What does it take to walk away from a safe, successful career and bet everything on yourself? In this episode, Navin joins Aaron to talk about his leap from medicine into entrepreneurship—and the lessons learned along the way. They dive into what it really means to build a business that runs without you, how to scale responsibly, and why content is the most underrated driver of growth today.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to trade comfort for conviction, this conversation will hit home.

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome & intro: from doctor to entrepreneur 04:15 — The moment Navin knew he had to make a change 06:45 — Leaving a 12-year medical career for the unknown 10:18 — The bridge years: working while building a company 14:03 — Why every business should outgrow its founder 18:59 — Early angel investing and storytelling as a magnet 22:10 — Balancing risk and fulfillment during the transition 25:55 — How to build teams that can operate without you 29:11 — Investing, exits, and lessons from early ventures 31:08 — Playing the long game: patience in pre-seed investing 35:40 — Smart money vs. dumb money in startup funding 38:42 — Scaling philosophy: investing in people, not institutions 43:10 — How personal purpose drives entrepreneurial success 47:59 — Raising capital through relationships and mentorship 50:34 — Lessons from franchising and operational scale 51:25 — Using content to represent and grow your business 55:42 — The responsibility of being a founder 01:01:25 — Why consistent content builds trust and opportunity 01:04:10 — Closing thoughts: redefining what success looks like

From Doctor to Founder: Building Businesses That Outgrow the Owner | The Scaling Podcast Ep 26