Eli Wasserman’s Post

💫 T𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸'𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻💫 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. ----------------------------------------------- The Power of Integrity: Lessons Learned and Honored ✨ In our industry, it often feels like a vast and sprawling landscape. But let me tell you a secret: it’s a smaller circle than it seems. Your integrity, or lack thereof, follows you throughout your career. It’s a quality that resides within you, seeking no external rewards. I vividly recall some of the toughest moments in my early career when integrity became the crux of my journey. I endured months of torment when my direct manager falsely believed I conspired against them. In truth, I did not participate in the conversation and verbalized that I wouldn’t do so. Still, they assumed I did and refused to hear otherwise. 😔 The retaliation that followed was unlike anything I had ever experienced (and instead of support from the head of our department, they joined in. I didn’t know what to do but refused to participate in the toxic mud-slinging. I was let go after delivering excellent work and meeting all impossible demands. 💔 Yes, it was a highly humiliating experience, but I never regretted doing what was right. Years later, I encountered former colleagues who commended me for handling myself during that challenging time. They remembered me for delivering exceptional work despite the immense pressure. And they also remembered the individual who sought revenge, ultimately causing damage to their own career. Through it all, I am honored to be recognized for my work ethic, intelligence, and, most importantly, my unwavering integrity. Let me tell you this: nothing is worth trading in for your integrity. It is a precious asset that defines who you are as a professional and as a person. Embrace, protect, and let it guide you on your path to success. Even if it seems like it seems to cost you everything in the short term. 💪🏾 Wishing each and every one of you an incredible week ahead! ✨ xoxo #weeklyaffirmation #solopreneur #startup #smallbusiness #inspiration

I have heard that if you want a deep dive into personal and professional development, start a company. This is the TRUTH! I managed law firms for over 15 years before starting my own company. I knew how to run a company, but not how to start one. I knew how to manage a team, but not how to create one from scratch. I knew how to improve culture, but not how to build it from the ground up. I knew how to manage cash flow when the revenue was already $5M+ per year, but not negative at $5K per month. I have been tested more than at any other period in my life. And, I have learned more about myself than I ever before. After I graduated from college, I had a total of three positions before I founded Entry Envy. In each role, I assessed the bottlenecks, took the “plane” apart, and put it back together in a more effective and efficient version to increase revenue and profit margins. I spent a year optimizing the new machine and then I got bored and was ready to hand the reins over to someone else and move on. Starting a company from scratch is HARD. I’ve spent three and a half years building the tech, processes, systems, team, customers, etc. And it’s a beautiful foundation. It really is. And over the past year, I’ve started to question if the person who founds a company is the best person to scale it. In my case, and I believe in most cases, the answer is no. If you are an EOS follower, you know every successful company needs a visionary and an integrator. I am a visionary, and finding the right integrator has seemed almost as hard as starting the company. And like so many things in my life, it happened when I wasn’t looking AND goes back to my #1 rule in life - be nice to everyone always. No exceptions. I don’t even know how to explain how the universe reconnected me with Hilary Cemer, but it did. Do you have time for a bottle of wine? I didn’t think so. But our paths kept crossing, and when I realized she was on the market, and we finally sat down to catch up and discuss business, the alignment was 100% there. Hilary was who I had been looking for, and the number one reason I am bringing her on is because I trust her. The second reason is because she has the sales skill set that I don’t, with a proven track record. Delegating your baby; your blood, sweat, and tears of years is tough. Hilary graduated from the same high school, three years before me. Our families have known each other for 40+ years and they are all hardworking, down-to-earth people. Hilary and I can drink a Busch Light in a lawn chair as well as we can a glass of champagne at a cocktail party. It’s a rare combination. And it’s got the potential for magic. Hilary, I can’t wait to grow Entry Envy with you. Take care of my baby and share her with the world. Let’s make thousands and thousands of front porches more welcoming and deliver joy to so many families. Cheers to the next chapter!

A genius who's taken multiple companies from 0 ➝ $100M ARR gave me amazing advice right before we started FERMÀT. It's completely changed my framing of the business. He said my job as a founder is about 2 things: ➝ Creating a winning culture  ➝ Reducing time to apostle Let me explain... 1) Creating a winning culture This starts by hiring winning people. From there on out, it's a cycle that feeds itself until it becomes a monster. This cycle is the exact reason we've been able to attract killers to FERMÀT in the last year consistently. Talent attracts talent. 2) Reducing time to apostle. Apostle is biblical originally, but in broader terms is defined as the following: a vigorous and pioneering advocate or supporter of a particular policy, idea, or cause. In the sense of a business, you want to make apostles out of your prospects. From the first touch, you want to reduce the time it takes for a prospect to become a massive advocate of your business. Once you start thinking about your business that way, you start to make decisions very differently — especially in the fast growth phase where scaling is all that matters. Any questions or thoughts here?

Too many founders early on in their journey get frustrated when people don't take them seriously, but why should anyone take you seriously if you haven't proven anything? This was a huge mindset shift I had to make when I started building Grouped. At first I'd be upset when people ghosted me, or weren't interested in what i was doing, but I realized I didn't have anything to show, Instead of pitching a vision when you have no resume, or thinking you have enough with a concept, focus on small tangible wins to start building proof. (Tangible means real. Like people can see it.) The more you grow your brand and business, the more serious people will take you. Especially when you demonstrate scrappy traits and a desire to win. Every little win leads to a bigger win. Once you reach a certain point of traction and momentum, everything will change. With Grouped, there were a handful of milestones that lead to more and more interest from customers/ partners / investors. Each win literally lead to more people taking us serious, which gave us more resources. So when you are just starting out, trust the process. Ignore the noise and put your blinders on and build. You'll have to be extremely scrappy, but with every win more and more people will show up who can help (customers/partners/investors). Keep going.

6 Lessons From Successful Founders I've Worked With 1. Resilience is Key 🗝️ ↳ Get used to bouncing back from failures. 2. Build a Strong Team 👥 ↳ Hire the right people and create an atmosphere where they can thrive. ↳ They're the ones who will help you bring your vision to life. 3. Keep Customers at the Center 🛍️ ↳ Keep your customers at the center of everything you do.  ↳ Understand their needs, their pain points, and deliver solutions that exceed their expectations. 4. Embrace Change 🔀 ↳ The business landscape is always changing and you need to learn to adapt.  ↳ Pivot if needed but never lose sight of your core values and mission. 5. Know When to Exit 🔚 ↳ Knowing when to exit is just as important as the decision to exit. ↳ Don't let ego dictate your decisions. 6. Avoid Post-Exit Financial Pitfalls 🚫 ↳ Some founders exit, make a lot of money, then blow it all.  ↳ The ones with strong financial skills have a plan in place well before the exit. - - - - - - If you like this content repost it to your network ♻️ And follow me Jonny Tooze for more.

From 24-29 years old, I grew my first 2 business ventures to $1,000,000+ in revenue. 1) Grew a sales and marketing organization selling third party services from $0 to $1.1m MRR. Scaled and trained a team of 1500 sales reps within 2 years. 2) Partnered with a friend to help grow his executive recruiting consultancy from $10k to $89k MRR within a year. We only had 3 employees. I felt invincible. My third agency? 3) Started with some capital, hired an intern and a full time employee…We closed our doors in just 2 years after opening. I blamed: - the 2016 election. - my clients for refusing to pay me. - my employee for lying about her lack of experience. Everyone but myself. Truth is…I needed that TKO. I needed to realize how terrible I was at certain areas of business ownership. Losing a company is a rite of passage in entrepreneurship. The blow to your ego makes you think rationally about future business decisions. It thickens your skin. So how do I avoid the emotional ups and downs today? Gratitude. Accepting that whatever happens… Was supposed to happen all along… All we can control is our inputs and our last name. Everything else is a blessing. *** For all my non-technical founders...I got your back. If you're sick and tired of doing the repetitive, boring, and ugly tasks in your business...its time to off load them. But when you work all day long, you have no time to build a system, document your process, outsource, or train anyone. I'll show you how in 30 minutes: https://lnkd.in/eFjYbJmS

It's such an amazing feeling to know you're a founder, right? But let's be honest, it's not always a bed of roses. Before you get that moment of happiness and pride for what you and your team have achieved, you get server crashes, talent acquisition and cost management issues, ever-changing market demands and so, sooo many more! So, what helps me move on through the daily struggles? Passion! When you truly believe in what you're building, those challenges become stepping stones that you know will help you grow, make your product better, and bring success. So next time you face a seemingly impossible hurdle, remember why you started your journey in the first place. Great results don't come easy, but when you overcome challenges, you'll be so proud of yourself and your team. Promise 😉 #OvercomingChallenges #GrowthMindset  #NeverGiveUp #MotivatedEntrepreneur #SuccessMindset #FounderLife

After my last business failed, I swore I'd never be a CEO again. Why would anyone want to be? Every bad move is your fault; every problem ends up on your plate. You can't really sleep well most nights, you need to work harder than anybody else, and you aren't developing a unique ability that might get you hired if everything fails. And don't get me started on dealing with angry investors, spoiled employees, and disappointed friends because you haven't seen them in a while, or the ever-growing distance between you and your family members... Nah. I was going to be a growth marketer. Then I started seeing how certain things could work better, and the company I was working for didn't. There were interesting ideas in the world that weren't built yet. But why? I didn't understand why someone thought that wouldn't provide value for the world. So I started building it... And guess where that led me :) But I have accepted that now. I am not a CEO because I "always wanted to be my own boss" - I didn't. I would gladly work for someone else if given the chance. I am not a CEO because of the "riches" or the "fame" - only a small number ever achieve that. I am not a CEO because I want to leave a legacy - I really don't think I matter that much. However, I am a CEO because I couldn't idly stand by and see how things can be done better and not do them. Sometimes I'm glad I'm this way; sometimes I'm not. (Pic taken when we were at our lowest Viktor Petrovski, Aleksandar Drenkovski)

Never mix business with friendship. Bosses can be very unpredictable

It’s Wisdom Wednesday and time for the next installment of “Parrish the Thought”. Are you ready to take your hustle to the next level? I recently read an article from KNOWN MEDIA GROUP where they interviewed Shark Tank investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. His words are a goldmine of motivation for anyone looking to outwork the competition and achieve extraordinary success.    Here are five key takeaways that will inspire you to work like someone is trying to take it all away.   1. Embrace the Grind Mark Cuban says, "You have to put in the effort to be successful." There’s no substitute for putting in the hours and effort. Success doesn’t come overnight, and the grind is where you build the foundation for your future achievements.   2. Stay Ahead of the Curve Cuban emphasizes the necessity of continuous learning: "You have to work hard and know your business better than anybody." Stay curious and always look for ways to improve and innovate. This mindset will keep you ahead of your competitors and open up new opportunities.   3. Be Passionate and Persistent Cuban’s journey is a testament to the power of passion and persistence. He states, "Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it all away from you." When you love your work, it’s easier to stay committed and overcome obstacles that come your way.   4. Take Risks and Learn from Failure "Don’t be afraid to take risks," Cuban advises. His career is filled with bold moves and calculated risks. He reminds us that failure is an inevitable part of success. Learn from your mistakes and keep pushing forward.   5. Outwork Everyone The core message of his interview is simple: outwork everyone. "It’s not about money or connections – it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone." Cuban’s work ethic is legendary, and he challenges us all to match that intensity. Work like someone’s trying to take it all away, and you’ll find yourself reaching new heights. Remember that the journey to success is paved with hard work, learning, and relentless passion. Stay motivated and keep striving for greatness!