Date: 2026-09-25, 3:00 PM EDT Attendees: Blake Stewart (AM, note creator), Blake Emal (Megaphone), Will Hinman (FlashPass/client) Granola: https://notes.granola.ai/d/f7aa336b-abaa-4b2d-88d2-29dd55afd9a2
Summary
Weekly Megaphone content sync between Blake Stewart and Will Hinman. Will shared a significant new product development at FlashPass (career ladder tool), an Ohio legislative surprise (gas tax holiday special session), a media hit-piece quote, and ongoing content ideas. Both Blakes on the call.
FlashPass career ladder tool: Will is building a drag-and-drop career ladder builder that lets users start from skills they already have and map forward — comparing courses, certificates, and degree programs by cost, delivery mode, and outcomes. Flips the current model (job-first) to skills-first. Inspired by seeing Alabama’s career pathways site (alabamacareerpathways.com) — a static landing page with no software behind it, paid for with state marketing budget. Will’s go-to-market angle: pitch states on a platform that manages their entire education ecosystem, not just FlashPass’s training stack. First-mover government procurement moat: once a state adopts a vendor, bureaucratic risk aversion keeps them locked in.
Ohio gas tax holiday (special session Oct 1): Amy Acton (Dem governor candidate) proposed it; Vivek adopted it and is pushing legislators back for an unplanned special session next Wednesday. Emergency clause (to take effect immediately) requires 66 House votes; Republicans have 65 (one vacancy to fill first). Democrats can block the emergency clause or use their one-vote leverage for concessions (data center moratorium, redirect Browns stadium funding). DeWine may veto to protect ODOT revenue but Republicans can override with 60 votes. About $0.35/gallon relief, 7 weeks before the election. Will is a registered Republican and candid that he wishes Vivek had not done this — “if you’re explaining, you’re losing.”
Signal Ohio hit piece: Will was quoted in a Signal Ohio article (“Lobbyists calling Rob McCauley while he campaigns as Vivek’s running mate” by Jake Zuckerman, aka “Jake the Snake”). His quote called the meetings “unsensational” and “a standard part of the job.” Wary of amplifying it — does not want to become Jake Zuckerman’s regular target. Content angle possible (the lobbyist who deflated the piece) but Will is cautious.
Prediction markets angle: Wealthy activists or C4s get more bang per dollar influencing prediction markets than buying TV ads. TV ad spend has geographic leakage (out-of-state viewers, non-voters); prediction markets directly influence fundraising consultants who read them. Potentially compelling LinkedIn angle.
TV appearances: Will has done roughly two dozen TV appearances and never had formal media training. Finds it mentally draining (waiting around all day, suit-up, TV studio) rather than nerve-wracking. Would like to do one before the election. Suggested Blake team search “Will Hinman Ohio” on YouTube/news and clip anything still relevant for repurposing.
Decisions
- Layoff content: Will does not want to use the layoff as a content opportunity right now (the employee follows him on LinkedIn; the situation feels too raw and conflicts with FlashPass’s workforce-building mission). Revisit in months with a generic startup-vs-corporate framing.
- Kelsey/Kauai prediction markets post: draft a LinkedIn version, get to Will for approval.
- Ohio special session content: prep something for Will before Wednesday Oct 1.
- TV clip search: Blake team to search and clip past Will Hinman TV appearances from YouTube.
Action items
- Blake: Draft LinkedIn post on the Kelsey/Kauai prediction markets piece — Will hasn’t reviewed yet.
- Blake: Prep content around the Ohio gas tax special session by early next week (session is Wednesday Oct 1).
- Blake: Search “Will Hinman Ohio” on YouTube/news, clip anything still relevant for repurposing.
- Will (optional): Reach out proactively to a TV producer about an appearance before the election.
Notable transcript excerpts
On the career ladder tool and skills-first approach:
“What skills do you already have? And starting with that in mind, and then like, how do you build on top of that?”
“Rather than trying to pitch them on like something that we’ve already built.”
On Alabama’s site as the gap signal:
“They were paying some marketing firm to do this… it looks like shit… it’s not even a good looking website… there’s no software behind it or anything. It’s just a landing page. Like we could, for that price, we could make like an interactive software dashboard that users can kind of — that will be personalized.”
On the government procurement moat:
“Bureaucrats have a natural risk aversion, but if you can clear like sort of the hesitancy to the innovation… you’re sort of walled off to a lot of competitors because they — you’re the only one that they then trust to operationalize essentially.”
On the non-technical founder / product role:
“Having the ability to like listen to a customer… and then get creative around how to solve their problem through tech solutions and describe that to someone who can then build it… I think is like a skill set that I’m starting to build.”
On TV appearances:
“I’ve probably done like 2 dozen TV appearances at this point… I’ve never had any formal media training… I just think it’s sort of mentally exhausting. It makes for a stressful day.”
On the Signal Ohio piece:
“He buried the only lobbyist that would talk to him, which was me, saying that it’s unsensational. And slapping it down.”
Full transcript available in Granola: https://notes.granola.ai/d/f7aa336b-abaa-4b2d-88d2-29dd55afd9a2