BiggerPockets Business Podcast 67: Thinking BIG and Raising $70 Million with Jay Reno

Have you ever thought about starting a BIG business?  Ever wondered what the first steps were to raising tens of millions of dollars?  Do you unintentionally impose limitations on what you think you can accomplish? Have you ever thought, “If I just had more money, I could take my idea to the next level!”? If so, this episode is for you! Jay Reno, founder of Feather, has thought BIG from the start. His entrepreneurial journey began with an idea a bit ahead of its time. When that venture didn’t work out so well, he took the lessons he learned to bootstrap a whole new concept. Living in New York City and identifying with the trend of a new generation of people defining success through life experiences rather than being tied down to meaningless material possessions, Jay recognized an opportunity to put his degree in Climate & Environmental Sciences to work. With just a few thousand dollars and a ton of hard work and diligence, Jay quickly achieved proof of concept for Feather, a furniture rental company providing a flexible and sustainable alternative to ownership. In this episode, Jay tells us about his amazing experience at Y Combinator, an incubator program where other leading companies like DoorDash, AirBNB, and Dropbox also got their start. He offers insight on the pros and cons of raising money vs. bootstrapping your way to success. (Yes, there actually IS heartache involved, even when investors have pumped 70 MILLION DOLLARS into your company.) And he provides awesome examples of taking risks, making bets, and positioning yourself to be lucky when the time is right. Make sure you pay attention to Jay’s reminders about the common excuses potential entrepreneurs make that hold them back, to make sure you overcome and avoid standing in your own way of greatness. Check him out, and subscribe to the BiggerPockets Business Podcast so you won’t miss our next show!