Daniel Gouldman, Founder And CEO Of Ternio- Empowering Companies To Be Their Own Bank!

Daniel Gouldman is the Founder and CEO of a blockchain technology company – Ternio.

When Daniel was 17 years old, he was homeless. He lived out of his car, worked two jobs, and found a way to graduate high school.

Twenty years later, he was able to be in a position to work for himself. Daniel now owns several businesses and hopes to make a difference for others over his next 20.

An inspiring journey indeed!

Ternio has built the Block card platform – a global fintech platform built on top of blockchain technology; Block card is one of the world’s most well-known fintech blockchain solutions. The Block card platform is a 5-minute setup, offers bank accounts, debit cards, rewards capabilities and seamlessly connects crypto with traditional fintech and banking solutions.

In an exclusive interview with AsiaTechDaily, Daniel says:

Find a way to make your business sustainable as fast as possible. Know how to budget your money, hire great people, and be prepared to adapt when your plan doesn’t work out. Many founders don’t know how to deal with plans falling through, and they’re very, very likely to fall through.

If you love what you do – you’ll stay motivated. I feel passion for business and building things, so I don’t need outside influences to drive motivation.

• Take personal responsibility for what you do in life; you have a choice in everything
• Love life and love people – no matter what you are doing and no matter how much disappoint you may experience at any given time
• Work hard. There’s fulfillment in taking on challenges and facing adversity. Never give up; always persevere

Read on to know more about Daniel Gouldman and his journey.

https://youtu.be/6T6RSv46m5w

Please tell me about your personal background and What motivated you to get started with your company?

Daniel Gouldman: I have a long history in management: management of people and management of budgets. I’m a serial entrepreneur, and we saw an opportunity to solve a real problem using blockchain technology.

What is your current main product, and can you share any previous product pivot story to the current product?

Daniel Gouldman: Our main product is a Block card. Block card is both for B2C and also we white label our technology as a B2B2C solution.

We started Ternio, focusing mainly on scalable technology – our Lexicon blockchain – which was designed specifically for digital advertising and had capabilities well outside of that.

We found that the industries are still working on blockchain cases and that Block card was something that drove revenues much more quickly. Enterprise solutions took a different type of timeline, and we needed to drive revenues ASAP. And it’s been a very beautiful result.

How much money have you raised in total so far? When was the recent funding round?

Daniel Gouldman: We haven’t stated this, but we just finished a Reg-CF round that was oversubscribed.

What were the internal decision processes in determining when to begin fundraising, and what were the logistics for this? And how many investors have you met so far, and how did you meet these investors, and which channels worked best for you?

Daniel Gouldman: Our decision to raise capital was based on our intent to expand the business. Of all the conversations we have had with investors, our best results have come from investments from every day people like with the Reg-CF.

What are the biggest challenges and obstacles that you have faced in the process of fundraising? If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

Daniel Gouldman: It’s very challenging to raise capital from VC’s who typically want terms that are unfair to founders; we weren’t willing to accept bad terms. We would do differently not to spend so much time trying to raise capital from outside investors. They’re often unserious, or they aren’t serious about you. Investors think in a herd mentality typically because they’re taking the risk, and the chances are that a startup will do poorly just based on the numbers. Often, failure is dictated by a lack of capital, so they never get a shot.

Starting a company is very challenging for this reason.

What are your milestones for the next round? And what are your goals for the future?

Daniel Gouldman: We’re looking to raise $10M in the next round. Our goals are to be a public company, ultimately.

How have you attracted users, and with what strategy have you grown your company from the start to now?

Daniel Gouldman: We have utilized marketing to drive user growth, of course. This is something we’re good at. We have a good product, and marketing is an important part of our ability to drive user growth.

What do most startups get wrong about marketing in general?

Daniel Gouldman: I do find it odd how many startups don’t know how to market their business efficiently. It matters so that you can find your future customers at the cheapest possible cost. And they have to cost you less than the value they bring to the business.

How do you plan to expand globally?

Daniel Gouldman: We’re building our products so that we can offer them globally. Then we’re going to market them globally. That’s the plan.

What are the most common mistakes companies make with global expansion?

Daniel Gouldman: It’s a delicate balance between knowing when to focus on a particular market vs. offering your capabilities to a global audience. Each company has to make its own decisions based on where they are in their company journey.

How do you handle this COVID-19 outbreak situation for your company’s survival in the future?

Daniel Gouldman: COVID has not had a negative impact on our business; our team is decentralized, and it’s only accelerated demand for our products.

What are the most common mistakes founders make when they start a company?

Daniel Gouldman: Find a way to make your business sustainable as fast as possible. Know how to budget your money, hire great people, and be prepared to adapt when your plan doesn’t work out. Many founders don’t know how to deal with plans falling through, and they’re very, very likely to fall through.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? And What advice do you have for someone who is interested in doing similar things like yours or in a similar direction?

Daniel Gouldman: When you’re dealing with investors – it’s about trust. Focus on building relationships for the future and keeping investors engaged for the future, not necessarily focusing on getting their investment today. I think that’s true.

What are the top-three books or movies (TV series) that changed your life and why?

Daniel Gouldman: The Oz Principle is about personal accountability. I read many Harvard Business Review magazines and found those always to be very meaningful to me. Also, the economist is probably my favorite magazine.

How do you keep yourself motivated every day?

Daniel Gouldman: If you love what you do – you’ll stay motivated. I feel passion for business and building things, so I don’t need outside influences to drive motivation.

What are the top- three life lessons that you want your (future) sons and daughters to know?

Daniel Gouldman:

• Take personal responsibility for what you do in life; you have a choice in everything
• Love life and love people – no matter what you are doing and no matter how much disappoint you may experience at any given time
• Work hard. There’s fulfillment in taking on challenges and facing adversity. Never give up; always persevere

What would you like to be remembered for?

Daniel Gouldman: I’d like to be remembered as a kind, honest, and hopeful person who sets an example for overcoming adversity in life and finding happiness and meaning.

You can follow Daniel Gouldman here.

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