Tim Eisenhauer

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From Zero to Exit

I lost everything. Twice. Here's how simple rules won.

The timeline:

  • Left safe government job

  • Moved to California

  • Slept on a couch

  • Got swindled by partners

  • Started over

  • Got embezzled

  • Started over again

  • Built something real

  • Sold for 8 figures

The pattern? Every loss taught one lesson: Keep it simple.

Here's how we built it:

  1. Start Small

  • One customer at a time

  • One feature at a time

  • One employee at a time

  1. Stay Real

  • Do every job yourself first

  • Train your replacement

  • Move to the next problem

  1. Think Clear

  • No fancy business plans

  • No MBA buzzwords

  • No "growth hacking"

Just:

  • Build something useful

  • Make it work better

  • Help real people

The result?

  • Millions of daily users

  • Enterprise-level software

  • 8-figure exit

Then two MBAs "knew everything better." So we smiled and left.

The secret?

  • There are no absolutes

  • When stuck, leave it

  • Everything will be OK

Want proof? Every time I lost everything, these rules brought it back. Bigger.

Think for yourself. Test everything. Keep what works.

And smile when the MBAs arrive.