EP30: Dan Martell’s story – from rehab to San Francisco

Dan Martell discovered computers in rehab. After he overcame his problems with drugs, he taught himself to program. From there, he started building businesses. Eventually, he travelled to San Francisco to learn everything he could from the startup scene.You might recognize his former product: Flowtown, and his current one: Clarity. In this episode Dan shares his story from the beginning, and how he overcame a difficult beginning to build his own products.Notable quotes“I had a hard upbringing, my mother was an alcoholic. I was removed from my home.”“Built tree forts, when I was 8 or 9, and I would charge the other kids to come play in them”“I’ve always been into building and selling stuff… so I took to selling drugs.”“It was in rehab that I discovered computers. I learned to build stuff that wasn’t illegal.”“A lot of the stuff you learn selling drugs, translates to business acumen.”“Clarity’s foundation is getting advice from people that have been there before. ”“You should only get advice from people that have been there before.”“My uncle was selling roller blades in his basement.”“As soon as possible, your company needs to make money. If you can get anyone to show up and pay you $1, you’ve made it on the internet.”“People don’t [charge money for their products], because they’re scared that their product sucks.”“It took me a few failed attempts before I made my first million.”“When I was 21, I was hired to work for an oil company in the tar sands. My job title was Solutions Architect.”“I almost went bankrupt in 6 weeks.”“I became a millionaire when I was 27.”“I get 3-4 venture cap firms cold emailing me every week.”Show noteshttp://www.danmartell.com/https://twitter.com/danmartellhttps://clarity.fm/#/danmartellhttp://maplebutter.com/Premium SponsorsSprint.ly – Our premium sponsor is Sprint.ly. Sprint.ly is agile project management software with one goal: to help you ship more stuff. You can try them out for free at  www.sprint.ly. You can also thank them on Twitter:  @sprintlyWPengine – Are you frustrated with your current web host provider? A few years ago I was looking to switch from my current cheap host to something more robust: but trying to search online for hosting providers is a nightmare (there’s so much spam in the search results). Then Rob Walling recommended  WPengine. I’ve been with them ever since. If you’re looking for dedicated WordPress hosting, that can handle huge traffic spikes (like 40,000 visits in a day), is lightning fast, and has great support I highlight recommend them.  Click here to get up to 2 months free.Shout outsShout-out #1: Product People newsletterShout-out #2: Save 10% on domains at Hover.com 🎙️ Podcast hosting is provided by Transistor.fm.📺 Learn how to start your own podcast!