From Alcoholic to a $2 billion Exit

I believe that the entire world around is a direct product of those who build it & fund it. That is why I started the Builders & Funders Show.

The idea is this - there are lots of business podcasts out there. Some talk to entrepreneurs. Some talk to investors. Some are agnostic.

But I’ve found all of them to lack the ability to truly tell the stories of their guests with depth. One big issue, among many, is that they fail to capture the defeats, victories, and lessons in one story.

My goal with this show is to capture the full story - not just the shiny achievements & advice but also capture and tell the stories from the valleys of despair.

While finding people who aren’t a part of the usual podcast circuits - there are lots of interesting people in the world.

Without further ado, this newsletter’s main goal is to give you a weekly dose of the most interesting stories I get to tell.

A shortened version of stories from the podcast that make an impression on me.

The Dose

JR Butler grew up playing hockey - it was his entire identity growing up. He played in college and thought he might go pro. But things didn’t work out and he lost it at 22.

Losing the one thing that formed so much of his identity hit him hard.

In his words, from 22 to 27 were JRs “mutant” years. He describes it as a period with lots of hospitals & handcuffs.

So what happened at 27 that snapped him out of it? His younger brother was signed into the NHL & his family was flown out to Canada by the team to see him play.

That game was his epiphany moment - in his words seeing his brother dialed in did something to him.

But things didn’t change right away. You’d think he went home, got his act together, and found a new purpose to work towards.

Unfortunately, he spent a few more years relapsing on substance abuse until he realized one thing.

You see - some people are naturally obsessive. Some use it to build conglomerates, others to drink till they black out.

So JR completely quit and started directing the same obsessive energy towards something new - building businesses.

He joined Turbonomic when it was still early & growing and helped build it all the way till it was acquired by IBM for $2 billion in 2021.

But even then the journey of Turbonomic wasn’t smooth sailing. But that’s a story for next time.

Till the next story 🫡

If you found this dose valuable, go to the Builders & Funders channel to hear JRs full story.