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Story

In his own words.

These pages come only from Michael McCraw’s interview answers, or from other sources that have been verified. Nothing here is invented.

01 Origin

  1. 01Born and raisedWhere were you born, and where did you grow up?
  2. 02ParentsWhat did your parents do, and what did you learn from each of them?
  3. 03As a kidWhat were you like as a kid: what got you in trouble, and what got you praised?
  4. 04Bannock Youth FoundationWhat was the first thing you ever sold or got paid for?
  5. 05Robert KiyosakiWho was the first person outside your family who shaped how you think?
  6. 06Devil's advocateWhen did you first notice you were the devil's advocate in the room?
  7. 07SchoolWhat did school get right about you, and what did it get wrong?
  8. 08A change of directionWhat's a moment from your teens or early twenties that changed your direction?
  9. 09What he wantedWhat did you want to be growing up, and how close is what you do now?
  10. 10HometownIf someone from your hometown described you in one sentence, what would they say, and are they right?
  11. 11PocatelloWhen did you move to Pocatello, and how did that change you?

02 Early work

  1. 01The mentorship programDid the mentorship program work, and did you get paid?
  2. 02They are still cared aboutWhat did you actually do for the kids in that program?
  3. 03Starbucks in Lincoln CityWhat was your first W-2 job, and what did it teach you?
  4. 04Books and self-reflectionAfter reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, what did you do next?
  5. 05His first businessWhat was your first business or side hustle, and how did it end?
  6. 06Everything was a winDo you think of any of that early work as a failure, and what did you learn?
  7. 07TikTok live giftsWhen did you first make money on social media, and from what?

03 Career and content

  1. 01After StarbucksAfter Starbucks, what jobs or gigs did you have, in order, and what did each teach you?
  2. 02TikTok lives at 19Your TikTok live streams at 19: what were they about, and how big did that account get?
  3. 03Holding attentionWhat did live streaming teach you about holding attention?
  4. 04A meme video at 13Where did the 5.2M+ views come from?
  5. 05Door-to-door in New MexicoWhat's the biggest career risk you've taken, and how did it play out?
  6. 06Full-time on McCrawAIWhen did you go full-time on your own, and what was the moment you decided?
  7. 07Who has paid him the mostWho has paid you the most for your skills so far (type of company, no names needed), and what did you do for them?

04 McCrawAI

  1. 01What McCrawAI isIn one or two sentences, how would you explain McCrawAI to a business owner who has never heard of it?
  2. 02Why the nameWhy did you name it McCrawAI and put your own name on it?
  3. 03The problem he sawWhat problem did you see businesses having that made you start it?
  4. 04Who it is forWho is McCrawAI for, and who is it not for?
  5. 05What it doesWhat does McCrawAI do that other agencies or consultants don't?
  6. 06How McCrawAI sellsWhat did you learn from door-to-door sales in New Mexico that's built into how McCrawAI sells today?
  7. 07The first clientWhat was it like closing your first client, and what did you do right after?
  8. 08Choosing clientsWhy do you choose clients instead of chasing them?
  9. 09One year and five yearsWhat does winning look like for McCrawAI one year and five years from now?
  10. 10The first month full-timeWhat's one thing about running McCrawAI that surprised you in the first month full-time?

05 Modeling and acting

  1. 01How he got into itHow did you first get into modeling and acting after you moved to Colorado?
  2. 02What the work wasWhat kind of modeling and acting work was it, in your own words, without naming clients unless you want to?
  3. 03A typical dayWhat did a typical job or audition day look like?
  4. 04Professional while having funYou said it taught you how to act, model, take photos, and be professional while having fun. What did "being professional while having fun" actually mean in the room?
  5. 05Work he was glad he tookWhat's a job from that period you're glad you took, and why?
  6. 06What he would turn downWhat's something you turned down, or would turn down, in front of a camera?
  7. 07Who he learned fromWho did you learn from on those sets, and what did they insist on?
  8. 08How it shows up nowHow did that work change the way you carry yourself in business now?
  9. 09How the site should talk about itHow should this site talk about that chapter, and what should it leave out?
  10. 10A closed chapter, for nowDo you still model or act, or is that a closed chapter, and why?

06 Door-to-door sales

  1. 01Why New MexicoWhy New Mexico, and why door-to-door, when you left Portland with $500 in the bank and $500 in credit card debt?
  2. 02What he was sellingWhat were you actually selling, and who were you selling it to?
  3. 03A day on the doorsWhat did a full day on the doors look like?
  4. 04Going all inWhat did "going all in" mean, in concrete terms, during that stretch?
  5. 05The hardest objectionWhat was the hardest objection you heard at the door, and how did you handle it?
  6. 06When it started to go wellWhen did it start to go well, and how did you know?
  7. 07A day he still thinks aboutWhat's a door, a no, or a day from that period you still think about?
  8. 08How he lived thereHow did you live while you were there — where, and on what?
  9. 09Advice for learning salesWhat would you tell someone who wants to learn sales the hard way, the way you did?
  10. 10When he leftWhen did you leave that work, and what did you take with you?

07 Content and streaming

  1. 01The meme video at 13You already told us the 5.2M views came from one meme video you posted at 13 on an old YouTube account. What do you remember about making and posting that video, and about the old account itself?
  2. 02After the meme videoAfter that video blew up, what did you do next, and what did you think producing could be?
  3. 03What he has posted sinceBesides the TikTok lives at 19, what else have you posted or streamed since that meme video, in your own words?
  4. 04Why he stopped the livesThe TikTok account from those lives is still up, and you stopped after making some money, at just under 1,000 followers. Why stop when you did?
  5. 05How he stays engagedYou said you have to constantly engage or views drop. How do you actually do that, without burning out?
  6. 06Slow periods and high periodsYou also said there are slow periods and high periods. How do you use those now, in content or in business?
  7. 07What he refuses to postWhat do you refuse to post, especially when it comes to your face, your name, or someone else's?
  8. 08YouTube nowHow does your YouTube now, @micbriel, relate to that earlier work, if it does at all?
  9. 09What he wants to make nextWhat do you want to make next, and for whom?
  10. 10What he would tell a 13-year-oldIf a 13-year-old posted something that took off, what would you want them to understand that you had to learn?

08 Beliefs

  1. 01The quietest one in the roomWhat's a belief you hold that most people in the room would argue with, and why do you hold it?
  2. 02Asking whyWhen is asking "why" the right move, and when is it just being difficult?
  3. 03How he helps, in practiceYou've said what drives you is to take care of the people around you, and to provide for everyone in your corner. You also talk about getting rich so you can help as many people as possible. How do you actually do that, in practice?
  4. 04What people get wrong about arroganceThe site already says the surface can read as arrogance. What do you think people get wrong about arrogance?
  5. 05Where he sets boundariesYou said it's okay to set boundaries. Where do you set them, and where do you refuse to?
  6. 06Taking care of people around himWhat does taking care of the people around you look like on an ordinary week?
  7. 07Pay yourself firstWhat's a popular idea in business or media that you think doesn't hold up?
  8. 08What he will not compromise onWhat are you unwilling to compromise on, even when it costs you?
  9. 09An open book, if you askThe site already says that underneath the surface you wear your heart on your sleeve, and that you want to take care of the people around you. If someone only knew you from that surface, what would you want them to understand next that isn't already on the site?

09 AI

  1. 01When he took AI seriouslyYou put AI in the name of the firm. When did you first take AI seriously, and what did you see that other people didn't?
  2. 02What AI is good for todayWhat is AI actually good for in your work today, not in a pitch?
  3. 03Overhyped and underestimatedWhere is AI overhyped, and where is it still underestimated?
  4. 04How to start using AIHow should a founder or a contractor start using it without losing judgment?
  5. 05What he will not generateWhat won't you generate, especially when it comes to likeness, photos, or a person's face?
  6. 06Credit and authorshipHow do you think about credit, authorship, and responsibility when AI is in the workflow?
  7. 07AI and media, next two yearsWhat do you want the public to understand about AI and media in the next two years?
  8. 08A mistake people make with AIWhat's a mistake you see people make with AI that you made first, or refused to make?
  9. 09A second brain, not your brainHow should young people learn this technology without letting it think for them?
  10. 10If AI vanished tomorrowIf AI vanished tomorrow, what part of your work would be hardest, and what wouldn't change?

Questions people ask.