There is nothing for sale here. Gathering data to solve issues for
Entrepreneurs: Join a 20 minute interview - you can help
There is nothing for sale here. Gathering data to solve issues for
Entrepreneurs: Join a 20 minute interview - you can help
Why do people choose the uncertain path of entrepreneurship? What drives them to build a business from the ground up, and how do they decide what kind of business to create?
Across Reddit and countless other forums, you’ll find founders who once dove in with passion and purpose… only to now find themselves overwhelmed. They’re barely making payroll. Anxiety and fear shadow every decision. Sleepless nights are the norm.
"What went wrong? Can I fix this? Should I walk away?
I need answers."
We’re conducting in-depth 20-minute interviews with small business entrepreneurs. Founders who’ve taken big risks and are navigating daily high-stakes decisions. We want to hear your story: how you chose your market, what inspired your niche, and what pushed you to invest your time, money, and energy into this business.
Most importantly, we want to understand the toughest challenges you’ve faced, and what they’ve cost you. How you beat them. Some entrepreneurs push through. Others hit a wall. Either way, your experience matters.
This is your invitation to contribute to a project aimed at exposing the raw truth of entrepreneurship - what works, what doesn’t, and how it really feels when the pressure builds.
By gathering a broad range of real-world experiences, we’re uncovering patterns, decisions, and turning points that often determine whether a business survives - or breaks. Our goal is to distill these insights into practical, actionable frameworks that current and future entrepreneurs can use to avoid common pitfalls, make better decisions, and reclaim control over their lives and businesses.
There is hope. But it starts with honesty—and it starts with you.
If you're willing to share your experience, please leave your first name and email. We’ll schedule a quick 20-minute Zoom or phone call. Everything you say is 100% confidential. Your identity will never be revealed without your explicit written permission.
Your story can help shape solutions that save other founders from burnout, fear, and failure.
Schedule your interview today. Let’s turn experience into answers.
Hi, I'm Steve Maxey. Welcome to the Never Give Up Research Project.
I’m a lifelong entrepreneur and have founded multiple companies—ranging from an early online auto sales platform (eCarCredit.com, launched in 1999, we were the very first online site where people could buy a new car, secure financing, and the car was delivered to them. That had never been done before.) to ventures in reverse logistics for big box retailers. off-lease vehicle sales online for Top 10 banks, and specialized medical billing. Several of these reached seven-figure profits. We raised venture capital multiple times as well.
I’ve seen how entrepreneurship can bring both wealth and hardship. Success often hinges less on spreadsheets and financials, and more on intuition, imagination, and gut instinct. Metrics help us look backward; instinct drives us forward. Just think of Steve Jobs. His gut feel shaped Apple far more than the numbers did.
The Never Give Up project uncovers the deeper patterns behind entrepreneurial success—blending hard data with creative insight to help you build a smarter, stronger business.
I want to encourage you to participate in our short interviews as we gather data from entrepreneurs about their successes and challenges that sometimes result in failure. The purpose of this research project is to help people in business, like you, to survive and thrive. Enter your email address and join us in a community of entrepreneurs who will be equipped to overcome the challenges and fulfill their goals.