134: How Grasshopper became a $176MM Virtual Phone System (w/ David Hauser of Grasshopper & SuperFat)

Background on David Hauser of Grasshopper:

David Hauser is the Co-founder of Grasshopper & SuperFat. Grasshopper is a company that serves and empowers entrepreneurs via its powerful tools like Grasshopper and Chargify. Grasshopper Group was listed by Inc. Magazine among the 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America; in fact there are many such accomplishments that it got.

SuperFat is packed with plant-based fats instrumental in controlling weight, metabolism, and healthy brain function. SuperFat is made from a unique blend of macadamia nuts, almonds, and coconut butter + functional ingredients like mct, probiotics, plant protein, and more. No fillers. No palm oil. No junk!

David has had an inspirational journey with quite a few amazing recognition such as Young People Who Rock by CNN, Among Top 5 Entrepreneurs Under 25 by BusinessWeek, and 40 Under 40 Business Leaders by Boston Business Journal and many more, under his belt. Working on his own company is not the only thing he does; his strong entrepreneurial spirit has allowed him to serve as a consultant for various companies as well as a mentor to emerging entrepreneurs. In other words, he lives by his motto “Empowering Entrepreneurs to Succeed.”

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[1:55] David Hauser is 37 years old and resides in Austin, Texas. He built Grasshopper, which is a virtual phone system for entrepreneurs that grew to 30 million in annual revenue and sold it to another company. David is also involved in creating other businesses and investments.
[3:16] David wrote a book called Unstoppable, which focuses on health, diet, exercise, and wellness.
[5:57] When it comes to health and fitness, David decides to do things to an extreme level.
[9:06] In 2003, David started Grasshopper, which grew to a million dollars in their first year.
[11:26] David tells the story of how he found the idea of creating a virtual phone system.
[16:45] Even before David was able to complete their virtual phone system, they were already marketing and selling this product.
[19:30] During the first year of the business, David’s company had a million dollars in revenue but they reinvested it and they never gained any profit.
[20:32] The first few years of the business, David and his co-founder was doing the work all by themselves.
[23:44] David emphasized the importance of having a company culture. Ignoring company culture was his biggest mistake.
[28:45] He realized that some people in his company may not be the best fit to take them to the next level.
[31:55] Selling Grasshopper was very hard and emotional for David.
[35:05] David always aims to reduce his spending while living the life he wanted. He chooses low-cost airline tickets for a 2-hour flight.
[37:43] After selling the company, he did not immediately rush into another business venture.
[39:58] David talks about his relationship with his friend and co-founder in Grasshopper and SuperFat.
[41:47] Superfat is his latest company, which is currently doing very well, according to David.
[44:15] There were 2 very hard challenges that David was able to overcome in his life.
[46:33] Empowering people is what motivates David at this stage of his life.

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Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖 📚 Favorite Book(s)? Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, Good to Great by Jim Collins, The Evolution of Everything by Matt Ridley
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? Squatty Potty
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Email
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? FB and IG ads

Key Point from the Interview:

“I think the most important thing today for anyone, especially entrepreneurs, is to have an optimization mindset both in business but also in life.”

Resources Mentioned:

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