Learning From Failure: 3 $100M+ Operators & Their Darkest Moments

“We were not going to make payroll next week.” How did three ecommerce CEOs turn rock bottom into their biggest lesson? Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela Case & Lomi), Mike Beckham (CEO, Simple Modern), and Curtis Matsko (CEO, Portland Leather Goods) each share the darkest moment of their ecommerce careers. What came after built the self-awareness that changed how they lead. Curtis walks through the week Wells Fargo pulled a $20M line of credit after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. Matt breaks down the hubris that nearly cost him payroll one Christmas. Mike shares the night a two-year venture fell apart. Their comebacks outweighed the crises, driven by a growth mindset none of them had before. Powered By Saras Analytics https://bit.ly/4a3gzVv Postscript https://9ops.co/postscript Aftersell https://9ops.co/4i3bb5 Richpanel https://9ops.co/richpanel Fulfil https://9ops.co/fulfil Northbeam https://www.northbeam.io/ Black Friday Resources ⁠https://www.9operators.com/black-friday ⁠ Operators Portal https://portal.9operators.com/dashboard Operators Newsletter https://9operators.com/ Chapters 00:00:00 Curtis’s Big Deal 00:02:37 The Mentor He Repaid 00:06:29 Why the Lows Matter Too 00:10:55 Christmas Payroll Scare 00:15:44 Straight Up Hubris 00:23:25 The Don’t Nibble Lesson 00:26:07 Curtis Says I Have Failed 00:31:13 Wells Fargo Pulls $20M 00:45:56 This Is Going to Fail 00:48:55 The Red Wedding Night 00:51:43 Persistence Can Backfire 01:02:43 60 Letters From His Team