Aidan Tighe
Co-Founder of GuestList
Carpe Diem Men Toronto Interview Series
Toronto Business Success Stories
About Me
What inspired you to pursue a career in your industry?
My interest in the event ticketing and payment technology space began during my second year of university when I founded Revel Entertainment.
We hosted events featuring world-class artists like Loud Luxury and Oliver Heldens. Through that experience, I saw how much event organizers were losing to ticketing platforms due to high fees. That frustration stuck with me.
Later, I founded Mosea, a peer-to-peer FinTech platform targeting university and college students.
While in the process of selling our proprietary payment technology, we built a large network of student ambassadors across Canada. This gave me insight into both payment technology and the needs of event organizers.
It became clear that there was a gap in the event ticketing industry—especially for organizers who were tired of paying excessive fees.
My co-founders and I realized that with our background in events, payment technology, and understanding of the student market, we could offer a better solution.
That’s when we launched GuestList, a platform designed to give event organizers the freedom to sell tickets without the burden of high fees, or any fees at all.
How did you overcome the biggest challenge you faced in building your business?
One of the biggest challenges any entrepreneur faces is getting people to actually use your app or platform, and for us, it was no different.
Our most effective growth hack came from an event series we launched called The Banana Bar Crawl, which is a bar crawl where participants wear Banana suits and visit multiple bars.
We have run this in multiple different cities. All tickets for this event are sold exclusively on GuestList.
The Banana Bar Crawl not only introduced thousands of new users to GuestList, but it has also helped build trust in the platform. We’ve seen a significant number of attendees start using GuestList to sell tickets to their own events, which has been a major driver of organic growth for us.
How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?
For me, staying motivated comes down to having an incredible team.
I’m fortunate to work alongside people I not only trust but also consider friends. Everyone on the team is incredibly hardworking and shares the same drive to succeed.
When you’re surrounded by that kind of energy and passion, work stops feeling like work.
It becomes something you actually look forward to, and that makes it easy to stay focused on the bigger goals we’re working towards.
“When you’re surrounded by that kind of energy and passion, work stops feeling like work. It becomes something you actually look forward to, and that makes it easy to stay focused on the bigger goals we’re working towards.”
What advice would you give to young professionals starting out in their careers?
Planning is crucial, but execution is what really matters.
You can have the best idea or strategy on paper, but if you don’t take action and push things forward, it’s just that—an idea.
Don’t get caught up in overthinking or waiting for the perfect moment.
Start executing, learn from your mistakes, and iterate as you go. The faster you move, the faster you’ll learn and grow.
What do you think makes a great leader?
Versatility is key. A great leader knows how to adapt to changing situations and take setbacks in stride because challenges are always going to come your way.
The ability to pivot and make decisions in real-time is crucial. But beyond that, great leaders are able to see things from other people’s perspectives.
Whether it’s from your team, your customers, or your partners, being open to advice and input helps you make more informed decisions.
When you can lead with flexibility, empathy, and trust in your team, you create an environment where people can thrive and the business can evolve.
How do you maintain a work-life balance while leading a company or team?
Working in the events industry definitely has its perks when it comes to maintaining a work-life balance.
There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work, and countless hours spent planning and organizing, but part of the job is also being able to enjoy the events you’ve helped bring to life.
It’s important to find those moments where the line between work and fun can blur a little, especially in an industry like ours.
That balance of hard work and enjoying the outcome helps keep me motivated while still maintaining a sense of balance in my life.
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