Ethan Auguste brings in the culture of his home country Trinidad and Tobago in the Carribean as inspiration for his work everyday.
Between launching his own events in Dubai, Los Angeles, Geneva and Bali, he has been a catalyst to creatives interacting with one another to establish incredible relationships, brands, and networks.
One of his greatest accomplishments as of recent is his start-up Thrive Collective, a creative community established in Dubai in 2013 that featured over 500 different creative individuals, their talents, and their companies. With his “Discover a Thriver” series where you can be inspired by industry professionals in the creative fields, networking and showcase events and fostering connection, his mission has been to allow talents the opportunity to see their full potential. In 2014, this became a reality for Kalpee, an artist from his home country, when Ethan through his network got him a signed distribution deal with Sony Middle East.
With his brand growing from the ground up, he truly has learned what it takes to be kept focused on your goals, continue the grind, and make sure to stay motivated and encouraged throughout the process.
Any successful person knows that success doesn’t happen overnight. There are bumps along the way that could be considered as set backs, or alternatively, as stepping stones to your success. Auguste reminds us to never be afraid to fail, and that oftentimes, it truly ends up being the lesson needed to move forward!
“Everything was a stepping stone to another level, good or bad. Understanding all the disappointments and partnerships that didn’t work out, I was able to keep the focus and look at the positive in every situation.”
In running a business, having personal goals, or just trying to improve on our own successes, there is a level of balance that needs to be achieved. He knows that he is “working and pushing too many things at once and I should focus on one thing. As much as it makes sense, what I’m doing is building things that are all connected, and planting and growing the seeds.” With these layers in work coming together, Auguste really molds his work to make decisions that are beneficial to the community, while simultaneously relieving any feelings of being overwhelmed by trusting someone else to carry a significant part of the task load in the process.
He shares one of the most important things about the industry: over his 16 years of experience, he knows that networking is huge; but retaining that network is even bigger. Anyone can meet you and think “this is someone I’d like to work with!” But making those first steps and keeping that relationship is key. He shares that having this network grow “is what gave me the confidence to handle the partnerships regardless of the budget and situation.” Continuing these relationships, building the momentum, and keeping it will always be at the top of any business and personal networking success.
While many saw this year as a write-off, Ethan saw it as an opportunity to build, grow and launch things that he had on the back burner for years. “It started during the lockdown in London, the goal and mission to complete various projects such as my first book, S.I.G.H (Stores to Inspire and Give Hope, a board game, an app and an online store.”
Now, in November he plans to launch these projects, some still in beta such as his app ThriveIN with co-founders Andre Ivashev and Daniil Novik which allows creatives to create profiles, connect and collaborate, his online store with partner Brandon Soto, keepcre8ing.com a platform selling over 400 creative supplies, craft and equipment. Ethan’s first book S.I.G.H is written and would be going through the editing phase now with his friend Darcel de Vlugt also from Trinidad, and his board game which became three games with his partner Harry Naden-Caldwell, are now being designed and getting ready for the Kickstarter campaign.
“This year became a year of partnerships, collaboration and co-founders, a year to forget past business relationships and create new ones with a better understanding and learning of other situations.” Follow his success and more on his Instagram @ethanauguste (https://www.instagram.com/