Parker Olson

Parker Olson
From Mushrooms, Bio-hacking, to Business Acumen with Parker Olson

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Introduction

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur Ethos! In this episode, we have the pleasure of welcoming Parker Olsen, the founder and CEO of Forij to the show. Parker has a diverse background in management consulting and discovered the value of skills such as project management and organization along the way. However, the lack of autonomy in his job left him feeling bored and seeking new opportunities. Today, Parker shares his journey from being an entrepreneur in college to participating in the Ironman race, and ultimately diving deep into the fascinating world of mushrooms.

We'll explore the range of mushrooms, from edible varieties to those with medicinal properties, and discuss their potential benefits. Additionally, Parker delves into their experiences with AI and its potential in the world of computer science, sharing his thoughts on training AI models to generate higher quality copy. Stay tuned as we dive into Parker's unique background and his curiosity about neuroscience and its impact on the brain. Let's jump right in!

Timestamps

00:01:46 Moved to Seattle, made friends, did Ironman.

00:05:46 Mushrooms range from edible to lethal compounds.

00:07:39 Fitness helps me perform best at work.

00:12:04 Rick Simpson Oil: Concentrated cannabis for medical use.

00:14:55 Businesses often start from curiosity and opportunity. For example, the speaker got

into mushrooms out of personal interest and later discovered a market for them.

00:19:16 Charismatic with lots of ideas and opportunities.

00:21:59 Importance of writing for entrepreneurship and business.

00:23:23 AI topic: AI, belief, copywriting, good writing. The AI prompters: next well-paid comp sci game. Current AI tools produce questionable copy. Train AI with good writing examples and feedback.

00:28:10 Fascination with neuroscience; shifted to management.

00:29:55 Got into management consulting, liked structure and frameworks. Valued project management skills, became organized. Got bored, lacked autonomy, started looking elsewhere. Had entrepreneurial spurts in college, built Twitter account with 800K followers.

00:33:33 Entrepreneurs are artistic risk-takers and problem-solvers.

00:38:55 Intense soccer coach, difficult practices, pressure

00:40:29 Margin erosion, distributor bankruptcy, contract challenges. Tough times.

00:45:04 Listen, enjoy, learn, share, improve, follow, get better.

Key Topics

In this episode of "The Entrepreneur Ethos" with guest Parker Olsen, the following topics were covered:

- Introduction to Parker Olsen

- Background in management consulting

- Feeling bored and lacking autonomy in the job

- Exploring alternative opportunities

- Entrepreneurial Experiences

- Building a Twitter account with 800,000 followers

- College experiences with entrepreneurship

- Elite Athlete Training

- Drawing parallels between elite athlete training and entrepreneurship

- Training being tougher than the actual games/events

- Performance being determined by training rather than rising to the occasion

- Personal experience of cramping during a swim and overcoming it

- Importance of Writing for Entrepreneurship

- Mentioning books on advertising and writing by Sugarman and Hopkins

- Emphasizing the significance of writing for business success

- Mushroom Varieties and Medicinal Compounds

- Range of edible mushrooms like portobello, white button, round button, and coral mushrooms

- Medicinal compounds in mushrooms like lion's mane, turkey tail, and shiitake

- Mentioning mushrooms with psychedelic properties and potential risks

- Personal Journey with Mushrooms

- Becoming interested in mushrooms after feeling good while supplementing with them

- Joining a local mushroom club and exploring mushroom foraging

- Sitting on the board of a mushroom society

- Personal Experience with Medical Marijuana

- Using Rick Simpson Oil as a treatment for a loved one

- Serious side effects and hallucinations from the oil

- Interest in nutrition and its impact on training and performance

- Experimenting with Nutritional Regimens

- Conducting an 18-month experiment with different diets, including vegan and keto

- Supplementing with functional or medicinal mushrooms

- Exploring the listener's familiarity with these mushrooms

- AI in the Field of Writing

- Potential of AI in the field of computer science

- AI prompters as a lucrative and enjoyable career path

- Current shortcomings of AI tools in producing quality copy

- Importance of training AI models with skilled writers

- Interest in Science and Neuroscience

- High school interest and taking a cutting-edge neuroscience course through MIT

- Effects of different drugs on the brain

- Switching career paths from neuroscience to management

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