#69: Goran Krndija - The American Dream: Underdog to CEO

Chris interviews Goran Krndija and learns of his incredible story growing up as a refugee in the United States and ultimately founding his tech company, Gozova, here in Fort Worth. They discuss the process of raising capital, the experience of a bootstrapped start up, entering new markets, and advice for founders. Enjoy! Learn more about Chris Powers & Fort Capital at www.FortCapitalLp.com Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris Learn more about Gozova: https://gozova.co/ (01:15) — How Goran's Family Survived the Bosnian War in the 90’s (06:30) — What was it like living in a fish warehouse for a year? (08:15)  — What was your initial experience like in America? (09:25) — What does America mean to you? (09:50) —  Where were you doing in life at the age of 18? (11:00) — How did you come up with Gozova and what is it? (13:10) — What was the process of developing an app like? (14:42) — What was the business like before the app was fully developed? (15:12) — How did the first year go after everything was functional? (17:20) — Were you prepared for your first rush of growth? (18:19) — What’s something you've learned about the moving industry that you didn’t know before? (19:07) — How were you hiring drivers back in the day vs. now? (20:19) — What does your fleet look like today? (21:18) — How do you think of your business in terms of tech vs. service? (21:48) — Are Gozova's 150 drivers doing this full time? (22:36) — What was your first round of fundraising like? (26:24) — How did you feel after completing your fundraising? (27:07) — What did you do with the $500k you raised? (29:43) — Why do you now want to raise $2M? (31:05) — Why are commercial partnerships important and what do those relationships look like? (33:17) — When was the last time you made a delivery? (33:49) — How does Gozova get into a new market and become profitable so quickly? (34:41) — Insurance for this Industry (35:30) — How has COVID affected the business? (36:35) — How many customers have you served to date? (37:26) — Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (37:55) — Why are you getting involved with real estate owners and property managers as a means of business growth? (40:06) — Do you have a morning routine? (40:30) — Goran’s Family (41:19) — How important is it to find a wife that’s supportive? (42:16) — What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? (42:49) — What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? (44:00) — What’s your favorite book? (44:26) — What’s the best way for people to reach you or contact Gozova? The FORT with Chris Powers is produced by Straight Up Podcasts