WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.470 My name is Adam Lions, and I'm an entrepreneur. 2 00:00:03.470 --> 00:00:06.580 line:15% The first company I started was called The Zebra, 3 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:08.460 line:15% and today we are the most visited 4 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:11.980 line:15% insurance comparison website in the United States. 5 00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:14.940 line:15% Started the company to make insurance black and white. 6 00:00:14.940 --> 00:00:18.050 Started the company to create a kayak 7 00:00:18.050 --> 00:00:20.810 line:15% or Priceline type experience 8 00:00:20.810 --> 00:00:22.500 line:15% where folks could put in information 9 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:24.690 line:15% and really understand and see 10 00:00:24.690 --> 00:00:26.380 line:15% all of the different insurance options 11 00:00:26.380 --> 00:00:28.450 line:15% that are available to them in real time. 12 00:00:28.450 --> 00:00:29.680 Some of the first things it was, 13 00:00:29.680 --> 00:00:32.776 was start to get the ideas onto paper. 14 00:00:32.776 --> 00:00:36.830 And no matter how silly it looked, just get it out there, 15 00:00:36.830 --> 00:00:38.780 'cause you can iterate on it, and build on it, 16 00:00:38.780 --> 00:00:40.330 and improve on it. 17 00:00:40.330 --> 00:00:42.700 And so that was, I think that was a big first step. 18 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:44.710 And then from there, you just start to learn, 19 00:00:44.710 --> 00:00:46.000 okay, I'm gonna need to do this. 20 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:48.730 line:15% Okay, now I need to think about raising money. 21 00:00:48.730 --> 00:00:50.370 line:15% Now I need to think about hiring people, 22 00:00:50.370 --> 00:00:52.300 line:15% and I need to think about launching a product. 23 00:00:52.300 --> 00:00:53.660 line:15% Now, we're in insurance, 24 00:00:53.660 --> 00:00:55.380 I need to think about licensing, 25 00:00:55.380 --> 00:00:57.230 and how do I navigate the regulation here. 26 00:00:57.230 --> 00:00:58.850 And so, you just, you just start to, 27 00:00:58.850 --> 00:01:01.420 if you set the goal, and then you start to 28 00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:03.170 just realize all the road blocks, 29 00:01:03.170 --> 00:01:05.270 and just start to figure out how to get over them 30 00:01:05.270 --> 00:01:06.103 and around them. 31 00:01:06.103 --> 00:01:08.110 In the beginning of the business, 32 00:01:08.110 --> 00:01:10.720 I was very, very hands on with the product. 33 00:01:10.720 --> 00:01:13.470 Every little pixel I was hyper focused on. 34 00:01:13.470 --> 00:01:15.000 Very, very hands on with the business model, 35 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.690 and you're still, you're testing a lot of things. 36 00:01:17.690 --> 00:01:19.860 So it's very much a roller coaster of, 37 00:01:19.860 --> 00:01:23.350 oh, wow, this thing we thought wasn't gonna work is working, 38 00:01:23.350 --> 00:01:25.160 line:15% and this thing is absolutely not. 39 00:01:25.160 --> 00:01:27.030 line:15% So we have to cut it. 40 00:01:27.030 --> 00:01:28.290 line:15% And so at the beginning you're very hands on 41 00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:29.123 line:15% with a lot of that. 42 00:01:29.123 --> 00:01:30.750 line:15% Then as the company starts to grow, and scale, 43 00:01:30.750 --> 00:01:32.010 line:15% and you've started to figure out things, 44 00:01:32.010 --> 00:01:33.760 line:15% your day to day changes a bit 45 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:36.330 where you may be meeting with more investors, 46 00:01:36.330 --> 00:01:38.120 thinking about hiring. 47 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:40.990 Maybe you're not as much in the weeds on 48 00:01:40.990 --> 00:01:41.870 how did we do today, 49 00:01:41.870 --> 00:01:43.770 but what's going to happen next month, 50 00:01:43.770 --> 00:01:45.733 and planning, and strategy. 51 00:01:47.130 --> 00:01:48.620 And so, but I think it does depend on 52 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:49.470 the type of entrepreneur. 53 00:01:49.470 --> 00:01:52.250 If you're more of a product-focused entrepreneur, 54 00:01:52.250 --> 00:01:54.630 if you're more of a visionary type of entrepreneur, 55 00:01:54.630 --> 00:01:56.040 if you're more of an engineer, 56 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:57.450 line:15% and you're really, you're coding, 57 00:01:57.450 --> 00:01:58.940 line:15% and you're figuring out these very difficult problems, 58 00:01:58.940 --> 00:02:03.300 line:15% technically, I think that will impact your day to day. 59 00:02:03.300 --> 00:02:06.100 line:15% But, anyway you cut it, if you're an entrepreneur, 60 00:02:06.100 --> 00:02:07.460 line:15% and you're building a company, 61 00:02:07.460 --> 00:02:09.100 you're gonna be consumed with that idea, 62 00:02:09.100 --> 00:02:12.963 and consumed with making sure that it's successful.