Back to the Basics with Justin McLeod Surthrive

Ben Chestnut turned his side hustle into a multi-billion dollar startup without raising any venture capital.

In this episode of Back to the Basics with Justin McLeod, Ben Chestnut, Co-Founder of Mailchimp, shares his unconventional startup success story of going from web designer to startup founder, the decision to NOT take venture capital, what it takes to transition from a founder to a CEO, and how and why he sold his company to Intuit for $12 Billion.

This episode is for you if you are:

- Working a full-time job and have a startup on the side.
- Questioning if you should raise venture capital or stay bootstrapped
- Running a rapidly growing company and trying to determine what it truly means to be a CEO


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/b2b-justin-surthrive/support

Back to the Basics is a podcast series that highlights the backstory of resilient startup founders, investors, and operators in tech who have overcome the stereotypes and biases faced in the startup world to trailblaze their own path to success in a non-traditional way.



These guests take us back to their humble beginnings as they share the trials and triumphs of their startup journey while providing listeners with actionable tips and tactics on running a successful startup. This show is powered by Surthrive.



New Season, Dropping Soon!


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/b2b-justin-surthrive/support

Arlan Hamilton went from being homeless to building a venture capital firm that has managed over $20M in funds and has invested in 200 startup companies.



In this episode, Arlan, Founder of Backstage Capital, shares her story of breaking into venture capital, what it's like raising money as a VC, and the type of mentality you need to have when being unapologetically disruptive in tech.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/b2b-justin-surthrive/support

As a solo Black female-founder, Sevetri Wilson has made history multiple times for the millions of dollars she has raised for her startup, Resilia.

In this episode, Sevetri shares her story of running a startup as a solo founder, shifting from bootstrapped to venture-backed, and breaking tech's status quo as a Black, solo, female-founder based in the South. 


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/b2b-justin-surthrive/support

Durantae Lucas is the Head of Finance at a venture capital firm that invested early in Calendly and SalesLoft, two unicorn startups valued at over $1 Billion.



In this episode, Durantae of Atlanta Ventures shares tips on how to maintain cash flow and create a financial plan that could help your company become the next unicorn status startup.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/b2b-justin-surthrive/support

Jermaine Brown transformed his love for luxury cars into a lucrative software company that drove $11 million dollars in revenue without raising any outside capital. 



In this episode, Jermaine, Founder of CCAW Automative Group, shares his story of finding product market fit, bootstrapping his startup to millions, and how you can determine if you want to bootstrap your startup or raise venture capital.


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/b2b-justin-surthrive/support