The Stanza The Stanza

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Today's guest is David Litwak, co-founder of Maxwell Social. I'm excited to share the founding story of Maxwell because they're one of the very few emerging members clubs that are bold enough to take a contrarian approach to the business model. They have an open kitchen instead of a restaurant, they're not open during the weekday daytime, they don't have reciprocal clubs, and they ask their members to contribute to the community. The way Maxwell is structured is to re-align business incentives with the interests of the members, and to create an environment that facilitates deep relationships between members. It's completely different from the traditional "aspirational exclusivity" we've seen across most of the popular members club brands without sacrificing sophistication and style.

David isn't afraid to share his opinions and if you want a behind the scenes view on the members club business, you'll enjoy this episode. Thanks for tuning in.

Interview Highlights


Gated restaurants with a community tagline
Naming the club after 1920's socialite Elsa Maxwell as part of their core brand
Why Maxwell is opting out of providing amenities such as a restaurant, gym, co-working space, etc.
Programming that facilitates deep relationships & community contribution
How they sourced their location in Tribeca & maximizing the real estate
Raising capital as a new members club operator
Attributes of a Maxwell member
David's hot takes on why certain clubs have become cultural institutions
The vision for Maxwell's future



More about Maxwell Social

Connect with Maxwell on IG: @maxwellsocial

Connect with David on LinkedIn here.

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Today's guest is Annabel Schwartz, founder of hospitality consultancy House of Talana.

Annabel was the former west coast memberships manager at Soho House and most recently the director of member relations & culture at San Vicente Bungalows. We did a deep dive on all the fun topics within hospitality - curating and designing a members club, the consumer psychology of exclusivity, the meaning of great hospitality, and trend predictions on the future of the industry. Annabel has so much unique experience and insight into the business from a behind the scenes angle and I know you're all going to love this episode.



On another note - this interview is the final guest episode of the season. The podcast will come back later this year, but for now definitely be sure to subscribe to the newsletter and follow along on Instagram and TikTok (@thestanzamedia). Thanks for tuning in and enjoy the show.

 

Episode Highlights


Annabel's background at Soho House and SVB
Structuring of an effective membership program
Why exclusivity is an essential component
Paying for access vs earning access
Privacy in LA vs spontaneity in NYC
3 trend predictions for hospitality
Advice for members clubs operators

 

Thank you to Peoplevine for sponsoring this episode. Peoplevine is the CRM loved by the best members clubs in the industry. Check out which clubs use Peoplevine and book your free demo here.

Subscribe to The Stanza, a newsletter at the intersection of investing, hospitality, & fashion.



Today's guest is Jordan Gilman, founder of Peoplevine. This episode is for all the hospitality operators who subscribe to The Stanza. Peoplevine is the hospitality CRM used by San Vicente Bungalows, Zero Bond, ZZ's, Casa Cipriani, Faena, and many more brands you already know and love. I've partnered with Peoplevine over the last 3 months and I wanted to have Jordan on the podcast to chat about his experience pitching to luxury hospitality brands, why their CRM is loved by the best operators, and how a great CRM is needed to deliver a consistently great guest experience.


Thank you to the team at Peoplevine for being early supporters of The Stanza newsletter and podcast.



Episode highlights:


Pitching to high end hospitality clients
Building a network of luxury hospitality operators
Expanding into the UK market
How Peoplevine designed its CRM based on their personal guest experience
Executing an effective loyalty program
Views on private dining clubs such as ZZ's
Jordan's thoughts on the future of members clubs



Read about how your favorite clubs use Peoplevine: https://www.peoplevine.com/clients



Follow The Stanza on IG / TikTok: @thestanzamedia

Subscribe to ⁠The Stanza⁠, a newsletter at the intersection of investing, hospitality, & fashion.

Today's guest is Bianca Rangecroft, founder of Whering. Whering is a digital wardrobe and styling app that allows you to catalogue your clothes, create outfits, and get styling suggestions. As of today, the app has 1.5M users. Think of it as the modern app version of Cher's wardrobe from Clueless. Prior to Whering, Bianca worked at Goldman Sachs in asset management.

 

We chatted about fundraising as a first time founder, how she financially supported her transition from Goldman to entrepreneurship, and her view on the future of sustainable fashion. I appreciated Bianca's honesty throughout the conversation
and I know any early stage entrepreneur will benefit from this interview.


Episode highlights:


How Bianca's experience at GS prepared her for Whering
Funding start up and living costs in the early days
Bianca's key fundraising insights
Growing Whering's user base
How she built a tech company as a non technical founder
Vision for Whering and the future of circular fashion

 

*Apologies in advance for the slight background noise!



Download Whering: https://whering.co.uk/

Connect with Bianca on IG: @biancarangecroft or LinkedIn



Follow The Stanza on IG / TikTok: @thestanzamedia

Subscribe to The Stanza, a newsletter at the intersection of investing, hospitality, & fashion.


Today's guest is Alek Koenig, founder and CEO of
Settle.



Settle is a cash flow management platform for CPG start ups. Brands you love, like Ghia, Soft Services, Ceremonia, Lalo, Italic, and Starface, are users of Settle, and it's easy to see why. From streamlining your AP, managing bills and vendor payments, to getting working capital loans with transparent terms, Settle provides solutions to problems specific to CPG brands, all within a modern and simple interface.

 

Settle is also backed by institutional venture investors such as Kleiner Perkins and Ribbit Capital. And even if this episode isn't a typical consumer brand founder story, I asked Alek to come on as a guest to share insights from transitioning from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, fundraising advice, and managing a company in uncertain times.

 

I've also partnered with Settle to give you guys $250 in transaction fee credits if you use the code (THESTANZA) to sign up for free - that means transaction-fee payments for you. Click here Settle's Working Capital calculator so you can see how much financing power your business is eligible for.



Episode highlights


The consumerization of business software
Transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship
Preparing financially for that transition
Managing a company in times of economic uncertainty
Fundraising from institutional investors
How to understand your customers' pain points
Advice for networking with investors as an introvert



*Thank you Settle for partnering with The Stanza*

Subscribe to The Stanza, a newsletter at the intersection of investing, hospitality & fashion.



This episode is sponsored by Peoplevine - the best hospitality CRM software. Check out why Peoplevine is used and loved by the best private members clubs and book your free demo here.



"Everything he touches turns to gold" - this is what a brutally honest friend said to me about today's guest, Raphael Farasat. Raphael is the founder of award-winning Truffl Agency and co-founder of Last Crumb Cookies, the viral luxury cookie brand. He's worked with the likes of Tesla, LinkedIn, and Heineken, and as the creative director behind really cool upcoming consumer brands such as Better Bagel, Barcode Drinks, Boba Ice Cream, Jean Dousset, and more. We chatted about the power of metaphor when it comes to building a world for a brand, his creative process, and taking a contrarian approach when it comes to marketing and storytelling. Every founder building a consumer facing business - whether that's a cpg brand, hospitality group, or marketplace - can benefit from this interview.



Episode highlights


Raphael's creative process
A networking strategy that brings aligned opportunities
Applying the scarcity model from streetwear to cookies
How to create a contrarian brand that people love
Metaphors and consumer psychology
How to create a membership program that fosters customer loyalty



Connect with Raphael on IG: @raph_

More on Truffl Agency: https://truffl.com/

Try Last Crumb cookies: https://lastcrumb.com/