The High Performance Zone

Stephen "NAVIGATOR" Sacks | FUCKED UP NIGHTS - How we can learn from our own FUCK UPS. Find your baptism of fire of self & situational awareness, stop doing what you don't love and start doing what you do love with Stephen Sacks, Founder of Funding Nav

John Foley Season 1 Episode 123

Stephen Sacks is the founder of Funding Nav, an organization that helps ambitious businesses raise funds, scale, and become more profitable. As well as being the author of Reboot Your Business and The Intelligent Investor’s Handbook, Stephen is also the host and organizer of FuckUp Nights London, an event that gives business owners a platform to share their stories of entrepreneurial failure with an empathetic audience.


In this episode, you’ll hear from Stephen Sacks on:


  • (00:02:07) The FuckUp philosophy. Stephen emphasizes the importance of learning from failure. Plus, he encourages business owners to talk openly about their professional ‘fuck ups’ to help prevent other entrepreneurs from making similar mistakes. 


  • (00:16:07) His business journey. As a serial entrepreneur, Stephen describes how he set up Funding Nav after Brexit negatively impacted his furniture business. Moreover, he explains how his decades of entrepreneurial experience enable him to advise other business owners on accessing funding and making their companies more profitable, efficient, and successful.


  • (00:32:59) The pursuit of fitness. At the age of 57, Stephen believes in staying super-fit and energized, and he highlights the benefits of cycling 100 miles per week, playing tennis, and lifting heavy weights at the gym.


  • (00:50:59) The secret to successful investing. According to Stephen, making an effort to understand the seller’s motivation is the key to acquiring assets at a reasonable price. Interestingly, he believes 2023 will be an excellent year to buy unloved businesses and inject new life and direction into them.


  • (01:03:44) His attitude to ageing. Instead of thinking about retiring or slowing down, Stephen doubles down on his intention to acquire and sell businesses, experience new things, and have more adventures.