Ben Leonard – In-Depth
On this episode of Seller Sessions, Ben Leonard shares his experience of selling his first business and working with experts to invest his exit money smartly. He talks about the challenges he faced while setting up his own brand, including facing legal challenges and self-doubt. Ben also discusses the impact of entrepreneurship on mental health and how this played a role in turning around to build BeastGear into a 6m business before exiting to Thrasio in Nov 2019.
– Ben’s Personal Story
– Ben’s initial career in environmental advising
– Heart problem and mental health struggles that led to his entrepreneurial spark
– Mistakes he made with trademarks and selling his business
– Ben’s Business Journey
– How Ben started his business with the Beast Rope jump rope
– How he ordered samples from manufacturers and refined the product with boxers
– Legal challenge from a Canadian company that sued Ben for patent infringement
– Advice from Scott, and Ben’s customer-first approach
– Personal Finance and Investing
– Ben’s journey meeting an independent financial advisor after selling his first business
– Importance of working with experts and learning enough about a topic to understand it
– Ben’s investment strategy after selling his business
– Importance of saving money in multiple accounts to protect against bank busts
– Ben’s lifestyle changes after the sale
– Entrepreneurship and Mental Health
– Why people become entrepreneurs
– Mental health issues prevalent among entrepreneurs
– Potential genetic link between entrepreneurship and mental health issues
