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👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Darren Lauda

LinkedIn: Darren Lauda

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.outsetops.com

In this episode, Darren Lauda shares his unconventional path from joining the U.S. Army after high school to building a successful career in enterprise software and launching his AI forecasting company, Outset.

Darren opens up about the early years of his career in software sales, working his way from receptionist to executive leadership at major technology companies. He also shares a deeply personal moment when a voicemail from his young son forced him to reevaluate his priorities and completely rethink how he approached work, health, and family.

We discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, fitness, discipline, and why founders must learn to fail fast and iterate quickly.

What you’ll learn:

• Why entrepreneurship always takes longer than expected

• The dangers of putting career ahead of family

• How Darren rebuilt his health and fitness after years of neglect

• Why forecasting is critical for scaling companies

• The mindset founders need to move quickly and learn from failure

⏱️ CHAPTERS 

0:00 – From Army Service to Software Sales

1:05 – Building a Career in Enterprise Software

4:28 – The Voicemail That Changed His Priorities

8:05 – Health, Fitness & Personal Discipline

14:58 – Advice for Entrepreneurs: Fail Fast

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/leogestetner

Website

leogestetner.com/leo

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