Josh Delaney made local and national news lately by selling 80 percent of his company, FAB Nutrition to High Tide Inc, for $20.6 million. Josh started FAB Nutrition only three years ago, and the fact that he just cashed out for over $20 million at age 35 is rare. It’s the largest exit I personally know of by a young(ish) Milwaukee entrepreneur. That said, it is far from an overnight success story.
Josh has been starting businesses and involved in sales, online marketing, affiliate marketing and the health and wellness industry since he was 18. Many have failed, some have broke even and others have been successful. On the podcast, when talking about FAB, he said, "FAB was only a success story because of what built up to it. It was accidental; CBD was not a plan, but because I had a decade of doing the same model in harder markets, CBD was early, it had such a hockey stick (growth) to it.”
There’s a lot to learn from Josh’s story that we discuss on the podcast. One thing we cover is the role of luck and timing in entrepreneurship. Whereas stories about exits like Josh’s recent one grace news headlines – like this article – it is far from the reality of entrepreneurship. When something like this happens, there is a lot of luck and timing involved – but Josh was also ready for it. A lot of people don’t build up their skill set or take advantage when opportunities are presented in front of them. It typically also takes a long time and overcoming a lot of obstacles to create a successful profitable company.
We also touch on the city of Milwaukee and why, after living all over the country, Josh chose to come back to Milwaukee to start a wellness company. A lot of it had to do with being part of Milwaukee’s come-up and making an impact in his hometown opposed to just being another person in a bigger market city. Josh has already made an impact in the city as FAB Nutrition is involved philanthropically with several organizations and he has a new development coming to Milwaukee’s East Side that includes commercial space as well as townhomes.
Listen to the full episode for this unique and inspiring entrepreneurial journey:
