Being a startup founder takes a lot of guts. There’s a ridiculously high failure rate, with roughly 60 percent failing within their first three years.
But I’m not here to be a naysayer! No, I’m here to throw my support behind some innovative and enterprising “soon to be” members of the Self Made Nation.
I want to help create a self-reliant Canada and grow the number of millionaires within it - as I’ve said time and again, business owners are the engines that drive our economy. Most of us are incredibly thankful for the independence our success has brought us and are constantly giving back.
One way I want to give back is to elevate those around us who are just getting started.
I met this week’s “I’m a Millionaire! So Now What?” guest via LinkedIn. And I was inspired by his enthusiasm, drive, and frankly, by his business offering.
Meet Brennan Davis
A startup entrepreneur on a mission to bring the trucking industry into the 21st Century, Brennan’s the founder and CEO of MyTruckr. In his time working in logistics in the trucking distribution industry, he noticed some pain points. One of them in particular was a major money-waster: that drivers spend a significant amount of time driving empty.
Did you know that most haulers spend up to a quarter of their time on the road empty? I certainly didn’t, and it strikes me as an extremely wasteful way to do business. Well, before you can say “innovation” - MyTruckr was born. Essentially an online marketplace connecting shippers and owner-operators directly, MyTruckr helps make shipping faster and more efficient, and brings the benefits of a national freight network to your fingertips - without the expense and limitations.
A graduate of Algonquin College’s Applied Arts and Technology, specializing in advertising and marketing communications, Brennan grew up surrounded by the transportation/trucking industry in some way, shape or form. His experience working in the field, plus his skills in advertising, business model innovation, market research, and sales presentations, makes him uniquely positioned to be a force of change in an industry still somewhat stuck in the “good ol’ days” of doing business.
Lessons Learned: Draft the Right People
Brennan says he learned the hard way that having the best team behind you can make or break a good idea. He initially launched with one of his best friends. And yes, sometimes that works out great – but other times, it doesn’t. As Brennan notes, “Working with your friends is kind of troublesome in the sense that, you don't want to let them down. But at the same time, you don't want to nag them to do things all the time. [Whereas] if I have a business relationship with someone, there's respect about things like, ‘Okay, we need to get our jobs done, and we need to get the work finished.’ Obviously, we can go to the bar after a night of work, but first and foremost, the relationship is business. I would say, I put in the majority of the effort between the group and they weren't as passionate as me. So, I thought, ‘You know what, I need to find individuals that are going to match my passion.’”
Which brings me back to my “theme of the month,” if you will: You can’t do it all! Running a business is very intense self-development – it’s like a real-life MBA in action. And you need to have the right people around you, complimentary people, then step aside and allow them to do what they do best – so you can then put your efforts into what YOU do best!
I was really impressed Brennan got the importance of that. As he said, “When it’s friendship first, then it's business - it's not a good environment to really grow something organically. I found as soon as I started working with people that had actual experience in the industry, you know, had a background in it, I really found that that was a lot more exciting. I'd really like to see this company become a mainstay in Canada, really become a player in the logistics space, and become a leading-edge company when it comes to developing technology for the logistics industry. Right now, there's a lot of people that are trying to do this, the difference [with us] is we really put a focus on people with logistical backgrounds. And we've really been putting the focus on building out a product that is a collaborative approach versus just another model to essentially suck money out of the clients is the best way to put it. We want to be a collaborative partner with these companies, to ensure that everybody using our services profits.”
The entire interview was really quite fascinating. Learning the ins and outs of how goods get from point A to point B, considerations like reducing the amount of pollution generated by the industry, and, again, just seeing this huge logistics hole, and figuring out a way to fill it.
Did I mention he’s quite young? I mean, no ageism here, folks, far from it, but this really is the future of the Self-Made Nation.
Keep an eye on Generation Zed, folks, because they are here!
Elevated Conversations: Think WHO not WHAT
I also wanted to circle back and promote again that Elevated Conversations, my virtual dinner parties with growth-oriented business owners, investors and entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs is BACK!
Our February 8th Elevated Conversations, in honor of the 2021 NHL season (yes, hockey’s big in our family!), will provide fuel to help you draft fabulous teams, and get them playing like a dream-team.
You should also check out Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s book, Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork, “When we want something done, we've been trained to ask ourselves: "How can I do this?" Well, there is a better question to ask. One that unlocks a whole new world of ease and accomplishment. Expert coach Dan Sullivan knows the question we should ask instead: "Who can do this for me?"’
Who. Not how.
I hope you’ll join me! If you want to participate, direct message me on LinkedIn, or send me an email, and I’ll get back to you.
Plus, if you’re an entrepreneur looking to exit, or you’re at the helm of a thriving business or startup, I would love to talk with you about your stories! You can drop me a line here.
And watch this space for more details about future Elevated Conversations.