I still remember the feeling when I opened that damned envelope.
Complete. Utter. Shock.
My heart sank to my stomach.
I had no idea what I was going to do.
Back then, Foundr was still a one-man side hustle and hardly making any money. I was working full time, moonlighting as an entrepreneur, and living on credit. I’d put everything I had into my tiny business and out of the blue… I was getting sued.
I won’t tell you by who – it doesn’t really matter.
I’ll just say it was by a massive company that’s a household name all over the world. They had the money to persecute me till I break, no matter what kind of fight I could put up.
It was David VS Goliath and I didn’t think I stood a chance.
Needless to say – I was FREAKING OUT.
Seriously, Who DOES This?
All over a business that was only making a $100 a month at the time!
I’d been pouring my heart, soul, money, and every minute I could spare into my business. It was everything to me, and now it was about to be taken all away and I could potentially end up in very serious debt…
I didn’t know what kind of lawyer I’d need to battle this (or how I’d pay for it.) So I asked the CEO at my day job who then intro’d me to a lawyer. And to cut a long story short… he was able to guide me out of trouble.
Otherwise I would have been s-c-r-e-w-e-d. Foundr would never have been and I don’t know what I would have done with my life.
It’s scary to think about it now, and it was an even scarier wake up call at the time!
I learned the hard way a valuable lesson I want to give you now for free:
You MUST have a strong business network and learn from other successful entrepreneurs if you want to make it in the big league because you never know what can happen.
As I dusted myself off from that experience and eventually grew Foundr to what it is today, I realized the biggest secret of business is this:
No one does it alone.
Everyone who’s anyone leverages their network, learns from really smart people and has access to experts to navigate the rocky road to success.
My best advice to you is to be deliberate about growing your network with the best business owners, friends and advisors you can find and continually invest in your own education and to learn from PROVEN founders.
Make a decision right now – if you haven’t done so yet – to start. And here’s how you should go about it.
Start where you are with what you have.
Start listening to podcasts, reading blog posts, reading books. Don’t waste your time on garbage content – but never underestimate the power of investing in yourself and learning from really smart people.
We know – this can be hard, and very time consuming and there is so much content and self proclaimed “gurus” out there. That is why I created Foundr Magazine. And now 5 years on… I can finally say that – “We Made It”
Speak soon,
Nathan
CEO of Foundr Magazine
