Welcome to the very first episode of Young, Smart, and Battling Broke! I’m your host, Cole Hume—young, beginning to be a little less broke, and as for smart...well, the jury’s still out on that one. But I hope to have a loving impact, with financial savviness and mindfulness as my guiding cornerstones.

For this inaugural episode, I sit down with Tejes Srivalsan, the dynamic CEO and Founder of Poppin, a social networking app that connects users to local parties, which has already raised $2.4M in funding. Tejes isn’t just building a business; he’s building a product that integrates his passions—all while finishing his studies in computer science and cognitive science at UCLA.

Tejes is a thinker and doer while being admirably honest and happy. From getting a job offer from Tik Tok through a single LinkedIn meme to almost manifesting a Trippie Redd performance at UCLA, Tejes brings an infectious energy and refreshing perspective to creating and running with opportunity.

Here’s some of what we dive into:
✨ How Tejes charted his own course.
📩 The power of unconventional cold messaging.
💡 Frameworks for navigating self-doubt & embracing delusion.
💭 New definitions for entrepreneurship
🙌 Practical advice for high-ambition individuals who are determined to chart their own course.

I absolutely loved recording this conversation. I am terrifyingly new to podcasting so any feedback means the world 💙

Time Stamps:

03:00 - Intro & how to battle doubt as a young entrepreneur

13:00 - Advice for high ambition young people

35:00 - How to take feedback and critically assess advice

41:00 - Tejes almost gets Trippie Redd to perform at UCLA

50:00 - Unconventional cold messaging strategies & having an online presence

01:22:00 - How to know yourself better & the double-edged sword of authenticity

01:32:00 - Tejes’ framework for when he meets someone who sucks at something

01:44:00 - What is the ultimate scarce resource?

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Email me at colehume1@gmail.com for any feedback, ideas, or notes!