When Nobody Believed in His Vision, the Co-Founder of Fatherly Shares How He Proved Them Wrong After hearing 'no' over and over again, Mike Rothman starting making strategic decisions to confirm his idea was a good one.

By Jason Feifer

Fatherly

This is an episode of our podcast Problem Solvers. Each week, an entrepreneur reveals how they overcame an unexpected problem in their business -- and were happier and more successful as a result. The show is hosted by Entrepreneur's editor in chief, Jason Feifer. Listen below, or subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Everyone who's experienced setbacks, rejection and frustration will ask themselves the same inevitable question: "What if the naysayers are right?" Mike Rothman did that. As he built his company Fatherly -- a media site for dads, which is a market everyone told him was nonexistent -- he was told "no" over and over again. But instead of quitting, he made strategic decisions that enabled him to discover the truth: His idea really was a good one. And soon, the people saying no started to say yes.

Related: How the Founder of Baked by Melissa Recovered From Her First Holiday Sales Disaster

In this episode of Problem Solvers, learn how Rothman navigated the early days of Fatherly and the choices he made to help validate his idea.

Thanks to our sponsors:

Domain names matter. And Hover gets that. They are focused exclusively on helping you buy the right domain name. No web sales, clean user interface, and excellent customer service. And Hover understand in our modern digital era that you may change website platform many times and their connect feature allows you to make the switch with just a few clicks. Check out Hover to get 10% off your first purchase.

Jason Feifer

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor in Chief

Jason Feifer is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine and host of the podcast Problem Solvers. Outside of Entrepreneur, he writes the newsletter One Thing Better, which each week gives you one better way to build a career or company you love. He is also a startup advisor, keynote speaker, book author, and nonstop optimism machine.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

AI Could Cause 99% of All Workers to Be Unemployed in the Next Five Years, Says Computer Science Professor

Professor Roman Yampolskiy predicted that artificial general intelligence would be developed and used by 2030, leading to mass automation.

Buying / Investing in Business

From a $120M Acquisition to a $1.3T Market

Co-ownership is creating big opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg 'Insisted' Executives Join Him For a MMA Training Session, According to Meta's Ex-President of Global Affairs

Nick Clegg, Meta's former president of global affairs, says in a new book that he once had to get on the mat with a coworker.

Buying / Investing in Business

Big Investors Are Betting on This 'Unlisted' Stock

You can join them as an early-stage investor as this company disrupts a $1.3T market.