Startup Interview With Bida’s Priscilla Lavoie

Barna Hub

Barna Hub is a new blog series from Hubbub Labs, shining a spotlight on the Barcelona startup scene. In our very first Barna Hub interview we are excited to speak to Priscilla Lavoie, the Founder & CEO of Bida.

140 character startup pitch:

Bida is Barcelona’s hottest new mobile app where members receive a free drink every day at awesome bars all around the city for 9,99€/month.

Bida special offer:

Because you’re part of the Barna Hub community, Bida is giving you *ONE MONTH TOTALLY FREE* (that’s up to 31 free cocktails) on their app! All you have to do is download the app from https://bida.app.link/BARNAHUB  and use the invite code “BARNAHUB” at signup to claim your free month. This offer is for new members only and lasts till Oct. 31st, so don’t miss out!

Down to business:

What made you want to be an entrepreneur?

I’ve always been attracted by entrepreneurship. My parents were entrepreneurs, and I remember being a “hustler” as early as 9 or 10 years old, buying lollipops in bulk at WalMart and selling them at school for a dollar a pop (until my teacher made me stop…).

Maybe this is a bad thing, but I see problems and inefficiencies everywhere, and constantly think about solutions to these issues. It’s just something innate to me, something I believe makes me who I am.

What’s the best startup resource or tool online and why is it useful?

Your network!!! I’m a huge advocate of making use of the world of contacts around you. I take advantage of so many opportunities to connect with new, interesting people. And with the proliferation of online social networks in our day and age, there’s really no excuse.

I think your network as a startup resource is even more powerful in Barcelona — this city is full of supportive, intelligent, experienced people who are happy to chat and help. It’s one of the things I love most about this city.

If you could have more of one of these things in your life, what would it be and why: money, time, contacts, coffee?

Certainly time. I always complain that there aren’t enough hours in a day — it’s the biggest stress in my life. As a result of this, I consider my time extremely valuable. One time, a friend was 30 minutes late to meet me for no good reason at all, and I decided to stop hanging out with her.

I also feel that time is intertwined with the other things in this list/question — with more time you have more opportunities to make money and grow your number of contacts, and more moments for coffee, of course ;-P

Barcelona Insight

Where’s the coolest place to work from in Barcelona?

I kind of don’t even want to say this here, because I want it to stay the way it is, but Soho House is hands down the coolest place to work from in the city. The inspirational atmosphere, the network of people there, and the members’ events are simply phenomenal. My happiness level has definitely increased since I started working from Soho.

If you had to leave Barcelona tomorrow, forever, where would you have your last meal?

Damn that’s a tough one — there are so many amazing food spots in this city… but I think I would have to choose Enigma… even though I’ve never been, haha! I’ve been dreaming of that 40-course meal for the longest time. Can someone take me, please?

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business in Barcelona?

Try to be patient. The bureaucracy and inefficiencies are no joke. I kicked a wall once because of how frustrated I was with the system here.

Also, try to enjoy Barcelona whilst you’re building your empire. I know from experience that, especially when starting a new company, you want to put your entire heart and soul into it, and can easily get lost in your work, leaving no time for real life. I also know from experience that if you do this in Barcelona, you’ll get so caught up in the negative aspects of doing business here that you’ll quickly lose sight of why you came here in the first place. This city is just f*in amazing and has so many great things to offer. What’s the point in living here if you don’t enjoy it?

Thanks a lot Priscilla, we had a great time talking with you!

Follow Bida online:

https://www.facebook.com/bidaapp/

https://www.instagram.com/bida_app/

https://twitter.com/bida_app