My Sister Mocked My “Manual Labor Job” At A Business Dinner. Then The Tv Behind Her Showed My $1.3b Net Worth. How Do I Handle The Apology Texts?

The lawyer was scrolling rapidly.

“Sequoia Capital invested in you, Nina?” the lawyer asked. “They’re one of the top VC firms in the world,” he noted. “They backed Google, Apple, and Oracle,” he added. “I know who they are,” I said. “They did extensive due diligence before investing,” I added.

Jessica’s face had gone pale.

“You raised $45 million?” Jessica asked. “That was Series B,” I said. “Series C is significantly larger,” I added. “How much larger?” Robert asked. “I can’t say; it’s not public yet,” I replied.

Dad was still frozen, staring at me like I’d grown a second head.

“Nina, if this is true, why didn’t you tell us?” Dad asked. “I tried for five years,” I said. “Every time I explained what I was building, you called it a hobby or a phase,” I reminded him. “You told your friends I was working entry-level warehouse jobs,” I added. “You said I was between opportunities,” I said.

“But you never showed us proof,” Dad argued. “You never asked to see proof,” I countered. “You saw that I visited warehouses and drove a Honda and decided I was failing,” I said. “You never once asked to visit the office, meet my team, or review the financial statements,” I added.

“Because you were always so secretive,” Dad claimed. “Because every time I mentioned Flow State, someone made a joke about it,” I said. “You called it my ‘warehouse thing’ and changed the subject,” I reminded him. “You told me to get a real job,” I said. “Why would I keep trying to prove myself to people who’d already decided I was unsuccessful?” I asked.

A Billion-Dollar Reality and the Path to Trust

The TV mounted in the corner of the private dining room had been playing Financial News on mute. Suddenly, someone turned up the volume.

“And now we go to our exclusive interview with one of tech’s most exciting young CEOs,” the anchor was saying.

I glanced up at the screen and my stomach dropped; it was me. The interview had been filmed two weeks ago in our Long Island City office. Bloomberg Technology had done a profile on logistics software companies and they’d wanted to feature Flow State.

I’d agreed to a 15-minute interview, assuming it would air late at night or online only. But here it was, prime time, on the TV in the room where my family was processing the revelation that I wasn’t actually a warehouse worker.

“Meet Nina Brennan,” the anchor continued. “CEO and founder of Flow State Systems, the logistics software company that’s transforming supply chain operations across North America,” the anchor added.

The screen cut to me in our office, standing in front of our operation center where real-time data from hundreds of warehouses displayed on massive monitors.

“We started Flow State because traditional warehouse management systems weren’t keeping pace with modern logistics demands,” my recorded self was saying. “E-commerce had exploded, but the software running distribution centers was still designed for the pre-internet era,” I explained on screen. “We saw an opportunity to completely reimagine how inventory flows through supply chains,” I added.

The Bloomberg interviewer asked about our growth. The camera panned across our office, showing software engineers at standing desks, data scientists reviewing algorithms, and operations managers on calls with clients.

“We’ve grown from two people in a shared office space to 127 employees across three offices,” I said in the interview. “Our software now manages over $12 billion in annual inventory flow for our clients,” I added.

“$12 billion,” Dad whispered at our table.

On screen, the interviewer was asking about funding.

“You’ve raised significant venture capital from top-tier firms,” the interviewer said. “Can you talk about your latest round?” the interviewer asked.

My recorded self smiled.

“We’re currently closing our Series C round,” I said on screen. “We can’t disclose the exact amount yet, but it’s the largest logistics software funding round of the year,” I stated. “It values Flow State at just over $1.3 billion,” I revealed.

The table erupted.

“Billion?” Jessica’s voice cracked. “Did she say billion?” she asked.

On screen, the interview continued.

“At 27, you’re one of the youngest founders to reach unicorn status,” the interviewer said. “That’s a billion-dollar valuation for our viewers,” the interviewer added. “What’s next for Flow State?” the interviewer asked.

“We’re expanding internationally,” I said on screen. “We have pilots running in the UK and Germany,” I explained. “We’re also developing AI-powered predictive analytics that will allow warehouses to anticipate demand shifts weeks in advance,” I added. “The goal is to eliminate inefficiency entirely from supply chains,” I concluded.

The interviewer leaned forward.

“Your company is now worth $1.3 billion,” the interviewer said. “You own 68% of the shares,” the interviewer noted. “That makes your net worth roughly $880 million,” the interviewer calculated. “How does it feel to be approaching billionaire status at 27?” the interviewer asked.

I watched my own face on screen, calm, professional, and slightly uncomfortable with the wealth question.

“The valuation is exciting because it means we can invest in the technology and expand our team,” I said on screen. “The personal wealth aspect is secondary to the mission,” I added. “We’re trying to solve real problems for companies that move physical goods,” I explained.

I noted that every percentage point of efficiency added to their operations meant lower costs for consumers and less waste in the system. The interview concluded with footage of one of our client warehouses, showing automated systems and optimized workflows with our software managing everything.

“Nina Brennan of Flow State Systems,” the anchor said as the segment ended. “One of tech’s rising stars, proving that the future of innovation isn’t just in social media and consumer apps,” the anchor added. “It’s in the unsexy but essential work of moving products efficiently,” the anchor concluded.

The TV was muted again. Nobody at our table spoke. Robert broke the silence first.

“Nina, did that interview just say you’re worth $880 million?” Robert asked. “On paper, until the Series C closes and the valuation is official,” I replied. “You’re almost a billionaire,” the lawyer said slowly. “At 27,” he added.

“The company is valued at over a billion, and I own 68%, so yes, my stake is worth roughly that amount,” I confirmed. Dad was still staring at the now-muted TV. “That was you on Bloomberg, talking about your billion-dollar company,” Dad said. “Yes,” I replied. “And we had no idea,” Dad said.

“I tried to tell you,” I said. Jessica found her voice, though it shook. “You let us think you were working in warehouses,” Jessica said. “I do work in warehouses,” I told her. “I spend at least one day a week in client facilities understanding their operations,” I explained.

I added that I also ran a technology company with 127 employees and $340 million in annual revenue, and both things were true.

“But you never corrected us,” Jessica argued. “I did, constantly,” I said. “You didn’t want to hear it,” I added.

Robert was scrolling on his phone again.

“Nina, there are dozens of articles about you,” Robert said. “TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Forbes,” he listed. “They’re calling you one of the most successful young founders in enterprise software,” he added.

“I’m aware,” I said. “Forbes has you on their 30 Under 30 list for enterprise technology,” Robert continued. “You won Logistics CEO of the Year last month,” he noted. “You’ve been a keynote speaker at three major industry conferences this year alone,” he added.

Dad’s face had gone from white to red.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Dad asked. “I did, Dad,” I said. “At Christmas, I mentioned the Forbes list,” I reminded him. “You said it must be for a different Nina Brennan because your daughter worked in warehouses,” I said.

I told him that at Thanksgiving, I talked about the conference keynote, and he said it was probably a small regional event. At Mom’s birthday, I mentioned we’d raised Series B funding, and he changed the subject to Jessica’s promotion.

“That’s not…” Dad started. “Did I really?” he asked. “Every time, for five years,” I replied.

Jessica was reading from her own phone now, her face getting paler.

“There’s an article here from Fortune,” Jessica said. “‘Nina Brennan: The Warehouse Worker Who Built a Billion-Dollar Software Empire,'” she read. “It says you spent a year working in distribution centers before founding Flow State,” she noted. “You actually did work in warehouses,” she added.

“I did,” I said. “I needed to understand the problems firsthand before I could build software to solve them,” I explained. “I worked night shifts at three different warehouses, took detailed notes on every inefficiency, and interviewed hundreds of workers about their challenges,” I added.