Buying In ∞
Joining Infinite Red as an Owner
TLDR; I’m not just an employee, I’m now part-owner at Infinite Red, Inc.
My very first business was a company called NeuroDev, and our first product was called Poop Chess.
I’m 100% serious. My adventure into my entrepreneurial streak began with … Poop Chess. It was a chess board you hang in your bathroom, and when you go to make a bowel movement, you also make a chess move. Take that, boring bathroom books!
Our logo was Rodin’s “The Thinker”, only we called him “The Stinker”. Rather than sitting on a rock… Yeah, you guessed it, he was sitting on a toilet. We ordered 400 and we sold 4….
I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything in the world. It got me started at a young age on a path of pushing myself via entrepreneurship.
Second, Third, and Fourth Businesses
My follow-up businesses were much more successful. I made apps, built fun websites, and even invented a drinking game. I formed consultancies, built (better) products, and built communities. During this time my knowledge grew, and my leadership skills budded and blossomed. Each business was financially profitable.
This might sound like an excuse, but the limiting factors weren’t technical anymore. They were people. I came to respect one thing above all others, and that’s who I was in business with. My business partners were key in growing… but also in limiting growth. I learned through all those businesses how important it is to work with people who are willing to push themselves as hard as you are - and in the same direction.
The Hiatus
The amount of effort to build and sustain a business is exhausting. So in 2015, I started looking for a job. I found the perfect place to work, and I abandoned my entrepreneurship spirit — or so I thought. In 2015, I joined Infinite Red as a W-2 employee. Working with such a great team meant it was fun to give 110%. I traveled the world speaking with such fervor about the fantastic Infinite Red team that people kept asking me how long I had been an owner. I’d always laugh and let them know I owned exactly 0% of the company. It’s just a great place with great people.
The owners of Infinite Red, Todd Werth, Jamon Holmgren, and Ken Miller, noticed my enthusiasm and potential. In 2018, I was asked to be a part of the Owners’ Retreat - not as an owner, but as an advisor. What an awesome privilege. I’ve always been very happy with my choice to go all-in with IR.
“Knock knock” — Opportunity
After attending two Owners’ Retreats and consistently attending weekly leadership meetings, something amazing happened. Remember how I said I learned how important it is to respect your business partners? Also, how great a fit Infinite Red was for me?
In 2018 we started talking about an opportunity for me to join as an owner at Infinite Red.
“How did it go?”
Announcing Gant Laborde — CIO of Infinite Red
I’m proud to write to you now as CIO (Chief Innovation Officer) and part-owner of Infinite Red. It’s been a goal of mine to own a company where I can help lead a team of great people, and now I have achieved that. We’ve been working on all kinds of breathtaking new things, and I’m thoroughly excited to finally be an owner of this fantastic company.
Expect the unexpected. As CIO alongside the immense talent of Infinite Red, we’ll be creating exhilarating tools, lessons, and repos on the latest and greatest technologies. It’s been astonishing to be assisting in the growth of Infinite Red these past four years, and here’s to the next four! May this epoch unleash us all!
Gant Laborde is Chief Innovation Officer at Infinite Red, a published author, adjunct professor, worldwide public speaker, and mad scientist in training. Clap/follow/tweet or visit him at a conference.
