EP 66: How Patrick Butler Built 3 Wildly Different Businesses

Raising capital? Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders Get the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips: https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101  ----------------------------------------------------- What do a career coaching platform, a French-American football team, and a fraud prevention startup have in common? Meet Patrick Butler, the mind behind all three. Talk about a guy who doesn't do boring. One minute he's running a career coaching platform, the next he's starting a football team in Paris, and now he's crushing it with a fraud prevention startup called BizDefender. In this episode, Patrick shares the details of how he's jumped between totally different worlds. We're talking crazy fundraising tricks, buying up companies most people would run from, and basically rewriting the rulebook on how startups actually work. Seriously, who starts a pro football team as a side hustle? This guy. And he makes it sound like it's no big deal. It's the kind of story that makes you wonder: Are some people just wired differently? Patrick seems to turn wild ideas into businesses while most of us are still planning our next move. Want to hear about breaking every conventional rule in entrepreneurship? This is your episode. Here's what you'll find in this episode: 00:00 The Unlikely Pitch: Starting an American Football Team in France 00:48 Meet Patrick Butler: From Startup Success to Private Equity Exit 01:24 The Journey of Talent Inc.: From Struggles to Success 02:11 The Power of a Great Co-Founder: Meeting Jeff 03:29 Building Talent Inc.: The Resume Revolution 05:51 Scaling Up: Acquisitions and Growth Strategies 09:46 Navigating Fundraising: Debt, Equity, and Private Investors 19:59 Post-Exit Reflections: Life After Talent Inc. 21:30 A New Venture: Launching an American Football Team in Paris 25:51 Meeting a Nike Executive and Defining Our Vision 26:40 The Importance of a Brand Book 28:09 Convincing the French with American Football Culture 30:30 Economics of Starting a Football Team in France 31:51 Revenue Drivers and Merchandise 36:07 Launching BizDefender: A New Venture 41:13 Preventing Small Business Fraud with BizDefender 43:40 The Journey and Future of BizDefender 47:59 Final Thoughts and Contact Information ABOUT PATRICK BUTLER Patrick Butler is a serial entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of BizDefender, a first-of-its-kind fraud prevention tool for SMBs. His entrepreneurial achievements include leading Talent Inc. to a successful exit and co-founding a professional American football team in France. Patrick is passionate about creating impactful businesses while fostering innovation across industries. Connect with Patrick on: Website: www.pbutler.com Biz Defender: www.bizdefender.com ABOUT JASON Jason Kirby is the co-founder of Thunder VC. He is a serial entrepreneur with 4 multi-million exits and decades of experience in fundraising and business building. He has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs in his career on fundraising, investing, capital strategy, and business development. You can reach out to Jason through: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby/ ABOUT FUNDRAISING DEMYSTIFIED Our goal is simple: to equip you with the knowledge, inspiration, and guidance to navigate the labyrinthine world of fundraising. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking seed funding or an established founder looking to scale your business, this podcast will provide you with the tools you need to conquer the fundraising landscape. Thank you for being a loyal subscriber to Fundraising Demystified. We appreciate your support and are excited to continue bringing you more inspiring stories from successful founders.