In 2015, pivoting Goat into sneaker collecting seemed unconventional, but it turned out to be a successful move as sneaker collecting gained mainstream recognition.

In the beginning, we described Gobble as a marketplace for personal chefs and families, which resonated with the peer-to-peer economy trend at the time.

Both Brex and Goat had to realize their initial ideas were not right before moving on to their successful ventures.

In 2015, we initially focused on hyperlocal fashion, but learned that fulfillment is crucial, leading us to pivot towards a marketplace model that better serves small shop owners.

Fleek, a marketplace for secondhand clothing, started with just three people and no website, demonstrating the importance of taking unscalable actions to launch their business. The founders would go to wholesalers in London, pick a box of clothes, and sell them to shops around the city, earning $6,000 repeatedly. This hands-on approach helped them understand the market better than building a website would have.

We launched 'The Point' in September 2006, but after floundering for about a year, we pivoted to create Groupon.

While running 'The Point', we launched Groupon as a side project, which allowed me to shift my focus without admitting that 'The Point' was failing.

Marketplaces are tough businesses, but after about two years, they hit an inflection point and start growing exponentially.

The idea for Groupon emerged from recognizing that group buying was a viable business model, especially since people were already attempting group purchasing campaigns through 'The Point'.