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The #1 Reason Entrepreneurs Fail (I Lost $2M Learning This) w/ Austin Zaback

12 snips

Jun 19, 2025

Austin Zaback, a serial entrepreneur with a diverse background in real estate and media, shares his hard-earned lessons on partnership dynamics in business. He emphasizes that the American dream has transformed, notably shifting from homeownership to a focus on personal freedom. Zaback introduces the 'two-week vacation test' to assess business independence and warns of common partnership red flags that can lead to financial loss. His insights encourage entrepreneurs to prioritize value alignment and smart scaling for sustainable success.

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INSIGHT

The Changing American Dream

The American dream of owning a home is changing rather than dying out.
Renting can be cheaper and less burdensome than owning a home today.

ADVICE

Path to Homeownership

Increase your skills or reduce expenses to afford homeownership.
Living below your means and saving money is crucial to eventually buying a home.

ADVICE

Make First Business Independent

Don't start new companies until your current one runs independently.
Your main business must be big enough to operate without you before expanding.

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