00046. How Joe De Sena Went from Cleaning Pools to the Stock Market to Building Spartan, a World Leader in Obstacle Course Races

On today's episode of Gritty Founder, Kreig Kent talks with Joe De Sena about his entrepreneurial journey and how he built Spartan. Joe shares valuable advice on finding product-market fit, iterating early, and running lean no matter how much money you have.

Joe De Sena created the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand and is dedicated to ripping 100 million people off their couches and into the Spartan lifestyle.

Some Questions Kreig asks Joe:

- How did you come up with the idea for Spartan? (15:30)

- Describe a Spartan Race, what is it? (27:57)

- How did you build the product to manage all the participants? (30:44)

- How did you grow the business so rapidly? (31:43)

- If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your former self? (34:50)

- What is some advice for founders? (43:58)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

- About Joe’s background and how he became an entrepreneur (4:23)

- How Joe built and grew Spartan (15:37)

- Start getting feedback and iterating as soon as possible (27:08)

- Spend the time and money to build the right infrastructure and foundation early on (35:19)

- The importance of finding product-market fit (36:02)

- You need to practice adversity (37:10)

- Joe’s thoughts on parenting (38:23)

- Even if you raise money, act and operate as if you don’t have money (44:00)

- Focus on gaining momentum over margin (44:53)

- There is always room to cut expenses (45:26)

Connect with Joe De Sena:

Twitter

Personal Website

Spartan

Also Mentioned on This Show...

Joe’s favorite quote:

“Death is the price you pay for life, so make it worth it.” ―Joe De Sena

Joe’s book recommendation:

Adrift by Steven Callahan