If you’ve ever felt like building a company is lonely work, you’re not wrong. I’ve been there myself. That’s why I want to share the lessons of my friend and co-founder, Ed Nusbaum, who helped build Startup Club. Ed is proof that when you connect people with a purpose, magic happens.
I met Ed on an app called Clubhouse. At first, I’ll admit, he seemed quite intimidating as he hobnobbed with celebs and entrepreneurs in the clubs he started. The OG Club, which stood for the Original Gangsters, was the hangout for the original wave of users who hit Clubhouse during its meteoric rise in the pandemic years.
The app took off, reaching a reported 40 million downloads, and Ed became their unofficial mayor, at least that is what we nicknamed him.
At Clubhouse he started some of the largest clubs: The OG Club, Community Club, Startup Club, and Talk Club.
He was a true visionary, launching communities across multiple platforms including LinkedIn and Facebook. He started several Grand Canyon Facebook groups with over 100K users. I’d often try to call him during some of his treks in the desert with no avail. Once, our club Startup Club on Clubhouse, went down and he couldn’t be found. Thankfully it was just a bug on Clubhouse which was fixed without his help. Nothing could get between him and the nature of the Grand Canyon, even his business partners.
I thought it would be only appropriate to share what I learned from my friend over the years so that others could benefit from his wisdom. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Ed’s journey with Startup Club, the shows he talked on at Startup Club and the communities he helped launch.
1. Jump in Early
Ed had a knack for timing. On Clubhouse, he didn’t wait for perfection, he launched right away, bugs and all. As he once said, “I think people might want to talk about startups.” That simple instinct led to Startup Club’s launch with hundreds of thousands of people joining the club. I nicknamed his approach “the big bang theory.” Those who move quickly at the very beginning of a phenomenon or community can benefit greatly. And that’s the world Ed lived in. He did it with LinkedIn, Facebook and Clubhouse starting clubs at the inception of the apps to build huge followings early on.
Lesson I learned: Don’t wait for permission. If you see an opening, take it.
2. Build What You Need Yourself
Startup Club wasn’t created from a business plan. It came from a simple desire: Ed wanted a place where founders could meet, share ideas, and grow together, and that’s where I found him because I had the same itch. “It was the community that I wanted to see exist,” he said.
Lesson I learned: Scratch your own itch, and others will show up.
3. Focus on Connection, Not Ego
Ed described entrepreneurs as puzzle pieces. “We all have different pieces of the same entrepreneurial puzzle… the trick is to find and connect with other people and figure out how those puzzle pieces connect.”
Lesson I learned: The value of community isn’t in one superstar…it’s in how everyone fits together.
Today when we do shows on Clubhouse, it amazes me how impactful those shows are when the community comes together to discuss issues or solve problems. Startup Club and Clubhouse are all about community. The founders and Ed understood that.
4. Make It Inclusive
Networking events often leave introverts behind. Not here. Ed spotted Clubhouse’s unique advantage: “It gives extroverts the energy they need, but introverts don’t feel overwhelmed.”
Lesson I learned: Build environments where anyone, quiet or loud, can contribute.
In his rooms everyone was very respectful of each other. I had to learn that the hard way – don’t interrupt. It doesn’t matter who you are in the club, everyone has an equal voice.
5. Solve the Loneliness Problem
“The journey can be lonely,” Ed admitted. That’s why Startup Club became a gathering place where founders, investors, and those in the startup ecosystem could share mistakes, swap encouragement, and feel less isolated.
Lesson I learned: You are not alone!
I often say that the best thing an entrepreneur can do is connect with others, an incubator, a mentor, or even a club like Startup Club. Join us in our shows and come on stage and share your challenges. You’d be surprised at how many people want to help.
6. Sweat the Small Stuff
Ed warned against ignoring the details. “When you’re in a quickly growing, scaling scenario… the small little things can add up to be really big down the line.”
Lesson I learned: Consistency in the little things like welcoming members, moderation, event quality, creates big trust.
Yeah, okay, he drove me nuts on this one. But his “OCD” kept us on track and focused on making certain we didn’t miss the small stuff.
7. Keep Systems Simple
To scale, Ed set up lightweight rules that freed the team to move fast. “Try to have that simple system and simple set of rules that help free yourself up to really make that difference.”
Lesson I learned: Complexity kills momentum. Keep it simple so others can run with it.
He was a master at getting others to lead the community. He knew he was good at setting them up and building them, inspiring others, but he also knew he needed leaders to volunteer to make the community great. And volunteer they did! We have had dozens of great leaders help run the community over the last few years.
8. Share the Torch
When Startup Club hit escape velocity, Ed didn’t hold tight. He knew he had something, so he passed leadership to our team. “I had reached the limits of my ability, but discovered awesome people who could scale it to the next level.” Michele Van Tilborg and I took the helm and brought in a team to help us scale it to the next level.
Lesson I learned: The best leaders know when to step aside and let others lead.
9. Trust the Serendipity
Ed loved how Clubhouse made it easy to meet fellow dreamers: “The people who are insane enough to think they might be able to change the world with a startup, they’re often hard to find, but Clubhouse makes it easy.”
Lesson I learned: Don’t underestimate luck. Create spaces where chance encounters can turn into breakthroughs.
10. Celebrate the Mutual Win
At the heart of it, Ed believed in community because it’s a two-way street. “All these things add up to hopefully making a difference. It’s a mutual win.”
Lesson I learned: Give to get.
Final Thoughts Ed Nusbaum showed us that communities don’t grow because of flashy tricks or perfect plans. They grow because someone cares enough to start, to welcome others, and to keep going. His playbook is simple: start early, connect people, make it inclusive, keep it simple, and step back when the time is right.
That’s how you build a movement. That is how you build a community.
I’m saddened to say goodbye to my friend. His vision and generosity touched countless lives, shaping not only my own journey but the journeys of thousands of entrepreneurs. Without him, Startup Club would not exist. The bestselling Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat. would never have been written. And the community we’ve built together, now part of his enduring legacy, would never have taken shape.
His work lives on in every founder he inspired, every idea he helped ignite, and every community he helped create.
Goodbye to my OG. R.I.P.
Please join us on Clubhouse to say goodbye Thursday at Noon – 1 Est.