Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Castro.
Phil, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started working for a huge bar/concert venue at my college town and fell in love with the hospitality industry quite quickly. The owners wanted me to start throwing events and hosting parties, which basically turned into beer money for my entire college stay. I then graduated 4 years later and unfortunately that was when the recession hit the nation and I couldn’t find any jobs for what my degree was in. So channeling my inner entrepreneur and bringing my college skill set to life, I created a promotional and event planning company in downtown Chicago.
I had early success with my own venture and was contacted by a new startup that was mocking their sister company “Groupon”, but in the nightlife industry at the time. They had founders who wanted a “boots on the ground” employee, so I was their first hire to help with everything from marketing, biz dev to sales. So basically, I still owned my own company (that I would run at night at events) and during the day I got startup experience as well. I was quickly immersed in the world of startups/venture capital and became addicted. I knew at some point, I would spread my wings and create my own startup that can scale throughout the nation.
Fast forward 7 years later and BarPass was born. BarPass is a market place for happy hour goers and trendy bars/restaurants who want additional business during slower time frames. The users love us because we offer perks and incentives for attending our events we hold on a weekly basis.
I am fortunate enough to combine both sides of my work experience into a powerhouse startup of my own today. We are doing very well in the Chicago market (only 1 year since launch) and will be expanding to other cities within the next year or so.
I have been featured in dozens of media outlets and been nominated for categories like “Startup of the Year”, “Big Idea Awards”, “35 Under 35” and much more! Lastly, I like to teach new founders the ins and outs of entrepreneurship with my workshop called “Startup Bootkamp” I recently launched. It’s a 2 day event that my students learn everything regarding startups, entrepreneurship and venture capital. I pack about 10 years of business wisdom into 15 hours!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Absolutely not. Entrepreneurship is the hardest profession you will ever pick! It seems so glorious from the surface thanks to media outlets and tech giants exiting for billions of dollars. But truthfully, startups are 1% glory (if you are LUCKY) and 99% getting your ass kicked every day. The work is extremely difficult, the hours are non stop, the money runs out quick and their is no hand book to help you with your startup. Basically, the struggle is super real in the startup world.
Please tell us about BarPass.
BarPass is a happy hour app for consumers and a digital promotional tool for bars/restaurants. We specialize in promoting the trendiest bars and attracting an ideal clientele.
I am most proud of the reputation we have quickly built here in Chicago and soon to be in other cities. I hear people talking in public about how amazing BarPass is without them knowing I am the founder; most definitely one of the coolest feelings in the world!
From a business standpoint, we are the only digital bar promotion platform that focuses on happy hours time frames – we are in the business of moving bodies and influencing consumers. There are other similar “competitors” but with a very different model once you really analyze their business carefully. From a founder standpoint, I have over 13 years of domaine expertise and my co-founder/CTO has 17 years under his belt. So I can easily say we know how to execute our vision in this space.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Probably just become a surgeon because it’s a much easier profession. Just kidding. I would warn myself of the downs of entrepreneurship and wouldn’t need to mention the positives since they are quite apparent from the surface. I would also likely tell myself to find more mentors in the startup world and pay close attention to the suggestions they give. I made the mistake of mostly doing this on my own and making a ton of common mistakes entrepreneurs make everyday. So If I had a few days with the “me” right now, the old me would have made better choices and not lost time/money.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BarPassApp.com
- Email: Phil@BarPassApp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thephilcastro/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thephilcastro
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Phil_Castro
- Other: www.StartupBootkamp.com
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