Very Short Interview Part 2

Original Interview:

Me: What is it exactly that you do, that you consider yourself an entrepreneur?
Sean Treiser: I am a DJ. I play several location, several nights a week. Many of the fraternity and sorority socials, I play. I also play various other locations. I consider myself an entrepreneur because I run my own company, called DJ Stryzer. I am self-employed.
Me: That's very interesting. I take it that it's going well. Where do you see you and your company in the next year?
Sean Treiser: As I am approaching graduation, I've learned a lot. I now know the importance of proper marketing and proper networking. I work smaller venues at the moment, but through word of mouth, I do hope that my name and my brand grow exponentially in the coming years.
Me: What made you want to be an entrepreneur, rather than working for an entertainment company?
Sean Treiser: As a finance major, I've worked various internships. In doing so, I've been surrounded by entrepreneurs. It was almost a confidence blow to seeing that these people were working under their own control as business owners. I wanted to do that and watch my name and my brand grow over time.

Sean Treiser is a DJ who is currently a senior here at UF. He is self-employed and work several nights a week at various locations here in Gainesville. He often works downtown at 101 Cantina. He is an entrepreneur because he runs his own entertainment company. Furthermore, he is an entrepreneur because he is not okay with the idea of a stagnant business. He wants to see his name and his brand grow over time. He understand that in the entertainment industry, with hard work and a little bit of luck, success can become exponential.

Newest Interview:

Me: I know it has only been a few short months since we last spoke, but has your brand changed? Have you continued to grow your brand and gotten your name out there even further?

Sean Treiser: I think hard work and luck are somewhat related. I DJ'd several of the pool parties at Social 28 this semester, and met the managers of several night clubs. I've began to start working at much larger venues. I also started something of a partnership, a venture with DJ Nodex. We have played several larger venues together.

Me: It looks like you're ahead of schedule. So where do you see yourself further down the long run?

Sean Treiser: This has always been something I do for fun. I never expected that this would be my career. I am a finance major and have always thought I would go into business doing something related to that. However, seeing as my business as growing, this could perhaps turn into something that I pursue full-time. Either way, I'm doing something that I love.


Me: How much failure have you experienced before finding success?

Sean Treiser: I started DJing about a year and a half ago. Most people laughed when I dropped a ton of money on equipment, but I knew it was something that I wanted to pursue. At first, I couldn't find work anywhere. A lot of DJs just end up playing with their gear in their room without much of a purpose. But I actively networked myself and it took me a good year and a half to say that I am proud of what I have accomplished.



Reflection and Discussion: I would definitely say I've grown a lot this semester. My comfort level talking about things like this has increased a lot. I think at the beginning of the semester I was worried talking to Sean about entrepreneurship as I figured he would look down on me. However, most entrepreneurs that didn't have everything handed to them on a silver platter seem to have a good head on their shoulders. Most of them have experienced quite a bit of failure before leading to their successes. It took me this whole semester to realize that they weren't always in their blessed shoes. They worked to be where they are.