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Spencer Johnson stood on a street corner in Alpine, Utah with a handmade cardboard sign that said "Looking for investors — ask me about my startup." A wealthy resident snapped a photo, posted it on LinkedIn, and within a month Spencer had his first angel investor. That's the kind of hustle you're going to hear about in this episode of Startups with Stu.

Spencer is the founder of Neuro Pouch — think Zyn meets nootropics. Instead of nicotine, his pouches deliver cognitive-enhancing ingredients like lion's mane and ashwagandha for on-demand focus and productivity. The idea came from a deeply personal place: a decade ago Spencer was diagnosed with an extra chromosome that changed his entire approach to health optimization. What started as self-education turned into consulting for Navy SEALs, FBI, NFL athletes, and top CEOs.

Stu digs into the real founder stuff in this one — how to survive financially while building, when to raise money vs. bootstrap, the contract mistakes that destroy partnerships, and why brutal self-honesty is the most underrated founder skill.

🔑 Topics covered:

• The cardboard sign fundraising story that actually worked

• Building Neuro Pouch: nootropic pouches as an alternative to nicotine

• How a health diagnosis became a business calling

• Paying bills through coaching while building a startup

• Why you should trust contracts, not people

• When to raise money vs. bootstrap and hold equity

• How to test product-market fit with two sales reps

• Getting into 1,000 retail doors before having finished product

• The most common pitfalls for first-time founders

📦 Neuro Pouch — coming soon (follow Spencer on LinkedIn for updates) 🔗 Connect with Spencer Johnson on LinkedIn

#NeuroPouch #StartupHustle #StartupsWithStu #Nootropics #AngelInvesting #FounderStory #Bootstrapping #FirstTimeFounder #Entrepreneurship

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