Fail Forward: From Startup Failure to YouTube Triumph with Arjan Egges

In this episode, Arjan discusses the hard-earned lessons from his failed startup and how they informed his successful pivot to YouTube. Learn about the realities of startup risks, the value of user engagement, and the strategies that helped him grow a digital audience. Connect with Arjan Egges: https://www.youtube.com/@ArjanCodes https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjanegges References: The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb Full episode on YouTube ▶️ https://youtu.be/SpFQYgB1kf4 Beyond Coding Podcast with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠🎙Patrick Akil⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Powered by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Xebia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! OUTLINE00:00:00 - Intro00:00:33 - Arjan is thinking about starting a podcast00:02:18 - Teaching game development00:04:36 - Teaching and researching00:06:57 - The value of teaching00:08:35 - Patrick wanted to do Game Development00:09:56 - Starting a first company00:13:36 - 90% of startups fail00:15:23 - Shattering your ego00:17:06 - Healthy optimism00:18:41 - Letting go of your ideas00:19:49 - Why Arjan's first company failed00:24:14 - Pivoting and still it didn't work00:26:30 - The value of talking to your users00:27:44 - The Black Swan and the unpredictable00:30:09 - Risk vs. reward00:32:53 - How Arjan started on YouTube00:37:43 - Going viral on Reddit00:38:43 - Digital education and YouTube00:41:00 - Getting fixated on YouTube metrics00:42:47 - Negative comments on YouTube00:44:25 - How Arjan expanded his team and content00:47:47 - Learning to work with an editor00:50:36 - Content and development cycle00:54:33 - Automatic feedback collection00:56:31 - Final thoughts