Life is Non-Linear – Nick Cotter
As of today, it’s been 530 days since Nick Cotter quit his 9-5…And he’s never turning back. Though, really, the journey started back in 2018. Nick quit his previous job and tried to start a “marketing agency”. That failed within 3 months when he realized he had no direction for his offering and rent checks were still due.
The company was called Growann. He shut down the website, and Nick jumped back into another 9-5 as a Marketing Manager. “After about a year into the job, I realized I needed to get back out and try again. I was surrounded by entrepreneurs most of my life, which is probably why. But, then the pandemic hit. So, I decided to stay still for a little while longer and save some $$$. One late summer day in August 2021, I said screw it and put in my notice”.
This time, Nick was prepared and he had a clear vision for his service offering. So, he re-purchased the domain for “www.growann.com” and re-built the site again. “The next thing I knew, I was working with some of the most loved brands like ShipBob and MarketerHire on their partner marketing strategies”.
The Covid Push
Covid 19 didn’t have a direct impact on Nick’s business in terms of financial/supply-chain disruption/etc. But it did push him to finally start a business. During the pandemic, he ended up moving closer to home and moved in with his brother. That way he was able to mitigate more risk on his end it things ended up failing again. “I’ve learned a lot over the past few years, and I wouldn’t change anything from those lessons because I believe it’s helped me to really grow.”
Nick has learned a lot of lessons along the way. Looking back, he would have pivoted sooner. It’s important to fail fast and learn from it quickly. He also wasted money on things that really didn’t matter in the larger picture. “I came from a marketing background. So I love design and would spend money on unnecessary design features that I really didn’t need for my service”.
Nick’s #1 book recommendation for others is Tony Hsieh’s book on Delivering Happiness. “I think I have honestly read this book at least 5 times. I love it because it tells Tony’s entrepreneurial journey through his voice and context. It’s not your typical autobiography, but rather a hero’s journey and how entrepreneurship is not linear”.
The Freedom of Escaping the 9 to 5
Time freedom is the thing that most escapees value most. Like most entrepreneurs, Nick is able to create his own schedule and answer to himself. He gets to wake up early and get to work in content, design, and interviews. “I love holding myself accountable every day to grow my new media company in the way I see it and not have to report back to others. Though, I do see a lot of value in having a co-founder/mentors to bounce ideas off of.”
Nick Cotter is currently working on building newfoundr.com. This is a modern day business media company that helps entrepreneurs build successful businesses across the globe. His biggest challenge is building an audience. In his previous 9-5 jobs Nick was able to nurture audience relationships and build loyalty. But this is the first time he has built an audience from scratch himself. “It’s going to be quite a challenge over the next 6-12 months, but I’m up for the challenge because I truly want to help as many entrepreneurs as possible”.
