#513 No Excuses, Only Solutions: Derrick Girard on the Founder’s Mindset

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, Derrick Girard shares his remarkable journey from financial services advisor to tech founder — despite having no technical background. Derrick opens up about scaling his company without a traditional sales team, surviving multiple lawsuits, and ultimately selling his business. His story is one of grit, resilience, and what he calls the FIO (Figure It Out) mindset — a framework every founder and leader can adopt to overcome obstacles and drive success. 🚀 Key Takeaways • Why excuses are never the solution in entrepreneurship • How Derrick scaled without a traditional sales team • The importance of validating an idea in a resistant market • Lessons from navigating three simultaneous lawsuits • Why success is “stairs, not an elevator” — and the reality check founders need • Building a culture of ownership and resilience inside growing teams ⸻ 🎧 What You’ll Learn • Practical strategies for validating and scaling a startup in regulated industries • How to compartmentalize challenges and stay focused under extreme pressure • The difference between the victim mindset and the solution mindset • Why documenting agreements — even with family and friends — is critical for founders • How to instill the Figure It Out mindset across teams and organizations 👤 About Derrick Girard Derrick Girard is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker who built and exited a tech company in the highly regulated financial services sector. With no formal background in technology, he relied on persistence, problem-solving, and the FIO mindset to navigate challenges that included investor disputes, lawsuits, and industry resistance. Today, Derrick helps founders and leaders embrace resilience, take ownership, and build solutions-driven cultures. He is also the author of Put to the Test: The FIO Mindset. https://derrickgirard.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrickgirard/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966190581?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_W4Z0S11X2YDG28CRKE17&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_W4Z0S11X2YDG28CRKE17&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_W4Z0S11X2YDG28CRKE17&bestFormat=true&newOGT=1 Episode Highlights • (02:30) Derrick’s unlikely path from finance to tech entrepreneurship • (05:00) Scaling without a sales team and replacing it with relationship managers • (07:30) Validating the idea through networks, questions, and conferences • (11:00) Navigating three lawsuits while scaling the company • (18:30) Why “success is stairs, not an elevator” • (23:00) The danger of excuses and the rise of the victim mentality • (27:00) Applying the FIO mindset to teams and organizations • (31:00) Reality checks every founder should do before starting up • (38:00) Redefining entrepreneurship: problem solvers vs. titles • (44:00) Derrick’s mission today and how to connect with him