What if your first startup didn’t go anywhere and it ate your life savings?

Would you do it again?

If you are like Brad Redding, you’d start another software company five years later to prove you actually learned some useful lessons before.

And to prove to yourself, once and for all, that you could do it.

As Brad told me on the Practical Founders Podcast this week, the early startup lessons that he listed in his journal didn’t make doing his second startup any easier.

But those lessons helped him survive long enough to build a growing software company called Elevar.

Elevar wasn’t an overnight success. They almost didn’t make it.

The founders worked as consultants to fund the early development of their product and keep trying.

Despite being an expert in his industry, 90% of what was in their first product isn’t even in the product now. They just kept trying and selling and listening to customers.

He didn’t raise ANY outside funding because he want to prove to himself that he could build an investable business. Now Elevar doesn’t need any outside investment.

Brad is now the CEO of a growing software company with over $5 million in revenues and 45 global employees.

And he’s much more humble now.

• He hires great people and listens to them.
• He reads a lot and says, “Leaders are readers.”
• He pays for expert counsel and coaching.
• His teams have systems and metrics and structured priorities now.

He is working hard to learn what his customers want most, what his employees really need, and what kind of CEO he needs to be next.

Entrepreneurs grow companies to grow themselves.

Brad isn’t going to stop growing himself or Elevar anytime soon.

Brad shared many hard-earned lessons and deep founder wisdom on the Practical Founders Podcast.

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