to keep turning the flywheel even when you feel like abandoning it. James and Jim, also speak about how great leadership, can take a company, far beyond what is projected on paper. Jim also explains the difference between Good and Great. To conclude the episode, Jim speaks about luck and how not only good luck is inevitable but so is bad luck, he explains how not all time in life is equal and how you

Today's episode is with the brilliant, Kevin Gibbon. Kevin is the Founder and CEO of Airhouse. He was previously the Founder and CEO of Shyp. Kevin opens up candidly about his experience in Silicon Valley and explains what it was like moving to the USA to pursue his dream of owning his own company. James and Kevin, speak about the Silicon Valley Network and why it is the hub for startups. They also dive deep into why investors are more likely to invest in a second time failed founder rather than a brand new founder just starting their company. Kevin also explains the lows, mentally, he endured during the end of his first company and how it impacts him still to this day. To conclude the episode, James and Kevin talk about the legitimacy behind CryptoCurrency and if it is here to stay! https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Kevin Gibbon: https://twitter.com/kevingibbon https://www.airhouse.io/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions

In today's episode, James gets a voicemail from a caller asking "What is Vedanta?" James, has talked a lot about Vedanta in pervious episodes and today explains what it means to him in his own words. He has credited some of his success and peace in life to this philosophy.  Vedanta is a philosophy taught by the Vedas, the most ancient scriptures of India. Its basic teaching is that our real nature is divine. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline Support Our Sponsors Magic Mind https://magicmind.co About your host, James:   James Beshara is a founder, investor, advisor, author, podcaster, and encourager based in Los Angeles, California. James has created startups for the last 12 years, selling one (Tilt, acquired by Airbnb), and invested in a few multi-billion dollar startups to date. He has spoken at places such

On today's episode, James takes voicemails from listeners. He invites his good friend Ajay Mehta on to discuss the topics from the callers. Ajay previously worked with him at Tilt and has founded two companies since, Birthdate Co. and Therapy Notebooks.  The callers asks wide range of questions all centered around the lifestyle of being a founder and an entrepreneur. From Health and Diet for productivity to how to start fundraising as a first time founder. James explains why 90% of the interaction with investors should be based on asking for advice before asking for a check. To conclude the episode, James and Ajay discuss what company or one project they would invest in if somebody theoretically gave them a million dollars.  https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Ajay Mehta: https://twitter.com/ajaymehta Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobel

Hiten Shah is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nira. A company that specializes in protecting companies documents from unauthorized access. Hiten has been working remotely for close to 18 years. Today he joins James to talk about The Remote Workspace Utopia. James and Hiten start the episode by giving listeners insight into all the technological gadgets used to help complete daily tasks and meetings remotely. James and Hiten also dive deep into the topic of meetings. Hiten explains the detrimental effects of mixing strategy and execution and why each topic should be discussed separately. To conclude the episode, James and Hiten talk about Communication in the remote workspace and what are the best practices in keeping your team on track. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Hiten Shah: https://www.twitter.com/hnshah https://www.nira.com/ Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitte

This episode premieres on the day our guest Nader Al-Naji's "Deso" launches a $50 million fund for a fully decentralized eco system. The Octane Fund will fuel development of early-stage social media projects for the blockchain. Nader Al-Naji, also known as "DiamondHands" is the creator of Bitclout and the blockchain DeSo. In today's episode, Nader speaks about his background for the first time on a podcast and how he got into creating a blockchain. From working as an engineer at Google, to discovering Ethereum in 2017, there has been immense amount of influences in Nader's life, which have helped him create what is known today as the DeSo blockchain. James and Nader, dive deep into the Monopoly of content we see today with online media and the plan with DeSo to ultimately decentralize content. Nader also speaks on the criticisms he received with Bitclout and how his team has made changes to ensure the longevity of DeSo the blockchain. To conclude the Episode, Nader tries to predict the future and the impact y

Jeff Jordan is a managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz. He was previously CEO and then executive chairman of OpenTable as well as Senior Vice President and General Manager of eBay North America. James refers to Jeff as one of the Best Venture Capitalist in the last ten years and one of his favorite mentors. Jeff was also on the board of James' former company, Tilt. In today's Episode, James and Jeff dive into the early career of Jeff at companies like Disney and eBay. Jeff Explains how he built eBay North America from 3 employees to thousands in just a few years.  James and Jeff also give insight on "How to Manage," this includes managing employees to managing tasks and time. They also dive into Network Effects and how it has helped them both make decisions on what companies to invest in. To conclude the Episode, Jeff explains the working relationship with James and his company Tilt. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Jeff: https://a16z.com/author/jeff-jordan/ Hit the show hotline and l

Brad Feld is a Founder and renowned Blogger in the entrepreneur space. If you have been in technology, or an entrepreneur, over the past ten years you have probably read many of his blog posts. From selling his first company for a million dollars to now managing over a billion dollars with Foundry Group, Brad has had a crazy rollercoaster of a career. In todays episode, James and Brad, talk about a childhood experience with his dad that introduced him to the tech world. Brad also explains the journey of selling his first company to now running a huge VC fund. A major part of todays episode is Mental Health and the stigma around it among entrepreneurs. To conclude the episode, Brad speaks about his quarterly disconnects from business and how it benefits the rest of his year and relationships. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Brad Feld: https://www.feld.com https://twitter.com/bfeld https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfeld   Brad's New Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0932BPN7N Hit th

Chris Voss was a FBI negotiator for 30 years in New York. He handled situations like bank robberies and terrorist organizations when it came to negotiating deals with them. Chris has now turned those lessons and skills he learned during his time with the FBI into a master class called "The Black Swan Method" for business negotiation. In today's Episode, James and Chris talk about a Bank Robbery that happened at Chase Bank in New York. During the story of this robbery, Chris breaks down his every move and details how it relates to everyday life. From everything to using these skills to get a hotel upgrade to scoring a better deal in business, these skills can be used by anyone and are effective if used correctly. To conclude the episode, Chris tells James how he can predict when someone will give up based on data of the human brain. https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find out more about Chris Voss and The Black Swan Method:  https://twitter.com/VossNegotiation  https://www.blackswanltd.com/home Text -

Debbie Millman is named one of the most creative people in business. She is a designer, podcaster, author and educator. In today's episode, James and Debbie speak about her career arc of overcoming failure at one job and how it launched her into a better job and mindset. They also speak about how rejection is a key factor in decision making. Debbie also dives deep into why therapy gave her the mindset shift needed to ultimately become a more successful creator. To conclude the Episode, James flips the script on Debbie and askes her the key questions she always asks her guest on her podcast.  Find out more about Debbie Millman:  https://www.debbiemillman.com/  https://www.instagram.com/debbiemillman  https://twitter.com/debbiemillman https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsor&n

Todd Kramer is one of the key pieces of the Art world today. He currently owns multiple Galleries, with his partner Ryan Ross, they have created a well know space for artists to grow their work. In today's episode we take a deep dive into the Art world. James and Todd speak about how Todd's obsession with Keith Haring got him into this world when he was 24. They also talk about how galleries work and how they can help build artists career by showcasing their work. To conclude the episode, James and Todd speak about NFTs, the new emerging digital art form that has taken over the conventional art space over the past few months.   https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine Find more about Todd Kramer:  https://www.instagram.com/toddkramer https://rkgallery.com/  Hit the show hotline and leave a question or comment for the show at 424-272-6640, email James questions directly at askbelowtheline@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline    Support Our Sponsor  Magic Mind&n

Randy Hetrick is a Navy Seal turned into an Entrepreneur. He is the founder of TRX and now OutFit Training. From Navy Seal to 100 million in sales is the best way to describe Randy. In today's episode, James and Randy dive deep into the life of a Navy Seal and the process of becoming one. Randy also gives listeners a great story of how getting lost in the jungle, while leading a Seal team, has instilled many values and traits in himself that he uses daily during his Business side of life. He also explains how the stress from warfare is similar to the stress in entrepreneurship. To end the episode, Randy talks about how two women in his family influence his daily life by the way they lived their lives.    \Where to find Randy:   https://twitter.com/randyhetrick https://www.instagram.com/randyhetrick https://www.facebook.com/RandyHetrick 00:40 Intro 04:27 Randy’s Background 18:28 What it takes to be a Seal 27:25 Business compared to warfare 37:27 The most stressful moments as a seal 51:05 Exper

Bill Maris is the founder of Section 32, a venture capital fund investing at the frontiers of technology and healthcare. Prior to Section 32, Bill spent almost a decade at Google as the founder and first CEO of Google Venture. On today's episode, James and Bill take a deep dive into what it took bill to become the CEO of Google Ventures. They also speak about the patterns you see in Venture Capital and how a young investor can use these patterns to benefit with their future investments.  To conclude the episode, James and Bill talk about the real problem with our society, mental health. They give examples of how we could come up with a solution and what the world will look like if we don't start thinking about these issues.    Find out more about Bill Maris: https://www. section32.com/   00:27 Intro 02:16 Bill’s backstory 17:10 What to do after you sell your first business 27:45 Google Ventures 41:53 Being a Middle Man in the Tech World   51:24 Patterns with Investing in Ventur

https://bit.ly/Go_BelowtheLine    Michael Burns is an Entertainment Executive and Vice Chairman of Lionsgate. He is an Original Co-Founder of Lionsgate when it was first started in 1999. Michael is also James' neighbor and was his first friend when James moved to Los Angeles. On today's episode, Michael talks about how the short squeeze in AMC has helped the movie industry profit as a whole. Michael and James also speak about the process of creating a film from beginning to end. They also speak about the library of films Lionsgate has produce over the past 20 years. To conclude the episode, Michael outlines the Pros and Cons of the modern day streaming service industry and how it has changed the way we view content.    Find out more information about Lionsgate Films: https://www.lionsgate.com/ 00:23 Introduction   03:03 “Meme” Stocks 12:31 Streaming Services 18:15 Lionsgate’s Background 29:33 Movie Making 101 42:53 TV vs Movies 48:23 Attachments to failing shows 58:16 Lionsg