Spotivity is a double-sided platform business that aims to change the way teens live, work, and play.
Alongside our amazing students, Sage Corps’ programming is powered by game-changing startups — high impact entrepreneurs tackling real problems and building real solutions. They host our students and help them through their career development. For our first Startup Spotlight, we interviewed Spotivity CEO Montana Butsch.
Q: Please tell me a little bit about yourself!
I got my Bachelor’s at the University of Pennsylvania and then read Education Research at Oxford University. After schooling and ending my attempts to make the rowing National Team, I moved back to Chicago where I founded Chicago Training Center (CTC). CTC was my first startup and I led it for 11 years – though my interest in entrepreneurship actually started before college; I always knew I wanted to start and build ‘things’ beyond school.
Q: How did the idea for your company come about?
When I was working at the CTC, I saw firsthand that access is tricky for underserved communities. So I wanted to tackle this issue. However, I noticed that it wasn’t just a problem for underprivileged kids; all students, no matter their socioeconomic status, wanted agency and control over their lives. They don’t want to be passengers on their own life journeys. So I decided to address the entire spectrum of the teen demographic and impact the entire 13-18 age range.
Q: What triggered your entrepreneurial adventure?
I’ve always been an independent person and moved to my own beat. I think never having the chance, or opportunity, to be assimilated into bigger more ‘corporate’ opportunities or become a part of a system helped make entrepreneurship a natural fit.
Q: What are some lessons you had to learn during your startup journey?
An important thing to realize is that the startup journey is a marathon rather than a sprint. Your time spent (and money forgone) will be justified down the road but you need to be willing to get there. I had to learn this and be okay with the reality of living functionally poor while the process plays out. Those interested only in quick fixes and immediate returns need not apply!
Another lesson I had to learn was that no one else is going to have the same level of enthusiasm as you about your company. No one is going to put your business as their first priority, so you need to learn to adjust your expectations. As a founder, having the right amount of latitude in terms of dealing with expectations is key. You can easily drown yourself with your disappointment in others’ perceived lack of focus and commitment – but that just shows a lack of awareness on the founder’s side. Being able to appropriately appreciate and gauge commitment from others is a key requirement in a founder. You can avoid huge problems by setting up relationships the right way at the start – and focusing on communication as a first-order priority.
Q: What motivates you every day?
A year ago when the pandemic started, I decided to build an internship structure because I needed more hands on deck. I was cautious about starting this because I wasn’t sure if I had the time or power to manage multiple people properly but Sage Corps was a big help. Now I’m managing a group of 40 people with varying roles and responsibilities. This has happened all within a year. What excites me is that these interns are carving out a portion of their day for the benefit of Spotivity. Looking at the summation of all their time, they have allowed Spotivity to have much better end results than I can ever do by myself. The fact that what I’m doing at Spotify is attracting lots of different people is not lost on me – it proves that we’re on to something worthwhile.
Q: How has your experience with Sage Corps been so far?
Our relationship with Sage Corps started last summer with the 8-week internship program. Then it continued into the school year and now we have three students for this summer. The students I’ve had through Sage Corps have been committed and dedicated. The return on their time is greater than other interns – due to the fact that they are functionally involved for a great period of the working week. Some of them even got involved for a longer-term after their internship. I’ve found a constant stream of support from Sage Corps and I look forward to that continuing.
Q: What qualities do you look for in your interns?
There are only two things I truly ask for: high-level communication traits and enthusiasm. Everything else can be learned. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you can still communicate well and be enthusiastic. I rarely look at resumes or cover letters; I speak to them honestly instead. Even if you have straight A’s at Harvard, you could be miserable to work with. On the other hand, you could be going to a community college but really love what we’re doing and contribute a lot. I would take the highly communicative and enthusiastic community college student ten out of ten times over the less communicative and less enthusiastic Harvard student. Perceived talent and aptitude are much less valuable than a clear and obvious willingness to work and get involved.
Q: Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
Presume that it’s going to be extraordinarily difficult in ways you can’t imagine. But it will be fantastically rewarding if done right. Understanding that it’s going to be difficult and asking all the right questions before you begin will prepare you as much as possible for the hardships you will encounter.
You are no longer the employee. You’re an employer. You’re the owner of your domain and that comes with a certain amount of flexibility and freedom and responsibility that not everyone can have or handle. This means that you can design your own success.
We hope hearing about Montana’s entrepreneurial journey inspires you to own your career development. Learn more about Spotivity and our internship program where you can work at startups like Spotivity.
