This millennial founder faced 73 rejections before building a nine-figure coffee company. One more ‘no’ and I would’ve figured out how to sell a kidney

Doubts about higher education are on the rise. Amid a [blank], over one-third of Gen Z graduates now say their [blank]

Yet for Stanford, campus time has proven to be a critical launchpad. Famously, alumni from the Silicon Valley-area school have founded dozens of major companies, including [blank], PayPal, and [blank]. Fellow, an over $100 million startup and premium coffee and kitchenware brand, is aiming to join their ranks.

Fueled by plenty of caffeine while pursuing his [blank], Jake Miller imagined a minimalist, dual-purpose coffee steeper built for both hot and cold brews. Since then, Fellow has expanded into a retailer offering dozens of products—such as coffee makers, grinders, and kettles—at major stores including [blank], [blank], and [blank]. But the 41-year-old founder told [blank] that “It was very hard to get people to see the future the way I did.”

Miller secured early funding via a crowdfunding campaign on [blank], but when it came time to raise institutional capital, momentum stalled. By the time Fellow finally broke through, Miller had accumulated 73 rejections from angel investors and small funds. For many founders, that would have been the end. For Miller, it was motivation.

“Nothing was going to stop me,” Miller said. “Each no was simply one step closer to the eventual yes, and if it would have only been no’s, like, I would have figured out how to sell a kidney.”

For Miller, persistence wasn’t just a mindset—it was his business plan.

Before finding his true passion, Miller tried construction and marketing jobs—and developed his personal litmus test

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Miller grew up in Minnesota and gradually realized he was a builder at heart. As a teen, he sold T-shirts and bootlegged CDs to make extra cash. But after studying marketing at the University of St. Thomas, Miller felt like many Gen Zers today: uncertain about his career direction.

He gave home remodeling and [blank] a shot, even finding what he called “early success.” But after just 18 months, he left because his heart wasn’t in the work.

In that field, he said, “you have to wake up every day crazy-obsessed with what you’re working on. I wasn’t obsessed with construction—and that’s how I knew it was the wrong category.”

Clarity hit later when he took a marketing role at [blank]—a Minneapolis-based chain with over 800 locations. There, Miller noticed a gap in the home-brewing market: the rise of meticulous coffee roasters was paired with a clear lack of well-designed brewing tools.

As he brainstormed ideas and pitched investors, Miller created his personal litmus test for career fit: Does it get you out of bed in the morning even without a paycheck?

“Great entrepreneurs all think the same way,” he said. “Nothing was going to stop me.”

Fellow most recently raised $30 million in its Series B funding round, with backers including venture capitalist Peter Fenton—known for early investments in [blank] and Yelp. The company is now based in San Francisco and employs over 100 people.

Countless business leaders—including Ray Dalio and Warren Buffett—agree: pursue what excites you

Miller isn’t alone in linking career success to a genuine obsession with work.

This same mindset appears repeatedly among high-profile business leaders, who often cite enthusiasm—not just discipline—as their competitive edge.

David Risher, CEO of [blank], put it plainly:

“I absolutely love my job,” he [blank] in 2024. “I literally jump out of bed every single morning.”

Billionaire investor [blank] has offered similar guidance, urging people to treat work as more than a paycheck and instead part of a broader life mission.

“Make your passion and your work one and the same and do it with people you want to be with,” Dalio [blank] on social media.

Warren Buffett has echoed this advice for decades. During a [blank] at the University of Florida, the [blank] described career choice as one of life’s most important decisions.

“There comes a time when you ought to start doing what you want,” Buffett [blank]. “Take a job that you love. You will jump out of bed in the morning.”