Synopsis

In this episode, host Shashank interviews Trey, a Harvard graduate who transitioned from studying government and economics to entrepreneurship and tech. Trey shares his journey of self-learning programming after struggling to find a technical co-founder for his ideas. He discusses his experiences working at startups in Silicon Valley, including his role at Infobot, where he was the first hire and focused on growth.

Trey emphasizes the importance of resilience in the face of rejection and encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to be proactive in reaching out to founders and exploring opportunities. He reflects on his time at Harvard, noting the diverse backgrounds of his peers and the value of networking.

After leaving Infobot, Trey started his own venture, PostOnce, aimed at helping content creators automate social media posts. Although he found success, he recognized the limitations of the product and decided to pivot.

Trey concludes with advice for future founders: embrace mistakes, take action, and be willing to hustle. He also hints at his next steps in the B2B space, focusing on solving specific problems in the industry.

Timestamps

00:00:00 - Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
00:00:34 - Trey's Journey to Programming
00:01:01 - Transitioning from Harvard to Startups
00:02:15 - Experiences at Harvard
00:04:18 - The Reputation of Harvard
00:05:22 - Moving to San Francisco
00:06:12 - Finding Opportunities in Startups
00:09:30 - Role at Infobot
00:10:21 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
00:12:25 - Transitioning from Infobot to Personal Projects
00:16:11 - Overview of PostOnce
00:18:23 - Lessons Learned from Building PostOnce
00:18:54 - Insights on AI Tools
00:20:27 - Future Plans and Next Steps
00:24:57 - The Importance of Being Scrappy
00:26:29 - Closing Thoughts and Social Media Links

Quotes

1. "I think I've always had a bit of an entrepreneurial push somewhere inside of me." - 00:01:01

2. "I was always looking for someone to be that technical co-founder to really help me take that idea and sort of work collaboratively to bring it to life." - 00:01:57

3. "I do think it is just kind of what I've learned and taught myself to do on the side and what I was, I guess, lacking in those classes." - 00:04:08

4. "You will send hundreds and hundreds of emails and DMs and things like that." - 00:10:36

5. "If you can't sell them on you, then it's going to be hard for them to, you know, they just can't know you as well as you know you." - 00:11:29

6. "I think at some point there really is no more preparation you can do. You just have to get in there and learn how to do it yourself." - 00:22:03

7. "You kind of just have to fake it until you make it." - 00:22:34

8. "Every single one of them has been through sitting in a DM or an email or something like that." - 00:25:08

9. "You just have to be able to, or be willing, really, to do the things that other people won't, even if it seems embarrassing at first." - 00:26:15

10. "Stop caring." - 00:26:29