In this episode, Brock speaks with Scott painter. Scott served in the Army as a Spanish interrogator in the late 80s. And since then went on to found or CO found many companies you've likely heard of, including Fair.com, Cars Direct, True Car, Pricelock, and now Autonomy, a subscription Electric Vehicle Company. He's incorporated 57 businesses over the last 30 years. Scott talks extensively in this episode about the balance of family life and entrepreneurship. He talks about how he treats his kids like small businesses and make some great analogies on how to build and grow them successfully. We discuss how the auto industry has changed over his time in market and his past influence on it. He talks about how he thinks about different business models and how those feed business valuations. And we close out with his advice on raising money and lessons for young entrepreneurs.
Episode Resources:
Autonomy.com: https://www.autonomy.com/
Show Notes:
00:00 Episode Introduction
01:30 Something proud of, but doesn't get to talk about: Raising a family and navigating turmoil
06:44 Early influences and joining the Army
15:16 Finding the driving force behind early success
19:32 "Stealing" cable TV and bringing it to the Westpoint Barracks
27:12 Becoming class president and convincing leaders of the impossible
33:42 An early foray in entrepreneurship and love of all things cars
41:33 Importance of marketing when delivering something new
50:00 Lack of transparency in auto industry and turning the tide on an informed consumer
58:40 Autonomy - subscription electric vehicles and serving the core mission
01:03:32 Capital intensity in business, business models, and valuation
01:12:29 Advice on raising money
01:15:07 Best things for young entrepreneurs to understand
01:23:38 Scott Painter's endgame
--
The Scuttlebutt Podcast - The podcast for service members and veterans building a life outside the military.
The Scuttlebutt Podcast features discussions on lifestyle, careers, business, and resources for service members. Show host, Brock Briggs, talks with a special guest from the community committed to helping military members build a successful life, inside and outside the service.
Follow along:
• Episode & transcript: https://www.scuttlebuttpodcast.co/60-30-years-of-auto-industry-disruption-with-scott-painter/
• Brock: https://www.brockbriggs.com/