Starting Formula 50: Experience, Failure, and the Drive to Build Again

We’ve all heard the phrase “learn from your mistakes.” At Formula 50, that’s not just a nice saying; it’s the foundation this company was built on.

Formula 50 is a new startup, but it comes from decades of experience building, scaling, and learning the hard way. Justin Tysdal, who helped launch and grow Seven Corners from a small insurance idea into a national company, has seen every side of entrepreneurship: the good, the bad, and the sleepless nights in between.

When he left Seven Corners, it wasn’t because he was done building. It was because he wasn’t done learning. That same spirit is what drives Formula 50 today.

Why We Started Formula 50

This company was born out of a familiar itch—the one that never really leaves entrepreneurs. You build something once, and you realize the best part isn’t the success at the end; it’s the process of figuring things out along the way.

At Formula 50, we want to help other startups experience that same drive without hitting all the same roadblocks. We’ve been through the chaos of starting small, scaling fast, hiring the wrong people, building the wrong systems, and then learning what really works. The formula isn’t about perfection; it’s about momentum.

Justin often talks about how his biggest failures taught him more than the big wins ever did. Early in his career, he made the mistake of trying to do everything himself, thinking speed meant skipping structure. Later, he learned that speed and structure actually fuel each other. That balance between moving fast and building things that last is baked into everything we do at Formula 50.

What We’re Building

Formula 50 is part think tank, part launchpad. We’re a startup helping startups, bringing lessons from the trenches into real-time execution. Our focus is on giving founders and teams clarity, systems, and strategy they can actually use—not recycled advice or one-size-fits-all frameworks.

The “formula” in our name isn’t about a secret code. It’s about building repeatable systems that let creative ideas scale. And the “50” represents the belief that you can always get better. You’re never at 100 percent because there’s always another level to reach.

We want to take the experience of building a successful company like Seven Corners—the mistakes, the pivots, the hard-won lessons—and use that to make other entrepreneurs’ paths a little smoother, a little faster, and a lot more intentional.

What You Can Expect Here

This blog will be where we share what we’re learning as we build Formula 50 from the ground up. We’ll talk about leadership, execution, people, and process—the things that actually make businesses work. You’ll hear real stories, honest reflections, and practical takeaways you can apply to your own company.

We’re not here to lecture. We’re here to build, to experiment, and to connect with others doing the same.

The Next Chapter

Formula 50 is new, but the lessons behind it aren’t. We’ve seen what it takes to grow something from scratch, and we’ve seen how easily it can all fall apart if the foundation isn’t right. Our goal is simple: help others avoid the mistakes we made and get to their version of success faster.

We believe in building companies that last. And we believe in enjoying the ride.

Welcome to Formula 50. Let’s build something great together.