Arcbound Update #10

A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDERS

Never leave the game too early.

Ray Kroc was closing in on retirement. Or, he would have been, if he could just get his sales up for the Prince Castle milkshake mixers he was looking to sell. And then, out of the blue, a pair of brothers from San Bernardino purchased eight of his mixers for one restaurant, which they’d called McDonald’s. He decided to get in on their business. 

By 1961, Kroc had expanded McDonald’s from seven locations to nearly 400 and purchased the brothers’ equity to the tune of $2.7 million—about $26 million today. He was 59 years old.

We love a “late bloomer” here at Arcbound, because they know how to play the long game.

In Gary Carmell’s The Philosophical Investor, he writes that success “involves a process of discovery, trial and error, and hypothesis testing. It requires a level of open-mindedness, humility, and confidence.”

Sometimes, it just requires waiting.

As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, not every moment is about thriving. Some of them are about making it through. And if you leave the game in one of those moments, you might miss the exact opportunity you’ve been waiting for—or one you didn’t even know existed.

Jon Hamm promised himself that he’d quit trying to be an actor once he hit 30, but he just couldn’t let go of his dream. He booked Mad Men at 37.

Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first book in her Little House series when she was 65.

Bob Ross began teaching painting at 41.

Vera Wang decided to “try” being a fashion designer at 40.

Joseph A. Campbell developed condensed tomato soup at 78.

Whether you’re an investor or a business owner, sometimes waiting for the right opportunity can feel like it’s taking forever. And while playing the long game can feel exhausting, it’s almost always worth it.

Just ask Ray Kroc.

The One Away Show

David Geier: One Near Death Experience Away From a New Path

Dr. David Geier is a double board-certified orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist, author, keynote speaker, and medical media expert. David takes pride in helping his patients feel and perform their best, regardless or age, injury, or medical condition. As a surgeon who suffered burnout earlier in his career, David is passionate about helping other physicians overcome and eliminate burnout themselves.

In this episode, David and Bryan discuss the tangible and intangible skills it takes to be a surgeon, how your childhood habits affect you as an adult, and what it looks like to reach a crossroads and bet on yourself.

PERSONAL BRANDING

Being a Venture Capitalist Means Having a Personal Brand

It may feel antithetical to everything you’ve ever heard, but being a VC isn’t just about finding the right companies to invest in. It’s also about being the right investor for a company. After all, a good VC doesn’t drop their money and run.

Investing in a startup means putting two major things on the line: your money and your reputation.

The companies you’re considering are grappling with the same types of decisions. Who they choose to partner with and how they spend their money matters a great deal to them, too. 

Arcbound Spotlight

Welcoming Account Strategist: Janine Lyman!

Janine Lyman is an account strategist, overseeing client relationships, client strategies, and the teams that execute those strategies.

Before joining the Arcbound team, Janine served as an operations strategist within several startup teams. Janine has championed rebranding efforts, website launches, product branding, company-wide systems conversions, culture management, message refinement, product ideation/development, as well as behind the scenes data analysis, tracking, and development of systems and processes. While her experience spans numerous industries, her mission remains constant and unwavering. She never stops looking for the potential of opportunity.

In a COVID-ridden world, she decided to use her online teaching experience to help students and fellow educators during a very uncertain time. As a math professor, speaker, and mentor, she not only advocated for relevance in the classroom at all costs, but also coached her students to not aim high or aim low, but rather to “aim right”. Janine then ventured into entrepreneurship to help set up Invata, which helps learners of all types build an educationally sound and hyper-personalized path to their goals.

Janine is a highly motivated woman who came to the US as an international student (from South Africa). She worked her way through 10 years of college, with 8 jobs at once, and no student debt. Her journey is evident of her resilience, but also her ability to trust herself when it comes to defining and achieving her success. While she relishes the pursuit of humanizing every experience, she also finds peace and confidence while traveling, training dogs, or writing songs and poetry.

In 2009, Janine graduated from Georgia State University with a Master of Science in Mathematics and a Minor in Music (Cum Laude). Prior to that, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (Magna Cum Laude), and also holds an Associates degree in Mathematics and Computer Science (Magna Cum Laude).

ARCBOUND HAPPENINGS

Community, Doing Good, and Maintaining Relationships with 1-800-Flowers Founder Jim McCann

This week, 1-800-Flowers Founder Jim McCann joined storyteller and podcast host Nick Thompson (who you might recognize from Season 2 of Love Is Blind) to discuss how Jim built 1-800-Flowers, mental health in the workplace, and the role relationships play in improving people's lives.

Hustle with Heart: Unlocking Self-Worth Through Personal Trust Communities by Mike Thorne

Do you consider where you've been, and where you want to go? And who do you call on for guidance? After learning he was adopted out of the blue, Mike Thorne struggled to find his place in the world, plagued by perfectionism and fears of abandonment that followed him into adulthood.

But he identified a path for himself through sports, along with two key concepts that helped him transform a better way forward: that we need to Build, Belong, and Believe to make progress effectively, and that we must have others on our journey. People we can rely on to hold us accountable and for support-a Personal Trust Community. With his story, Mike teaches readers of all ages how to learn from his experiences and reach their North Star by employing the tools he built along the way. He's proof that by hustling with heart on the field and beyond, we can transform and thrive at home and work.

This Monday, October 10th, was World Mental Health Day. Your mental health is important, and no matter what you are facing, there is a beautiful, challenging, incredible world waiting for you on the other side.

Remember that it's okay to take time for your mental health, and it is okay to ask for help. The more we all talk about mental health, the easier it becomes.

Thanks for letting us play a role in launching your arc.