How do you go from working grueling 100-hour weeks as a corporate M&A lawyer to building an audience of over 20 million followers and running a multi-faceted financial media business?
Welcome to the Forbes Top Creator Show! This week, host Steven Bertoni decodes the business of influence with attorney, financial creator, and entrepreneur Erika Kullberg.
In this episode, Erika opens up about the heartbreaking turning point that led her to quit her big-firm corporate law job after her boss refused her time off to see her dying grandfather. She details her transition from $200,000 in student debt to launching her startup, Plug and Law. Erika delivers a true masterclass on how she systematically studied YouTube and TikTok like an M&A deal, writing down over 100 viral hooks to decode the rhythm of the algorithm.
She reveals the $1,000 daily-posting bet that forced her onto TikTok, her legendary 30-second Nike shoe refund video that gained 1 million followers in 24 hours, and why she turned down a massive $100,000 brand deal in her second month to protect audience trust. Finally, Erika breaks down her 90/10 investment rule, how to bypass algorithm suppression, and how she used her massive platform as a “selfish” backdoor to interview her business heroes on her hit podcast, Erika Taught Me.
#ErikaKullberg #ForbesTopCreators #CreatorEconomy #PersonalFinance
Subscribe to FORBES:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
Check out the Forbes Top Creator List:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenbertoni/2026/06/23/forbes-top-creators-2026/
0:00 Meet Erika Kullberg
1:29 Quitting the 100 Hour Corporate Law Grind
3:01 Shifting to Entrepreneurship & Launching Plug and Law
4:23 The M&A Method: How to Study Viral Hooks Like a Deal
8:05 Gaining 5 Million Followers in 30 Days From a $1,000 Bet
9:20 Why Erika Turned Down a $100,000 Brand Deal to Protect Trust
10:26 Organizing a 100,000-Person Live Investing Workshop
12:22 The Business of Erika Kullberg: Diversifying Revenue Streams
14:12 Launching Erika Taught Me and Meeting Her Heroes
17:46 The Truth About Short-Form vs. Long-Form
18:47 Why You Absolutely Should NOT Start a Podcast
19:29 Bypassing the Algorithm with Owned Email Lists
21:17 Erika’s Three Commandments of Personal Finance
21:42 The 7-Day Rule: Overcoming Impulse Buying
23:10 Financial Nihilism & Erika’s 90/10 Investment Strategy
24:23 From Splitting Tissues in Law School to True Wealth
26:32 If Your Content Isn’t Shareable, What’s the Point?
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
