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In This Episode You’ll Hear About:

• [03:14] Joe's early years in the Soviet Union, and the story of running away from camp!
• [08:30] Moving to the US, Joe's rebellious nature, and thoughts on what contributes to reaching beyond the status quo.
• [16:21] Joe talks about his college years at Berkeley and moving into investment banking.
• [21:04] 'Bungee jumping' into business and building the muscle to take the leap. 
• [27:15] The origin stories of Hims and Hers, and a few of Joe's other startups. 
• [38:09] Finding the perfect match for talents and values.
• [41:51] The biggest lessons from building Hims and Hers.
• [46:06] Challenges when fundraising and dealing with investors.
• [50:00] Recounting the beginnings of Dutch, choosing the company name, and the journey so far. 
• [58:13] Joe talks about his commitments as an investor and his advice for entrepreneurs.

To Find Out More:

Joe Spector on LinkedIn

Dutch

Lee Greene on LinkedIn

Stairway to CEO on Instagram

Stairway to CEO

Quotes:

“I almost think it's an entrepreneurial rite of passage to have a dating app startup.” — [0:23:05]

“One of the lessons I have learned is that you only learn by doing.” —[0:24:22]

“I always figure, it never hurts to ask.” — [0:38:05]

“There are times when people are going to see my talents and what makes me tick, and if they see that, that's that perfect match.” — [0:38:47]

“Go do the hard things!” — [0:42:01]

“We actually have clients who come to us for UTI issues, ear infections, digestion issues, nutrition and weight management. We cover over a dozen categories for our consumers, so I wanted a name that could grow into a lot of different areas.” — [0:53:15]

“The fact is that culture is happening whether you like it or not, so you can either control it and be thoughtful about it or just let it happen.” —[0:55:45]

“It's working great, and I'm like 'We need to find a bigger problem!'” —[0:57:35]

“I want to make sure that I'm able to provide money and provide them with a competitive advantage from my involvement.” — [0:59:22]

“I think earlier in your career, I would say, invest the time in building relationships, because it will pay off.” — [1:00:54]

“I am excited to make Dutch and pet telemedicine something that is a common consumer behavior.” — [1:02:31]