This episode of The Art of Entrepreneurship is for founders navigating hard decisions, learning when to let go and building the belief required to keep going.

My guest is Joan Nguyen, co-founder and CEO of Bumo, a platform revolutionizing childcare with flexible, on-demand options for families and setting a new standard for trust in the space.

Joan and I talk about what it actually looked like to run two companies at the same time while raising young kids, and what that season required from her mentally and emotionally. She shares how she knew it was time to let go of one business, even when she still cared deeply about it, and how she reframed that decision as growth instead of failure.

We also talk about the idea of healthy delusion and why it’s often what keeps founders going when everything around them says to stop. We unpack how your belief system has to evolve as you grow, what it looks like to check whether it’s still serving you and how to build real trust when your product involves something as high-stakes as childcare.

Tune in for an honest look at what it takes to make clearer decisions, trust your instincts and keep building even when it’s hard.

About Joan Nguyen

Joan Nguyen is the co-founder and CEO of Bumo, a platform revolutionizing childcare with flexible, on-demand options for families. Raised by Vietnamese refugee parents who emphasized education as a pathway, she founded MeriEducation at 20 years old with $3,000 in savings and grew it into an Inc. 5000 company before launching Bumo alongside Chriselle Lim.

As a founder and working parent, Joan has navigated everything from pitching over 200 investors to rapidly pivoting the business into a virtual school in just 11 days during the pandemic. Today, Bumo has raised over $10 million and connects families with thousands of licensed childcare providers across the country.

Website: https://bumo.com/

LinkedIn – Bumo: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bumoparent/

LinkedIn – Joan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannguyen/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumoparent/

If you like this episode, here are some others you'll enjoy.

Episode 308. Who you need to be at each stage of building a business — Outgrowing your current version of yourself: https://www.jackiehermes.com/podcast/who-you-need-to-be-at-each-stage-of-building-a-business
Episode 291. The problem with chasing the “visionary founder” myth — When belief turns into a liability: https://www.jackiehermes.com/podcast/the-visionary-founder-myth
Episode 150. Become a better leader by learning how to change your mind — Letting go is part of leadership: https://www.jackiehermes.com/podcast/learning-to-change-your-mind

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