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googled it, didn't exist, so she built it
Hey Crew!
Imagine you've spent years building a company around live events. You just cracked your first million dollar year, you're training the Eventbrite team in Nashville, you're about to partner with one of the biggest ticketing platforms in the world. Then Friday the 13th of March 2020 hits and every single client calls to cancel and ask for their deposits back.
That's where Nina McMahon was when COVID landed.
What she did next is the part worth talking about. Oh, and she accidentally invented the whole product in 2013 because Wi-Fi at events kept breaking and she told a client "we'll just bring the internet" before confirming that was actually possible.
We cover:
- The Friday the 13th phone call that broke everything and what happened in the weeks after
- How they accidentally invented portable Wi-Fi from a two-meter prototype that needed a truck to move
- Tripling revenue through COVID without a playbook
- Getting a cease and desist from Fox Media six events in (and why it was the best thing that ever happened to them)
- Powering a SpaceX launch without knowing it was SpaceX until the GPS said Cape Canaveral
- Why their company motto is "don't work with dicks" and how long it took to actually listen to it
ANNOUNCEMENT
I've just launched our very own Fayl Tales substack!!
If you love a good story, especially one from the trenches, with the ups, pivots and figuring it out, then search Fayl Tales on substack!
Follow Fayl Tales on all platforms @fayltales
Follow Loveth on LinkedIn and Instagram @lovethochayi
Follow Nina and Pop-Up Wi-Fi at popupwifi.com
YouTube Chapters:
0:00 the teaser
1:21 friday the 13th, every client cancelled, and what dissociation actually feels like
3:22 pivoting in under a month and why COVID was their volkswagen moment
6:08 why the industry refused to trust remote networks (until jimmy fallon had no choice)
8:35 accidentally inventing pop-up wifi because venue internet kept breaking
16:14 scaling without a sales team, a love letter to producers, and a cease and desist from fox
30:47 coachella, taylor swift in lake tahoe, and going all in on the US market
38:44 hardware advice, the "don't work with dicks" rule, and trusting your gut
#fayltales #startuppodcast #hardwarestartup #femalefounder #founderstory
Follow us on all platforms!
Instagram ~ @fayltales
Tiktok ~ @fayltales
LinkedIn ~ @fayltales
View all episodes
By Loveth OchayiHey Crew!
Imagine you've spent years building a company around live events. You just cracked your first million dollar year, you're training the Eventbrite team in Nashville, you're about to partner with one of the biggest ticketing platforms in the world. Then Friday the 13th of March 2020 hits and every single client calls to cancel and ask for their deposits back.
That's where Nina McMahon was when COVID landed.
What she did next is the part worth talking about. Oh, and she accidentally invented the whole product in 2013 because Wi-Fi at events kept breaking and she told a client "we'll just bring the internet" before confirming that was actually possible.
We cover:
- The Friday the 13th phone call that broke everything and what happened in the weeks after
- How they accidentally invented portable Wi-Fi from a two-meter prototype that needed a truck to move
- Tripling revenue through COVID without a playbook
- Getting a cease and desist from Fox Media six events in (and why it was the best thing that ever happened to them)
- Powering a SpaceX launch without knowing it was SpaceX until the GPS said Cape Canaveral
- Why their company motto is "don't work with dicks" and how long it took to actually listen to it
ANNOUNCEMENT
I've just launched our very own Fayl Tales substack!!
If you love a good story, especially one from the trenches, with the ups, pivots and figuring it out, then search Fayl Tales on substack!
Follow Fayl Tales on all platforms @fayltales
Follow Loveth on LinkedIn and Instagram @lovethochayi
Follow Nina and Pop-Up Wi-Fi at popupwifi.com
YouTube Chapters:
0:00 the teaser
1:21 friday the 13th, every client cancelled, and what dissociation actually feels like
3:22 pivoting in under a month and why COVID was their volkswagen moment
6:08 why the industry refused to trust remote networks (until jimmy fallon had no choice)
8:35 accidentally inventing pop-up wifi because venue internet kept breaking
16:14 scaling without a sales team, a love letter to producers, and a cease and desist from fox
30:47 coachella, taylor swift in lake tahoe, and going all in on the US market
38:44 hardware advice, the "don't work with dicks" rule, and trusting your gut
#fayltales #startuppodcast #hardwarestartup #femalefounder #founderstory
Follow us on all platforms!
Instagram ~ @fayltales
Tiktok ~ @fayltales
LinkedIn ~ @fayltales