Chris interviews Goran Krndija and learns of his incredible story growing up as a refugee in the United States and ultimately founding his tech company, Gozova, here in Fort Worth. They discuss the process of raising capital, the experience of a bootstrapped start up, entering new markets, and advice for founders. Enjoy!

Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLp.com

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Learn more about Gozova: https://gozova.co/

(01:15) — How Goran's Family Survived the Bosnian War in the 90’s

(06:30) — What was it like living in a fish warehouse for a year?

(08:15) — What was your initial experience like in America?

(09:25) — What does America mean to you?

(09:50) — Where were you doing in life at the age of 18?

(11:00) — How did you come up with Gozova and what is it?

(13:10) — What was the process of developing an app like?

(14:42) — What was the business like before the app was fully developed?

(15:12) — How did the first year go after everything was functional?

(17:20) — Were you prepared for your first rush of growth?

(18:19) — What’s something you've learned about the moving industry that you didn’t know before?

(19:07) — How were you hiring drivers back in the day vs. now?

(20:19) — What does your fleet look like today?

(21:18) — How do you think of your business in terms of tech vs. service?

(21:48) — Are Gozova's 150 drivers doing this full time?

(22:36) — What was your first round of fundraising like?

(26:24) — How did you feel after completing your fundraising?

(27:07) — What did you do with the $500k you raised?

(29:43) — Why do you now want to raise $2M?

(31:05) — Why are commercial partnerships important and what do those relationships look like?

(33:17) — When was the last time you made a delivery?

(33:49) — How does Gozova get into a new market and become profitable so quickly?

(34:41) — Insurance for this Industry

(35:30) — How has COVID affected the business?

(36:35) — How many customers have you served to date?

(37:26) — Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

(37:55) — Why are you getting involved with real estate owners and property managers as a means of business growth?

(40:06) — Do you have a morning routine?

(40:30) — Goran’s Family

(41:19) — How important is it to find a wife that’s supportive?

(42:16) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(42:49) — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self?

(44:00) — What’s your favorite book?

(44:26) — What’s the best way for people to reach you or contact Gozova?

The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts

Logan Paulsen; search process