On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with Destin Bell, one of the young men that is running the sports analytics tool called KDash. Not only is Destin working on KDash, he also previously owned a business called LifeOffU. In this interview wediscuss why LifeOffU ended, how Destin overcame failures of the business, and what he now knows for the future.
What is KDash?
KDash is currently in development, but once complete will provide an incredible tool for e-sports fans. KDash is a sports analytics tool helping teams optimize performance. While KDash didn’t originate with Destin, he joined his friend to help market and growing the company as the CMO. Together they are developing and preparing KDash for the market.
KDash makes money as a SaaS company. They work with teams as the analytics platform that aggregates data providing actionable insights that allow teams to see how they can optimize. Destin suggests that you think of it as money ball for video games.
Destin didn’t begin with KDash, though. His first business was LifeOffU, which operated for about a year. LifeOffU was a platform to help college students find things to do off-campus in their local area. Recognizing the needs of the community and market, Destin made the decision a few months ago to phase out LifeOffU. Fortunately, he’s working on a plan to reimagine LifeOffU into a concept that will better serve clientele.
Both of these businesses began out of his desire to do something more than go to class and hang out. Destin aims to add value to others and fill a gap in people’s lives.
What does it mean to be a studentpreneur?
When asked about how he balances everything, Destin returns to the theme of prioritizing.
He shares that the hardest part of running two businesses and school at the same time is prioritizing tasks. Deciding between what’s important and what’s urgent for both the business and school can be a major challenge. This rings especially true since Destin has so many ideas and wants to work on the fresh idea. Just like many of us, those new, exciting ideas can be distracting from what we’re already working on.
Destin will graduate this coming spring (2020) from the University of Kentucky. Over the summer he balanced an internship while running his own business. He sees his internship as opportunities to grow in experience as well as learn which direction he wants to take after college. Currently, he is leaning towards being an entrepreneur and enjoys the work of leading a vision for a product. However, just like all of us, we never know what could arise.
As a studentpreneur, Destin shares that finding likeminded people has helped him significantly. He values diversity, yes, but sees the strong value of people being likeminded in work ethic and a desire to “push the needle.” This ethos produces better products and a better work culture.
As for school, UK has been great! However, Destin notes that most of his valuable lessons as a studentpreneur haven’t come from the entrepreneurship program at school. He’s learned the most through doing.
How can failure help you as a business owner?
Destin’s first failure as a business owner was losing the first contract he had for LifeOffU. After losing that contract, he bounced back and learned how to do it better next time. Through this experience, he’s learned so much.
Destin shares so much about how failure is truly part of the process. It doesn’t mean that you are not successful.
His advice for other studentpreneurs recovering from failure: keep pushing and remember that you’re young and still have a long life to live and things to learn.
Because it cannot be said enough, Destin shares again that prioritizing time better is what he learned from his first failure. Learning to prioritize is so important for all business owners. Remember that your clients are counting on you.
Ready to work with failure on the path to success? Listen to the full episode HERE!
