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Episode Summary In this inspiring conversation, Michael Levitt welcomes Ciara, founder of Eventist, a leading SaaS company that revolutionized ticketing for dance competitions. What began as a side project for a friend turned into a thriving event management platform serving studios, festivals, and large-scale competitions. Ciara’s story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the power of solving real problems through technology.

After losing her job, Ciara chose to create something new. What started as a personal favor evolved into a full-fledged software company addressing a gap in the dance competition industry. Michael commends her for transforming a career setback into a successful entrepreneurial journey. Together, they explore how identifying underserved markets can lead to sustainable business growth.

Michael and Ciara dive into the challenge of bridging the gap between developers and industry specialists. They discuss how effective requirement gathering and clear communication lead to better, more intuitive software, especially in niche markets like event ticketing. Ciara shares how this alignment allowed her team to build solutions that meet real user needs rather than assumptions.

Feature requests can pile up fast, but Ciara knows that usability matters most. She and Michael examine why prioritizing user experience is critical, even if it means saying “no” to certain requests. Drawing parallels to healthcare and other sectors, Michael explains how miscommunication between end users and designers can lead to frustration, while Ciara highlights the importance of serving the majority of users who rely on core functions every day.

Listening to customers does not mean building everything they ask for. Ciara explains how her team implemented a feature voting system, giving users a transparent way to influence the product roadmap. Michael suggests that reaching out to clarify feedback can turn casual users into loyal advocates, showing that thoughtful communication fosters trust and retention.

Michael and Ciara discuss the similarities between today’s AI boom and the early 2000s dot-com era. While AI offers immense potential, Michael notes that many tools being created today will not stand the test of time. The future belongs to products that solve real problems with precision, human oversight, and authentic value.

Ciara credits Eventist’s adaptability to a strong infrastructure developed over three years. This solid foundation allowed her team to expand into studio management and festival scheduling without rebuilding from scratch. Michael praises this long-term mindset, explaining that scalable success depends on a stable architecture, not shortcuts.

Ciara shares a golden rule for developers: stabilize your database schema before launch. Her six-month schema freeze policy helps avoid late-night emergencies and production chaos. Michael highlights how this disciplined approach prevents cascading issues and builds user confidence in the reliability of a system.

In closing, Ciara discusses how Eventist empowers dance studios and event organizers with transparent pricing that includes free ticketing software with a flat 25-cent fee per ticket and a 1.9 percent fee for studio tools. Listeners can explore more about her work and updates through Eventist.ca to learn about Ciara’s software.

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Niko shared his entrepreneurial journey, starting with his mother's antique and jewelry store after his father's death, which inspired his interest in business. He worked in sales and marketing before opening his own call center that grew to 150 employees and $12 million in revenue. After becoming bored with the call center business, Niko pursued day trading and eventually crypto trading, starting with a $30,000 investment in Online Trading Academy and later exploring crypto futures markets with up to 100x leverage.

Niko shared his journey of transitioning from trading to creating the Crypto Renegades, a coaching program that grew from a Facebook group to a mastermind of 6,000 members. Michael praised Niko's tenacity and resilience, drawing parallels between his early experiences helping his mother in an antique store and his later success in crypto trading and entrepreneurship. They discussed the importance of education and self-improvement in investing and business, with Michael emphasizing the accessibility of opportunities in the digital age.

Michael and Niko discussed the challenges of entrepreneurship and personal growth. They explored the importance of following one's passion and being willing to change and adapt to achieve success. Niko shared his experience of turning down lucrative job offers to pursue his own business, prioritizing autonomy and long-term growth over immediate financial gain. They also touched on how close relationships can sometimes hinder personal and professional development, as loved ones may resist change or feel threatened by success.

Niko and Michael discussed the challenges of achieving success, with Niko highlighting the hard work required to be among the one percent who achieve certain goals like visible abs or strong relationships. Michael shared an example from Australia about Tall Poppy Syndrome, where people are discouraged from standing out, and emphasized that success often involves long hours and overcoming self-doubt. They agreed that personal growth and discomfort are necessary for achieving significant goals, with Michael referencing Jim Rohn's advice about acting like a millionaire to become one.

Michael and Niko discussed the importance of prioritizing personal and professional growth over passive entertainment like streaming services, emphasizing the need to align daily habits with long-term goals. They highlighted the significance of defining one's ideal future and taking actionable steps to achieve it, despite challenges. Michael and Niko also addressed the topic of entering the cryptocurrency space, emphasizing the importance of a solid mindset and encouraging individuals to educate themselves and make informed decisions based on their personal financial situations.

Niko discussed the importance of understanding risk tolerance and financial stability before investing in cryptocurrency. He emphasized that individuals should have a solid financial foundation and extra income before considering crypto investments. Niko also shared his personal investment strategy, allocating about 20-25% of his investable cash to crypto, with the rest in real estate. Michael agreed with Niko's approach and suggested that listeners read Robert Kiyosaki's books for more financial education.

Niko shared his social media presence and offered to provide his audience with free access to a live trading webinar and a previously sold training course worth $997 by mentioning the podcast on Instagram.

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Michael and Catherine discussed the challenges new entrepreneurs face, particularly regarding funding and business structure. They emphasized the importance of starting with a solid foundation, rather than trying to acquire everything upfront. Catherine highlighted the value of finding a mentor or coach to guide entrepreneurs through the process and help avoid costly mistakes. Both agreed that proper planning and seeking professional advice can save money and increase the likelihood of success.

Michael and Catherine discussed the importance of proper business structuring and preparation for accessing capital funding. Catherine emphasized the role of existing relationships, such as with banks, and suggested exploring SBA options and grants. She advised entrepreneurs to ensure they are well-prepared before approaching funding opportunities, highlighting the common mistake of rushing into an LLC without proper planning.

Catherine emphasized the importance of establishing a legitimate business structure to attract funding, advising entrepreneurs to obtain a physical or virtual business address, a business phone number, and a professional email domain. She highlighted the need for a business bank account and suggested using platforms like Grasshopper, RingCentral, and GoDaddy to create a professional appearance. Michael agreed, noting that presenting a legitimate business is crucial when seeking capital, as investors need to see a structured and credible operation.

Catherine discussed her motivation for launching a program to help people transition from employment to entrepreneurship, particularly in light of increasing layoffs and economic challenges. She drew from her experience coaching tax professionals on business management principles, realizing these concepts could benefit a wider audience seeking to start their own ventures. The program aims to guide individuals through the steps from concept to company formation, offering support and honest feedback to help mitigate self-doubt and improve the likelihood of success.

Catherine and Michael discussed the importance of the Concept2Company program, which helps aspiring entrepreneurs structure and grow their businesses. They emphasized that the program provides valuable strategies for making money, automating processes, and securing funding, even for side hustles. Michael highlighted the program's benefits for both new and existing businesses, suggesting it could help entrepreneurs avoid common mistakes and potentially become mentors themselves. Catherine shared her personal experience as an entrepreneur, emphasizing the program's practical approach and the importance of pursuing entrepreneurial ideas.

Catherine shared her million-dollar brand guide, offering it for free to listeners who DM her on Instagram with the word "company." She encouraged people to connect with her on social media using the handle ConnectWithMsCat

Catherine Mitchell is a business strategist, entrepreneur, and co-host of Both Sides of the Check podcast. As founder of Ms Cat Consulting and creator of the Concept2Company program, she helps entrepreneurs move beyond the hustle and become funding-ready business owners.

With over a decade of experience — including building her own tax software company — Catherine has guided hundreds of entrepreneurs to boost revenue and streamline operations. Known for her tough-love accountability and step-by-step blueprints, she delivers results that stick.

Her unique methodology brings together legal structure, funding prep, client acquisition systems, and operational frameworks, giving founders the complete business architecture they need to scale confidently.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mscatconsulting