For this edition of “People Doing Cool $#@%,” we have Nick Hughes, the Founder of Founders Live!
Here’s his story:
“In March 2014, I started an event called Feature Friday. The original idea was basically ‘Let’s have a party and have a good time,’ but with a little twist – let’s not only invite young professionals, but also some young companies to pitch ideas. This way, there would be an audience Q&A after each company’s pitch, which provides an opportunity for useful feedback.
Then I started FoundersLive.com,purely for networking and we started bringing in a sizable audience. So as this platform expanded and evolved, I decided to bring Feature Friday under the Founders Live umbrella.
I would say the moment I realized that this could be more than just a side project was when I saw just how much this could do for an entrepreneur. We had one woman who was hesitant to bring in her pitch, but after some encouragement, she ended up coming and won. She told me that “That night totally changed my business and confidence” and it was the beginning of an upward trajectory for her. And that’s what I hope to provide to everyone involved.
If I could give advice to other young professionals with side projects, I would say you need to give them room to breathe and develop. Founders Live was three years in the making and the first two and half years were just running tests. You need time to simmer and learn from the crowd and community. There’s an appropriate cost to figure out. And lastly, you need to follow what seems to be working and drop the rest.”
If you’re a person “doing cool shit”, or know someone who is, and would like to be considered for a Seattle Spotlight article, send us an email at blog@yposeattle.com to let us know.
