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What if I told you there was a way for your startup to be 6x more likely to stay in business, 5x more likely to raise funding, and 2.5x more likely to exit positively, than the national startup average?
That’s not just daydreaming, that’s reality for founders that participate in a unique and proven incubator and accelerator Co-Founded by John Friess, Executive Director of Starve Ups.
“If your startup isn’t absolutely necessary to make your personal life complete, don’t do it.” – John Friess
In today’s episode, John will explain the full circle approach to successfully leading companies from the SURVIVE stage, through the STRIVE stage, and on to the THRIVE stage.
Starve Ups in the last decade has an 82% survival/success rate amongst its 93 membership companies, has raised over $350M in funding amongst membership companies, has had 9 membership companies positively acquired, with one of them being an IPO, and three Inc. 500 companies within it.
John is also the Co-Founder & CEO of Journey Gym, the current company that he and his team are building towards a positive exit.
If you are in the early stages of a startup, or are considering starting one, this episode is a gold mine of strategies and mindset you need to navigate the uncertain entrepreneurial waters.
Here are some of John’s favorite things:
Most Influential Book
- The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Best Conference or Industry Event
- It was the first trade show he ever attended where he got to witness so many different ideas, businesses, innovation and raw entrepreneurship packed into one place.
Most Effective Strategy For Growing Your Business
- Getting around your peers to improve the likelihood of success.
Favorite Business Tool or Resource
Most Recent Exciting Adventure
- John and his wife had the experience of visiting the Kaufman Speech Center with their son and experiencing people who are the very best at their particular role while they are changing lives every single day. This is such a great reminder that if you surround yourself with amazing people who are focused on changing the world, anything is possible.
Show Highlights
- Hear John’s story about leaving LA, co-founding his first company with his brother and successfully exiting that company.
- The catalyst for creating Starve Ups.
- How to significantly reduce the risk of failure throughout the various life cycles of a startup.
- The power of proven peer mentoring for founders.
- Learn about the Survive, Strive and Thrive phases of a startup and the role that each one plays.
- John describes the process for the Starve Ups annual Launch Pad event.
- The difference between what Launch Pad offers compared to some of the other popular weekend startup events.
- John shares some of his favorite success stories from the Launch Pad event and Starve Ups.
Interview Links for John and Starve Ups:
- StarveUps.com – Check out the Starve Ups website to learn more about the membership process, member company profiles, events and many resources for entrepreneurs.
- Launch Pad – Learn about Starve Ups three day event for idea stage businesses. This may be the most important event you ever attend if you’re looking to build a sustainable business.
- Say hello to Starve Ups on Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+
Mentioned in this show:
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Ask yourself: How can I apply this to my business? Add your answer to the comments section right now. I read and respond to every comment.
