From 0 to 2,000+ Person Events: Lucy Nelles on Community, Profit, and Scale

In this episode of Founder2Founder Aaron Spivak sits down with Lucy Nelles, leading community-building expert and co-founder of Coffee & Chill Miami, the wildly popular bi-weekly sober wellness party that now draws over 1,000 guests per event. With over 100 sold-out events and collaborations with top global brands, Lucy has cracked the code on making in-person gatherings profitable, scalable, and deeply impactful.

She shares how she went from feeling isolated in a new city to building a movement, and now teaches others to do the same through her program, Community Mastery. Listen in for insights on team structure, brand partnerships, pricing strategy, and how to build meaningful connections without alcohol.

Chapters:
02:14 – Introducing Lucy: From Isolation to Community
03:46 – The Move to Miami & Early Challenges
04:34 – The First Event That Sparked It All
05:10 – Ice Baths, Stock Tanks & the Rise of a Trend
06:59 – How Coffee & Chill Was Born
08:03 – Losing $10K on One Event (and What She Learned)
09:30 – The #1 Mistake Event Hosts Make
11:00 – The First Coffee & Chill: JBL Speakers & 250 Guests
12:38 – Gradually Raising Ticket Prices & Building Trust
13:57 – Driving Repeat Attendance Every Two Weeks
16:24 – Special Collaborations: Art Basel, F1, NFL
17:18 – How Lucy and Her Co-Founder Divide and Conquer
19:39 – Keeping a Healthy Co-Founder Relationship
21:06 – Investing in Learning for Herself and Her Team
24:28 – Launching Community Mastery to Serve Others
26:09 – Balancing Two Businesses Without Burnout
27:37 – Time-Blocking, Non-Negotiables, and Systems
30:26 – Expanding Coffee & Chill Into New Cities
31:45 – How to Stand Out in a “Saturated” Market
33:31 – Rethinking Nightlife: No Booze, All Wellness
38:54 – Why Lucy Quit Drinking and What Changed
43:07 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Through Results
45:45 – The Bigger Mission: Building In-Person Culture

Guest Links:
Website: https://coffeeandchill.com/
Instagram: @luceilanelles & @coffeeandchillmiami

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