This week on the Coachable Podcast, I had the opportunity to talk with Nathan Chan of Foundr about what led to his enormous success. Nathan went from a soul-crushing 9-5 job in IT to being the founder of one of the fastest-growing online entrepreneurial brands in the world. Frustrated with the lack of REAL advice for those wanting to build and scale a business, Nathan launched Foundr in 2013 and set out to interview the world’s greatest entrepreneurs. Flash forward, Foundr has now featured the likes of Richard Branson, Mark Cuban and Ariana Huffington, amassed a global community of 4+ million people, and grown into a multi-million dollar digital media network.

Working his way from IT to Foundr had its challenges, so let’s unpack his best advice.

What is the biggest thing holding people back from getting started with any endeavor?

When it comes to making the leap to start your own business, launch a podcast, or take on that huge endeavor, many people will spend their whole life thinking about it, but never doing it. We struggle with two things:

1. Fear of Failure.

The fear of failure stems from the idea of “how will others perceive me if this doesn’t work?”. Living in a world where social media is constantly showing us others’ daily wins, it becomes easy to see what others are doing and compare yourself to them. What we often forget is what happens behind the screen. We see where a person ends up, but we don’t see how they got there and the work that they put in to reach the level of success that they are at. 

You just have to go for it! You can’t spend your life doing work you don’t enjoy. 

2. You don’t have a good enough idea yet. 

Any idea can be a launching point. If someone inspires you with their work, or if you have an idea that isn’t fully formed, we are here to tell you that you can start anyways! It’s okay to start a business that is similar to someone else’s. It’s okay to start a business that doesn’t work out. 

What’s the worst that can happen? You may lose a bit of money, but the experiences and lessons you gain are worth it. When you do it the second or third time, you’ll be able to figure it out based on the lessons you learned. 

You have to want it bad enough.

When you want to succeed, you will. Having that desire and drive to find success is one of the most important pieces of this puzzle. You may fail or hit low points, but failure is an opportunity!

When you show up and have the passion and urgency for what you do, you will start moving forward.

Build Your Dream Team.

Your idea can get you started. You can take your passion and momentum and move forward. But what happens when you hit a roadblock?

Luckily, there is always someone out there that has been in your shoes. It is your job to go out there, find that person, and learn from them. It’s not about what or how, it’s about who.

The CEOs of companies are brilliant people and they know that they need talented people behind them to help them continue to grow and move to the next level. Talking to those people and learning from them becomes a shortcut to getting where you want to go.

These shortcuts are so important! It can feel extremely vulnerable to say you don’t know, but through activities like networking, coaching, and mentoring, you are able to learn the answers to your questions and fast-track your success.

Are you ready?

It’s time to stop holding yourself back from that next endeavor and dive in head first! If you are looking for guidance, visit www.foundr.com. Check out the Foundr Magazine (free magazine subscription included!), and the Foundr Podcast!

You can listen to my most recent interview with Nathan: From Side Hustle to CEO on The Coachable Podcast or watch the entire interview on our Youtube Channel. Please remember to leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to the show. Send us a screenshot of your review to support@torigordon.com to receive free access to my Find Your Purpose Workshop. I would also love to have you join us for a Monthly Breathwork session! This live breathwork class will teach you how to use breathwork to calm your nervous system, relieve stress and release stored-trauma from the body. I can’t wait to see you there.