In this episode of FlowZone, we sit down with John Anderton, founder of Butterfly — a platform development company born in the earliest days of the internet. What started as a full-service digital agency quickly grew into a tech powerhouse… until a government policy change in 2018 brought it all crashing down.

John shares the emotional and financial toll of losing nearly everything — going from 54 staff to 19, facing lawsuits, and collapsing from stress. But this story isn’t just about falling. It’s about transformation. From the brink of burnout to rebuilding with purpose, John found his footing through stoicism, scaling up frameworks, and the support of other founders.

We talk reinvention, resilience, and redefining success. From turning around struggling businesses, building AI for skin cancer detection, and raising two boys, John opens up about identity, meaning, and the lessons that only failure can teach you.

If you’ve ever hit rock bottom or needed permission to slow down, this episode will remind you that this too shall pass.

00:00:00 – From digital pioneer to full-service chaos

00:05:08 – Why niching down saved Butterfly

00:06:12 – Building ‘Tinder for skin cancer’

00:12:16 – The cash flow trap that nearly sunk them

00:14:00 – When everything changed in 2018

00:16:00 – Losing his team and his breath

00:17:14 – How stoicism and systems helped him rebuild

00:19:06 – Creating flow through purpose and leadership

00:21:17 – The power of detachment and not needing to be liked

00:26:10 – Why John prefers buying businesses to building from scratch

00:32:00 – Finding clarity through adversity

00:35:12 – Advice for anyone going through hell

Follow John Anderton:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-anderton

Follow Mark Kentwell:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_kentwell

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_kentwell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkentwell1

Mark’s Businesses:

Presence Real Estate: https://presence.realestate/

Nexr: https://nexr.com.au/