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In this episode, I sit down with David Fastuca, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Locomote. David shares the raw, behind-the-scenes truth of building, scaling, and exiting a startup without raising external capital. We explore the emotional challenges of entrepreneurship, the toll it takes on relationships, and why success without alignment can still feel like failure.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Introduction
(01:15) - How David started Locomote and scaled without funding
(06:32) - The personal cost of building a business
(10:55) - Dealing with burnout and founder guilt
(13:44) - Navigating identity crises post-exit
(18:20) - How his business affected his marriage
(22:11) - What true alignment in business and life looks like
(25:40) - Stepping back from ego-driven decisions
(28:55) - Why purpose matters more than success
(33:28) - What David would change if he started over
(37:10) - Mental health strategies for founders
(41:45) - Closing thoughts
Check out today's guest, David Fastuca:
Buy David's Book: https://www.growthforum.io/buybook
David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfastuca/
Check out The Futur:
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Check out Chris Do:
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