This founder says 73 rejections did not discourage him, ‘want to get out of bed even without pay’

Jake Miller, founder of coffee accessories company Fellow, believes that one should do something one is passionate about. The entrepreneur, who told Fortune how he grew his company despite 73 rejections from institutional investors, said the tough times provided a litmus test: Can this career get me out of bed in the morning for no pay?

For Miller, 41, becoming a founding member was that career path. “Great entrepreneurs all think the same way. Nothing was going to stop me,” he told the publication. The San Francisco-based company currently has more than 100 employees.

The company has grown by raising money through crowdfunding, attracting $30 million in its latest Series B round from investors including venture capitalist Peter Fenton (who provided early funding for Yelp and Twitter – now Elon Musk’s X), the report said.

About Fellow: From idea to entrepreneurship

According to the report, Miller came up with the idea for a minimalist, dual-purpose coffee brew designed for both hot and cold brews while he was studying for an MBA at Stanford University. This company has now grown into a company that retails a range of coffee accessories, including kettles, coffee grinders and coffee makers, at Costco, Nordstrom and Target in the US.

Additionally, a store option in Thailand was also displayed on the company’s official website. It also showed that Miller began crowdfunding a coffee brewing machine called the “Duo” in 2013 through a campaign on Kickstarter.

“It was very difficult to convince people to see the future the way I did,” Miller told Fortune, adding that he was rejected 73 times from angel investors and small funds before achieving success. He added that this did not deter him

“Nothing was going to stop me. Every no was one step closer to the final yes, and if it was just no, I might have figured out how to sell a kidney,” he added.

Career path? Find what you’re passionate about

According to Miller, he started working in construction and found early success in the field, but he wasn’t passionate about the job and quit within 18 months. “You’re supposed to wake up every day madly obsessed with what you’re working on. I wasn’t obsessed with construction, so I realized it was the wrong category,” he told the publication.

Later, while marketing at 800-chain strong Caribou Coffee, Miller says he saw an equipment gap in the homebrewing market, which led to a positive career change. He enrolled at Stanford for his MBA and founded the Fellow.

Miller believes that “great entrepreneurs all think the same way” and go full steam ahead with their passions. The sentiment has been expressed by well-known figures such as Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio and others.

“Make your passion and your business one and the same, and do it with the people you want to be with,” billionaire investor Ray Dalio advised his followers on social media. Warren Buffett told students at the University of Florida: “There comes a time when you have to start doing what you want. Do something you love. You’ll jump out of bed in the morning.”