))
Alex Bean on Selling Divvy for $2.5B, Early Hustles, & Building Factory for Good | Ep 96
Manage episode 489597793 series 3364823
Content provided by Paige Finn Doherty. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Paige Finn Doherty or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://ppacc.player.fm/legal.
Alex Bean, co-founder of Divvy (acquired by BILL.com for $2.5B), joins us to share his founder journey - from teaching ski lessons at 16 to starting multiple scrappy businesses, to scaling Divvy into a fintech giant.
In this episode, we talk about the lessons learned from both early failures and billion-dollar success, what not to do when launching a company, and how he's now building Factory to support other founders.
This episode includes:
• His earliest business ideas (including one called “Plum Tree Jewelry”)
• Why chasing margins doesn’t work
• Divvy’s scale-up and acquisition journey
• What he's building now with Factory for Good
• Advice to young founders just getting started
Reach out to Paige:
[email protected]
Twitter/X: https://x.com/paigefinnn
Website: https://www.behindgeniusventures.com/
Connect with Alex:
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbean/
Factory for Good– https://factoryforgood.com/
Listen to Seed to Harvest everywhere:
Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/seed-to-harvest/id1600933931
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@seedtoharvest/videos
Chapters
1. Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:00:00)
2. Early Business Ventures (00:01:48)
3. Lessons from Early Failures (00:04:00)
4. Founding Divvy: The Origin Story (00:04:59)
5. Co-Founder Dynamics and Roles (00:09:04)
6. Hiring Mistakes and Key Hires (00:14:45)
7. The Importance of Firing Yourself (00:18:59)
8. The Reality of Hustle Culture (00:20:39)
9. Balancing Work and Family (00:21:56)
10. The Financing Journey of Divvy (00:24:45)
11. Guerilla Marketing Tactics (00:28:09)
12. Life After the Exit (00:30:56)
13. Factory for Good: Making an Impact (00:35:44)
14. Reflections and Future Plans (00:41:46)
97 episodes
Share
