Why staying true to yourself is the best path to growth

Today I'm joined by Everette Taylor, a fellow entrepreneur and community builder that I got to know back when he was building GrowthHackers.com five years ago.

But well before this, Everette began his founder journey starting (and then selling) an events business in his teenage years. He later went on to join a few startups to run marketing and growth, including Skurt (a company I regularly used prior to its acquisition) and StickerMule (a company that makes our awesome Product Hunt stickers). Today Everette runs ET Enterprises, a collection of businesses that include PopSocial, Hayver, Millisense, and his newest venture, ArtX.

In this episode we talk about:

• Everette's path to entrepreneurship, including dropping out of school
• The importance of being authentic in everything you do
• Some of his favorite self-care apps

We’ll be back next week so be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Breaker, Overcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Big thanks to Bubble, Spoka, and Dipsea for their support. 😸

Quotes from This Episode

“We get so caught up in portraying an image that isn’t real or isn’t true and I think the best way to grow is just being genuine and true to who you are because people are going to see through it. What’s the point in building a huge brand and then getting exposed later for it not being true?” — Everette

“Don’t get so caught up on the top layer of things, because at the end of the day if you’re able to build a skillset or provide value in some type of way, that’s where the magic really happens.” — Everette

“Even though I started my own company I felt like I wasn’t really experienced in the startup space. I got offered an opportunity and I left literally a week later — dropped out of school and the rest was history.” — Everette

Companies and Products Mentioned in This Episode

Apple Music— All the ways you love music, all in one place.

Cash App — Send money instantly.

ChowNow — Online ordering built just for your restaurant.

GOAT — The most trusted way to buy and sell sneakers on mobile.

Headspace — Learn to meditate and live mindfully.

Philz — Order your coffee ahead.

PopSocial — Grow your social media brand.

Roadtrip — A music listening app where you and your friends jam out together.

Slack — Be less busy. Real-time messaging, archiving and search.

Soothe — Massage delivered to you.

Spotify — Music for everyone.

Stripe — Payment integration and management.

Tidal — Lossless music streaming service, backed by JAY-Z.

Venmo — Make and share payments with friends.