343: How To Find The Next Big Business Idea with Nextdoor Co-Founder Sarah Leary

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For Sarah Leary, entrepreneurship has always been in her blood. Growing up in a household of small-business owners including her grandmother who was also an entrepreneur, she knew she would eventually be one, too. She remembers that even when she was working for Microsoft as part of the founding team for Microsoft Office, she knew that being a business owner was her future.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From her development, launch, and successful scaling of Nextdoor into the world’s largest private social network for neighborhoods, Leary has experience in every aspect of entrepreneurialism. Her advice for budding entrepreneurs comes from years of experience in both scaling a business, building a community, and growing brands. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this interview with Nathan Chan, Leary reveals the absolute essentials every new entrepreneur needs to tick off when they want to start something new. As a venture partner at Unusual Ventures, Leary has advice straight from the frontline of what she wants to see in a pitch. <br /> <br /> <strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Key Takeaways</span><br /></strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">How Leary grew up in a household of business owners and entrepreneurs and why that means she always knew she would be one too</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Finding herself in the early start-up culture of Silicon Valley in the 90s</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Her first business and how she faced failure, the decision to pivot, and a whole new frontier</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The beginning of Nextdoor, and it’s growth internationally over the past decade</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Joining Unusual V