Failure is the only way to success
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Happy Friday letter getters,
Today's letter is about knowing when to take advantage of an opportunity. Nashvillians tend to get (rightfully) upset about feeling increasingly pushed out by tourists. It's not popular to enjoy the traffic or the peddle taverns or temporary stages or especially the people downtown. The tourism industry looks miserable to us as neighbors, but we are repeatedly told that growth is good for our city. Some locals work to fight for neighborhoods and communities, while others capitalize on the influx of travelers. While there are certainly problems with the balance in who our city serves, it's worth noting that while some only see the dark side of tourism, others see an entrepreneurial opportunity. Today's letter focuses on one of those businesses. Perhaps there are other places where the voice of cynicism is the loudest. That's probably where opportunity lives too.
Robbie Goldsmith,
Founder/CEO, Hustle Media
Robbie Goldsmith is a serial entrepreneur originally from Chicago, currently living in Nashville, TN. His work at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center led to an opportunity for his first venture, Bach Weekend. He capitalized on the emerging Nashville bachelorette scene which resulted in a network TV show on CMT, called Bachelorette Weekend. Now, he's building a digital media agency called Hustle Media and also building a corporate experiences company called Rocket Experiences. Meet your five minute mentor, Robbie Goldsmith.
Comfortable AND stylish socks for golfers.
Failure is the only true way to success. I have made almost every mistake in the book, but the #1 thing right now that has rang true every time is not providing employees the right structure to succeed. As a founder, unless you know and have done the role first, there is not much chance of someone else succeeding unless they have the blueprint to do so.
I have a daily planner (The High Performance Planner) that has changed my life. My life has always lacked organization. Now, I have a tangible thing that stares me in the face all day and holds me accountable! Its both organizational and visual, and I love it.
Apps suck. I think building apps in the current day puts founders at a terrible chance to succeed, tech is evolving so fast, and I just wouldn't want that job ever!
Say "yes" and always help people. This is a crazy one, but all my great opportunities have come from saying yes! The TV show did as well, but that wasn't as good for me as just attending random meetings or events. You just never know where life is going to put you. I have been a yes person for a long time, and will continue to!
Robbie Goldsmith is the Founder and CEO of Hustle Media, and Founder of Bach Weekend, a bachelorette planning service. CMT's Bachelorette Weekend is a reality TV series based on Robbie's business.
Recent Achievements:
Robbie's business was recently featured in this Guardian article about Nashville's skyrocketing tourism industry:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/apr/16/bachelorettes-bibles-and-amazon-nashvilles-boom-brings-growing-pa
The Upside is a podcast about startup investment outside of Silicon Valley. In my quest for finding examples of opportunity, I came across this podcast that showcases startups that might be worth reading about: https://upside.fm/
The right time to pitch VCs for funding: knowing when a market opportunity is ready is tough, but here's a little help from TechCrunch.
Speaking of raising rounds, I found this article from Medium really interesting- tips for beating 'the odds' on raising a Series A.
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LaunchLetter is a weekday newsletter from Southern/alpha, a website that features collections of stories and resources for underestimated startup communities.
LaunchLetter is for founders getting started on an idea or business. Our goal is to share the perspective, habits and positive messages of more experienced founders and CEOs. We hope you find it relatable and delightful as you get focused for the day on your own goals. Enjoy the ride.
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