TSG 34: Building a Business After a Breakdown

We've all heard, in some form or another, the old adage that "you have to hit rock bottom before you can truly change." In the case of my friend Jan, his rock bottom was a nervous breakdown due to the compounding stress of being an employee, a student, and a man in his 20s trying to figure things out. It turns out, some men aren't built to be employees, while others aren't built to be entrepreneurs. When you're the latter, you see the risks, the uncertainty, and the stress as too much to handle and you'd rather work and build your future under a company's umbrella. When you're the former, you see all those risks, uncertainty, and stress as a welcome opportunity to build something YOU can control. Being at the mercy of a corporation is too risky for the entrepreneur, while being at the mercy of your own limiting beliefs and fears, is too risky for the employee. In this episode of The Sharp Gentleman Podcast, I'm joined by my friend Jan Koch, founder and creative mind behind Little Oak, a company of exquisite wooden watches, and we're discussing what it's like building a business after a breakdown. There's an ugly side to being an entrepreneur at heart, and sometimes it rears its head at the least opportune time.