Season 1, Episode 8 // Leadership Culture With Chris Behnke

In this episode of the Leadership Culture Podcast, Chris sits down with serial entrepreneur Anthony Franco—who’s launched seven startups and successfully exited six—to unpack the real, often misunderstood journey of entrepreneurship. Anthony shares hard-won insights about why most businesses fail, why starting with an exit strategy may not be wise, and the unglamorous truth about building something from scratch. From surviving Shark Tank to advising business owners on how to exit, Anthony brings a brutally honest but deeply encouraging message: success isn’t about hype, it’s about solving real problems and doing hard things well. If you’re thinking about launching a business—or already in the middle of building one—this episode is packed with insight, caution, and clarity.

Entrepreneurship is often overly romanticized; success requires solving real problems with conviction.

Capital investment isn’t necessary for most businesses—bootstrapping is more common and often more sustainable.

Startups that rely too heavily on tactics (like Shark Tank or Kickstarter) rather than strategies (like sustainable customer acquisition) are likely to fail.

Exit planning is critical—but only when the business is already profitable and structured to operate without the founder.

Entrepreneurship is lonely—but it doesn’t have to be. Find other founders and build real community.

“If your business plan is to get on Shark Tank, you have a bad business plan.”

-Anthony Franco

Other Resources

Anthony's Website

Anthony's Podcast