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“An empty restaurant. The product looks good, the menu looks good — but no one else is there. It can almost affect your experience with the product.” – Jason Fishman

Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and investor marketing expert Jason Fishman as they break down the uncomfortable truth most founders never want to hear: having the best product is not enough. Jason, who has helped over 900 deals collectively raise hundreds of millions in capital, reveals why the crowd effect, social proof, and third-party validation will out-perform a great idea every single time. They unpack the empty restaurant phenomenon, the test-optimize scale framework, and what it actually takes to lean into growth when the data says go. If you’ve ever asked yourself “is this working enough to go all in?” this conversation was made for you.

Timestamps:

0:00 Jason introduces his work 

1:48 Why capital raises fail 

3:26 From Fortune 500 to startups 

6:42 The uncomfortable product truth 

10:07 Hype vs quality breakdown 

12:06 Empty restaurant phenomenon 

17:05 RadIntel $50M case study 

21:21 When to hit the gas 

28:39 What “aggressive” really means 

33:55 Calculated risk framework

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Own your next level inside Outlier’s Edge (free): https://skool.com/outlier

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“You have to not allow your ego, or what other people think, to take over what you are really meant to do.” — Lauren Kleeman

Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and comedy writer-director Lauren Kleeman for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on Outlier’s Edge. Lauren has worked with Zendaya, Nike, LeBron James and she walked away from all of it to pursue what she was actually called to do. In this episode, we get into the identity trap high achievers fall into, what “outsourcing trust” really looks like, and how Lauren raised $10K on Kickstarter to make a short film now heading toward a full feature. This is for every leader who’s playing someone else’s game and knows it.

Timestamps:

0:00 Meet Lauren Kleeman 

3:06 Big names, wrong path 

4:28 Saying no to prestige 

6:32 “I am” vs “I want” 

8:58 Ego and outside approval 

13:52 USC, nepo babies, excuses 

16:10 Outsourcing your self trust 

17:01 Trailer Park Queen origin 

29:20 The first screening moment 

32:46 Philosophy of comedy

Enter Lauren Kleeman’s World:

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Own your next level inside Outlier’s Edge (free): https://skool.com/outlier

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“I could stay in the pit. I could be the victim. Or I could fight, kick, scream, and claw my way out. Which is what it takes.” — Kim Harms

Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Dr. Kim Harms: dentist, author, speaker, death doula, and grief counselor, for an unflinching conversation about what it really takes to rebuild your life after catastrophic loss. 

 Kim lost her son, her husband, her mother, and her 30-year dental career in a devastating sequence of events. She didn’t just survive, she reinvented herself, wrote six books, built 70 libraries in Rwanda, coaches widows worldwide, and is still charging forward at 70. 

 This conversation is about resilience that’s more than a buzzword. It’s about choosing to fight the pit. Choosing joy as a goal. And finding your next mission when your old identity is gone.

Timestamps:

0:00 Kim introduces her endgame 

1:45 Losing son, husband, career simultaneously 

4:21 What does rebuilding actually mean 

6:30 Finger-waving cousin changes everything 

9:15 The pit of grief explained 

13:00 Rwanda survivors model forgiveness and joy 

17:20 Maintaining hope against despair 

22:36 The mission bigger than yourself 

31:30 Overachievers: keep going, forget retirement 

36:42 Connect with Kim and final wisdom

Enter Kimberly Harms’ World:

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“You have to let customers discover the value themselves. You can lead them there, but don’t show up explaining everything in minute one.” — Owen Barrett

Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Owen Barrett, founder of Shine, as they dig into what it really means to play in a space with zero competition and why that’s the hardest and most rewarding bet you can make. Owen shares why he left a cushy corporate finance career after a $25 Starbucks gift card (yes, really), how stubbornness and data kept him going through 2 brutal years of learning to sell, and the big vision he’s chasing now: connecting tech companies to affordable housing through solar energy. This one’s for the outlier who’s spotted the opportunity nobody else sees yet.

Timestamps:

00:00 Owen introduces Shine 

01:32 Why he chose zero competition 

02:51 Constant creation is the fun 

04:26 Word spreads fast here 

06:01 The problem that won’t let go 

06:58 The $25 Starbucks breaking point 

11:23 Finance plus project management combo 

13:01 Stubbornness plus numbers equals fuel 

17:53 Enroll don’t pitch your customers 

22:41 Connecting tech to affordable housing

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Own your next level inside Outlier’s Edge (free): https://skool.com/outlier

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“You had the key the whole time. We all do. Whatever you think is holding you back is just a projection, a lie you’ve been telling yourself.” – Dave Valentine

Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and digital marketing veteran Dave Valentine for one of the most honest conversations you’ll hear this year. Dave has built and sold 11 businesses. But that’s not the game he’s actually playing. In this episode, we dig into the parable that changes how you see your own limits, the question Dave asks that makes people physically recoil, and what it really means to go first, for yourself and for everyone watching you play small. Plus: both Niiamah and Dave answer the “Valentine Question” live on air.

Timestamps:

00:00 Meet Dave Valentine

00:47 The game above the game

02:11 Going first for others

04:20 The shackles parable

08:34 Authenticity as difference

11:35 Sincere vs. serious play

17:51 The creativity study

21:10 From zero to 11 businesses

25:29 Becoming the person first

31:56 The Valentine Question live

Enter Dave Valentine’s World:

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Continue to Outlier’s Edge World:

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Own your next level inside Outlier’s Edge (free): https://skool.com/outlier

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“The people who decide to learn how to be productive with AI are going to be far more productive than the people who don’t. Period.” — Scott Sheeran

Join Niiamah (@niiamahashong) and Scott Sheeran, Marine Corps veteran, global talent leader, and founder of Klim.ai, for a raw, real conversation about what happens when you stop following the plan and start trusting your genius.

Scott’s path went from almost shutting the door on a Marine Corps recruiter, to becoming a cryptologist, to selling life insurance (hating every second of it), to leading global talent for a Fortune 500 company, and now building a startup designed to put Indeed out of business.

What’s the thread that runs through all of it? Scott knows exactly who he is. And he plays that game everywhere. This one is for every outlier who keeps winning in rooms they never expected to be in.

Timestamps:

00:00 Scott introduces himself

02:21 Scott’s origin story begins

07:49 Recruited into the recruiting world

11:51 Declining Mexico City, going solo

20:50 Klim.ai: fixing the job market

25:09 We’re all salespeople

32:07 Building AI agents with personality

35:32 AI lets anyone build anything

38:53 Finding your genius over time

41:22 How to follow Scott’s journey

Enter Scott Shearin’s World:

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