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Co-Founder to Unemployed: Fired From My Own Tech Startup
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- Опубліковано 16 сер 2024
- i cried in the car. before you ask: our pitch deck had AI in it, just like everyone else's.
join this channel 4 bonus content + your name in the credits:
/ @camjames
Learn more about DocuLock's franchisee opportunity: fanlink.tv/cj_...
more of me: www.fanlink.tv...
background music:
/ nudealmusic
/ teepeetrap
_
Chapters
0:00 start it up
1:07 making the band
5:18 seeking investors
7:17 the accelerator
11:36 getting funded frfr
13:01 running the company
14:20 our downfall
18:00 getting fired
20:18 vindication
21:28 some advice
surprise...this is not a deep dive but somehow it reached the same length. long time coming. hope y'all are doin' well, i'm goin' to sleep now.
DocuLock Franchising link: fanlink.tv/cj_brandlinks
You rocked it per usual. There’s something about your efficient yet passionate and effective story telling that I truly enjoy here on the tube where long winded and repetitiveness are the norm. Thanks for sharing your story and insight. Much brighter day are ahead for us all! Stay blessed ❤
*I think what’s most impressive about Cam James is that not only does he make extremely high quality well-informed videos for us…but the dude also stays ripped as hell. Like how does he even have time for the gym? He’s about as well rounded as they come.*
sleep well, and thank you for posting. Such insight into your journey, appreciate the vulnerability and story telling. Ahhh always makes my day to see you post. ❤
@@xelefonte!!!!!
glad to be able to support you keep it going!
TRUST CONTRACTS NOT PEOPLE!!!! THIS IS THE REALEST ADVICE EVER!!!!!
well contracts were uphelod. he kept nhis shares. But shares in a company worth nothing are worth nothing.
As a construction worker i could easily start my own company and make 2x-3x my salary. But as an employee at the end of the day when my day is over its over. Being your own boss is hard work and i want nothing to do with that
This is exactly how I feel about salary and supervisor positions at my job. I could do it but do I want the responsibility of managing people AND having to be available almost 24/7? Absolutely not.
I'm with you. I'm in tech and make a good salary, but I also like to close my work laptop at the end of day and go do stuff I'm really into. This work/life balance is precisely what I want in my life.
@kaymitchell6143 I've never wanted to be anyone's manager for this reason.
UA-cam is a 24/7 job but I'm learning how to pull back on my commitments and maintain the enjoyment
It's not for everyone.
My brother had me fired off a contract. His friend, who my brother hired, worked on the contract. The friend lied multiple times and imploded the contract. I and the friend were "fired". I took the fall. The friend was hired back a year later like nothing had happened.
Oh I’d sue for damages that’s fucked
business brings out the worst in human nature.
Working is bullshit.
Hey, my guy. I'm not black, and I'm not american, I'm just some techy guy from Russia. But I really appreciate your critical insight on your side of living/working/finances/influence/business/etc... You pick great topics and you provide your viewers with a nice deep-dive into them with a great narration style and chill vibe. Keep doing what you're doing and all the best to you. Hope to see first 100k subs soon and many more after. Love your style.
much appreciated! i'll keep sharing what i can, the support helps a ton.
Being a black founder ain't easy at all. Thanks for sharing your experience. My team and i are in deep tech related to semi conductors and the barrier for funding has been crushing. But I encourage them to keep pressing on. We'll nail it eventually
Here I am, passable as a white boy in appearance.
Can escape a lot of things, but not the guilt.
@@upstating use it to your advantage my guy
Keep pressing on! Guaranteed work.
It's basically having consistent revenue growth for 4-6 months and a defensible business model. I'm sure you know that already tho, personally I looked for angels on LinkedIn and messaged them with sales nav.
persistence is the key, but it'll cost you everything. we had mountains of debt when we finally broke through. i believe in y'all, it ain't over until you quit
Aye, Cam! "Look beyond the skill set of the people you work with, and search for their integrity"; That logic's fire, man.
This!
That was a great video. I run my own insurance brokerage. I network a lot and meet people in the biotech startup world. Some of those young guys tell me off the record that the biotech startup world is very corrupt. Many of these biotech "founders" get a 3 million dollar VC infusion , use that to pay themselves $200k per year. Then several years later the company implodes. They then go out and do it again. There is so much money sloshing around with these VC firms, it creates this type of corruption.
it's true. we were paying ourselves just enough to stay at our previous corporate salaries but many founders go overboard.
Yep, that's why low cap low float biotech stocks can be very lucrative to trade if you can time the pop appropriately, but if you don't time it well, you'll get pump and dumped. Because that's what happens to their stock when they do what you're talking about. Bunch of "fake" companies.
“When it comes to work, trust contracts not people” man that needs to be put on a poster in every office.
Not enough people discussing their career struggles.
I definitely sobbed in the car when I got fired from a company after being there only a month.
my current hustle is to develop a company with other licensed health care providers to perform patient advocacy
ETA-I went on 10 day trip and was laid off my first day back
I'm sorry you went through that. loving the sound of your current venture, the world needs more patient advocacy.
Damn, you took a 10-day trip your first month at a new job? Was the trip disclosed to the company prior to being hired? Could you not have moved your start date until after you returned from the trip?
@@grinchoi1 I was one year in. I worked the busy holiday season so that other coworkers could take time off with their young kids
My birthday is in february not exactly a hot time for vacation
Same thing for college too. Nobody likes to talk about struggling period.
Why were you fired dear?
I knew you were intelligent but after hearing your story godamn. I can confidently say if you continue to just be yourself, uploading content like this you will create your own path. With all of the problems going on in America we need smart people making video essays. If you build it they will come! Keep up the good work. Take your time. Maybe someday reach out to other UA-camrs that you know we also watch and cross pollinate. There are hundreds of thousands of likeminded people that will eventually find you. So many communities are connected mannn;) 🤜
thank you for the encouragement and compliments, it means everything. collabs are up next 🎯
@@CamJames I been keeping my fingers crossed for the FD collab fr 🤞🏾🤞🏾
@CamJames Speaking of collaborations, I found out about you from s segment you did on JT The Pocket Watcher.
Keep up the great work and wise content.
Awesome storytelling. I feel like there's a huge gap in real world storytelling about employment / work hustle struggles. You're filling it!
thanks Keenan, i appreciate that feedback for real
What he said.
Cam be dropping great videos like rain drops ☔️ 👍
Hoping there was a Green Goblin-esque "OUT, AM I!?!" moment when all this went down 😮
The co-founders been real quiet since this came out
@@zcnaipowered7407 they know Cam's got a sick glider
damn 82k subs, i see u gang keep going
Cam putting in that work 👏👏👏
Trying to start up a pay-what-you-can personal tech support and repair company for people in Maine. I'm personally too traumatized to ever trust someone enough to work for them again.
it's definitely real trauma. i trust no one but myself when it comes to leading my business.
I'm glad you can tell this story from the other side because even hearing this this was roughhh. I'm definitely holding a vicarious grudge but proud of you for forgiving! Love that you shared something so personal.
🌹🖤
"Cried in the car listening to I can go the distance from hercules"
Was not expecting to get hit in the feels like that.
I hear you on the naivete. I never understand that, especially in business, and especially especially in media/entertainment, people aren't necessarily going to do the thing they say they will do to your face. It's always weird to me when that happens. Part of me wants to learn that lesson and part of me wants to stay who I used to be.🤷♂️
I'm a trusting, passionate person by nature. these lessons are hard but necessary. people need to earn my trust now and contracts determine everything.
to have something to pass down to your kids is golden.
knowledge is power. thanks bro
yessir
I'm on the verge of starting a business, and this has been very insightful.
you got this
Absolutely killed me when you said you where listening to I can go the distance from Hercules crying. Mannnnnn. Awesome to have you share this very raw experience, glad to see your success, very much deserved
Serendipitous timing and much needed. In the process of refining 25 pages of my first business proposal. Thanks for all your advice and hard work!
best of luck, i believe in you 🕺🏾
Being a part of a starting team isnt easy. An older boss/friend of mine once said (paraphrased) "you can teach someone anything, but if you dont get along, there isnt much you can do about it". The older I get, the more I hear these kinds of stories and the more I understand. It's great to have a genius on the team, but if you can't work with them you're doing both yourself and them a disservice. Thanks for sharing Cam!
Brah , i feel for ya, but at 46 i know u learned so much , to be honest I got real luv for ya, You will all ways succeed KING . This explains why I like ur work KEEP IT UP ur voice is needed, 100000000000000000000000%
20:40: “When there are 60 middle managers named Megan and Jessica between you and leadership, that’s the brightest red flag you could ever ask for.” FACTS 💯
wasn't even exaggerating either, i saw the org chart on their site and busted out laughing
The moment you even said the name of the start up switched to “FanSub” my brain went “Oh no, that SEO is gonna be crazy because of anime” and you said the moment I thought it 😂
Great video as always Cam!
Much love to Fansub and the team! I wanted y’all to succeed due to my love for live-streaming. Damn I wished y’all called my team for that SXSW show!! But oh well been enjoying the series bro
I believe I was a key member of a larger corporation's break into the region I lived/worked in. When the option to franchise was brought up, the owner and I had a series of minor disagreements that ballooned into me being sacked. I'm currently working in a similar field with an old competitor that has legitimately became like a brother to me; however I fear my old wounds could cost our venture dearly one day, especially after hearing your story.
Seeking success is a tricky task, and I've learned honesty and integrity can only get you so far. I pray for the wisdom and guidance of all here.
😂😂😂 not the apartment smelling like old ssa
Great video as always. Sometimes what you think is for you is not. But now you’re here making bomb ssa videos for us. The quality of your content is amazing. Just keep going. You’re an inspiration.
Best brain food I’ve consumed all day. The word vulnerable is terribly overused currently, so let me say I appreciate your openness.
You told this so graciously, openly and honestly. As someone who just discovered your channel three days ago, I am officially subscribed. Fantastic work sir! Look forward to more from you!
thank you for being here, i really appreciate the support!
When you said “in case you couldn’t tell by now, I was the creative,” I wasn’t surprised-for obvious reasons-but I feel as though I would have been similarly unsurprised had you said marketing. The marketing for this whole channel/the videos you do is so, so good. If the world is divided between foxes and hedgehogs, I reckon you’re a fox.
thank you! you'd be right, since i was an advertiser at my day job and had to market my music for years before that. luckily the two go hand in hand 🥂
@@CamJames Mashallah, God provides. This was another great video-maybe my favorite one you’ve ever done. Found myself getting emotional at times. I can relate to your story, though I’ve never been involved in anything even tangentially related to tech start-ups or the music industry (or even the entrepreneurship space as a whole). But you went beyond superficial differences between us-you and your audience-and mined the story for what was really going on. You found the universal in the specific; the sign of any truly great storyteller. I didn’t have to be involved with any of the endeavors you were; you ensured that. I may not relate to tech start up culture or VCs, but I can relate to the feelings of excitement at the prospect of a new opportunity-only to feel the crushing weight of it not turning out the way I wanted it to, even after tons of hard work; I understand that heartbreak. Betrayal from those I trusted, and maybe even considered family. Hurt, pain-and even grief-result. You necessarily wove these most fundamental (i.e., universal) human emotions into your story because that’s what your story-like everyone’s story-at its core, is about. All bullshit to the side, we’ve all experienced pain, joy, despair, elation, anguish, and devastation. We’re all made human by that very fact.
Thanks for sharing your story in a genuine, honest, and unvarnished manner-reminding us all of the universal in the specific, and reminding us all how we’re probably more deeply connected with one another than we think. Rooting for you hard.
Dog this is such good game. A lot of people have no idea about the intricacies of venture capitalism and acquiring funding. WE GOTTA GET A DEEP DIVE ON THIS TOPIC BRO🙏
I got y'all, we did research already but i set it aside for this one to tell my story.
This is actually my first time watching you. As someone who has helped build several companies that I had no stake in, this still hits hard. I hope you have continued success here. I plan to venture down a similar path when I'm able.
As someone who works in events, there’s nothing scarier than selling a service that involves sending something over the internet.
nothing. you definitely feel my pain
Thank you for your honest and humble (as always) sharing😊 I’m a realtor which is not a steady cash flow, my husband & I started a body & detail shop about a year ago. Entrepreneurship is not the easy way but it does give u hope that u can have some control of your family’s future. Keep it up Cam❤️😊❤️
thanks Jen! these pursuits are marathons, and we have to put in the work every day to ensure we're in shape.
I think this is your best video yet! I appreciate the honesty and transparency. I’m sorry that happened to you, but at the same time it’s a learning experience that’s going to shape who you are and lead to greater success in the future.
not a doubt in my mind that i needed to go through that to get here. it was my final exam
Aye. Finding this channel is such a breath of fresh air. Thank you for all the hard work you put in. I usually prefer long form content but your style and storytelling are unparalleled. I genuinely look forward to your uploads. Keep up the hustle.
I was really hoping you would say "yes" to feeling vindicated, lol. It's proof of your worth and what you brought to the table. It sounds like "the techie" wanted to divert attention from his own failings, and once your removal exposed what you had actually brought to the table, the house of cards crumbled. You knew your worth and now it's their loss that they didn't see it as well. But, I'm happy you're now here, sharing videos such as this with us and your life experiences. They're definitely appreciated.
very accurate summary. glad i have the experience now but man that was a rough ride at times. I'm glad to be here too ☀️
Even having 4 people to get things started is amazing. Being an introvert makes it essential to do everything alone and leverage up as much as possible.
Well presented, Cam, difficult topic, and you handled it maturely. Thank you brother!
Oh the drama! Great story! I was on the edge of my seat!
😂
Thank you very much. I pray you find something worthy of your talents and integrity. It’s clear the techie was a jealous narcissist. This is a very insightful and helpful video for aspiring entrepreneurs
I’ve made money with different companies & individuals from a handshake alone. Every time I collaborate with anyone, I always the leverage because what I do can’t be mimicked. Trust in your ideas & always aim to be unique !!!
that's what's happening on UA-cam for sure. being yourself is leverage here
The raw realness that this guy exudes is fucking inspiring.
the compliment is deeply appreciated
You can’t keep a good man down. Talent and integrity. Keep doing your thing Cam! We can’t wait to see your next film and hear your music!
thank you!
We need merch Cam! The audio on this one is fire
i got some out now in the UA-cam store, but it def needs a revamp soon. 'preciate you!
@@CamJames I didn't know that! Thank you Cam. Looking forward to the next topic!
I knew we were similar but hearing “crying in the car to I can go the distance” was like looking in the mirror.
You are an absolute inspiration Cam ❤️, such a talent and every video you release is so informative! From the UK 🇬🇧
love from Atlanta!
Appreciate you telling us your story🙏🏾. I feel like the insight you bring to these videos make even more sense as you literally have lived the life you talk about compared to a lot of other UA-cam essayist.
Thank you so much for this video. I am a middle aged white professional who took at shot at something in his early 30’s that didn’t pan out, and the hardest part about the failure was how quickly my entire world seemed to want nothing to do with me anymore. 15 years later, I have recovered, and I want to tell you that it will get better with time (don’t ever lose hope). And for what it’s worth, I’m glad I took the shot. I didn’t want to be grinding away in middle age (like I am now ) without at least being able to say I went after something big. It’s more than what 99% of the world ever does, and I’m still proud of it. You should be proud too. 👍
infinitely proud, i never regret my past. it brought me to where i am now, and i'm extremely happy. thanks for sharing your story too!
I didn't plan watching this, but got stuck from the get go
I couldn't stop
Thank you for sharing this, it was worth my time
thanks for giving it a chance!
Cam this is some really good content bro!…regardless of any metric of success this is valuable & shows you’re on the right path wherever that may lead to.
God damn quality video. It’s so hard to forgive people but I’m glad you found that peace in you
One thing i would love to see from you is advice on how you found your Cinematography style and how you began your journey.
I have little to no experience in this and I have been getting more and more interested in this as time passes. I love your style and feel like others could also gain some insight into how you began getting into Cinematography and the process you take to bring out these videos. Love your vids Cam
thank you for the support and interest, i can make that happen for sure. there's definitely a lot to tell.
I just subscribed bro…. I can’t say I relate but I understand the hustle. I’m working a night job and running my business during the day. My only Op is patience. One day at a time. Thanks for sharing your story 👍🏿
This was SUPER insightful, wow Cam. I can relate in a number of ways and still waiting and seeing what will happen, but kudos to you for being resilient and making a way forward man.
Your value is valuable good brother, I'm proud of you and how you handled it with poise. May the next move be enriched!
preciate you bro!
Your videos keep getting better. And you are a compelling storyteller 🙌
i appreciate that!
I think this is your best video because not enough people discuss the hard times in life on sm.
Thank you for sharing your story Cam
wow! things happen in ways that are not understandable until you understand. you’re doing great work now and will always have that experience! it was nice hearing about it Cam. gave me some ideas for myself for sure. 😊
glad it could motivate; i hope y'all all learn from our mistakes
After watching all your videos....its time to become a member! Keep that work up!
thank you for supporting me, i really appreciate you 🥂
Loving the way you're bringing up this valuable content there's very least content out here. Thanks for sharing all these, it teach a lot to an aspiring entrepreneur.
This is the realest story about a startup company that i've ever heard! So many life lessons. Thank you for sharing! Time to start something new Cam!
thanks for watching fam! you're commenting on the new thing lol, welcome to my new startup
Ohh man, when you said that there was only one techie, I got worried. Then you said he likened himself to Elon Musk and I rolled my eyes. Mans was in delulu land.
had an offshore dev team to assist, but they mishandled it. we didn't hire more senior devs either.
Thanks for this video. You are the first one laying everything out on the table,... I am a solo founder and I am not trying to find any co-founder... you reassured me even more on my decision.
glad to hear this helped! I'm an open book
I enjoyed your story and hope you find success in life, you seem to have the grit and hustle to try dozens of different things until you eventually hit on something that works and becomes a huge success. Keep going.
thank you for watching, it's appreciated!
This was awesome and rare. Folks usually get quiet when thing don't go as planned. Love the content Big Dawg.
if we can't talk about our failures we don't need to have this platform tbh
Almost to 100k subs! Let’s goooo
Also thank you so much for being open and candid about your experience in this situation
Your story telling ability is really good bro
thank you fam
Wow!
Don't know how UA-cam came to suggest this video to me but the word: "TRUST CONTRACTS, NOT PEOPLE!" resonated alot with me because me and my business partner just got screwed because we did not have a contract with some ppl we were doing business with!
unfortunately we gotta be prepared for the worst
Just experienced this from the opposite side. Had to buy out a partner who was prioritizing side projects. Our rock solid contract saved our butts.
If you believe in what you’re working on make sure you protect yourself before you bring on cofounders.
Well done sharing your story. We don’t hear enough about founder breakups.
This is a great channel. Love this guys presence and messaging
thank you!
I am starting a company soon, I already have team and we trying to get everything ready by January and start raising money.
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽Bravo my guy! I respect and appreciate your transparency. This is much needed info for the community.
I am just about 100% sure I worked with the techie when we both worked at Coca Cola Freestyle in 2019. I think him and another SWE were working on a gambling app at the time. Interesting to learn what happened to that dude.
Glad you made it to the other side
one and the same.
Bro i didnt know it went down like that. You are the man. Im trying to get my videos like you. Tulsa was something else tho!
Another amazing drop! Getting deep into your back story now, love it!
Thank you for sharing your journey so far.
hi cam, great video! this is my first time coming across your channel. I feel like this video hit me at the perfect time. I am a musician at heart, but i want to make a difference in the way artists connect with their fans through tech, influenced by my experience as a creative. I am just a college student with (what i believe is) a good idea, like no work experience. So I appreciate you for keeping it real here about the challenges of startup life, and i really found your storytelling of the founding process very valuable and relevant for exactly what I will be doing with my idea. subscribed, thanks for sharing this, and i will definitely look out for more of your videos in the future.
thanks for checking me out Jordan, it's greatly appreciated. glad this spoke to you and I'd encourage you to study the industry landscape extensively. research is free, these mistakes are costly.
@@CamJames thank for the reply, and if you don't mind me asking, what about the music industry landscape do you think is very important to know when creating a music/tech startup? how to network within the space? how to properly conduct deal flow, how to analyze quality/integrity of venture partnerships? i agree that my aim should be to understand the music industry before i take risks to disrupt it. cheers man
how it actually works and what the different sub-groups need. people assume what users need instead of doing the research like we did. our problems were outside of our userbase, people found our app and service very necessary.
This is Top level informative ! As someone building a Business Science and Data Analytics Saas service company myself with the hopes of transforming it into a Top level S.T.E.M company, Thank you !! Me and my team will be revisiting and reviewing this as a case study religiously ! Best wishes Cam ! 👍🏾✨
I’m actually in the process of building my own startup. It’s a BIPOC Multimedia Production Hub. We’re going to be announcing our pre-seed fundraising campaign soon so this video definitely came at the right time 😊
best of luck, that sounds awesome
Doesn't "BIPOC" just mean "not white"?
@@kotk05 BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Our goal is to tell authentic stories from marginalized communities. We work with white people and have them in our content but we want to make sure proper representation is being preserved
@@CamJames Thank you! I would love to speak with you about what we’re building if you’re interested
@adupree771 Exactly, that just means "not white"
Thanks for sharing. Good luck.
love this and thank you for sharing your experience. I started Éclectiquer (men's fashion label) out in Houston TX.
awesome name. hope that's doing well fam!
In the works on starting a company. About to move into the fundraising portion shortly, have zero hope but willingly pushing forward. 22:13 best advice I’ve heard this year.
Love it and great vid. 👍🏿 Piecing together America's first non-profit DAO. No centralized point of failure, with you!
Thank you for this.
The storytelling and lessons are ❤🔥
no doubt, thank u for receiving it
Subscribed!! Appreciate you sharing your story bruh
Man what a crazy story, really appreciate you sharing all of it.
I love the intersections of your experience. For one, I’m impressed by your hustle and how that hustle connected to the launch of the Holy Smoke showcase. Great job with all of your success since then.
thank you! I've lived a life lol
Seeing you hold it down after all that gives me hope. Much love, CJ.
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm in the midst of starting my app. I need to get a solid contract created with everyone roles defined. Thanks 🙏
Oh wow, Im going job issues now and similar circumstances. Ive been crying and trying to stay strong at the same time. The job market is butual. Putting in applications after applications and no callbacks or rejection. It can be overwhelming. People are telling me to take my skills and start own business. But I struggle with focusing on what Im doing. I've invested savings on coaching just to have to go back to work.
the market is absolutely horrible and starting your own business is not for everyone. it's a hard path with no safeguards, but in my opinion it's worth it if your passion backs it up. those rejections really sting sometimes
CAM JAMES! Keep holdin in down for the Flo
forever
Nah they had no right to tell you how to spend your spare time.. that's why you work.. so you can dance around the house naked with your time if that's what you do. No body else should have a say in that
i am so sorry you might have developed a pavlovian response to going on business vacations with getting fired, cam. 😭 but nonetheless, we’re all happy you bounced back and that we have your face to look at and voice to listen to on youtube now. 💗
thank you for the kindness, I'm glad to be here 🫶🏾
Great video Cam. Hope ur friday goes well.
you too fam 🕺🏾
Holy hell your almost at 100k you’ve come so far man keep going