Promoter then vs Nightlife Entrepreneur Now!

There are so many misconceptions as to what I do for a living, how easy my job seems to be, is it even a job, anyone can do it, no education is needed and so much more.  Even my family, friends, acquaintances, and people who don't know me have different views or opinions as to what I do or how I do it.

Many people today call themselves promoters, but when I just got into this business I don't believe I knew anyone who used that title, I didn't even know it was a business, not even a hobby, to me it was more like an idea. I will never forget the different people that ran into my path at different times of my life with an opinion about what I was doing with my life. Lets not even bring up the College counselor since he has a full post just for himself and you can always go back and read that. I must mention one of the first conversations with my parents regarding this business, At the time I was not even considered a promoter like I said before it was only an idea of a possible hobby that could turn into a business somehow. I got home from class that day very tired with all the homework and had to get ready to go to one of my two jobs, I'm not so sure which one I was heading to.

"Dad, I don't think I want to go on with college," I dared to say.

"That is not even funny," He quickly replied with as serious a face as he could ever have. I couldn't even get started explaining before he went on. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

"I want to start my own business throwing parties" was my answer.

There is no way that I could remember our complete conversation but I will never forget the fact that he was not happy with me leaving school to pursue what sounded like a crazy dream at the time. I had little proof that my plan was gonna work, but something told me that this was the right path. Had I had a different option at the time like going to school for what I wanted to do, I might have gone that route but I am glad it all happened the way it did. This road has made me the person I am today. I have had enough hard lessons to know that there is only one way to go when you are down and that is up.

My parents were not the only ones to doubt my poor decisions at the time and believe me, there is a big chance I would feel the same way with my son. This is one of the reasons I have decided to work on making this option one that parents will not only accept but encourage the same way they would a future Doctor or Lawyer.

The way people have seen me over the years when it comes to my business has changed a few times and it's different for some as it is to others. When we first started with the idea of throwing parties and making money off it, most of my work was to find a place, invite people, and get paid. It was very simple but it worked for the venues that needed the traffic and it worked for us as it did for our new clients since they were given a new alternative that came from someone close to them. I can't say that we were not making good money but the deals we made with the venues and the lack of management skills on our side made us work for very little cash at first. Let's say that we were making money but we were not seeing it. At this time most people including our friends and family saw us as slackers. They would only see me at our parties and other events promoting and always with a drink in our hand and a girl nearby, something that was part of the fun back then and the two most wanted perks of the new-found business. This is what most people wanted but could not have. This is what made a promoter such a cool job for the young kids just out of High School or in college.

Another thing that took me a little longer to learn from the way people saw me came a bit later and it was more when it came from friends or so-called friends. People would act super nice every time they saw me and even talked to me during the week away from work or any other party. But when it really came to it, a large number of these friends were more interested in getting benefits from this weekend friendship and were extra special every time a big event would come by. They wanted free tickets or to get on that guest list. This hurt at first but then I realized, aren't we just using each other?

The road has been long and I would need at least ten chapters and over a hundred pages in order to go over all the different opinions people had about me during all these years, but one thing I can say for sure is that it has definitely changed.  Especially for those who have gotten to know me or have worked with me over the years or during these past few ones. Today I can say that every time I walk into a room with other people in the same business as I am, there is a sense of pride and accomplishment, and I am very proud to say that there is respect. I will never forget when another person in the business who according to many other new promoters and some old ones too, did not like me very much came into a meeting and said to me. I do not consider you a promoter, you are more than that. you guys have proven what you are and can,t be compared to any other group or company. At that moment I said to myself, job accomplished. This is when I decided it was time to leave a legacy and go on to the next chapter of my life.

It has been great doing what I have been doing for this long, It was especially great to be a pioneer in my line of work and especially my niche. But it is even greater to know that others can see what we have done and acknowledge the importance of our efforts, not only our colleagues but our clients too.

If I get to work with only one person, and make them a better promoter and turn them into a nightlife entrepreneur I will fulfill one of my dreams, But that is just the beginning since the bigger picture is for that new entrepreneur to become better than me and teach others one day how they can do it too.

Can you imagine how many people I can help with Nightlife University?

To wrap this up, let me bring back one person who I mentioned at the beginning of this post. My Dad. If there is one person who had his point of view changed it has been him. After all these years, he saw how I started with nothing and has seen me hit rock bottom a few times to only get back up stronger. Today my father is an important asset to our company and I know for a fact that he is very proud to say he is a part of all of this. Therefore he is the first to know that I am no longer a promoter, Yet, I am still a nightlife entrepreneur.