PodGlue
The “Santa for Nerds” Who Turns Your Business Into a Game You Can Actually Win

Junaid Ahmed

Hacks and Hobbies

0:000:00
Apple PodcastsSpotify

Books & Resources

The Game Master's Guide to Business

Quit Selling Your Shit

Disney

Universal

Nickelodeon

Twitch

Bard's Guide to Storycraft

gamifybusiness.com

S8E48September 29, 2026

The “Santa for Nerds” Who Turns Your Business Into a Game You Can Actually Win

5 Key TakeawaysStop hiding behind your product.People don’t remember features; they remember you and the origin story behind why you created what you created.Story beats spreadsheets.Humans are wired to learn and buy through emotionally resonant stories, not data dumps and pitch decks.Design your business as a quest, not a grind.Use 30‑day campaigns, clear milestones, and quest rewards so you don’t burn out chasing a tiny light at the end of a 10‑year tunnel.Track your energy and tasks ruthlessly.Classify what you love/do, love/don’t do, don’t love/do, don’t love/don’t do – then batch, delegate, or delete so you’re not drained by the wrong work at the wrong time.Imposter syndrome dissolves when you turn around.You’re always someone else’s “12 out of 10.” Look back at the people on step 1, help them, and you’ll remember how far you’ve already come.Timestamps0:00:00 Business is not punishment: turning entrepreneurship into a game0:01:47 Quit selling your stuff: why hiding behind products kills your value0:05:53 The Bard’s Guide: how story beats pitch decks and wins real humans0:15:25 Designing a 30‑day quest line that actually creates revenue0:22:13 Quest rewards, dailies, and why most creatives quit too early0:26:23 Gear, “pocket people,” and the armor you wear into the marketplace0:34:14 The internal boss fight: imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and fear of being seen0:38:59 The MacGyver mindset: building with nothing but a paperclip and a problem0:41:33 What glassblowing teaches us about timing, patience, and not forcing growth0:45:45 GamifyBusiness.com, personality classes, and not living life as an NPCGuest Links – Paul Papehttps://www.paulpapedesigns.com https://www.gamifybusiness.com https://www.youtube.com/paulpapedesigns https://www.instagram.com/paulpapedesigns/ https://www.facebook.com/paulpapedesigns https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulericpape https://www.tiktok.com/@paulpapedesigns 🎙 Wanna be a guest? Apply on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/hacksandhobbies📖 Home Studio resources: https://homestudiobook.com🔗 LI: https://linkedin.com/in/superjunaid Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

creativityconstraintsproblem solvingdesigncommunicationbusiness educationcreativesgamification
"The biggest thing that it taught me is that when you're in an industrial complex like that, when you're in the entertainment business, you do"
"What I found was that there is a translation issue between a lot of the like the the business side and the creative side. We"
"That's what actually spurred me to create Gamify Business because I had spent years coaching creatives in saying, you know, like explaining the business aspect"
"The reality is is they're just not taught how to be a business. They're taught how to be a creative. And those are two completely"

Canonical URL

https://podglue.com/public/hacks-and-hobbies/s8e48

Guest spotlight

Are you Paul Pape?

Claim your free PodGlue guest page — this appearance is already waiting on it.

Claim your page