295: $30M to $2M in 18 Months: How to Lead When Everything Falls Apart

About this episode

Aedan Fida shares his experience of leading a company through a dramatic revenue drop and the lessons learned during that challenging period.

What does it actually feel like when the company you built starts falling apart? In 2021, Aedan Fida’s company, Blade Air, was on top of the world. They had a $20 million school board contract, 25,000 square feet of manufacturing space, and revenue hitting $30 million. Then, the pandemic ended, and revenue dropped off a cliff—falling to just $2 million by 2024. In this episode, Aedan (a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and EY Entrepreneur of the Year) gives one of the most candid accounts of founder life we’ve ever hosted. From sleeping in cars to build prototypes to the brutal reality of a 93% revenue drop, Aedan shares the "deep learning" that comes when you stop chasing goalposts and start leading with purpose. 🔥 What we cover in this episode: The Pivot that Paid Off (and then didn't): How Aedan went from building carbon filters for cannabis growers in a Toronto basement to massive government contracts. The "Deep Learning" Period: The truth about managing a $30M company with a management structure that wasn't ready for it. Slow Down to Speed Up: Why the instinct to "go harder" during a collapse is often wrong, and how coaching, therapy, and systems actually turned the tide. The…

People in this episode

Guest: Aedan Fida

Topics covered

• leadership
• business collapse
• entrepreneurship
• personal growth
• mental health
• resilience

Keywords

• leadership
• revenue drop
• entrepreneur
• mental health
• business strategy
• personal growth
• resilience

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blade Air, Forbes, EY

Places: Toronto

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