How to Create Your Own Luck as a Creator: Justin Gordon's Incredible Journey From Training NFL Pros to Venture Capital to Full-Time Creator First Class Founders: Creators | Solopreneurs | Personal HoldCo

E26: Justin Gordon went from training alongside elite athletes such as LaDainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees to working with an amazing community of entrepreneurs and founders as the Director of Marketing and Communication at a VC firm called Vitalize VC.

He's also the creator of a popular podcast and newsletter called Just Go Grind. I spoke to Justin about his journey from the world of personal fitness to venture capital and came away with a ton of amazing insights such as the similarities between athletics and entrepreneurship, how he applies his learnings as a fitness trainer in the VC world, how he built a network of founders through his content creation, how his podcast got him hired at his current role, and finally what he considers to be the most important quality for an entrepreneur to have.
Also, I'll share some of Justin's thoughts on the Silicon Valley bank fiasco that has been unraveling for the past few weeks and his thoughts on how founders can survive in the current uncertain fundraising climate.
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TOPICS:

Training Elite NFL Athletes Like Drew Brees & LaDainian Tomlinson (3:51)

Launching a Personal Fitness Business (5:25)

Joining an E-Commerce Company (6:24)

Why Justin Got His MBA in California (7:02)

How Justin Started His Podcast (7:42)

How Justin Got His VC Job Through His Podcast (8:16)

Two Types of Personal Trainers (9:18)

Similarities Between Elite Athletes & Top Entrepreneurs (13:05)

Mailchimp Founder, Ben Chestnut (14:47)

Small Businesses vs. VC-Backed Companies (15:14)

When Fundraising, Narrative Is Just As Important As Traction  (16:28)

How to Navigate Silicon Valley Bank Fiasco (22:05)

Fundraising During Market Turmoil (23:11)

Gobble Founder, Ooshma Garg (24:04)

Knowing What Levers to Pull as an Entrepreneur (26:10)

Making Game Time Adjustments on the Field (27:57)

Calendly Founder, Tope Awotona (30:25)

Paul Graham, Founder at Y Combinator: Relentlessly Resourceful (31:10)

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LINKS:

Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter
JustGoGrind Newsletter
JustGoGrind Podcast



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First Class Founders is a show for indie hackers, bootstrapped founders, CEOs, solopreneurs, content creators, startup entrepreneurs, and SaaS startups covering topics like build in public, audience growth, product marketing, scaling up, side hustles, holding company, etc.

Past guests include Arvid Kahl, Tyler Denk, Noah Kagan, Clint Murphy, Jay Abraham, Andrew Gazdecki, Matt McGarry, Nick Huber, Khe Hy, and more.

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