Nightlife Lessons: How I Conquered the Business of Partying with Tech and a Glimpse into Its Future

NIGHTLIFE LESSONS: HOW I CONQUERED THE BUSINESS OF PARTYING WITH TECH AND A GLIMPSE INTO ITS FUTURE Everything Shane Neman needed to know about business and life he learned in the gritty, chaotic New York City nightclub scene.

In the unlikely ecosystem of NYC nightlife, I learned invaluable lessons that allowed me to build not one, but two incredibly successful startups from the ground up.

It was as though society itself had been amplified and turned in a kaleidoscope.

Cool was right. This was New York in December, and I was freezing. But looking the part, or at least trying to, was way more important than being warm!

The excitement stayed with us through the entire forty-minute train ride to Manhattan. Some of the older guys had brought mixed drinks with them in water bottles and were already getting started on their night of hard partying. Others, like me, were just happy to be along for the ride—that was a big enough high for us!

At that precise moment, through the darkness, strobe lights, and music, someone grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me forward. Suddenly I found myself dancing, very closely, with a tall, beautiful blonde.

Miron and I looked at each other, knowing that what had just happened was many teenage boys’ dream come true. We gave each other a big hug and high- five.

For me especially, the experience of being in the city without my parents, in an amazing nightclub (where I was technically not even allowed to be), made me feel super cool and grown-up.

It was unreal to walk into a club crowded with all these people, getting a chance to experience each other, learn from each other, and have fun with each other. There was nowhere else you could find this kind of diversity, chaos, and creativity. It was as though society itself had been amplified and turned in a kaleidoscope.

Even though I was only in eighth grade, my mom didn’t give me a hard time. She knew I was a responsible, preppy, and even geeky kid—not the type to look for trouble—and trusted me to be careful. I gave her the names and phone numbers of everyone I was going with, and she gave me a ride to the train station and a mini-lecture on safe sex and the dangers of drugs and alcohol.