AmiSight 10/27: 15+ Businesses Later: Lessons From the Startup He Lost

On this episode of AmiSights, we talk with Mark Winters, author of Rocket Fuel and Visionary. Mark has started, bought, sold, or shut down 15+ businesses. His first was a cyber cafe in Milwaukee in the early days of the internet. It drew gamers, families, and local TV crews. Then one investor blocked new funding and the business had to close. Mark shares the pricing lessons from that first venture. He talks about the analytics companies he built and sold, including one acquired by Experian. He also explains why he now helps visionaries and integrators climb out of what he calls the pit.

“You make the leap thinking, ‘I’m going to make more money than I ever have. I’m going to have control over my time. I’m going to only work with people that I love. I’m going to make a huge difference in the world.’ And then you find yourself six months into it, twelve months into it, and you’re like, ‘This is nothing like that. I’ve never worked more hours.’”

The three main topics of today's episode are:

• How Mark’s first startup, a Milwaukee cyber cafe, took off and then closed when one investor blocked new funding

• Building and selling analytics companies, including one acquired by Experian

• The visionary and integrator partnership behind Rocket Fuel, the book Mark wrote with Gino Wickman