The Junto Institute: Flourishing Together

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster of emotions. There’s the high of creating something new and connecting with underserved markets. Lows can include the uncertainty of being able to pay employees as well as sleepless nights from high stress. Aaron Fazulak has run the gauntlet of emotions with his company DESIGNATION which was acquired by WeWork’s Flatiron School. In this episode of Flourishing Together, Aaron talks to Raman about the different stages of entrepreneurship.

Show Notes

Aaron Fazulak co-founded DESIGNATION, a startup dedicated to design bootcamps. Amidst profound personal upheavals, Aaron personally financed the school to keep it afloat. His fortunes changed considerably when DESIGNATION was acquired by WeWork’s Flatiron School and he was finally able to spread the financial support to his employees. Now Aaron is back to the drawing board after a painful layoff from the company he helped found.

On this week’s episode of Flourishing Together, Aaron talks to Raman about the rollercoaster of emotions inherent in startup life. Tune in for an honest conversation about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. 
  • [00:24] - Welcoming Aaron Fazulak
  • [00:55] - Emotion wheel
  • [02:06] - Aaron and Raman's mutual story
  • [09:28] - Acquisition by WeWork
  • [10:08] - Going corporate after college
  • [12:28] - Getting entangled with DESIGNATION
  • [15:39] - 401k & credit card debt
  • [19:57] - Co-founder responses
  • [21:40] - Enrolling in The Junto Institute
  • [25:41] - Overcoming challenges
  • [31:16] - The day of acquisition
  • [33:25] - Experiencing the transition
  • [37:59] - Integrating with WeWork
  • [46:15] - Layoff aftermath
  • [53:06] - Closing appreciations
The Junto Institute runs a structured, designed Apprenticeship Program that is built on deep mentorship, emotional intelligence training, and teams learning together. Originating in 2012 in Chicago, IL, over 30 companies have participated in the Junto Apprenticeship program.

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This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

What is The Junto Institute: Flourishing Together?

The Flourishing Together podcast highlights the experiences of leaders who believe that business is more about people, culture, and leadership than just product, market, and financials. Flourishing Together is hosted by Raman Chadha, founder of The Junto Institute. Junto's vision is to be a global ecosystem of growth, humanity, and virtue and their mission is to help companies and their leaders become infinitely better at who they are and what they do.