A lot of people ask me why I wrote my first business book, NightLife Lessons. The answer is simple: it was mostly a bucket list item for me, and not about making money. Sure, I wanted to help myself by looking back and writing down what I’ve learned over the years, in the hopes of helping other startup entrepreneurs on their journeys. But for the most part, I just wanted to see if I could write a book…and then hold it in my hands.  Below, I'll share a bit about the process of writing my book and what it was like for me.

Telling Stories 

I’ve been funding and advising startup founders and entrepreneurs for almost a decade now. As part of that role, I often find myself telling stories from my own experiences building startups, to help founders not only deal with their current struggles, but also avoid pitfalls that might lie ahead of them. 

I’ve been told that what sets me apart is that while other VCs just write checks, I share valuable, first-hand information gathered from ups and downs I’ve experienced as a fellow founder. 

This is partly what inspired me to get started on NightLife Lessons. I decided it was finally time to compile these stories into a book and make it accessible to everyone. So, I spent the last two years packing the manuscript with the most valuable and poignant lessons I learned from one of my first startups back in 2001: JoonBug.  

Down to Business

It took me almost a year and a half to write the first draft. During that time, I had to go back and basically research my own life, digging up photos and reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, in order to remember all of the details and events from the JoonBug days. It was quite the trip down memory lane!

There were definitely ups and downs along the way. Some days, the words flowed out of me like water from a faucet, and I felt like I couldn't type fast enough to keep up with my racing thoughts. Other days, I stared at the blank screen for hours on end, feeling completely uninspired.

But in the end, I did it! I wrote a book that tells the story of my entrepreneurial journey through the lens of all the crazy (and sometimes hilarious) things that happened to me during my years working in nightlife. 

From anecdotes about famous celebrities to stories about times when things went hilariously wrong, NightLife Lessons has it all.

Not Your Typical Business Book

As you can imagine, a business book that revolves around the nightlife industry is a little… different. The setting is New York City’s nightclub scene in the 90’s, when Club Kids, musicians, and artists rubbed elbows with average Joe’s, drag queens, and models in iconic clubs with essentially no rules (other than those imposed at random by all-powerful doormen).

This was one of the most unlikely industries for anyone to build a tech company around. Especially since this was also right around the time that the infamous 2000’s tech bubble burst, and just after 9/11 in NYC; a time when the general mood and sentiment in the country was very somber. 

It was an uncertain, difficult time and place to start any business—let alone one that merged tech and nightlife in ways that were completely new and outside the box.

This book dives deep into the obstacles and failures I endured while bootstrapping my own tech startup in an unforgiving, fickle industry resistant to change. It shares insightful stories that illustrate lessons that I learned the hard way.

I explain my thought process and mental models about solving problems, selling myself and my business, and identifying opportunities that nobody else could see.

I also explain how I used these lessons in my subsequent successful ventures, and in my investing career.

Of course, along the way, my aim is to have readers entertained, shocked and laughing out loud!

Buy the Book

Lessons Learned

So what kind of lessons does NightLife Lessons aim to teach? To name a few:

• Fake It ‘Til You Make It:
  How did JoonBug land its first event at an ultra-luxe, exclusive venue with no money and no experience? Sometimes, the only way to get started is to fake it until you make it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. After all, everybody is a nobody until they convince others (and themselves) that they are somebody.

• Murphy’s Law:
  Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, so expect it and determine to be resilient when (not if) it happens. If you have the mindset of being flexible and bouncing back no matter what the circumstances, then you have what it takes to succeed in any business.

• Follow Your Passions:
  Not blindly or lazily, but persistently. Be in search of novelty and your passion instead of a rigid objective. I started out with a hard-won spot at NYU Med, determined to become a doctor. But along the way, it became increasingly clear that this wasn’t the right path for me. Meanwhile, my growing passion for technology led to my starting a traditional tech company—that failed after the dot-com bust. From there, I finally found success in the nightlife industry. The only way that can happen is by trusting and following the stepping stones that show you success in life, no matter how unpredictable they may be.

• The Party Always Comes to an End:
  Knowing when it’s time to stop and move on is just as important as knowing when it’s time to start something new. 

Value Proposition

So who is NightLife Lessons for? I wrote this book for anyone just starting out in business; any entrepreneur, whether they are going through a difficult period or a brilliant burst of success.  

Additionally, anyone who is in the nightlife or hospitality business would benefit from reading about what it was like transforming the industry from an analog, pre-facebook, camera-phone era to the digital age. I also dive into how I think the next generation of tech will continue to transform the industry, from the Metaverse and beyond.

Write On

As a final word, I want to say that writing this business book has been a hugely rewarding project. If you're an entrepreneur who is thinking about writing a book, I say go for it! It's an incredibly engrossing experience...even if it does take some time and effort to complete it. Trust me, it's worth it. Who knows? You might even find yourself holding your own book one day soon.

Thanks for reading,

Shane Neman