This is an excerpt from a Tech In Chicago podcast episode. To listen to the whole episode and catch up with all Tech In Chicago episodes, click here.
This transcript has been lightly condensed and edited.
Colin Keeley: Do you have any parting advice for founder’s or potential founders that may be listening?
Stu Grubbs: You can teach a lot of things, but you can’t teach everything. Sometimes you meet somebody when you’re hiring, that doesn’t have all the skills that you need, but you can’t teach someone to be a person you’d want to have a beer with. I think that foundation of a culture is important.
I’m not saying you can just build a company that doesn’t focus on all that stuff. Not to sound too hippy, but if you don’t have that fundamental respect for each other, care for each other, and sort of the values around it that make you treat each other with respect and interact with your community. You know the external effect of that culture is gathering a community around you that loves you. Without all of that, the rest is going to suck.
Building a company is hard enough. It’s miserable. When you make your first dollar, investors want 10 to follow. All of those things are going to be very difficult at each stage of the company and the one thing that I think keeps it all worth it is just loving what you do and doing it with people that you love. If you don’t have that get back to basics and then go back to building a business.
About Tech In Chicago:
Tech In Chicago takes you inside the Chicago tech world. Each week Colin Keeley is joined by Chicago’s top founders and investors to talk about the amazing companies being built right here. If you want to learn more about Tech In Chicago, head to TechInChicago.co
I would love to hear your thoughts on the show and any guests I should have on. Please reach out @TechInChicago. You can also find me @ColinKeeley
