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Because he was “a weird little kid,” Sam Faycurry was determined to attend Harvard Business School. When he was accepted into the prestigious program, he and his family were thrilled.
But life had other plans. While helping his mother and sister, both registered dietitians, build their business, Faycurry stumbled upon an untapped business opportunity. He and his partner, Mark Stefanski, founded Fay, a digital platform that connects people with registered dietitians (RDs) who offer personalized nutrition advice and accept insurance.
Faycurry soon realized he couldn't attend Harvard and run the company at the same time, so he gave up one dream to pursue another.
Related topics: 3 things your business idea must have to be successful – as proven by famous startups from Harvard Business School
Today, at 31, he's the co-founder and CEO of Fay, which has raised $25 million in funding and is rapidly changing the landscape and accessibility of nutrition counseling. In the latest episode of the One Day with Jon Bier podcast, he talked to me about his journey from helping family members to running a venture-backed startup. Here are five key entrepreneurial lessons Faycurry learned along the way.
Get your hands dirty
Faycurry believes that experience is the best teacher. Rather than simply learning how to start a business, he believes it is just as important to get your hands dirty and just do it.
“When you read these books, it always says, 'Don't do things that don't scale.' What the hell does that mean?” he says. “But then you sit there and do things that don't scale and think, 'Oh, shit. That's what they mean.'” This hands-on approach allowed Faycurry to deeply understand the problems facing the food industry and develop tailored solutions.
Swallow your pride
To build a successful startup, you have to check your ego at the door and put your pride aside to do menial tasks that make you feel like they are someone else's problem.
Faycurry, for example, remembers his mouth being bone dry from having to lick his fingers to separate mountains of paperwork. “It's only when you do that that you realise, 'Oh, this is what it means to have a low ego.'”
However, he says that being willing to tackle unglamorous tasks head-on was crucial to understanding the intricacies of the industry.
Related: How to avoid the double-edged sword of ego in entrepreneurship
Solve real problems, not intellectual exercises
Before starting Fay, he admits he had started companies that were “more like intellectual masturbation.” He describes those early attempts as “terrible ideas” that no one really needed. It wasn't until he focused on solving a real, tangible problem for his family members that he found success.
“When you're in that intellectual state, you could think of a lot of problems to solve,” he says. “But when I helped my mother and sister open their private dietetics practice, I discovered things that people may never have noticed before.”
Be prepared to deviate from your original plan
Although he had dreamed of attending Harvard Business School his entire life, Faycurry made the difficult decision to drop out when Fay found success. “It was the hardest decision because it meant so much to my family,” he explains. “No one in my family had ever been there and it was a huge source of pride.” This ability to adapt and put business ahead of personal goals was critical to Fay's growth.
Related: Making Important Business Decisions – How to Know When to Pivot and When to Hold On
Stay hungry
Although Faycurry is the market leader, his team and employees are always aware of the danger of complacency. “In fact, that is one of our biggest weaknesses,” he admits, stressing that even when they have reached the top, they still need to keep climbing.
He points to a number of cases in the mental health sector where companies that rested on their laurels were forced out of the race, while those that had something to prove stayed in the game.
For this reason, Faycurry says, he continually asks his team to ask themselves, “How can we sustain that hunger and drive?”
Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Faycurry has learned that success often comes from the most unlikely places. He never imagined that his family's dietitian business would get in the way of his career at Harvard Business School – but that's exactly what happened. By focusing on the real problems and being willing to do the grunt work, Faycurry has managed to make a significant impact on the healthcare industry.
As Faycurry reflects on his journey, from helping his mother and sister with paperwork to running a venture-backed startup, he remains confident that Fay will make a difference. “It feels like it,” he says. “Whether it's successful, I don't know. I'm not here to say. But for some reason, deep down, it feels like it.”
Faycurry's story reminds us that sometimes the most promising business ideas come from the most unexpected sources – even licking some taped-together papers in a suburban office.
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