E4: "The Craft of Building a Course Business" | David Perell, Write of Passage

Erik Torenberg sits down with David Perell – writer, founder and CEO at Write of Passage, and podcaster. Perell's writing is read by 70,000+ people. He has catalyzed many creators at the intersection of media and tech, including Packy McCormick. Riverside.fm is a presenting sponsor of Media Empires. Go to https://creators.riverside.fm/MediaEmpires + use code MEDIAEMPIRES for 20% off individual plans. Media Empires is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co In this conversation, Erik and David discuss: how David chooses opportunities, his vision for the future of liberal arts education, and how Walt Disney serves as his enduring inspiration.  - SPONSOR: Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "EMPIRES" for 20% off your first three months. - We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: 🎙️ECON 102 W/ NOAH SMITH - Keeping econ entertaining - Noahpinion author Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg break down business news and politics every week. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1696419056 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6q7Gn5lP8TTtBPuV1NJSGs TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Episode Preview (00:50) Sponsor: Riverside (02:12) David's inspiration to create the Annual Review (03:34) Write of Passage's evolution (10:30) Tradeoffs in ambition and lifestyle (14:04) How David chooses opportunities and remains focused (20:24) The Disney diagram (23:54) Investing in people (28:00) Success with cohort-based courses (32:03) Walt Disney as David's enduring inspiration (37:45) The future of liberal arts education  LINKS David Perell's site: https://perell.com/ Write of Passage: https://writeofpassage.school/ TWITTER @david_perell (David)  @eriktorenberg (Erik) @MediaEmpiresPod (Media Empires) Music License: LQ2DW3MRL0BZDOOW