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Coffee with a Founder Podcast: Dan Beck of 401GO

Today's episode featured a conversation with Dan Beck, Co-Founder and CEO of 401GO.

Dan shares his journey working alongside his brother and why staying curious and problem-focused is the heart of entrepreneurship.

show notes:

05:13 - Rethinking the venture approach

02:11 Inspiration from Gusto and simplifying benefits

04:15 Building businesses with family

06:28 The shift to venture capital backing

14:04 - Why this mission matters

11:51 Never automating relationships

15:52 Culture is king

Read More About The Episode:

 

01:10 Why 401 (k) plans are complex for small businesses
Dan shares his own struggles as a business owner trying to set up 401ks and reveals how the process is often too complex and costly for companies without dedicated HR staff—setting the stage for why 401GO was founded.

02:11 Inspiration from Gusto and simplifying benefits
Dan highlights the complexities unique to 401 (k) s versus other benefits and describes the company’s approach to making setup and ongoing administration truly simple and automated for small and medium businesses.

04:15 Building businesses with family
Dan discusses the dynamics of working with family, how they complement each other's skills, and the trust and boundaries developed after more than a decade building multiple businesses together.

06:28 The shift to venture capital backing
Dan explains how prior bootstrapped ventures shaped his thinking, what made 401GO different, and why scaling and upfront investment made the VC route necessary—balancing growth ambitions with experience running profitable, efficient companies.

11:51 Never automating relationships
Dan describes 401GO’s philosophy of keeping human relationships at the center, even as they automate the technical side. He explains the risks of over-automation in sensitive financial matters and why speaking directly to knowledgeable humans remains a core value, differentiating 401GO from competitors.

15:52 Culture is king
Dan elaborates on being intentional about culture from the beginning, how it creates value for employees and partners, and why it’s a top concern when bringing on new investors.

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