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Looking for a way to get started on that idea you’ve had for a while? Or maybe you’d like some help with your Paleo diet. Then today’s episode and guest, Jason Glaspey, are just what you’re looking for!
Jason is the Founder and CEO of Factory, a digital publishing company. He started as an advertiser but has now created and sold a few companies, including one called Paleo Plan.
Join us as we talk about his story and more on this edition of How’d You Get Into That?.
MORE ABOUT THIS SHOW
Jason moved to the Portland, Oregon area after he graduated from college with an English and Journalism major, and a focus in Advertising. He wanted to be an ad writer, and heard that Portland was the place to be. But he wasn’t able to land a job right away. Plus, judging from the ad writers he knew, the hours were tough, it was hard work, and the pay wasn’t great.
He had friends who were doing interactive (online) advertising and they were making good money, so he decided to try it. Jason liked it, and bounced around to different agencies over a 10 year period doing that kind of work. He was involved with many big projects, some of which opened doors for him and helped to expand his network.
Over time, Jason grew tired of the work and grew tired of working for someone else. He knew the end was near when he began feeling sick to his stomach every morning before going into work. So one day he just quit and started freelancing. He knew how to build web sites, and that was enough to get him through for the moment.
THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:
- How can you generate ideas when you have no idea where to start?
- What does Jason say are the two keys to monetary success?
- Why you need to get used to trying and failing.
- What is the Paleo diet all about?
- How Jason spent $1,200 to launch Paleo Plan in just 3 weeks.
- And so much more!
Jason and a friend were also working on a few side projects together, including creating a site called Unthirsty. which helps you find happy hours near your existing location. It was pretty slick, and people started catching on. An ad agency in Portland saw it and loved it, which turned into a job offer for him and his friend.
Along the way, he and his wife got into CrossFit, and the popular Paleo diet that many CrossFitters are into. But he found the diet confusing, with all kinds of conflicting rules. It took him 2-3 hours a week just to research and figure out what to buy and eat. That’s when the idea to create Paleo Plan hit him. Paleo Plan is a site that provides simple meal plans, shopping lists, and easy at-home workouts for a monthly subscription fee.
Jason spent three weeks putting the site together. He had no email list, so he used Google AdWords to drive people to the site. After a while it caught on, and a year and a half later he was able to quit freelancing and do Paleo Plan full time. He has since sold a majority stake in Paleo Plan so he can focus on other ventures, including his new startup, Factory.
Looking back on it, Jason says he had no real ambition to become an entrepreneur or start his own company – he always felt like he was simply an advertiser at heart. But he wanted to help make people’s lives better, and the more he tinkered with ideas about how to add value, the more he just kind of fell into the entrepreneurial path.
Whether you have fallen into the path like Jason or just want to do something different in your career, his advice to you is to just get started! Please join me in thanking Jason for that advice and sharing his inspiring journey with us today. Thanks for being here and we’ll see you next time!
Tweetable: “Find someone who’s good at what you’re bad at.” Jason Glaspey
EPISODE RESOURCES
- Jason Glaspey’s web site
- Paleo Plan
- Published Factory
- The Ultimate Unofficial Dropbox Guide
- Jason Glaspey on Twitter
- Paleo Plan on Facebook
- Submit feedback on the show for a chance to win an Amazon gift card!
- Subscribe to the show on iTunes
- Subscribe to the show on Stitcher
- Email me with any questions, comments or guest suggestions at Grant@GrantBaldwin.com
