174 TIM CHI - CEO, The Knot Worldwide: Combining Technology and Trends to Innovate the Wedding Industry

Andy welcomes to the show Tim Chi, CEO of The Knot Worldwide, a technologist and entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to creating better, more efficient technologies for the education and wedding industries. Before co-founding WeddingWire, he co-founded Blackboard. Tim is driven to help others by creating resources through technology! In this episode, Tim chats about his inspiration for WeddingWire, why he decided to merge with The Knot, now the world's largest vertical marketplace servicing the wedding industry, and what keeps driving him to innovate and create trends. Learn how he became an entrepreneur and why he worried about telling his parents about his endeavors. Tim is open and honest about what he sees for the future of the wedding industry and how changes in buying habits and trends have affected the business. Tim is an awesome guest and his insights into the changes of the industry and business, in general, are extremely informative. Listen in and learn how Tim has gotten to where he is and what he plans for the future of The Knot Worldwide.  Show Highlights: [03:19] Welcome to the show Tim Chi! [04:05] Learn where Tim's got his drive for business.  [06:20] Tim shares how he started on the path to entrepreneurship. [09:38] What was Tim's role at Blackboard and how did it prepare him to lead Wedding Wire? [12:55] Tim chats about how he felt when he realized he wanted to create a wedding resource. [15:22] How did Tim face the fear of starting a new venture?  [17:46] Why timing led to the creation of crowd-sourced reviews by city. [20:33] Learn how Tim feels about the learning process and entrepreneurship. [21:32] Hear about some of Tim's business failures. [24:43] What are Tim's strengths in leadership? [29:50] How was the merger of The Knot and WeddingWire devised?  [33:20] Learn how Tim feels about mentors and office morale. [34:55] Why having good partners in business is important.  [37:33] Tim chats about how they stay on top of changes and trends in business technology. [40:39] What's the next "big thing," coming down the pipeline?  [41:59] How are changing customer buying habits affecting the industry?  [43:01] Where is social media going?  [44:03] Tim shares his plan for The Knot Worldwide in the coming months. [46:02] How does Tim balance his pace in business along with personal and family life?  [49:22] Tim chats about his definition of success.   LINKS & RESOURCES Follow The Wedding Biz on Social:  The Wedding Biz The Wedding Biz on Instagram: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz on Facebook: @theweddingbiz   Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment www.kushnerentertainment.com.   Tim Chi The Knot Worldwide The Knot WeddingWire WeddingPro   Mentioned during the interview: Blackboard