We were lucky to catch up with Michael Byrd recently and have shared our conversation below.

Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

The important thing to remember is to believe in yourself and your skillset. Don’t be afraid to fail at first because you learn important lessons with failure. Failure is a must for success. I’m always planning events that have some type of risk associated with them. Most of the time its monetary where I have to front money and rely on ticket sales for compensation. These risks always worry me but to this day I have never occurred a loss. Make a great product, advertise a great product and you will always come out on top.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a single man I was using all the dating apps to try and find my person. On September 18th, 2018, I sat on my bed with my laptop and had the idea of creating a Facebook group to help me meet people outside of my regular circle of friends. My circle of friends got to the point where they could never go out because they were either married or had significant others. So, I went to Facebook groups and created a group and named it ATB (Anti Tinder Bumble). I started with inviting my single friends from my Facebook page and that went from 100 to 500 too 1000 members in less than a month. Eventually I started creating events around the Raleigh, NC area to give members a chance to meet. Little did I know ATB would turn into the flag ship of singles groups in NC. I have organized events such as Speed Dating, two adult proms, a masquerade ball, dating auctions, and several holiday events. ATB was eventually rebranded to (All the Best) in 2019 and has created several marriages and even a few ATB babies. ATB has also set a precedence for other groups that have formed copying the ATB model. ATB as a whole has around 8000 members and continues to grow.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Self-betterment is my main driving force. I am always looking for challenges and ways to keep myself busy. I love learning every aspect of event coordination and podcasting.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my social media via Facebook groups I created. I created “ATB” All the Best which is a series of social networking groups that cater to likeminded people. The groups consist of three singles groups, a sports group, Pets Group, Music group, and A Foodies group. Once these groups were established, I then began marketing my podcast and YouTube channel in the groups. I also promote professional Cornhole as a Regional Director for the ACL (American Cornhole League) via Facebook groups and pages I own.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/goldbyrd
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100037893411578
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NaughtyDonkeyProductions

Image Credits
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