I have an idea for something new and I want to know what you think before I launch it. 💡

Calling all former founders, first time entrepreneurs, and aspiring operators: speak up, please!

I can’t take credit for this in its entirety— Thingtesting founder Jenny Gyllander gave me the idea and some motivation to take the plunge. Thank you, Jenny!!

Reasonably often, former founders— or founders who are still running their businesses but walking away or looking for work elsewhere— find my work and reach out to me. They want to talk 1 to 1 and get some advice or reassurance about the hardest, ugliest, worst parts of entrepreneurship.

Without exception, I believe I’ve taken pretty much every call. I didn’t know who to call when it happened to me, the few nuggets I did get from other founders were transformative for my mental health. I was in a really, really, really dark place.

People play hard outcomes and failures super close to the chest. Fucking things up or losing are gauche in today’s LinkedIn, chest puffing, alpha, thought leadership superiority circle jerk of an industry. My own parents are serial entrepreneurs who have said goodbye to multiple companies, and I didn’t even talk to them about walking away from my business.

The only time I did get to connect with another founder going through a similar thing was when they willingly opened up to me of their own volition. A select few made themselves vulnerable when they didn’t even know I was in the same boat— and at times, I really feel like their honesty and gumption in sharing the truth might have saved my life at my lowest low.

But the 1 to 1 nature of those conversations is quite limiting. It keeps the truth of the experience from ever really getting out.

All these smart, interesting people are going through the same hard things, often at the same hard time— and no one is really talking about it. My writing set me free in that sense, and I’m glad it’s resonated with so many of you, but I think we can still do better.

I want to build a community of former founders, current founders, and even potentially aspiring founders, where we can actually have a real, supportive and honest dialogue about the shitty parts— and let’s be real, there are a lot of shitty parts.

So many of you are already here and have been for a long time.

This is, of course, why I started writing in the first place. Nothing new here: I just want to invite you in.

Substack Chat is an interesting venue, but it has many flaws, so likely this will be a Slack or Geneva community. I’m calling it The Corral, and you’re welcome whether its your first rodeo (pun intended), second, third, fourth or fifth.

This could be a good fit for you if…:

• You are walking away from your business, looking to sell your business, or beginning to contemplate your next chapter and need to lean on folks who have done all of the above

• You’re just getting started with your business/founder journey and want moral support and/or advice from seasoned veterans— without hiring a pricy exec coach

• You’re lonely as a solo operator or remote leader and want to feel some community with your peers

• “Networking” grosses you out and feels transactional, but connection is still an important value for you

I’d like to do some in-person stuff, and there will be some mechanisms to prevent bad actors, gossips, or anyone with any intentions short of 100% honest connection— but let’s not put cart before horse.

What I’m hoping to find out from you today, via the polls below:

• Would this be useful to you?

• If yes, how would you be most likely to regularly engage?

Please vote, I appreciate you! :)

I’ll make some decisions on next steps based on the amount of interest— so if this is something that would be helpful for you, I’d love to hear it loud and clear.

If it’s not meant to be… so be it. I’ll find another venue to organize for those who need it when the time and opportunity is right. 🫶