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On The Go? No Problem. Socialite Puts You In Touch With Friends Close By

 

“What? Why didn’t you call me? I was right next door!” “I didn’t know!” How many times have you had this conversation? Despite status updates, check ins, and a wide variety of social media tools, it’s still easy to lose track of where our friends are and what they’re doing. Mobile app Socialite hopes to put an end to our missed connections.

 

 

 

 

Based on your “current city” status on Facebook and shared location, Socialite provides maps and lists of friends nearby. You can then call, message, or nudge (a “hey, I’m in your hood” type notice) friends so that you can reconnect. No more excuses for sitting around the house because you’re not sure who’s around or who’s free. Socialite, simply and ingeniously, makes it very easy to get together with friends. CEO Bryce Satterfield talks more about never missing opportunities:

 

 

 

 

What first drew you to entrepreneurship?

I was first drawn to entrepreneurship at the age of twelve after getting chased off the lawns of people I was delivering free newspapers to. I decided that there had to be a better opportunity for me, and started my first business shortly after.

 

Describe the moment when you realized you had to do this, (quit your day job / pursue your entrepreneurial dreams / start your company / etc.):

I realized that I needed to pursue my childhood dreams after signing my first ten customers up for my lawn service program at twelve years old. This moment led me to continue building my businesses and becoming a serial entrepreneur. By the time I graduated high school, I was hooked.

 

 

 

 

What inspired your current startup what makes it so killer?

I was traveling last fall when an idea sprung. As I toured around Washington, DC, I was trying to remember what friends I had in the area. Before long, I was searching around for an app, website, or something to show me this. My search came up empty and that is when I decided to create the ultimate social networking tool. Socialite syncs with all of your Facebook friends and shows you who is nearby wherever you are based on your friends’ current cities. Socialite also notifies you while traveling if you are near another friend. Lastly, Socialite allows you to message, nudge, and call friends right through the app. This idea is differentiated compared with other apps due to its ability to see friends nearby based on their “current city.”

 

How has work on your current startup / project been different from other projects you’ve been involved with?

This project is my first tech startup. I hadn’t ever had much experience with coding, development, or server work, so creating an app was a learning experience to say the least! This startup involved a much faster pace, virtual teamwork, and many new strategies. Developing Socialite taught me new customer acquisition strategies, marketing techniques, team building, and business growth.

 

What’s your greatest satisfaction in business life?

The greatest satisfaction in business is setting your goals and achieving them. No matter what the goal is, there are always so many steps, challenges, and exciting times along the way – but achieving your goals small or big is a great satisfaction for me. Taking the time to celebrate is important too.

 

 

 

 

What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you in your startup life?

The funniest thing that happened to me within entrepreneurship is when one of my best college friends and I decided to start a new business venture together. We stayed up the entire night building a website, designing our product, and getting everything ready. The idea was a great t-shirt concept for the college scene and we were driven to get it into production and try to get as many people as possible to wear it to the next game.

 

Our Facebook page was blowing up and we had a ton of pending orders. Right as we were about to place our first mass order of shirts we were contacted by the school dean and had to meet with them immediately regarding our shirts. Once in the meeting, we quickly learned the importance of trademarks and copyrighting when they deemed our shirts ineligible for sale. To this day we still make jokes about the shirts and have a few test shirts to wear to bring back some memories.

 

What’s the best startup / entrepreneurial advice you’ve ever received?

The best entrepreneurial advice I received was to dream big and never give up. Within entrepreneurship there are always challenges along the way and things that make you want to give up. The best entrepreneurs push through those tough challenges and learn from their mistakes. Others give up when they are so close to success.

 

What advice do you have for entrepreneurs who are just starting out? What’s your “golden rule” of entrepreneurship?

My advise to get started in entrepreneurship would be to become more aware of your strengths, and then use them to capitalize and create a business that you can dominate. If you know what you are good at, use those skills to create a business that caters to them. Also, hone your skills for finding talented individuals that are good at the things you aren’t. By finding partners or employees that are extremely good in areas you aren’t, you will increase your likelihood of succeeding and having more fun. Another key to entrepreneurship is having great support. Surround yourself with those that will encourage you and keep you driven even in the hard times.

 

 

 

 

Who or what inspires YOU?

I am always inspired by seeing other entrepreneurs building their companies, creating strong teams, and living out their dreams. Surrounding yourself with inspirational people is a great way to keep focused. I am also inspired by events where entrepreneurship is fostered. In college, CEO (collegiate entrepreneurship org) and other organizations put on great events that really get you excited and motivated. Also, many cities have startup clubs – and nationally there are great events as well. I always leave these events with some new friends, lots of new things I’ve learned, and an inspired set of goals.

 

What’s the greatest / most challenging thing about being an entrepreneur?

The most challenging thing about being an entrepreneur is balance. Being an entrepreneur means doing what you love and are passionate for. This also means long hours and lots of coffee. However, it is really important to stay balanced with all other aspects of life whether it is family, friends, or anything else important to you. Having balance will lead to a great life outside of your business, and will in turn lead to greater business success.

 

How do you cope with the unique pressures and challenges of being an entrepreneur? How do you relieve stress?

Being an entrepreneur often means a lot of pressure and stress. Whether you are trying to figure out a way to make payroll, working to satisfy increased demand, or pitching your idea to investors, there are always some stressful times. As negative as that sounds, most entrepreneurs love to have some amount of pressure or stress on them. That is why we thrive in the positions we are in. We find them more exciting and they drive us to achieve our goals. To do this though entrepreneurs need a way to relieve stress. Personally, I like to have friends over, travel, or even just relax and watch a movie. Finding your outlet is important, and will help you start each day fresh and in good spirits.

 

If you could have lunch with one person, who would it be, what would you eat, and what would you talk about? (As much as we love zombies, please stick to folks who are still alive.)

I would love to sit down and have lunch with Mark Cuban. I love watching Shark Tank and following his blog. We share a lot of the same perspectives within business.

 

 

 

 

What websites, apps, and other tools can you not live without as an entrepreneur?

There are a lot of great tools, but I absolutely live off of Quickbooks, Skype, Gmail, WordPress, and Microsoft Office.

 

Has being an entrepreneur affected your personal life? How so?

Being an entrepreneur has affected me in a lot of ways. First, it has helped me to be much more of a hustler. When you work for yourself, you’re against the clock and time is precious.

 

Also, it has helped me to realize the importance of responsibilities – how employing people and building a team require really strong leadership and values.

 

Lastly, it has helped me to realize the affect of many unseen values of entrepreneurship like helping others, being a team player, treating those on the way up with great respect, and mentoring those in need just as I have been privileged with in the past. My goal is to start a club fostering entrepreneurship in the next year.

 

Where are you based and what’s the local startup scene like there?

I am based out of the Milwaukee area, which has a decent entrepreneurial ecosystem. Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago all offer different accelerators, clubs, and events that foster entrepreneurship. In the next year, a friend and I hope to launch a organization to add to the current scene.

 

Is travel something that interests you? Why do you think that travel is such a popular desire amongst entrepreneurs? Where would you like to travel to?

Traveling is a huge passion of mine. I love to see the world and experience new things. My friends, family, and I are always either planning a trip, looking forward to one, or on one. Travel is such a great outlet from the daily grind and brings a lot of new experiences that shape who we are.

 

Where can our readers get a hold of you?

Readers can reach me on LinkedIn, and keep up with our progress on our Facebook page.

 

Photo Credits

Socialite

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