Today, Adrian Camara joins the program to discuss how he, through grit, determination, and learning to “love the taste of sh*t,” managed to parlay his frustrating experiences working at a large law firm into starting his own hugely successful start-up, Athennian. As a true entrepreneur with no filter, Adrian offers valuable, brutally honest, and quite often hilarious insights into what it takes to persevere in the unforgiving world of entrepreneurship.

“Between two dots – really, the value is in that line: the journey.”

Episode Highlights:

0:57 – Introduction, Adrian’s upbringing in Paris, Ontario, his law school experience, and moving to Ontario just before a recession

9:27 – What drove Adrian to start his own company

13:19 – The challenges of starting his company, and how he found the people who saw the value of his vision early on

23:32 – How Adrian used his arrogance to persist through the tough early days

23:39 – Using color theory to construct the right team for his business

25:25 – Why he believes “you have to love the taste of shit”

26:37 – A message from our sponsors

28:38 – How a moment that Adrian thought was going to be the end of the company turned out to be the best thing for it

31:44 – Why sleeping, telling the truth, and not drinking coffee are the cornerstones of Adrian’s wellness regimen

36:30 – Why, if he could, Adrian would tell his younger self, “If you want to know the truth, request cash.”

39:45 – Why trusting his own instincts has become Adrian’s biggest game-changer

43:57 – How the quarantine during Covid helped him find what brings him joy

49:11 – How you can support Adrian and Athenian

Connect with Adrian and support his work:

www.athennian.com

Sponsors of this episode:

Bloom Benefits: www.bloombenefits.ca

Iridium: www.irsnavacord.com

Zelos: www.zelosglobal.com

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the hosts and the guests do not necessarily reflect any agency, organization, or affiliated companies