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Aug 2, 2016 · 21m · top-founders

EP 374: 13 yo Starts Business, Now $1.2M in 2016 with Nick Kullin

Nick Kullin · 11m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews growth marketer Nick Kullin, who details his journey from automating teenage side hustles and leaving a lucrative corporate career to scaling Second Flight Consultancy into a $1.3 million agency through remote teams, AI prospecting bots, and high-margin training programs.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 40.3% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.4 Guest teaching 1.3 Guest disagreement 0.6 Nathan pushing back 2.0
05100:0010:0020:000:29–3:46 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Top Tribe Announcements and Weekly Contest Winner Nathan introduces the guest and inquires about Nick's early entrepreneurial start automating YouTube messaging at age 13. The tone is curious and collaborative with basic financial follow-up questions.3:48–7:50 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 Landing the First High-Stakes Corporate Sales Role Nick outlines his rapid ascent through corporate sales and startup roles. Nathan interrupts to push for precise compensation figures before Nick made the entrepreneurial leap.7:51–10:01 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Genesis of Second Flight Consultancy Nick explains the founding philosophy of Second Flight Consultancy and his transition after being let go. Nathan keeps the pace brisk and transitions into baseline revenue numbers.10:01–12:24 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 Scaling Revenue with LinkedIn AI Automation and Remote Teams Nick shares his LinkedIn automation tooling and remote team structure while scaling past $1M run-rate. Nathan shows domain awareness by connecting the tool to Microsoft's recent LinkedIn acquisition.12:24–16:05 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Agency Profitability, Retention, and Academy Expansion Nathan aggressively tests Nick's 70% agency margin claims, probing how agency headcount costs and client churn impact actual bottom-line take-home cash flow.16:06–18:15 · Nathan as informed peer 0/10 Connecting with Nick Kullin and Second Flight Academy Nick shares his contact URL before Nathan enters an extended mid-roll ad read for HostGator and his live Austin event.18:17–20:03 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 The Famous Five with Nick Kullin Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire, ending the show with a brief summary recap.0:29–3:46 · Guest teaching 2/10 Top Tribe Announcements and Weekly Contest Winner Nathan introduces the guest and inquires about Nick's early entrepreneurial start automating YouTube messaging at age 13. The tone is curious and collaborative with basic financial follow-up questions.3:48–7:50 · Guest teaching 1/10 Landing the First High-Stakes Corporate Sales Role Nick outlines his rapid ascent through corporate sales and startup roles. Nathan interrupts to push for precise compensation figures before Nick made the entrepreneurial leap.7:51–10:01 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Genesis of Second Flight Consultancy Nick explains the founding philosophy of Second Flight Consultancy and his transition after being let go. Nathan keeps the pace brisk and transitions into baseline revenue numbers.10:01–12:24 · Guest teaching 2/10 Scaling Revenue with LinkedIn AI Automation and Remote Teams Nick shares his LinkedIn automation tooling and remote team structure while scaling past $1M run-rate. Nathan shows domain awareness by connecting the tool to Microsoft's recent LinkedIn acquisition.12:24–16:05 · Guest teaching 2/10 Agency Profitability, Retention, and Academy Expansion Nathan aggressively tests Nick's 70% agency margin claims, probing how agency headcount costs and client churn impact actual bottom-line take-home cash flow.16:06–18:15 · Guest teaching 0/10 Connecting with Nick Kullin and Second Flight Academy Nick shares his contact URL before Nathan enters an extended mid-roll ad read for HostGator and his live Austin event.18:17–20:03 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five with Nick Kullin Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire, ending the show with a brief summary recap.0:29–3:46 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Top Tribe Announcements and Weekly Contest Winner Nathan introduces the guest and inquires about Nick's early entrepreneurial start automating YouTube messaging at age 13. The tone is curious and collaborative with basic financial follow-up questions.3:48–7:50 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Landing the First High-Stakes Corporate Sales Role Nick outlines his rapid ascent through corporate sales and startup roles. Nathan interrupts to push for precise compensation figures before Nick made the entrepreneurial leap.7:51–10:01 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Genesis of Second Flight Consultancy Nick explains the founding philosophy of Second Flight Consultancy and his transition after being let go. Nathan keeps the pace brisk and transitions into baseline revenue numbers.10:01–12:24 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Scaling Revenue with LinkedIn AI Automation and Remote Teams Nick shares his LinkedIn automation tooling and remote team structure while scaling past $1M run-rate. Nathan shows domain awareness by connecting the tool to Microsoft's recent LinkedIn acquisition.12:24–16:05 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Agency Profitability, Retention, and Academy Expansion Nathan aggressively tests Nick's 70% agency margin claims, probing how agency headcount costs and client churn impact actual bottom-line take-home cash flow.16:06–18:15 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Connecting with Nick Kullin and Second Flight Academy Nick shares his contact URL before Nathan enters an extended mid-roll ad read for HostGator and his live Austin event.18:17–20:03 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The Famous Five with Nick Kullin Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire, ending the show with a brief summary recap.0:29–3:46 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Top Tribe Announcements and Weekly Contest Winner Nathan introduces the guest and inquires about Nick's early entrepreneurial start automating YouTube messaging at age 13. The tone is curious and collaborative with basic financial follow-up questions.3:48–7:50 · Nathan pushing back 4/10 Landing the First High-Stakes Corporate Sales Role Nick outlines his rapid ascent through corporate sales and startup roles. Nathan interrupts to push for precise compensation figures before Nick made the entrepreneurial leap.7:51–10:01 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Genesis of Second Flight Consultancy Nick explains the founding philosophy of Second Flight Consultancy and his transition after being let go. Nathan keeps the pace brisk and transitions into baseline revenue numbers.10:01–12:24 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 Scaling Revenue with LinkedIn AI Automation and Remote Teams Nick shares his LinkedIn automation tooling and remote team structure while scaling past $1M run-rate. Nathan shows domain awareness by connecting the tool to Microsoft's recent LinkedIn acquisition.12:24–16:05 · Nathan pushing back 5/10 Agency Profitability, Retention, and Academy Expansion Nathan aggressively tests Nick's 70% agency margin claims, probing how agency headcount costs and client churn impact actual bottom-line take-home cash flow.16:06–18:15 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Connecting with Nick Kullin and Second Flight Academy Nick shares his contact URL before Nathan enters an extended mid-roll ad read for HostGator and his live Austin event.18:17–20:03 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 The Famous Five with Nick Kullin Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire, ending the show with a brief summary recap.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 48.6% · guest 51.4%0:00 · Nathan 48.6% · guest 51.4%3:00 · Nathan 12.8% · guest 87.2%3:00 · Nathan 12.8% · guest 87.2%6:00 · Nathan 11.2% · guest 88.8%6:00 · Nathan 11.2% · guest 88.8%9:00 · Nathan 23.2% · guest 76.8%9:00 · Nathan 23.2% · guest 76.8%12:00 · Nathan 31.2% · guest 68.8%12:00 · Nathan 31.2% · guest 68.8%15:00 · Nathan 61.3% · guest 38.7%15:00 · Nathan 61.3% · guest 38.7%18:00 · Nathan 89.8% · guest 10.2%18:00 · Nathan 89.8% · guest 10.2%21:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%21:00 · Nathan 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 15:50 Coaching reframe on info product

Nick immediately corrects Nathan's reductionist label of his academy as an 'info product', emphasizing it is high-touch coaching.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 7:30 Demanding exact salary details

Nathan halts Nick's broad summary of his corporate role to demand exact base and bonus numbers so listeners know what was sacrificed.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 2:00 Explaining early YouTube comment arbitrage

Nick details the mechanics of early YouTube timestamps and automated direct messaging macros he built as a teenager to sign paying bands.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 12:40 Interrogating agency labor costs

Nathan demonstrates sharp financial literacy in agency modeling by pressing Nick on how he sustains claimed 70% margins when staff compensation typically eats agency profits.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Top Tribe Announcements and Weekly Contest Winner 3201 Nathan introduces the guest and inquires about Nick's early entrepreneurial start automating YouTube messaging at age 13. The tone is curious and collaborative with basic financial follow-up questions.
Landing the First High-Stakes Corporate Sales Role 4114 Nick outlines his rapid ascent through corporate sales and startup roles. Nathan interrupts to push for precise compensation figures before Nick made the entrepreneurial leap.
The Genesis of Second Flight Consultancy 3101 Nick explains the founding philosophy of Second Flight Consultancy and his transition after being let go. Nathan keeps the pace brisk and transitions into baseline revenue numbers.
Scaling Revenue with LinkedIn AI Automation and Remote Teams 5212 Nick shares his LinkedIn automation tooling and remote team structure while scaling past $1M run-rate. Nathan shows domain awareness by connecting the tool to Microsoft's recent LinkedIn acquisition.
Agency Profitability, Retention, and Academy Expansion 6215 Nathan aggressively tests Nick's 70% agency margin claims, probing how agency headcount costs and client churn impact actual bottom-line take-home cash flow.
Connecting with Nick Kullin and Second Flight Academy 0000 Nick shares his contact URL before Nathan enters an extended mid-roll ad read for HostGator and his live Austin event.
The Famous Five with Nick Kullin 3111 Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five questionnaire, ending the show with a brief summary recap.

Statements from this episode (10)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Kullin: Teenage YouTube promotion venture earned at least $20K
“At least 20 grand.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 3:37
Disclosure
Kullin made $170K total compensation at age 22 before quitting
“Base salary, a 120,000... Bonus for the year was around 50,000.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 7:40
Disclosure
Second Flight Consultancy generated about $12K revenue in 2014
“I would say four or eight, probably like 12 grand.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 10:35
Disclosure
Second Flight Consultancy generated $175K in revenue in 2015
“Well, 2015, it trumped to a 175.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 10:39
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Second Flight Consultancy projects $1.3M in 2016 revenue
“2016, we're actually already projecting to be 1.3 million.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 10:46
Disclosure
Second Flight Consultancy has 10 team members
“10.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 12:01
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Second Flight keeps approximately 70% margin on $5K monthly retainers
“So, like, let's say a client comes in, you know, and they're paying five grand a month. We typically can figure out and develop a kick-ass way to market them, but keep, like, I would say, 70% of the revenue.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 12:51
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Typical client lifespan at Second Flight is 12 to 14 months
“Typically, the typical lifespan is maybe 12 months, 12 to like 14 months.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 13:44
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Kullin projects keeping 50% net profit on $1.3M 2016 revenue
“I would probably keep around probably half.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 14:59
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Kullin projects his marketing academy will generate 30% of 2016 revenue
“I would say a solid 30%.”
Nick Kullin Aug 2, 2016 ▶ 16:02
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