Josh Melick is a man of many talents, having founded multiple startups in his career. Now, Josh is a consultant and owner of a business that provides coaching and guidance to startup founders.
Being a small business consultant doesn’t mean he’s slowing down or taking a break from innovating. In fact, Josh is launching his latest project with the help of an Indiegogo campaign. We had the pleasure to talk with him about this new project, his experience in the startup world, and advice for other entrepreneurs.
Here’s what he had to say:
What is your most recent project? How did it come about?
We are launching an online school called “Startup Dojo.” We’re building an online course that teaches people how they can create products that people want and the process of doing that.
The idea came from our other business, to which we’ve given a lot of thought. We’re pretty lucky: we get to see what does and does not work for people as they build their startups, and then we can use that knowledge to improve upon it (in terms of teaching).
If you had to advise entrepreneurs just getting started, what would you say?
I have a lot of thoughts on this. The most important takeaway is that you shouldn’t expect things to go according to plan. You need to be prepared for failure and not let it discourage you from learning from your mistakes and trying again.
There are so many great blogs and books on this topic, and I’d encourage everyone to read as much of it as they can. It’s like exercise: if you never do it, your muscles atrophy and cause more problems than they solve.
I think the most valuable thing we’ve learned is to make sure we’re always learning something new every day. This keeps us fresh and prevents us from getting into a pattern that makes us feel comfortable but isn’t helping the business.
What was your motivation for starting this project? Why do you think it will make a difference?
In the past, we’ve been part of startups as employees, co-founders, and consultants. In those roles, we’ve been a part of a team, but also as a company owner. For the first time, we’re going to be able to deliver an experience from both sides. We can’t wait to take what we’ve learned and teach people who want to learn.
We think the “Startup Dojo” will make a difference by helping people learn how to develop products that people want. It’s tough for startup founders to do this independently, and we’ve seen firsthand the pain points they face because of it.
What impact (if any) does your company hope to make?
We hope “Startup Dojo” will change peoples’ lives. It’s not that far of a stretch to say with 100k/year, you can make life-changing money. The most important thing is for people to take control of their income and learn how to budget it properly with their needs vs. wants.
Everyone who has ever had a job or even knows what a 401(k) is, knows the power of passive income. It’s so much better to build something that gives you money without having to do anything than it is to force people to work for you.