Jake Desyllas is the host of The Voluntary Life, a podcast about entrepreneurship, financial independence, and freedom. In 2000, he founded Intelligent Space, an award-winning consultancy firm that led innovation in the field of pedestrian movement simulation and analysis. In 2010, he sold his business, quit the rat race, and retired early at the age of thirty-eight.
He has a bachelor’s degree, a master's degree, and a doctorate and is dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship both as an effective personal liberation program that is available to everyone, and as a peaceful method of solving social problems.
2:23 - Background in Pedestrian computer modeling and simulation
4:07 - What is Pedestrian movement?
6:45 - Transitioning from University theory to becoming an Entrepreneur
10:23 - Graduated with PhD. Let’s build a business…
12:12 - Now that you control all of your time, what has changed?
12:26 - “Starting a business is the most intense personal development program you can put yourself through”
13:25 - Is entrepreneurial experience better than an MBA?
15:00 - You’ve GOT to be able to SELL. Without selling your product, you are nothing.
15:48 - Oh uh! Jake is burning through money while trying to learn how to sell and what his customers actually want
17:42 - Selling is Learning!!
19:29 - Exiting and selling his first company. What did Jake’s life change afterwards?
21:09 - Jake’s first book (and one of my favorites) “Becoming an Entrepreneur”
www.amazon.com/Becoming-Entrepre…g+an+entrepreneur
21:50 - “What matters is the freedom that you can experience in your own life."
22:41 - You can’t control Politics, so don’t try!
22:53 - Entrepreneurship is an “incredible force” to solve other people’s pains and problems.
24:20 - Should you try to create freedom for other people, or for yourself?
25:47 - How has being a successful entrepreneur created more freedom in your personal life?
27:02 - BecomingWhoYouAre.net. Personal development and journaling. www.becomingwhoyouare.net/
27:50 - Who is Derek Sivers? Why is he influential?
28:34 - What helped Jake take the risk of becoming an entrepreneur instead of staying in the Rat Race?
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0195C…7O?tag=thevo08-20
32:21 - Entrepreneurs need to be resilient and not get embarrassed easily. You need to be an optimist to be a good entrepreneur.
33:21 - Seeing “obstacles as opportunities”. It’s a state of mind.
33:45 - What is an MVP in a startup? Why is it important?
34:23 - Should you go for financing or self-fund your startup?
36:32 - HACK: Forward cash flowing planning tools. A secret for success!
40:27 - TheVoluntaryLife.com Podcast
42:03 - Jake’s contact information
