MERCHANT GROWTHLinkedIn Native ShowJustin Chen on Small Business Funding, Cognitive Health & Sleep Performance
Senior Partnerships Manager at Merchant Growth & Founder of Restore.jc. Deployed $20M+ in small business capital across Canada, why time is money when traditional banks move slow, severe sleep apnea recovery, and CBT-I sleep architecture for high-performing founders.
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What you learn in these 8 minutes
- ✓Deploying $20M+ for SMBs Across Canada: Building trusted distribution partnerships from Vancouver to deploy non-dilutive capital to small mom-and-pop operators who need fast, frictionless funding.
- ✓Time Is Money Over Interest Rates: For small business owners, waiting months in bureaucratic bank approval queues costs far more in lost opportunities than alternative financing.
- ✓The Underdog Multiplier: Hearing how real businesses thrive—like a medical aesthetic clinic reducing operational costs by 23%—drives Justin's mission to champion business underdogs.
- ✓Diagnosing Severe Sleep Apnea: Suffering from chronic exhaustion in his 30s led Justin to discover he was choking in his sleep, transforming his relationship with biological rest.
- ✓CBT-I for High Performers: Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, coaching operators running on 5 hours of sleep to fix their sleep architecture without pharmacology.
- ✓The 20-30 Minute Leverage Equation: Gaining an extra 30 minutes of deep, restorative sleep enables founders to close 10% more deals, retain 10% more talent, and make 10% sharper critical decisions.
- ✓Kingmaker Mentality: Operating to elevate others and mentor upcoming entrepreneurs without needing personal credit—letting the results of mentees and partners take center stage.
"No man is an island. It takes a dedicated team and partners across the country to deploy capital and empower small, mom-and-pop business owners."
— Justin Chen, Senior Partnerships Manager, Merchant Growth · Sleep Coach, Restore.jc
"Time is money. When you're dealing with traditional banks, it's a painful process. Providing faster, convenient access to capital has immense value for underdogs."
— Justin Chen, Senior Partnerships Manager, Merchant Growth · Sleep Coach, Restore.jc
"What could 20 to 30 minutes of more restful sleep do for your business? Could you close 10% more deals? Retain 10% more talent? Make 10% better critical decisions?"
— Justin Chen, Senior Partnerships Manager, Merchant Growth · Sleep Coach, Restore.jc
"I want to be a kingmaker, not a king. I don't care about taking credit for anything—I'd rather elevate others."
— Justin Chen, Senior Partnerships Manager, Merchant Growth · Sleep Coach, Restore.jc
Justin Chen
Senior Partnerships Manager, Merchant Growth · Sleep Coach, Restore.jc
Merchant GrowthSenior Partnerships ManagerJustin Chen is Senior Partnerships Manager at Merchant Growth in Vancouver, where his partnerships across Canada have deployed over $20M+ in flexible capital to small, mom-and-pop business owners. Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and founder of Restore.jc, Justin also coaches high-performing founders and executives on optimizing sleep architecture, biological recovery, and critical decision-making.
· Hosted by Daniel DanoEight minutes. One interesting person. No fluff.
Eight Minute Episodes is a high-signal LinkedIn interview show hosted by Daniel Dano — American teenage software developer, founder of Ryla Labs, and author of Built Young. We invite founders, builders, and young innovators for frictionless 15-minute recording sessions with zero prep fluff.
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Got questions? I've got answers
A few things people usually ask me first.
Mostly web apps, small tools and mobile products — through Ryla Labs. I'm happiest on projects where I can own the build end to end.
School comes first. I build in the evenings and on weekends, and I plan projects in scopes that fit around classes and leadership commitments.
My first book, Built Young, is out now on Amazon in Kindle, Hardcover, and Paperback editions — it's a playbook for student founders drawn from two years building and shipping software as a teenager. I also write shorter essays on the blog.
Yes — send me a note through the contact section and tell me what you're building.