{"id":208193,"date":"2024-06-21T07:19:34","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T07:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/?p=41109"},"modified":"2024-06-21T07:19:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T07:19:34","slug":"blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-41110\" src=\"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"646\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png 646w, https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith-585x330.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an exclusive interview,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/aymag.com\/men-of-distinction-2022\/blake-smith\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blake Smith<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, CEO and founder of SQRL, delved into the significant achievements and challenges his company has faced over the past few years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com.au\/life\/brand-voice\/rebuilding-america-and-reducing-its-carbon-footprint-the-sqrl-station-story-with-blake-smith\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> proudly recounted how<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqrlfuel.com\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQRL<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> expanded to 415 stores in just four years, a feat that positioned the company as one of the fastest-growing brick-and-mortar enterprises in the country. This growth, however, was not without its challenges. Smith candidly discussed the financial difficulties that required taking on predatory loans and making personal sacrifices to keep<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/energy-oil-gas.com\/news\/tag\/blake-smith\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQRL<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> running. \u201cOur financial struggles were significant, but we persevered,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The interview also touched on operational issues, including a problematic partnership with Baximus that resulted in the closure of multiple stores.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/the-tag-experience_visionary-sqrl-holdings-founder-and-ceo-activity-7135741723040714752-OaF9\"  rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shared how these experiences have strengthened the company, preparing it for future obstacles. \u201cLearning from these experiences, we are better equipped to handle future challenges,\u201d he emphasized.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Addressing the inherent risks of startups, Smith stated, \u201cOur experience reflects the broader reality of startups\u2014where innovation and risk are closely intertwined.\u201d He accepted full responsibility for any shortcomings and issued a sincere apology to stakeholders affected by the company\u2019s struggles. \u201cI take full responsibility for the shortcomings at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sqrlfuel.com\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQRL<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.entrepreneur.com\/en-in\/entrepreneurs\/is-blake-smith-the-next-elon-see-how-hes-revolutionizing\/448990\"  rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smith<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> concluded with a proactive approach, offering to work with stakeholders to resolve ongoing issues. \u201cWe are committed to finding solutions and improving the situation together,\u201d he said, emphasizing his dedication to rebuilding trust and ensuring<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20231016623137\/en\/SQRL-Acquires-210-Additional-Stores-To-Fuel-America-Further\"  rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SQRL\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> success.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an exclusive interview, Blake Smith, CEO and founder of SQRL, delved into the significant achievements and challenges his company has faced over the past few years. Smith proudly recounted\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue Reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":344,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[374],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-208193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ipsnews"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times - Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times - Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In an exclusive interview, Blake Smith, CEO and founder of SQRL, delved into the significant achievements and challenges his company has faced over the past few years. Smith proudly recounted\u2026 Continue Reading &rarr;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-21T07:19:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Busines Newswire\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Busines Newswire\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/\",\"name\":\"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times - Business\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-21T07:19:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#\/schema\/person\/457ba41b64cc345c2ab68ac8092bd5e8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/\",\"name\":\"Business\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#\/schema\/person\/457ba41b64cc345c2ab68ac8092bd5e8\",\"name\":\"Busines Newswire\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b21e185e011dc25167b5d0f8e948087219de9c5efa4828a2ee7e511b602d98d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b21e185e011dc25167b5d0f8e948087219de9c5efa4828a2ee7e511b602d98d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Busines Newswire\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/author\/busines-newswire\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times - Business","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times - Business","og_description":"In an exclusive interview, Blake Smith, CEO and founder of SQRL, delved into the significant achievements and challenges his company has faced over the past few years. Smith proudly recounted\u2026 Continue Reading &rarr;","og_url":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/","og_site_name":"Business","article_published_time":"2024-06-21T07:19:34+00:00","author":"Busines Newswire","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Busines Newswire","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/","url":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/","name":"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times - Business","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png","datePublished":"2024-06-21T07:19:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#\/schema\/person\/457ba41b64cc345c2ab68ac8092bd5e8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/businesnewswire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/smith.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2024\/06\/21\/blake-smith-leading-sqrl-through-turbulent-times\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blake Smith: Leading SQRL Through Turbulent Times"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/","name":"Business","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#\/schema\/person\/457ba41b64cc345c2ab68ac8092bd5e8","name":"Busines Newswire","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b21e185e011dc25167b5d0f8e948087219de9c5efa4828a2ee7e511b602d98d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1b21e185e011dc25167b5d0f8e948087219de9c5efa4828a2ee7e511b602d98d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Busines Newswire"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/businesnewswire.com"],"url":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/author\/busines-newswire\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/344"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208193"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208193\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":208194,"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208193\/revisions\/208194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}