#NEXTFounderChats: Sean Hudson
Tell us a bit about you and your venture! What was your inspiration for creating your venture?
Propel is a marketplace for swim instruction taught out of underutilized pools — think of Airbnb for swim lessons! The inspiration for our venture came from Kiel, who is a fantastic co-founder and friend. I met Kiel in engineering school, and we immediately gelled. His passion for teaching swimming and revolutionizing the way lessons are taught resonated with me, so when he asked me to join his team, I didn’t hesitate.
What problem is your venture solving? Why did you choose to tackle this market?
The way swim lessons are taught has not fundamentally changed in over 100 years, and it remains a broken system. Despite most children being put in group swim lessons, less than 50% can actually swim 25 meters. That stat is unbelievable! Needless drownings occur every year because this life skill is not being taught effectively. We are here to change that.
What are some of your venture’s biggest milestones?
When we grossed over $100K in annual sales, we all knew we had something special. This milestone was the proving the value-hypothesis. Now we’re working on the growth hypothesis.
Being accepted to the Next 36 program helped validate that we have the right mix of team and product that could impact the world. I quit my cushy post-uni job and began working 60–80 hours a week on Propel at this point.
We recently signed a deal with the Marriott hotel group to teach out of the Sheraton downtown Toronto. This represents our first pool outside of Vancouver, and is the key to rapid expansion if we can prove to the Marriott we’re a good investment.
Have you won any awards and/or competitions or received press for your venture?
We placed 3rd in the Mastercard Challenge, and made fantastic connections that we still keep in touch with.
Recently, the National Post interviewed Kiel about the sharing economy in Toronto.
We were also organically posted on Product Hunt, which drove interest to our site.
When you first started, what were your biggest hurdles in building your venture?
Finding a pool that would actually allow us to teach out of was quite challenging. I think Kiel cold-called 50 hotels before being allowed to teach at the River Rock. Since then, we have taught 4000 lessons at that location without a single incident or complaint.
How do you believe technology will impact your industry over the next decade?
Artificial Intelligence will play a massive role in the coming years, for every industry. For us, the obvious applications include optimized automated scheduling, instructor best-fit predictors for new clients, and marketing applications. What would be really cool is to use ML and AI to get into swim stroke analysis for elite athletes, or advanced robotic exoskeletons to help people of all abilities learn to swim even faster!
What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to start a company in your industry?
Marketplaces are a slower-growth industry that require many different pieces in place. One of the biggest factors is our ability to build a community around new pools, which we’re learning how to do better everyday. Build a team with a good mix of skills from tech, sales, marketing, product, and community building!
What is the biggest mistake you’ve made as a founder?
In a previous venture, I violated the no-jerks rule, which basically says don’t go into business with anyone who has jerk-like tendencies. I thought having his intelligence on the team would outweigh his attitude. I was wrong.
What are 3 books, blogs or newsletters you recommend for entrepreneurs looking to make an impact in your industry?
There are tons of resources out there, and a million 10 Xs to get Y, You won’t Believe Z! I think the danger for many people is to be in the habit of reading surface level (easy) articles and feel (falsely) like you’re accomplishing something. If you find yourself in this trap, focus on executing your idea, and the questions that come up in your mind while doing this can help formulate your reading list.
With the above in mind, I love Collaborative Fund’s blog, they have great writers/thinkers. I’ve also subscribed to The Economist, after Prof. Agrawal mentioned it in his list-of-to-reads. Spending a bit of money on quality material is often worth it.
What would you say are the most important skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ability to make a decision, creativity, execution, and likeability.
What has been your most valuable lesson during your time in Next 36?
It is far better to get up and swing the bat, than it is to watch the game from the sidelines. Apply this liberally in life.
Who is one person that has tremendously helped you through your time in Next 36? How did they help you?
My roommate Nathaniel Blumer was a constant inspiration. He was always there to commiserate, discuss tech or pop culture, or wake me up when I’d hit snooze one too many times!
Tricia Jose and the whole crew on the first floor of Grad House were always welcoming. Late night chats were commonplace and helped gel the cohort together.
The professors were always pushing us to do better; Reza demanded excellence like I’d never experienced, and Ajay had a god-like ability to ask insightful questions and distill complex ideas to their core.
Finally, any chance you get to chat with Alex McGregor — do it. She will ask hard questions, and provide help wherever you need it.
What were your biggest fears going into Next 36, and how have you tackled them?
I was afraid that I would be the dumbest kid in the class or say something and be torn apart because it was foolish. Realize three things:
- Almost everyone has this fear, so the way to stand out is to acknowledge it, work on moving past it, and speak up in class.
- It is great to get torn apart. Okay, not in the moment, but hear me out. Some of the most profound changes I saw in our cohort came after someone got Reza’d in front of the whole class. Own the screwup, and move on — it’s some of the best mental training you can get.
- It is impossible to get kicked out of the program for saying something stupid, which can’t be said for most meetings you’ll have when in the real world. You may as well hone your critical thinking and speech skills while it’s safe to do so!
