How “pirate” entrepreneur Lloyed Lobo kicked his self-destructive habits

Lloyed Lobo, Boast.AI and Traction co-founder
Boast.ai and Traction co-founder shares the journey that led him to write his new book on community-led growth.

You might remember Lloyed Lobo from a past episode of the BetaKit Podcast. The co-founder of Boast AI and Traction, Lloyed joined us in 2021 to talk about how he almost died from COVID-19 and how it changed him as an entrepreneur and a man.

“The company was my identity. I had this huge void to fill and I didn’t know what to do with it.”

I think most entrepreneurs understand that change is not a linear progression, and after stepping away from the day to day operations of Boast, Lobo was struggling. In his signature forthright manner, Lobo catches us up on his journey to date, what he’s learned (for real this time), what he almost lost, and how he made changes in his life that stuck.

He’s also here to talk about his new book, “From Grassroots to Greatness – 13 Rules to Build Iconic Brands with Community Led Growth.” It’s something he knows a lot about having helped build Traction from a pizza-and-beer event to a global community of over 100,000 entrepreneurs and innovators.


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I love talking to Lloyed because while he’s a storyteller, he’s also no bullshit. And he’s a font of hard-fought lessons: of what to do and what not to do as an entrepreneur.

I hope you take some of those lessons to heart as you consume this podcast, but I know you’re going to enjoy it.

Let’s dig in.


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The BetaKit Podcast is hosted by Douglas Soltys & Rob Kenedi. Produced & edited by Kattie Laur. Feature image courtesy Lloyed Lobo.

Douglas Soltys

Douglas Soltys

Douglas Soltys is the Editor-in-Chief of BetaKit and founder of BetaKit Incorporated. He has worked for a few failed companies and written about many more. He spends too much time on the Internet.

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