I am jealous. Ben Lerer, co-founder and CEO of Thrillist, took his interests (which coincide with most men; i.e. alcohol, women, dressing well, food, etc.) and created a daily email newsletter that now reaches over 1.3 million people, and he’s having a blast!
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Ben worked in the hotel industry for a few years. In his spare time, it seems he was always coming up with ideas with friend and fellow co-founder, Adam Rich. One day, they decided that there was a huge gap in the market for localized search/information that the big national magazines that catered to men weren’t reaching. These national magazines and media outlets had great national recommendations, but not so much great local recommendations. Thus, Thrillist was born.
I subscribe to the daily email newsletter for Thrillist in Atlanta, and I must say, these guys know their stuff. The business is growing at rapid speeds, and while most advertisers are cutting back on their spending, Thrillist’s ability to connect with its readers has given it a leg up in the industry.
I also really like how their office in New York has a “no door” (as opposed to “open door”) policy, as there simple aren’t any doors (well, except for the conference room, but that’s it). This promotes collaboration among the some 40 employees currently working at Thrillist, and it’s definitely a fun office. How could Ben not love what he’s doing.
