They Rejected Her Idea, She Turned it into a BILLION Dollar Business

2026-03-09

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Lock in your spot for the Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://theceoschool.com/ceo-school-summit What happens when a business idea everyone rejects turns out to be right? Every major company begins with a moment when someone decides to keep going even after being told no. In this episode, Suneera Madhani sits down with Nathan Chan to discuss the early risks, difficult decisions, and long road behind building a payments company that would eventually become a fintech unicorn. As you listen, you will hear what...

Lock in your spot for the Unicorn CEO Summit today at https://theceoschool.com/ceo-school-summit

What happens when a business idea everyone rejects turns out to be right?

Every major company begins with a moment when someone decides to keep going even after being told no. In this episode, Suneera Madhani sits down with Nathan Chan to discuss the early risks, difficult decisions, and long road behind building a payments company that would eventually become a fintech unicorn. As you listen, you will hear what it actually takes to build a business through uncertainty, push past rejection, and stay focused on the long game.

Nathan Chan is the founder and CEO of Foundr, a global media and education company that helps entrepreneurs build and scale successful businesses. Through the Foundr podcast and platform, he has interviewed many of the world’s most successful founders and business leaders.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

(00:00) Discover how an idea that was initially dismissed eventually became the foundation for a billion dollar fintech company.

(03:53) Understand how early exposure to entrepreneurship and small business shaped the mindset required to start a company.

(09:56) Learn what it takes to leave a stable job and commit fully to building a company from scratch.

(11:20) See how early traction, including processing millions in payments, can validate a startup concept quickly.

(17:55) Explore the strategic decision to bet on omnichannel payments before the broader market recognized the opportunity.

(22:06) Examine the reasoning behind rejecting a $17.5M acquisition offer and choosing to keep building.

(28:15) Gain insight into the realities of raising hundreds of millions in funding and navigating investor relationships.

(36:31) Understand the strategic thinking behind rebranding a growing company as it scales to new markets.

Learn more about Nathan Chan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan

Join the CEO School’s Millionaire Founders Club: https://theceoschool.com/join. We're building a table where every female founder has a seat.

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Learn more about CEO School because nothing bad ever happens when women make more money:

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Learn more about how Suneera Madhani is paving the way for badass female CEOs like you to take center stage not just in your industries but in your whole life.

* Website: https://suneeramadhani.com/

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suneeramadhani/

This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co/

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