Startup Lessons from Building a Burning Man Camp

In 2022, after two long years of pandemic confinement, I found myself standing in the middle of the Nevada desert, staring at a barren plot of land that would soon transform into the first iteration of The Hotel Lobby, our new 75-person Burning Man theme camp. Around me were piles of aluminum poles, red velvet fabric, chandeliers, gold stanchions & red rope, and a group of excited, trusting strangers—none of whom had any idea how this would come together, myself included.

Fast forward to today, and The Hotel Lobby has garnered countless rave reviews and become one of many people's favorite camps at Burning Man, with crowds lining up to experience the hospitality, the decor, and the overall spirit we’ve cultivated. Reflecting on the journey, I realize that what we did out there in the dust was remarkably similar to building a startup from the ground up. We went from an ambitious idea to a "hotel" packed full of smiling people in the middle of nowhere, facing all the challenges that come with turning a vision into reality—rallying a team, building something from nothing, and ultimately creating something that took on a life of its own.

Over the last 15 years, I’ve led and advised multiple startups, working through the trenches of early-stage chaos to build products and teams that made an impact. The lessons I learned in the startup world came in handy in the Nevada desert, and the experiences at Burning Man deepened my understanding of what it takes to create something meaningful—whether it's a product, a team, or a dusty interactive art project like The Hotel Lobby.

This series, "Startup Lessons from Building a Burning Man Camp," is about sharing those insights. Each post will take a specific element of building The Hotel Lobby and draw out the startup lessons that came from it—how to recruit the right people, create a vision that inspires, wear all the hats you need to as a founder, do more with less, scale thoughtfully, and build a community, not just a product. Whether you're launching a new venture, managing a growing team, or just curious about how a crazy idea becomes a reality, these lessons are for you.

So at the risk of sounding like The Most San Francisco Person Ever, start packing your tubs, and don't forget your goggles and face mask—we're diving into the dust.

Next up: Attracting Your Playa Tribe (Lessons from the Desert).