"Bend"ing Rules -- from a team that raised 36M in a funding round, to boot-strapping his next venture, Nick McEvily doesn't sit still

Intro: Nick was fortunate to cross paths early in his career and become a co-founder of a team where Mark Cuban participated in a large financing round. Having said that, Nick's experience taught him that raising the money isn't the goal, it's building a sustainable business. Further, my interview with Nick confirms that if a founder leans into their strength(s) (be it sales, operations, product, etc.) and, if one can find complimentary skill sets he/she can be successful across a multitude of industries. Finally, since he's now seeding his next company, and deciding to take a more measured approach to solving a big problem -- enjoy. 1:26 --- Nick's Entrep Journey 4:49 -- Redefining Failure 13:36 -- The challenge of raising money in today's environment versus 2015--2019. 15:26 -- Today's VCs are out of touch with their role in the market, in part because they are getting squeezed by LPs. It was interesting to get a seasoned founder's perspective on the topic. 24:19 -- Bringing canned water to Mexico City. 30:39 -- I challenge Nick's decision to leave software industry and go into consumer packaged goods (but I like his answer:)). 44:59 -- Why Nick takes a pen and paper to every meeting 58:12 -- Most important character trait Nick identifies with that has made him successful: people