As the Founder and former CEO of Atlas Certified, David Johnson had plenty of lessons to share with host Kevin Mosley in this week’s episode of Exit Stories, which is proudly sponsored by Robinson Bradshaw.
Founded in 2014, the Raleigh-based certification software startup streamlined the verification, monitoring and status changes for professional licenses for customers such as HomeAdvisor and Amazon. The company was acquired last April by New York-based CLEAR. (Read our coverage of the acquisition here. We’ve also profiled Johnson and Atlas Certified in November 2020 here.)
In this episode, Johnson shares actionable lessons and insights for entrepreneurs to maintain a competitive edge against well-funded rivals, how to pick out smart money and more.
Here are three key takeaways from his interview:
- Have eyes wide open everywhere. Johnson emphasizes being aware and ahead of the game of when and where to put your limited resources in order to understand how best to compete with other companies and grow your own. (13:10)
- Keep everything and everyone in your house sorted. It’s important to have all assets organized when showcasing to investors. Johnson says to use everyone on your team, from team members to lawyers, because acquirers will want to know about liabilities, customer relationships, membership involvement and more. (26:37)
- Be prepared for hard times. Whether it’s with customers, employees, technology, market conditions, etc., everyone is living through difficult times. With optimism, support, determinism and grit, Johnson said that these are all going to be a part of your personal and company success story. (37:02, 38:47).
Hear more of Johnson’s top advice for entrepreneurs using the link below, and be sure that you are subscribed so that you’ll never miss an episode. Thanks again to our sponsor Robinson Bradshaw!
