Dave Britton is the CEO of ProdRocket, a startup studio, and the founder of BookMigo, a social eBooks app.
He’s spent his career launching and scaling products in FinTech (Enova, FlyWire), marketplaces (AutoTrader.ca, 3D Printer Hub), and SaaS solutions (BoardOnTrack). At ProdRocket, Dave helps founders validate, build, and grow their startups.
Q: What would you like to see your team accomplish in 2020?
We’ve been fortunate to collaborate with many inspiring founders this year. These startups are truly cutting-edge (Motivity, Link-able, TuneKey) and are innovating in their niches. Our goal is to help them achieve $1mm+ in revenue and reach a point of scalability. Their success is our success.
Q: Who is your role model or hero?
Napoleon Bonaparte. Not because he was a small, stubborn dictator. But because he was an entrepreneur and innovator in the clearest sold. He was bold (never accepted defeat, kept returning), visionary (created the Civil Code, basis of modern laws), and ran the French Republic as a meritocracy. Will-power, vision, and results – that’s what makes a successful entrepreneur.
Q: What is your favorite book?
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin shows that life is to be enjoyed, drunken to the fullest. Explore your passions, always be learning, and stay humble. To be wise is to laugh at oneself.
Q: Do you use any specific method or system to run daily operations?
Our team is fully remote – California, China, Russia. Flexibility is the name of the game. We focus on optimizing our work patterns while respecting and adapting to others’. The key is managing energy and attention to develop and leverage your craft.
Q: Why did you choose your present industry at this time?
Startups are an interesting beast. There is some crazy and magical about going from nothing (a hazy idea) into something (producing value in the world). The bridge from idea to traction is a fun ride and endlessly enlightening. In my career, I got tired of large bureaucracies, with diminishing returns in value and learning. The startup experience keeps you on edge, fresh, and alive to possibility.
Q: What is the best/worst moment you can remember in your career?
The best moment was realizing, not sure when, that I loved to understand customers’ needs and to create a product of value. The worst moment was realizing that my boss and I (we had been close) had become antagonists – and knowing that my attitude was equal (if not more) to blame for it.
Q: Looking back – if you could advise a younger version of yourself to do something different – what would it be?
Own your weaknesses as much as your strengths.
