Subscribe to my newsletter https://newsletter.prodcircle.com/profileIn this episode I had the previlige of sitting down with a great mind of our century. Greg Larkin, founder of Punks & Pinstripes, shares his fascinating career journey from Wall Street finance executive to startup founder and community builder for midlife entrepreneurs.In this wide-ranging discussion, Greg recounts his experience innovating within big corporations like Bloomberg, predicting the 2008 financial crisis while analyzing anomalous mortgage data, and eventually leaving finance to build his own startups.He explores the difficulties founders face when the startup image promoted by media doesn’t match the gritty reality of successful entrepreneurship. Greg explains that while the media loves portraying young startup founders as glamorous, data shows the most successful founders are over 40, but they lack community support.Greg provides hard-won insights on:Why working at a corporation can provide invaluable entrepreneur training despite the challenges of innovating within bureaucratic environmentsHow to innovate within big companies without getting “fired” – Greg shares his framework for anticipating and navigating corporate obstructionistsWhy community is absolutely critical for founder wellbeing and success, but is sorely lacking for older foundersHow he predicted the 2008 financial crisis by digging into mortgage data showing a growing debt-to-income ratio trendWhy founders over 40 are statistically the most successful, yet are ignored by startup media images and lack tailored community supportGreg also shares the three most important lessons he wished he had known earlier as a founder:1. Your success depends on what you say no to – rigorously focus only on the one or two things that matter2. Feel good about yourself even if your big goals aren’t met yet – don’t tie your self-worth to external outcomes3. Don't try to do this alone - find your tribe and community that understands your entrepreneurial strugglesIf you’re a founder over 40, tune in to gain Greg’s hard-won wisdom on how to thrive and build something meaningful, rather than get caught up in pursuing glamorous media myths of entrepreneurship. This candid discussion provides an inside look at the realities of corporate innovation and startup struggles no one talks about.? CONNECT WITH GREG ? Website - https://www.thisisgreglarkin.com/? Newsletter - https://www.punksandpinstripes.com/? Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregilarkin/ ? Twitter - https://twitter.com/Gregory_larkin? CONNECT WITH MUDASSIR ? YouTube Channel -  @prodcircleHQ    ? Twitter - https://twitter.com/ProdcircleHQ? Instagram - https://instagram.com/prodcirclehq? Website - https://prodcircle.com/? Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mudassir-mustafa/?SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPTVisit the website for the transcript and highlights from the conversation - https://prodcircle.com/podcasts/? LISTEN FOR FREE Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prodcricle-with-mudassir-mustafa/id1688602416Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7MKODYGDeiWP4Y5xUpih31?si=7ce29a73d8724ac2Google Podcast  - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8yMTg5ODA4LnJzcwRSS - https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2189808.rss? LEAVE A REVIEW If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the show :Connect with Mudassir ? YouTube Channel - @prodcircleHQ ? Twitter - https://twitter.com/ProdcircleHQ? Instagram - https://instagram.com/prodcirclehq? Website - https://prodcircle.com/? Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mudassir-mustafa/