599: They Rejected Her Idea, She Turned it into a BILLION Dollar Business | Suneera Madhani (Best of Foundr)
Suneera Madhani built Stax from an idea her employer rejected into a $1B
fintech unicorn processing over $25B in payments.
In this interview, the Stax co-founder shares how she went from selling
credit card terminals out of her car to pioneering the first
subscription-based payment processor, raising over $500M in capital, and
scaling a company now generating $120M+ in revenue.
From turning down a $17.5M acquisition offer to building an omnichannel
platform before “fintech” was even a word, Suneera breaks down the
strategies, resilience, and leadership lessons that took her from a
scrappy founder to one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in
tech.
What you’ll learn from this interview:
• How Suneera turned a rejected idea into a billion-dollar company
• The scrappy marketing tactics that got her first 250 customers
• Why she turned down a $17.5M acquisition offer early on
• The lessons from raising over $500M in funding and navigating
investors
• How to build an MVP using white-label solutions and customer feedback
• The importance of execution and focus over “big ideas”
• Why resilience, intuition, and community are critical for long-term
success
• The rebrand from FatMerchant to Stax and what it taught her about
scaling
By the end of this interview, you’ll walk away with proven insights for
scaling a fintech or SaaS company from zero to unicorn status—so you can
apply the same strategies to grow your own business with focus and
resilience.
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend
with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to https://your.omnisend.com/foundrhttps://your.omnisend.com/foundr to get started.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here →
https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
→ Already have a store? Apply here →
https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/
CONNECT WITH SUNEERA MADHANI
Website → https://staxpayments.com/
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → https://www.foundr.com
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/foundr/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → https://www.twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/
Podcast → https://www.foundr.com/podcast
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40:53
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40:53
598: (Solo) Your Brand Is Not a Logo: Why Most Founders Get Stuck Before They Even Launch
Think your “brand” is a logo, font, and color palette? That’s polish—not branding. Real ecommerce branding makes customers feel understood, builds instant trust, and increases conversions across your product pages, emails, and social.
In this episode, I break down what I’ve learned working with branding expert Camille Moore on our new Ecommerce Branding Blueprint inside Foundr+. You’ll get the principles and system I wish every founder used before launching—so your store stops feeling “nice” and starts feeling necessary.
Here’s what you’ll take away:
• Why logo ≠ brand: your brand is the feeling a customer has the first time they see you
• The trust shortcut: people don’t buy when they understand you—they buy when they feel understood
• The 4 brand pillars that drive sales: product, story, experience/consistency, visual identity
• Signals that cost $0 but increase conversions: clear messaging, cohesive copy, on-brand emails, credible packaging/photos
• Social proof that compounds: why ambassadors (from micro-creators to industry names) build authority fast
• Why branding must be a system, not a vibe—and how to apply it storewide
If you implement even one of these trust signals this week, you’ll feel the lift: lower bounce, higher add-to-cart, and a brand that finally reads “this is for me.”
This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your feedback. Email me directly at [email protected] — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it.
SIGN UP TO CAMILLE'S BRANDING COURSE
Sign up here to get started → https://pages.foundr.com/ecommerce-branding-blueprint
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to https://your.omnisend.com/foundr to get started.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here → https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
→ Already have a store? Apply here → https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
BOOST REVENUE WITHOUT MORE ADS
We use Aftersell for simple post-purchase offers that lift sales fast.
https://try.aftersell.app/ptiz4gnmvff7 to get started.
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → https://www.foundr.com
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/foundr/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → https://www.twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/
Podcast → https://www.foundr.com/podcast
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9:38
597: How She Built a $33M App with ZERO Ads | Tezza Barton
Tezza Barton bootstrapped the Tezza app from a two-person passion
project into a 25M+ download, $33M/year creative-tech brand—with just 15 employees and zero paid ads for the first four years.
In this interview, Tezza breaks down the scrappy path from negative bank
balances and collage kits in a 250-sq-ft apartment to building a
category-defining editing app and community that creatives actually
love.
From community-led growth and brand-first product design to pricing
pivots, lean teams, and culture-shifting collabs, you’ll learn exactly
how she scaled profitably while staying fan-obsessed and creatively
uncompromising.
What you’ll learn from this interview:
• How Tezza grew a bootstrapped, creator-led app to 25M+ downloads and $33M revenue
• The community-first playbook: DMs, feedback loops, and building demand
before launch
• Product-led marketing: naming filters (e.g., “Wildflower”), seasonal
drops, and experiential launches
• Pricing and retention: recovering from a bumpy subscription rollout
and increasing LTV
• Why a lean, high-leverage team can out-execute bigger competitors
• Collaboration strategy: pitching value, co-creating effects, and
tapping partner audiences
• Creative brand building: designing an app like a beauty brand, not a
utility
• Where AI helps (ops, grunt work) without replacing human taste,
curation, and intent
By the end of this interview, you’ll walk away with a proven roadmap to
build, market, and scale a profitable consumer app—so you can turn
audience insight and great creative into durable, compounding growth
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend
with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to https://your.omnisend.com/foundr to get started.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here →
https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
→ Already have a store? Apply here →
https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/
CONNECT WITH TEZZA BARTON
Website → https://www.shoptezza.com/
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/tezza.barton/
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-barton-6b73091b3/
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → https://www.foundr.com
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/foundr/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → https://www.twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/
Podcast → https://www.foundr.com/podcast
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51:29
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51:29
596: (Solo) The Most Unexpected Lessons I Learned From Scooter Braun
You might expect my favorite interviews to be with Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, or Barbara Corcoran. But one that surprised me — and stuck with me more than most — was with Scooter Braun.
In this episode, I share the lessons Scooter taught me about resilience, humility, and the real human side of entrepreneurship.
From his honesty about burnout and blind spots, to Jeff Bezos’ reminder that true success is simply about evolving, this conversation hit me harder than most.
Here’s what you’ll take away:• Why resilience and self-reflection matter more than achievements• The trap of chasing milestones instead of being present• Why building a family and community beats building an empire
If you’ve ever felt the pressure to keep proving yourself, this episode will remind you that success isn’t just about what you build — it’s about who you become along the way.
This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your feedback. Email me directly at [email protected] — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it.
SAVE 50% ON OMNISEND FOR 3 MONTHS
Get 50% off your first 3 months of email and SMS marketing with Omnisend with the code FOUNDR50. Just head to https://your.omnisend.com/foundr to get started.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU SCALE YOUR BUSINESS FASTER
Learn directly from 7, 8 & 9-figure founders inside Foundr+
Start your $1 trial → https://www.foundr.com/startdollartrial
PREFER A CUSTOM ROADMAP AND 1-ON-1 COACHING?
→ Starting from scratch? Apply here → https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-start-application
→ Already have a store? Apply here → https://foundr.com/pages/coaching-growth-application
BOOST REVENUE WITHOUT MORE ADS
We use Aftersell for simple post-purchase offers that lift sales fast.
https://try.aftersell.app/ptiz4gnmvff7 to get started.
CONNECT WITH NATHAN CHAN
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nathanchan
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/
FOLLOW FOUNDR FOR MORE BUSINESS GROWTH STRATEGIES
YouTube → https://bit.ly/2uyvzdt
Website → https://www.foundr.com
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/foundr/
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/foundr
Twitter → https://www.twitter.com/foundr
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundr/
Podcast → https://www.foundr.com/podcast
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10:01
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10:01
TRAILER: Welcome to The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan
The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan is where ambitious founders get real playbooks, not theory. Every week, Nathan sits down with the world’s top entrepreneurs and operators to unpack how they built, scaled, and led category-defining companies.
You’ll hear candid stories, hard numbers, and step-by-step tactics you can use right away across product, marketing, hiring, funding, and leadership. Past guests include Mark Cuban, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, and more.
If you want to find your product, launch faster, grow revenue, and lead with clarity, this show is for you. Follow now and start building with proven frameworks from the best in the game.
Hear the stories, learn the proven methods, and accelerate your growth and future through entrepreneurship. Welcome to The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan.
About the show:
For over a decade, The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan has been a leading entrepreneurship podcast for open-book conversations with, by, and for founders. Whether you're starting, building, or dreaming about your business, The Foundr Podcast is where you can access experienced founders who've been in your shoes to learn their proven methods, lessons from failure, and inspirational stories.
Past guests include Emma Grede, Mark Cuban, Neil Patel, Kendra Scott, Alex Hormozi, Trinny Woodall, Tim Ferriss, Sophia Amoruso, Simon Sinek, Tony Robbins, Amy Porterfield, Ed Mylett, Michelle Zatlyn, Reid Hoffman, Scooter Braun, Dany Garcia, Marc Lore, Ariana Huffington, Pat Flynn, Lewis Howes, Jordan Harbinger, and many more.
About the host:
Nathan Chan is the CEO of Foundr and the creator of The Foundr Podcast. Chan literally started from knowing nothing. He was just an average guy working in a 9-5 job he utterly hated. He knew nothing about entrepreneurship, nothing about startups, nothing about marketing, and nothing about online or how to build a business. In the past decade, Chan's built Foundr into a global leader in entrepreneurial education, helping tens of thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs start and scale their businesses.
Need help with your business?
Visit foundr.com/foundrplustrial to join a global community of entrepreneurs, gain access to proven strategies, and fast-track your business growth confidently.