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Since he was “a weird little kid,” Sam Faycurry aspired to attend Harvard Business School. So when he was accepted into the prestigious program, he and his family were thrilled.
But life had other plans. While helping his mother and sister, both registered dietitians, start their own business, Faycurry stumbled upon an untapped business opportunity. He and his partner Mark Stefanski founded Faya digital platform that connects people with Registered Dietitians (RDs) who provide personalized nutrition counseling and accept insurance.
Soon, Faycurry realized he couldn't attend Harvard and run the business at the same time. So he gave up one dream to pursue another.
Today, at age 31, he is the co-founder and CEO of Fay, which has raised $25 million in funding and is rapidly changing the landscape and accessibility of nutrition counseling. He talked to me about his journey from helping family members to running a venture-backed startup on the latest episode of A day with Jon Bier podcast. Here are the top five entrepreneurial lessons Faycurry learned along the way.
Get off and get wet
Faycurry believes that experience is the best teacher. Rather than just studying how to start a business, he says it's just as important to get your hands dirty and just do it.
“You read these books and they always talk about 'Don't do things that don't scale.' What the f— does that mean?” he says. “But then you're sitting there and you're doing things that don't scale, and you're like, 'Oh, shit. That's what they say.” This hands-on approach allowed Faycurry to deeply understand the problems in the food industry and develop tailored solutions.
Swallow your pride
Building a successful startup means checking your ego at the door and putting aside the pride of doing menial jobs that might feel like they should be someone else's problem.
For example, Faycurry recalls his mouth being bone dry from having to lick his fingers to sort through reams of documents. “It's not until you do it that you realize, 'Oh, this is what it means to be low-ego.'”
But he says a willingness to tackle unglamorous tasks head-on was crucial to understanding the intricacies of the industry.
Related: How to avoid the double-edged sword of ego in entrepreneurship
Solve real problems, not intellectual exercises
Before building Fay, he admits he had created companies that were “more like intellectual masturbation.” He describes these early efforts as “terrible ideas” that no one really needed. Only when he focused on solving a real, tangible problem for his family members did he find success.
“When you're in this intellectual state, you can think of a lot of problems to solve,” he says. “However, when I found myself helping my mom and sister start their own private dietetics practice, I began to discover things that people may have never seen before.”
Be willing to deviate from your original plan
Despite his lifelong dream of attending Harvard Business School, Faycurry made the difficult decision to drop out when Fay began to gain traction. “It was the most challenging decision because it meant a lot to my family,” he explains. “No one in my family had ever been there and it was a great source of pride.” This ability to adapt and prioritize business over personal goals was crucial to Fay's growth.
Related: Navigating Crucial Business Decisions – How to know when to pivot and when to persevere
Stay hungry
Despite being the market leader, Faycurry and his team are constantly aware of the dangers of complacency. “It's actually one of our big weaknesses,” he admits, pointing to the need to keep climbing even when they're at the top of the mountain.
He cites a number of cases in the mental health care space where companies resting on their laurels had to drop out, while those with something to prove stayed in the game.
For that reason, Faycurry says he's always challenging his team to ask themselves, “How do we keep that hunger and that desire?”
Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Faycurry has learned that success often comes from the most unlikely of places. He never dreamed that his family's nutritionist business would cross his path to Harvard Business School—but that's exactly what happened. By focusing on real issues and being willing to do the work of the fight, Faycurry has positioned Fay to make a significant impact in the healthcare industry.
Reflecting on his journey from helping his mother and sister with paperwork to running a venture-backed startup, Faycurry remains confident that Fay will make an impact. “That feels like it,” he says. “Whether it's successful, I don't know. I'm not here to say that. But for some reason, in my bones, it feels like it.”
Faycurry's story reminds us that sometimes the most promising business ideas come from the most unexpected places – even from the licking of papers stuck together in a suburban office.