Viral Hooks
Trending short videosDocumenting building the biggest spice company
A

@alexthiak

Instagram · Speaker address

@alexthiak Help I don’t know what I’m doing. #buildinpublic #spiceupyourlife #smallbizowners #entreprenuerjourney #directtoconsumer

View original on Instagram

The edit1 shot · 20 text
Shots Text0:55

Performance

Views
144.4K
Likes
2.3K
Comments
208
Engagement
1.8%
Outlier
109.2×
Length · 17 Feb 2026
0:55

Video #32325 · Speaker address

Documenting building the biggest spice companyfrom @alexthiak

[01]

Overview

The creator introduces his ambitious goal to build the world's largest spice company, framing it as a challenge against the dominant brand, McCormick. He explains his strategy to make a "boring" industry cool, invites the audience to act as his board of advisors by sharing their ideas, and asks them to follow his journey as he documents the entire process, including products, branding, and mistakes.

[02]

Simple outline

  1. 1State audacious goal
  2. 2Acknowledge the difficulty
  3. 3Involve the audience
  4. 4Define the 'enemy'
  5. 5Invite to join journey

[03]

Related videos

[04]

Classification

Concepts
Journey DocumentationOrigin Story
Elements
Title Text HookJump CutImage OverlayMontage Editing

[05]

Hook analysis

What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds

Title hook · 55%

Is It POSSIBLE For A 25 Year Old To Build The BIGGEST SPICE COMPANY In The ENTIRE WORLD

Verbal hook · 40%

Is it possible for a 25 year old to build the biggest spice company in the entire world?

Visual hook · 5%

A wide establishing shot of the creator walking on a snowy rooftop with a city skyline (Chicago) in the background, creating a sense of scale and ambition.

[06]

Hook template

Steal this for your own video

Is It POSSIBLE For A [age or identity] To Build The BIGGEST [industry or product] In The ENTIRE WORLD?

  • — Is It POSSIBLE For A 19 Year Old To Build The BIGGEST Streetwear Brand In The ENTIRE WORLD?
  • — Is It POSSIBLE For A Single Mom To Build The BIGGEST Candle Company In The ENTIRE WORLD?
  • — Is It POSSIBLE For A College Dropout To Build The BIGGEST Supplement Brand In The ENTIRE WORLD?

[07]

Hook and payoff

The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back

Hook

Pose an ambitious, almost unbelievable question that establishes the central mission and high stakes of the narrative.

Payoff

A call to action that invites the audience to follow the journey rather than buy a product, effectively asking them to subscribe to the ongoing story to see the resolution.

[08]

Narrative framework

The structural pattern this video runs on

Framework

The Public Challenger

To frame a business venture as a public, community-driven "David vs. Goliath" saga, inviting the audience to participate as advisors and witnesses in the journey to overcome an established industry giant.

  1. 1

    The Audacious Question

    State a massive, seemingly impossible goal to immediately capture attention and establish the narrative's central conflict.

  2. 2

    The Obstacle Acknowledgment

    Immediately address the obvious difficulties and viewer skepticism, building credibility and relatability by validating their potential doubts.

  3. 3

    The Value Proposition Pivot

    Introduce a unique angle or 'twist' that explains how the impossible goal will be approached in a new, interesting way, reframing a 'boring' challenge as an exciting one.

  4. 4

    The Transparency Contract

    Promise to document the entire process, including failures and mistakes, positioning the journey itself as part of the value and building trust.

  5. 5

    The Community Enlistment

    Explicitly invite the audience into a participatory role (e.g., 'advisors,' 'co-creators'), transforming them from passive viewers to active stakeholders in the outcome.

  6. 6

    The Goliath Introduction

    Clearly identify the established industry leader or 'antagonist,' creating a classic underdog narrative and giving the mission a clear target.

  7. 7

    The Measurable Milestone

    Define a specific, quantifiable, and trackable short-term goal (e.g., social media followers, sales numbers) that represents the first step in conquering the 'Goliath.'

Themes

  • Ambition
  • Entrepreneurship
  • David vs. Goliath
  • Community Building

Techniques

  • Direct address
  • Storytelling
  • Call to action

Trends

  • Building in public

Post caption

Help I don’t know what I’m doing. #buildinpublic #spiceupyourlife #smallbizowners #entreprenuerjourney #directtoconsumer

Text overlays

  • title · beginning

    Is It POSSIBLE

  • title · beginning

    For A 25 Year Old

  • title · beginning

    To Build The BIGGEST SPICE COMPANY

  • title · beginning

    In The ENTIRE WORLD

  • contextual · beginning

    Yeah it's Gonna be DIFFICULT

  • contextual · beginning

    The SPICE Business Is BORING

  • title · middle

    WHAT IF I TOOK A BORING BUSINESS AND MADE IT COOL

  • contextual · middle

    AND I'M DOCUMENTING EVERYTHING

  • informational · middle

    PRODUCT BRANDING AND MISTAKES LEARNED ALONG THE WAY

  • contextual · middle

    ALONE

  • contextual · middle

    You Guys The INTERNET ARE MY BOARD OF ADVISORS

  • call-to-action · middle

    WANT OPINIONS AND IDEAS

  • title · middle

    Here's THE GOAL

  • informational · middle

    BIGGEST SPICE BRAND Since 1947

  • contextual · middle

    PUT PERSPECTIVE

  • informational · middle

    HAD JUST FINISHED TWO YEARS PRIOR

  • contextual · middle

    AND FOR A CHANGE

  • informational · middle

    AND AS OF TODAY 360K FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM

  • contextual · end

    AND I WANT TO PASS THEM ON STEP

  • call-to-action · end

    SO FOLLOW ALONG AND SEE IF THIS ACTUALLY WORKS

Transcript

Is it possible for a 25 year old to build the biggest spice company in the entire world? Yeah. It's gonna be difficult. I know. The spice business is boring, and you probably couldn't even name more than one spice person. What if I took a boring business and made it cool? And I'm documenting everything, product, branding, and mistakes learned along the way. And I'm not building this alone. You guys, the Internet, are my board of advisors, and I want your opinions and ideas. No here's the good. McCormick has been the biggest spice brand in the entire world since 1947. And to put that into perspective, World War two had just finished two years prior, and I think it's time for a change. And as of today, they have 360,000 followers on Instagram, and I wanna pass them and take on the corporate giants one step at a time. So follow along. So follow along. So follow along. No follow along. So follow along rank see if this actually works.

Documenting building the biggest spice company | Viral Hooks