Keith Hanson is a fellow Batavia (western suburb of Chicago) Bulldog from the Class of ’03. I distinctly remember one time in gym class when our teacher decided the teams were unfair. His solution: splitting Keith me up onto separate teams haha. So seeing that Keith started RateYourSeats.com, a business that caters to sports fans, was not surprising. It was great catching up with him! Here are Keith’s thoughts on Chicago sports and entrepreneurship:
Do you think Derrick Rose is coming back this year?
If he absolutely wasn’t coming back, they (the Bulls) likely would have made an announcement by now. I sure hope so. The Bulls games just haven’t been the same this year without him. The buzz in the UC has been missing.
Pathik: I hope you’re right, it’s been tough watching the Bulls give games away at the end.
What has it been like being a Chicago sports fan over the last few years? Are you a Hawks fan?
I’m a White Sox fan, so in 2012 my Chicago sports year year went like this:
- -D Rose out with injury
- -NHL lockout means no Hawks games in the fall
- -Bears start 7-1; miss playoffs
- -White Sox in 1st place on Labor Day; miss playoffs
It’s been fun, but my eternal sports-optimism is being challenged.
I am a big Hawks fan. Five years ago the Hawks had what I would consider the best deal in sports. For $8 you could get a student ticket in the 300 level. That’s when Toews and Kane were rookies. I spent every Wednesday night watching them develop into the superstars they are today. Those same tickets now cost $100, minimum.
What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
The corporate world operates under the assumption that people are at their best between 8-5 while wearing uncomfortable clothes. I like sleeping in, staying up late and wearing athletic shorts as much as possible.
What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Competition. Every time I go on TechCrunch or TicketNews I’m fearful that I’ll read something about someone doing something better or bigger than we are — and being completely blindsided by it. The only way we can manage that fear is by keeping up on our Competitive Intelligence, listening to our users and striving to improve every day.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Not planning. Without a doubt, we execute better on ideas that have forethought and planning than on ideas we sit down and try to execute on right away. It’s boring, tedious and time-consuming to plan, but the increase in focus, consistency and output far outweighs the up-front “costs”.
What 3 things would you tell college students who want to become entrepreneurs?
- Do what you love first, do what other people want you to do second. It sounds rebellious, but to be a successful entrepreneur you have to practice independence and leadership as much as possible.
- Find other people who have the same passion (for starting a business) as you do. They’re easier to find in college.
- Even if you’re a successful entrepreneur, you’ll never have as much free time as you do in college, so enjoy it as much as you can.
Any books you would recommend?
Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston. It is a collection of interviews with successful entrepreneurs about their early days. The challenges these entrepreneurs faced are similar to the challenges we have experienced. Despite the challenges, each company eventually experienced success — making this a highly motivating read.
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Keith Hanson is the Founder of RateYourSeats.com. RateYourSeats.com is like Yelp for stadium seating; providing ratings, reviews and photos of sports and concert seating. RateYourSeats.com has helped more than 1.5MM sports and concert fans find great seats.
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