This episode’s guest is Erik Bergman, founder of Great.com. Great.com is a next generation charity. A company focused on making as much money as possible - only to give it all away. Where people can utilize their passions and greatest skills and combine that with the purpose of helping the world.

Erik has a lofty goal for his company. He wants to be able to donate a hundred percent of Great.com’s profits to climate change initiatives. The reason behind this goal is incredibly interesting. If you have a desire to make a difference, create a business that is bigger than yourself, you need to listen to Erik. Learn about the trial and tribulations that he went through to grow his first company to a $200m valuation and the challenges they have today to achieve their goal of making an impact on the environment.

In this episode we discuss:

• Being entrepreneurial at a young age [5:55]
• Failed businesses and his first successful business [7:36]
• What made him a good poker player [10:02]
• Challenges in starting and growing his online gambling marketing business and almost going bankrupt [11:19]
• How investors found their business and how they inspired them to improve their company [14:51]
• Selling his business and earning millions at 28 [17:18]
• What prompted him to start Great.com [18:11]
• His goal for Great.com and how he plans to achieve it [22:33]
• Challenges he is facing right now with Great.com [26:26]
• Erik’s criteria for finding charities to donate to [29:38]
• How to learn more about Erik and Great.com [35:19]

Links to sources and tools

• Interested in to learn more about Great.com and the literal and sometimes spiritual journey to becoming the world’s most innovative and controversial charitable organization? Listen to their podcast - Becoming Great - here: https://great.com/becoming-great/ and visit their website: https://great.com/

• Connect with Erik through these social media platforms:

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smilingerik/
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/smilingerik
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smilingerik/

• Listen to more episodes here: https://passthesecretsauce.com/category/ecommerce/

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