S02-INT06: Jon Carder, Super Entrepreneur: Lessons in Perseverence (Keeping the Dream Alive)

After selling his company for millions at age 26, Jon Carder briefly retires to surf the South Pacific. It turns out to be a very short "retirement" that lasts only about 3 weeks...

“I think doing a business for money is absolutely the wrong motivation and will actually lead to a lot of challenges.

“The only thing you have to do to be successful is to be better than just about everyone else at just one thing. It's simple but it's not easy." ~Jon Carder

At just 26, Jon Carder was featured on the cover of Fortune Small Business magazine (link) wearing just board shorts and holding a surfboard as the sun set with the title, "Time to Sell?" He had just sold his company for millions and was ready to "retire" and surf.

But Jon Carder isn't your typical Southern California surf rat. He's also been featured in Business Insider and dozens of other publications and is an active member of the Entrepreneurs Organization and a mentor with The Founders Institute. He has founded several multi-million-dollar companies, and along the way has raised upwards of $35 million.

While his "success" story is legendary, it's actually his entire story— the failures, the struggles and all the hard work, agility and perseverance — that make for a very educational and entertaining interview, particularly for the aspiring entrepreneur.

In this episode, Jon recounts his unique journey from selling microwaved hot dogs in his neighborhood as a kid, to selling baby products at a swap meet in college and later selling one of his companies for millions. Today, Jon is on the precipice of changing the face of online-to-offline commerce with his innovative technology.

In this episode JC shares:

Why not to start any business The surfing insight that led to his abundance mindset How following others' insights helped him evolve his companies
Why great marketing can never make up for poor customer service — there's a funny story here The critical importance of focus
How he picked himself up through failure and depression to start his second company— the one he ultimately sold! How three months into his next company they netted over $100,000
How he actually applied the lessons learned from his prior company failure
The birthing of MojoPages, MOGL and of course, Empyr
His desire and passion to create a positive impact Donating about 1 million meals to help feed those in need The origination of his online-to-offline platform and API, a HUGE opportunity resulting from his persistence and something known as the "corridor principle" The KEY mindset that carries him through the darkest of times Relax HARD! His key success habits these days and so much more...

“What really makes me happy is following that journey, and not just for the ups and downs, but doing it for the potential positive impact…the bigger the impact the more thrilling the ride."

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Resources

EMPYR - Empyr

Jon Carder Blog

Business Insider Article on Jon Carder

Elon Musk (book) Jon mentions

The Score Takes Care of Itself - Bill Walsh
(Correction: MG mistakenly thinks JC is talking about Bill Walton... This is a great book by the former legendary Forty-Niner Coach, Bill Walsh!)

The Habit Factor app

The Habit Factor template

The Habit Factor book

Big Brothers Big Sisters