Ronnie Madra, 1OAK Nightclub // Building A Hospitality Juggernaut & Earos

Watch full interview on video: https://youtu.be/3BHdnOiYym4

Full show notes & timestamps: https://www.creatorlab.fm/ronnie-madra-1oak-earos/   Ronnie Madra is the co-founder of the Butter Group which has an extensive portfolio of brands including legendary nightclubs 1OAK and Up and Down. They’ve hosted after-parties for events like the Oscars, Met Gala & Cannes Film Festival attracting A-List celebrities along the way. Alongside business partner, Richie Akiva, they’ve developed properties in NYC, LA, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Dubai & Maldives – building one of the leading food & beverage (F&B) brands around. However, after 25+ years in nightlife – Ronnie developed a severe hearing issue which causes constant ringing in his ears. To address this issue for the 1.1bil people who will develop hearing issues in their lifetime – he created, EAROS, an in-ear protection system & an acoustical filter. Ronnie shared stories he has never shared before. He opens up about growing up on a coconut plantation in Guyana, landing in NYC as a minority amongst minorities, personal stories about dealing with bullies as a kid, running into trouble with a gang & landing on his feet into nightlife in NYC. FIVE THINGS TO LISTEN OUT FOR:

1. Childhood – growing up with no electricity in Guyana, landing in NYC and how his early experiences shaped his outlook
2. Fitting in & dealing with a bully – a raw and honest chat about dealing with bullies, trying to fit in and finding the confidence to be yourself.
3. Building a name – alongside Richie Akiva, Ronnie has built a name for himself in the nightclub space, attracting A-List celebrities like Jay Z, Pharrell, Rihanna, Kate Hudson, Kanye, Gigi Hadid, Virgil and others to their venues. We go into all the details of how they started and built a name for themselves.
4. Coming up with business ideas & developing a product – scratching his own itch, why he started EAROS, ways you can think about finding inspiration for ideas and knowing how to take action.
5. Building Brand & Service – learning from his experience in creating a brand, product development, making people feel safe.

TIME STAMPS:

• 2:34 – What Ronnie is known for: 1OAK, Butter Group & Earos
• 5:25 – Scale of their nightclubs & restaurants
• 7:42 – Growing up on a coconut plantation in Guyana
• 11:16 – Landing in Queens, NYC
• 13:15 – Teenage Ronnie
• 13:55 – Dealing with bullies
• 19:38 – Early signs of entrepreneurship
• 23:02 – Listening to all types of music and wanting to fit in
• 26:32 – Becoming comfortable not fitting in
• 31:26 – What lead to 1OAK being formed? Finding an A-Team.
• 36:15 – Starting 1OAK with Richie Akiva & early investments
• 38:06 – “Pioneers of the pop-up”
• 41:40 – How to choose partnerships
• 44:24 – What is next for 1Oak?
• 47:40 – Attracting A-list celebrities
• 51:20 – New venture – Earos
• 55:10 – Developing hearing issues – tinnitus
• 58:52 – Idea and need for a new type of ear protection
• 60:50 – Going beyond looking like a hearing aid
• 66:48 – The process of developing a new product
• 69:45 – Sound vs. noise
• 71:35 – The process of reaching out to great people through Linkedin
• 75:58 – Working day vs. night
• 79:44 – Pitching the idea to investors
• 85:16 – When do you know you’re finished?
• 87:06 – 20 years into the future
• 91:10 – Closing remarks