The story behind the stories

For those of you who are new to this, Welcome to the Moonlighters' Club Podcast. We interview aspiring entrepreneurs who work full-time jobs.

When I was a college student a few years ago, I just knew I was going to change the way that people saw fitness centers. I spent my time outside of class, and sometimes in class, trying to complete a mobile app called Fittus. The app was going to help gym members find workout partners. I did everything from building prototypes to performing in pitch competitions. I was sure that by the time I graduated, I would have made enough progress (and money) to justify not working a job.

Then I graduated.

With no money saved and no functional app, it was time to get to work. I started my corporate journey managing a UPS store. Every day before my shift, I would wake up early and hit the Entrepreneurship Center at Suffolk University. I put in work before I actually had to go to work. After my shifts, I would go to local networking events hoping to make that one connection that would change everything. That one investor or coder who would come in and take the app to the next level. I always felt like I was one introduction away from becoming a true entrepreneur.

But that never happened. I never found the overnight success. I realized that I was going to earn my keep another way. I was going to have to work until this app “took off”. What started as a habit became a lifestyle. Working up early or staying late to make progress on my business became an afterthought. After a while, it became fun. I started to look forward to lunch breaks, days off and weekends. Any free time that came my way was put towards making any progress I could on my app.

Then, I got tired.

I got tired of not seeing results. Tired of not finding the right partner and just tired of working for nothing. I became frustrated and I needed an outlet. I found one in my friend Shaun Bedgood. Shaun, at the time, was a full-time cop at Suffolk University and a stand-up comic. He would do sets in and around the City of Boston. When his sets were done, he would head over to Suffolk to work the overnight shift. I knew Shaun growing up, but we became re-acquainted at this time. Whenever we had time to spare, we would sit down and vent.

Shaun would discuss his plans to move to New York or Los Angeles to further his career. He would talk about eventually not having to work and being able to devote all of his time to his comedic craft. I would talk through my mistakes as a budding CEO and run my plans for world domination by him. These sessions were helpful, so they became regular. One day we thought, other people should hear this. Our conversations, this lifestyle…this HAS to be interesting to someone else. We were both looking for an audience, so why not package this and give this away?

Why not a podcast?

The concept of a podcast was new to us, but it was perfect. It was easy to start, easy to schedule and most importantly it was cheap. So I bought my first microphone, found a table and interviewed my first guest, Shaun Bedgood. We talked for an hour and a half and we had a blast. We told jokes, we got serious and we left feeling better about life. But now, we needed another guest. I decided to go to work and ask around. I mean, there has to be someone else who’s going through what we are, right?

Enter: The Moonlighters’ Club Podcast.

We found one person, which turned into five then twenty. We’re on to something. From DJ’s to magicians, we were finding people who were spending their free time, outside of their job, working on their passion. Interestingly enough, the end goal was different for everyone. Some were looking for creative outlets while others were looking to eventually leave their 9-5’s for greener pastures. Whatever the case, it was refreshing to hear these stories and to share them with the general public.

So here’s where we are now.

Shaun moved to L.A and found a manager. He bit the bullet, followed his heart and now he’s on to bigger and better(well, at least warmer). Me, I’m in Boston looking for more stories. Whether it's spinning records, selling goods or building a school in Ghana, I need to know the why. Why are you doing this? Why do you devote your few free moments outside of work to this passion?

Every podcast episode, I plan to focus the spotlight on a different entrepreneur. Learning about what spawned their passion, what hurdles they've had to clear along the way, and what their endgame is. Through all these stories, I’m finding out that sometimes having a job just isn’t enough.

For those of you who are new to this, Welcome to the Moonlighters' Club. We interview aspiring entrepreneurs who work full-time jobs. We highlight the lives of individuals that pay their bills by day, and pursue their passions by night. Follow along as we meet the next generation of CEO’s and leaders. We'll learn about how they define success, and exactly what they do after the sun sets.

-Joel Edwards