We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh Groen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?

The single most important decision that I’ve made or, in my opinion, anyone can make, is to decide to take action. To take the first step rather than to constantly think about it and plan to take a step in the future.

My first successful company was, on paper, not a great idea. I set up a web page to sell my (objectively bad) music to other artists to use as ideas for their own work. After months of nothing, the website received a small amount of traction and then quickly snowballed into a seven figure company and years later paved the way for Soundful to exist.

The point is that taking action is the most important decision you can make. As an entrepreneur the path is never straightforward and it is impossible to plan and account for all that will inevitably happen. So my advice to every entrepreneur is to get started and take action.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a co-founder of a music technology company called Soundful. Our mission is to democratize music creation by allowing anyone to create studio-quality music in seconds.

Generative AI has gotten a lot of hype in 2023 so there has been an element of being at the right place at the right time, however, our work began several years earlier. The path to get to this point was non-linear and challenging both for Soundful as well as myself personally as an entrepreneur, but we’ve always been obsessed with seeing how far we can take things and pushing the boundaries musically. We have an incredibly talented team full of bright and creative individuals which is the thing I’m most proud of.

There have been a lot of lessons along the way, but a few that stand out are the importance of taking action, maintaining curiosity and persistence.

Like I said, the path for Soundful and myself has been non-linear. It would have been impossible to predict how things played out so the most important thing I’ve done is to just get started. I talk to a lot of entrepreneurs who are stuck in planning phases and often get so tangled up, they never get the idea off the ground. Planning is important, but taking action is more important. “Done > Perfect”

During the rollercoaster ride that is building a business, you need to stay curious. Continuously learning and listening, especially to customers, is key to growing a business for the long term. If you learn from and listen to your customers, they will tell you exactly what they want. Then you build and repeat.

Lastly, none of that is important if you do not stay persistent. There will be significant roadblocks and hurdles that will happen on a weekly, if not daily, basis so the ability to remain persistent and drive things forward is a must. Easier said than done, but one quote I like from Twitch cofounder Michael Seibel is “often times your role as a founder is to keep the business alive for one more day.” – When things get tough, stay persistent and take it one day at a time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In no particular order, we would have to hit the San Diego Zoo, Balboa park, Seaport Village, The Midway, Gaslamp and make a day trip up to D Street in Encinitas. We would have to go to Azuki sushi at least once and then Colimas in North Park for a late night Cali burrito.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are too many people to name here from my partners, team and the many people who’ve supported me, but I’ll give a special shoutout to the e-house. A house, and extended network, of awesome entrepreneurs and creatives who’ve helped challenge me to think deeply about my business and personal development. I lived there during a critical time in my business so special shoutout to the entire e house!

Website: soundful.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-groen-a33265173/

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