ABOUT ANDREW

M. Andrew McConnell’s story is not your typical Silicon Valley fairytale.

Born in Birmingham, AL, he was raised in a neighborhood built on a former tobacco field, population ~50,000. Through Stoicism and Southern grit, he managed to graduate Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and University of Cambridge with honors, all while becoming a member of the USA Open Water Swimming National Team, and earning an international Bronze Medal in the process.

Entering the work world, Andrew took a while to find his footing, bouncing from banker (Merrill Lynch), to attorney (Eversheds Sutherland), to consultant (McKinsey & Co.), before finally striking out on his own.

By deploying the ancient philosophy of Stoicism, Andrew eventually took the company he founded from less than $200,000 in revenue to nearly $10 million in under three years, a 50X increase. Rented is now a two-time Inc. 500 winner, and the growth continues. Andrew has tracked this perilous journey as a regular contributor to Inc., Forbes, USA Today, Huffington Post, Betterment, Skift, and Curbed.

He is a Board Member of Sheltering Arms—Georgia’s oldest nonprofit early childhood education program—as well as a founding Board Member of Atlanta Technology Leaders and a TechStars Mentor for Social Impact Startups. Andrew’s drive to share encouragement, resources, understanding, and techniques have led to the creation of this book.