The Emotional Cycle of Startup to Acquisition to Starting Over with Aaron Fazulak

The Junto Institute: Flourishing Together

Aaron Fazulak co-founded DESIGNATION, a startup dedicated to design bootcamps. Amidst profound personal upheavals, Aaron personally financed the school to keep it afloat. His fortunes changed considerably when DESIGNATION was acquired by WeWork’s Flatiron School and he was finally able to spread the financial support to his employees. Now Aaron is back to the drawing board after a painful layoff from the company he helped found.

On this week’s episode of Flourishing Together, Aaron talks to Raman about the rollercoaster of emotions inherent in startup life. Tune in for an honest conversation about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

• [00:24] - Welcoming Aaron Fazulak
• [00:55] - Emotion wheel
• [02:06] - Aaron and Raman's mutual story
• [09:28] - Acquisition by WeWork
• [10:08] - Going corporate after college
• [12:28] - Getting entangled with DESIGNATION
• [15:39] - 401k & credit card debt
• [19:57] - Co-founder responses
• [21:40] - Enrolling in The Junto Institute
• [25:41] - Overcoming challenges
• [31:16] - The day of acquisition
• [33:25] - Experiencing the transition
• [37:59] - Integrating with WeWork
• [46:15] - Layoff aftermath
• [53:06] - Closing appreciations

The Junto Institute runs a structured, designed Apprenticeship Program that is built on deep mentorship, emotional intelligence training, and teams learning together. Originating in 2012 in Chicago, IL, over 30 companies have participated in the Junto Apprenticeship program.

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This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.