## Strategy & Tragedy: CEO Stories with Steph Melodia

**_Strategy & Tragedy: CEO Stories with Steph Melodia_** is the best business podcast for curious entrepreneurs featured in the UK's Top 20 charts for business shows.  
Hosted by [Stephanie Melodia](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/), **_Strategy & Tragedy_** features candid interviews with entrepreneurs who have scaled - and failed - their businesses - sharing their lessons in entrepreneurship along the way. From Simon Squibb of _'What's Your Dream?'_ Internet fame to Lottie Whyte of Sunday Times Top 100 Fastest-Growing company, MyoMaster. From exited founders like Nick-Telson Sillett to subject matter experts like Alex Merry in the public speaking arena and Matt Lerner, the GOAT of Growth.

This week's episode features [Daniil Shcherbakov](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shcherbakovds/), the Co-Founder & CEO of TonTon Games where he succeeded in raising $1M in pre-seed investment. He is a serial entrepreneur and mentor, a vocal advocate for mental health with refreshing perspectives on all things entrepreneurship. He is also a passionate gamer, startup mentor & lecturer at Cambridge.

### Key Discussion Points:

- **First Business Failure at 19:** Daniil opened a nightclub in his hometown of Samara, Russia, after success as a party promoter, but it failed within six months due to operational complexity and inability to sustain regular events beyond the twice-monthly model that had worked for promotions.

- **The Importance of Having a North Star:** Daniil emphasizes that while strategies can change constantly, founders must have a clear guiding principle to distinguish what's good or bad for their business, especially since founders often can't be unbiased about their own products.

- **Bold Networking in Silicon Valley:** To get Eventbrite integration for his event marketing platform, after emails went unanswered, he flew to Palo Alto and pitched directly to Eventbrite's chairman Kevin Hartz at a conference registration desk, focusing on how his solution would make Eventbrite more money rather than just its features.

### Episode Highlights:

- From a failed nightclub aged just 19 to a $50M deal | Entrepreneurship with Daniil Shcherbakov - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zcUUAZ4_04)

**SM:** Daniil, welcome to Strategy & Tragedy. Let's rewind the clocks and start your story with your first failure at age just 19.  
**DS:** With great pleasure. First of all, I have to apologize to your audience because of my Russian accent but I'm not going to change it for anyone else is what makes me I like...

Daniil shares that opening a nightclub required operational knowledge that they didn't have. He reflects on the naivety of being a young entrepreneur and the importance of adaptability in a rapidly changing business environment.

### Insights:

- Building relationships and having a clear strategy can lead to new opportunities, especially when trying to enter competitive spaces like the event industry. 
- Understanding market needs and efficiently addressing them is key to business success. 
- Luck often plays a role alongside hard work and strategic planning in entrepreneurial journeys.

### Tune In:

Listen to the full episode [here](https://linktr.ee/strategytragedy) and subscribe for more insights on entrepreneurship, learning from failures, and finding success!

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