When someone asks me if they’ll benefit from one of my books, I tell them: Just read a couple of pages. Actually, any two pages, for that matter. It’s the responsibility of the book to engage the reader, not the other way around. It must serve. It must entertain. It must deliver.

I’ve decided to dive back into podcasting with that exact attitude.

I’m not asking for an hour of your life. I’m inviting you to give my new show two minutes, a quick listen (ideally, a watch), and judge for yourself if it serves, entertains, and delivers. Welcome to my new podcast, Becoming Self-Made, sponsored by my buddies at Relay.

On the show, I meet with founders of companies you’ve surely heard of, like the geniuses behind The Savannah Bananas, 1-800-GOT-JUNK, and CoFertility, just to name a few. But instead of hearing the same old “I did this to get rich, and that to scale big, and blah blah blah, follow my path” junk, I ask them the questions they never get asked:

Where did they really struggle?When did they want to quit?What are they most challenged by right now?What regrets do they carry?Has it been worth it? I mean, really worth the cost?

Here’s the stunning truth I’ve discovered… these founders, no matter their company’s growth, still face the same challenges that you and I do:

Insecurity: They struggle with the internal whisper questioning “worthiness.” They feel the discomfort when stepping into the public eye or pushing themselves out there.Leadership Pressure: They grapple with the fear of pushing too hard, or conversely, not pushing hard enough to sustain growth. They’re still trying to figure out how to grow as a leader at the speed their business demands.Personal Cost: They talk about immense personal and family sacrifice. They don’t know when they will have “arrived”, if ever. They live in a process that is exhausting.

What’s the obvious observation?

Messy is normal. Struggle is the required tuition.

Whether you have three zeros in your revenue number or nine, the core challenges remain the same. The only difference is that these founders are a few chapters ahead in the same book. Becoming self-made is a journey of messy growth. Lean into the growth. Embrace the messy.

You’ve got this!

-Mike

Download this episode now and listen in. https://relayfi.com/becoming-self-made-podcast

I am so excited for you to learn with us. Follow Becoming Self Made for the six-episode pilot season, with new episodes every Tuesday, and hear unfiltered stories of founders who’ve built, stumbled, reset, and succeeded.

You’ve got this!

-Mike

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