Internet Famous with Mike Bridavsky & Lil Bub

Let’s Fix Work Episode 80

Have you heard of Lil Bub? If not, let me introduce you to her. She is a published author, a talk show host, a movie star, and has helped raise well over $300,000 for animals in need. In 2011, she went viral and became an internet sensation. Oh yeah, and she’s a cat.

Yes, you read that correctly. Lil Bub is a special needs cat, in fact. She suffers from an extreme form of dwarfism, making her a permanent kitten with stubby legs, no teeth and the inability to use the litter box on her own. So her owner, Mike Bridavsky, helps her with everything, including running the day-to-day business of Lil BUB.

Alright, you may be wondering what an amazing cat and her owner have to do with my podcast. Well, they are a fascinating example of using work to help make the world a better place. So I went down to Bloomington, Indiana, to learn everything I could about the work and business of Lil Bub. And of course, I wanted to meet Lil Bub too. She did not disappoint. So if you’re interested in the business of Lil Bub or what it’s like to have an internet-famous cat, sit tight and listen to this episode of Let’s Fix Work.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

The story of how Mike and Lil Bub met and how she became a very special part of Mike’s life
How and when Mike realized he had a famous cat on his hands and how he felt about the internet fame
Lil Bub’s purpose through the eyes of Mike
What Lil Bub has taught Mike when it comes to caring for a cat with special needs and how what he has learned can be applied to his business
How Lil Bub and Mike have been able to donate $700k to charities
How Mike learned to maneuver through the complexities and legalities of building off of Lil Bub’s internet fame to create a business that helps charities
Is the internet all bad? Mike answers my question, “Are there glimmers of hope through the internet?”
Mike talks about multitasking, running a music production studio, and what he is doing to get the balance right

KEY TAKEAWAYS

HOW DID LIL BUB BECOME INTERNET FAMOUS?

Lil Bub’s rise to fame was a slow process. In fact, Mike was surprised when she had 500 Tumblr followers. Then in 2012, a photo he posted of Bub went viral and was shared over 40,000 times. It was pretty wild for Mike to experience. He crafted t-shirts, put them on sale, and people started buying them. Eventually, he was shipping them to Buzzfeed and Vice and other internet media outlets. They started doing articles about Bub. Buzzfeed did one that really went viral on its own. Soon after, Good Morning America was booking Mike and Bub for their morning show!

HOW DID MIKE HANDLE LIL BUB’S FAME AND WAS HE EXCITED OR PUT OFF BY IT?

He didn’t feel like he won the lottery. In fact, he was very skeptical of the whole thing and his skepticism came from a couple of angles. He had never set out to do this, so he decided to make a few rules from the beginning. He wasn’t going to seek out any opportunities for her. He wanted the messaging to be about her and not him. He was obsessed and in love with her and thought she was really special from the beginning. He didn’t want her to turn into a meme or joke on the internet. He realized that she is so different and that’s what brings people in. She’s so unique. Instead of making fun of that, he made it a rule to accept and encourage opportunities that really put her and her message up on a pedestal. As in, this is what’s so special about her. She’s smarter than us.

HOW HAS MIKE USED LIL BUB’S INTERNET FAME TO HELP RAISE OVER $700K FOR CHARITY?

One of the things that’s so great about Bub is that Mike has donated over $700k to charity. The money raised comes from sales from the online store, through special appearances, and supporting the mission and raising awareness for other charities through sites like the Waggle Foundation.

WHAT’S MIKE TAKE ABOUT THE INTERNET?

Mike has a very unique relationship with the internet. Interestingly enough, he instinctively doesn’t want anything to do with it. Yet it’s brought him joy. It’s an integral part of society. It’s an organism of its own and we don’t realize how intertwined it is in our lives.