Gritty Founder

On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Travis Boersma talks about how he and his brother started Dutch Bros Coffee. Travis shares terrific advice on the importance of goal setting, designing your life, and finding a business partner.

Travis Boersma is the CEO and co-founder of Dutch Bros Coffee, the largest privately held drive-thru coffee company in the U.S. He is deeply involved in day-to-day operations but also invested in maintaining the culture that he and his late brother, co-founder Dane, both worked hard to nurture.

Some Questions Travis Answers:

What were the first initial steps you took to get traction? (19:49)

How did you come up with the idea to start with a pushcart? (22:00)

What were the initial customers saying about the product? (26:12)

At what point did you realize you need to add more locations? (30:07)

What do you think is the most important ingredient for a founder? (38:38)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About Travis’s background and how he became an entrepreneur (4:28)

How Travis came up with the idea for Dutch Bros Coffee and started the company with his brother (12:52)

How Travis and his brother grew the business (30:07)

The importance of goal setting (33:04)

Advice on designing your life (38:57)

The danger of becoming complacent (42:43)

Advice on finding a co-founder (48:39)

Connect with Travis Boersma:

Twitter

Dutch Bros Coffee

Also Mentioned on This Show...

Travis’s favorite quote:

“Success isn't owned, it's rented, and the rent is due every day.”

Travis’s book recommendation:

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Andrea Loubier talks about how she built and grew Mailbird. Andrea shares valuable advice on finding cofounders, running a remote company, and creating work-life balance.

Andrea Loubier is the CEO of Mailbird and among the top tech leaders in Southeast Asia. She's passionate about the future of work, building a healthy relationship with technology.

Some Questions Andrea Answers:

How did you come up with the idea for Mailbird? (10:47)
- What’s the biggest change to the product since you started? (13:43)
- How did you meet your cofounders and decide to build a company together? (14:40)
- What do you think is the most important ingredient for a founder? (20:39)
- When did you realize you were gritty? (22:18)
- Do you think grittiness and determination are in someone’s DNA or can they be developed? (23:02)
- If you could go back in time to when you just started Mailbird, what advice would you give yourself? (27:46)
- What is the entrepreneurial ecosystem like in Bali? (31:07)
- How do you manage work-life balance? (35:42)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About Andrea’s background and how she became an entrepreneur (4:21)
- How Andrea started Mailbird (10:56)
- Advice when looking for cofounders (18:32)
- The importance of determination and finding a way to make it happen no matter what (20:51)
- Do the necessary research before executing (28:02)
- The importance of learning when to say no to things (28:44)
- Advice on prioritization and work-life balance, especially when working remotely (29:15)
- Tips on running a remote company (42:00)
- There are times when you need to make decisions based on a gut feeling and not just data (43:26)
- The importance of team culture and advice for hiring (45:57)

Connect with Andrea Loubier:

Twitter
Mailbird

Also Mentioned on This Show...

Andrea’s favorite quote:
“Balance is the ultimate goal.”

Andrea’s book recommendation:
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Dan Norris talks about how he built and sold WP Curve, wrote five books, and founded Black Hops Brewing.

Dan Norris is a serial entrepreneur, award-winning content marketer, international speaker, and the co-founder of WP Curve. Dan is also the co-founder of Black Hops Brewing, a craft beer brewery in Australia.

Some Questions Dan Answers:

How did you come up with the idea for WP Curve? (7:02)
- How did you build your audience for WP Curve? (15:02)
- What do you think is one of the most important ingredients for a founder to be successful? (20:06)
- After hearing other people tell you WP Curve was not a good idea, at what point did you know they were wrong? (22:35)
- How do you deal with failure? (28:09)
- What advice can you give someone who is thinking about an idea and they are in the early stages of it? (32:43)
- What is one thing you find to be true that most people would disagree with? (39:33)
- What are all the books you’ve written? (44:58)
- How do you take care of your well being as an entrepreneur? (47:47)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Dan’s journey as an entrepreneur and how he built WP Curve and Black Hops Brewing (4:34)
- The importance of taking full ownership as an entrepreneur (20:15)
- Don’t be afraid to shut down an idea and move on to something else (33:16)
- To take advice from yourself (42:20)
- You could do everything right, and things may still not go your way (49:04)

Connect with Dan Norris:

Twitter
Personal Website
Black Hops Brewing

Also Mentioned on This Show...

Dan’s favorite quote:
“It’s better to create something that others criticise than to create nothing and criticise others.” ―Ricky Gervais

Dan’s book recommendations:
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance

On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Tim Draper talks about some of his biggest wins and losses as a venture capitalist. Tim also shares what he looks for when investing in businesses and founders.

Tim Draper founded Draper Associates in July 1985, which when joined by John Fisher and Steve Jurvetson, became the venture capital firm of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (now DFJ). Investments include Skype, Hotmail, Tesla, Baidu, and others. With Draper Associates, investments include Twitch.TV, YeePay, Indiegogo, Docusign, and AngelList. He founded Draper Venture Network, a global network of venture funds working together to improve service to entrepreneurs, covering 30 cities around the world. He has been listed as #46 of the most outstanding Harvard alumni, #7 on the Forbes Midas List, #1 Most Networked Venture Capitalist by AlwaysOn and #98 on the 2014 Worth Magazine 100 Most Powerful People in Finance.

Some Questions Tim Answers:

What do you look for in a founder? (7:26)
- What do you think of the new way of starting companies? Fifty years ago, there was not a venture capital industry, and there were not a lot of people who would give you money and risk that money on a startup, and people just bootstrapped their businesses. Do you think the mentality of starting a business has changed and entrepreneurs think differently now? (14:18)
- Has there been a time when you've backed an entrepreneur who you've felt did not have the right business model or hadn't figured out all the aspects of their business, but you truly believed in the entrepreneur? (16:48)
- What are some failures that you've had in your journey as a venture capitalist? (19:13)
- What is some advice that you can give to the Gritty Founders listening to this episode? (25:21)
- What would you tell entrepreneurs who are working on a business right now who think they need an investor to give them some money? (27:14)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

- About Tim's background, how he got into venture capital and started Draper Associates (2:38)
- Why Tim looks for businesses in industries that charge too much for too little (7:51)
- Signals Tim looks for in founders (9:54)
- Why Tim says entrepreneurs should never personally guarantee anything (12:06)
- About the risks of borrowing money (12:40)
- Why looking at venture capitalists as your customer is a huge mistake (15:15)
- Why Tim invested in Hotmail (17:04)
- A few companies Tim should have invested but didn't (21:01)
- The story of why Tim didn't invest in Airbnb (23:20)
- The importance of feeling like you have a mission when building a company (25:39)

Connect with Tim Draper:

Twitter
Personal Website
DFJ Venture Capital

Also Mentioned on This Show...

Tim's favorite quote:
"With great power comes great responsibility." ―Stan Lee

Tim's book recommendation:
The Startup Game by William Draper

On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Anthony Vennare talks about how he built Fitt. Anthony shares terrific advice on staying focused and true to your mission as well as tips for building a business in the fitness space.

A 2018 honoree of Forbes 30 Under 30 and United States Marine, Anthony is a sales- and product-driven CEO who has closed $10M-plus in partnerships and successfully exited a media startup.

Some Questions Anthony Answers:

What went wrong with your first business and what would you have done differently? (13:08)
- Do you have any specific advice for entrepreneurs in the fitness business? (16:16)
- Who are your biggest competitors? (20:13)
- What are you focused on right now in terms of growing the business? (21:59)
- What have you found that motivates people to live a healthy lifestyle? (23:23)
- Did you make any mistakes when raising capital that you would change if you could go back? (23:02)
- How do you take care of your health and wellness as an entrepreneur? (38:35)
- If you could go back in time before you just started Fitt, what advice would you tell yourself? (45:25)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About Anthony’s background and how he became an entrepreneur (4:19)
- About Fitt (10:41)
- Lessons Anthony learned from the first gym he opened with his brother (13:08)
- Don’t rush what you’re doing, and don’t compare what you’re doing to overnight success stories (15:29)
- Your passion isn’t enough to build a business on (16:29)
- Focus on what you do best and what you do better than anyone else (17:00)
- Advice on raising capital (28:08)
- The importance of having a fitness/health accountability partner or group (38:59)
- Trust your gut and don’t get distracted by what’s going on around you (45:37)

Connect with Anthony Vennare:

Twitter
Fitt

Also Mentioned on This Show...

Anthony’s favorite quote:
“You have to be confident and clueless. Confident you can do it, and clueless you can’t.” ―Anthony’s Dad

Anthony’s book recommendation:
The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk