Pedro Franceschi: What Brex Needs to do to be a Public Company | E1178

If I were to write a book about how to build a company, there would be two parts, 50% importance of each. Part one takes six months, part two takes 10 years. And the part one is just finding what you're gonna do, and, and with who you're gonna do it with. I think the initial conditions are, like, highly underestimated. There's this belief that I can just pivot my way around to, into an idea that works. It's really hard to pivot a way into something else. And I think people just don't anticipate how much of just finding a good idea is still really damn important.

Ready to go? (upbeat music) Pedro, I am so excited for this, dude. I have heard so many good things, especially from Neil Mehta. So first, thank you so much for joining me.

Of course. Thanks for having me.

So Pedro, I know this is an unorthodox way to start the show, but I wanna start with the question of what do you think many people underestimate or don't think enough about that they should maybe spend more time on?

I think people underestimate the importance of mental health to a very high degree. Um, that's a very big learning over the past seven years.

Did you underestimate the importance of mental health?

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, it's, uh, 50% of the challenge is in here. It's not outside.

Was there ever a time when you were really depressed?

N- not depressed. I think my issue was more anxiety. Um, like, paralyzing anxiety. Yeah, in 2021, many times.

How does that manifest itself for you?

It's this, like, feeling where it's like, I remember this feeling vividly. You know, in 2021, uh, where I was... I mean, there was a lot of things happening in my life outside of work too, uh, but at work was pretty, pretty intense. And I remember being in my house in, in LA during the pandemic and feeling so anxious and so stressed. And I was like, "I'm, like, 25 years old, 24 or 25 years old," I don't remember. "Like, I'm perfectly healthy, and I can't work because I'm so fucking stressed that I just, I just can't function like a human being right now." Um, and, uh, and it's not great. It's, uh, it's paralyzing to sit in front of your computer, start to, you know, cold sweat, and, and it's not fun. Not fun at all.

What are you so stressed about? I mean this in the nicest way. You're, in the one, most wonderful American term, you're post economic. You know, investments work, some don't. Life is long.

I always say this to people that, you know, I think when people are harsh with us externally, I'm like, it doesn't affect me that much because I- I'm way harsher internally, uh, with myself and with the company. I think there's a degree to which you have to learn how to be kind to yourself. And, um, y- you know, again, the battle is won here, and, and I think I wasn't. Uh, and I, I, I think I'm, it's a journey. I don't think I'm, like, there yet, but I'm definitely better than what I used to be.