Episode 21: Michael Buckley - Leading the creation of unparalleled event experiences through Cadence

Today’s guest is Michael Buckley. Michael is the co-founder and CEO of Cadence, an event experience software platform for event organizers and most importantly, their audience. In his previous role at another enterprise software company, Michael realized that it seemed like the most amount of positive impact they were having with their customers was on the events side. After conversations with others at the company who were also very passionate about events, him and some other employees decided to split off and form their own company focused solely on events. Now, they’re aiming for the word Cadence to become synonymous with event experiences. Apart from Cadence, Michael also has some great perspective and thoughts on fitness and wellness to thrive in business. His daily routine is one that many would not picture for a software startup founder and CEO. In this interview, we discuss the impact the current pandemic situation has had on his business and the industry, when his passion for events really started to kick in, the jobs he held pre-Cadence and how those experiences led to the founding of Cadence, and of course, all things Cadence and event management.

Timestamps

00:02:47 Pandemic's impact on his business and the industry

00:13:05 When did his passion for events start to kick in

00:14:30 Does he consider himself a born entrepreneur?

00:15:39 College experience

00:18:00 The interview that changed his career outlook

00:20:11 First couple jobs after college

00:27:08 Impact of Great Recession on his career trajectory

00:28:30 Job where the "aha" moment occurred

00:32:09 Tipping point to start Cadence

00:39:57 Overview of Cadence

00:44:59 How they differentiate themselves from competitors

00:46:15 Culture at Cadence

00:54:39 Fundraising

00:59:22 What keeps him up at night

01:00:40 Ultimate vision for Cadence

01:01:46 Thoughts on fitness and wellness to thrive in business

01:03:00 His daily routine

01:06:00 His driving force

01:07:28 Advice for people thinking about starting a business