Founders Table Selling before Building with Jake Johnson
Jake is one of the co-founder of Crew, an AI-powered platform that recruits, vets & pays your team globally. Prior to Crew, Jake worked as a PM at microsoft and an ESPN commentator while attending college at Dartmouth.
In today's episode, we talk about:
* lessons from doing ESPN broadcasting and focusing on "yes and"
* getting into YC with the condition that they come up with a new idea
* initial pivot and importance of validating ideas with sales instead of LOIs
* moving into hr tech and building automated vetting system with AI
* high touch go to market
Where to find Jake:
* X
Closing Questions
* advice to current founders: entrepreneurship is an emotional rollercoaster, find coping mechanism for highs and lows. also find a way to enjoy the ride rather than solely focus on achieving an exit
* when you think of success, who or what comes to mind: people like Brian Chesky (AirBnb) that are happy and fufilled by their work
* how do you recharge: prioritize outdoor activities and staying active
* any recent small investment that has had an outsized impact: investing in new hockey equipment and joining a league
Ask or Offer
* ask: Check out crew if you're looking to grow your team
* offer: Jake is moving to San Francisco and open to meeting and networking with fellow entrepreneurs and potential customers
If you're interested in contacting Jake, reach out at offers@founderstable.co with the episode title in the subject and details of your request in the subject!
Referenced
* Crew
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