The Nightlife King
Ever wondered what it’s like to own a nightclub?
But what I didn’t expect, was a deeply personal story, that lead him onto an unusual path.
Humble Beginnings
In this revealing conversation, Ronnie shared stories he had never shared before: from growing up on a coconut plantation in Guyana, to landing in NYC as an immigrant – a minority amongst minorities.
His path has been an obstacle course of dizzying heights, and deafening noise.
International Brand
When The Music Gets Too Loud
Five Things To Listen Out For:
(1) Childhood – growing up with no electricity in Guyana, landing in NYC and how his early experiences shaped his outlook
(2) Fitting in & dealing with a bully – a raw and honest chat about dealing with bullies, trying to fit in and finding the confidence to be yourself.
(3) Building a name – attracting A-List celebrities like Jay Z, Pharrell, Rihanna, Kate Hudson, Kanye, Gigi Hadid and others to their venues. We go into all the details of how they started and built a name for themselves.
(4) Coming up with business ideas & developing a product – scratching his own itch, why he started EAROS, ways you can think about finding inspiration for ideas and knowing how to take action.
(5) Building Brand & Service – learning from his experience in creating a brand, product development, making people feel safe.
Time Stamps:
2:34 – What Ronnie is known for: 1OAK, Butter Group & Earos
5:25 – Scale of their nightclubs & restaurants
7:42 – Growing up on a coconut plantation in Guyana
11:16 – Landing in Queens, NYC
13:15 – Teenage Ronnie
13:55 – Dealing with bullies
19:38 – Early signs of entrepreneurship
23:02 – Listening to all types of music and wanting to fit in
26:32 – Becoming comfortable not fitting in
31:26 – What lead to 1OAK being formed? Finding an A-Team.
36:15 – Starting 1OAK with Richie Akiva & early investments
38:06 – “Pioneers of the pop-up”
41:40 – How to choose partnerships
44:24 – What is next for 1OAK?
47:40 – Attracting A-list celebrities
51:20 – New venture – Earos
55:10 – Developing hearing issues – tinnitus
58:52 – Idea and need for a new type of ear protection
60:50 – Going beyond looking like a hearing aid
66:48 – The process of developing a new product
69:45 – Sound vs. noise
71:35 – The process of reaching out to great people through Linkedin
75:58 – Working day vs. night
79:44 – Pitching the idea to investors
85:16 – When do you know you’re finished?
87:06 – 20 years into the future
91:10 – Closing remarks
