Florida State University School of Communication alumni, Alex Beltrami, Brian Mckenna and Matt Thompson, opened a new business called Madison Social. It is a 6,500 square foot sports restaurant bar with indoor/outdoor eating areas. Located in Tallahassee’s Collegetown within walking distance of the Doak Campbell Stadium, this area is ideal for students, alumni and young professionals. Madison Social also caters towards business lunches/dinners and aims to reinvent the college bar restaurant experience.
The three former FSU students hope to set an example for aspiring young entrepreneurs, and are happy to share career advice. They met as undergraduate students while taking classes and completing their Communication degrees. Beltrami earned his Bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Advertising, Mckenna in Mass Media Communications and Thompson in Public Relations. Both Mckenna and Thompson continued on at FSU to each receive their M.S. in Interactive Communication and New Information Technology.
After graduation, they pursued different career paths before deciding about a year ago to open Madison Social together. Mckenna worked at Prada in New York City before eventually starting two successful businesses in NYC which he still manages, Yorkville Creperie and Saloon NYC.
Thompson went on to become the Director of Marketing at a small software company in Orlando where he raised revenues 92% over 18 months. He also enjoys teaching and has been an instructor at FSU, Tallahassee Community College and the University of Central Florida.
In 2007, Thompson moved back to Tallahassee and began as an Account Director at the Zimmerman Agency. He was promoted in 2010 to their Director of Digital Strategy. In this role, he oversaw social media and content management for over 40 brands. With the growing popularity and success of Madison Social, Thompson recently started devoting himself full-time to the new business as their Managing Partner.
The third Madison Social Managing Partner, Beltrami, provides a strong local business background. He has previous entrepreneurship experience from owning two unique bars popular in Tallahassee, Alchemy Spirits & Concoctions and the Midtown Filling Station.
In terms of sharing advice, all three alumni stressed the idea that you should “grow through each experience.” They suggested learning from different opportunities, which molded them into better businessmen and helped their minds to become more like efficient machines.
Another tip mentioned was in the form of a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: “lean into discomfort.” Ironing out your weaknesses and facing your fears is essential to growth as a professional. Speaking to various constituents in the creation of their business, learning to enjoy public speaking and not being shy to ask questions required the alumni to put themselves out there often. This kind of hands-on management is one of the factors they acknowledge for their growth. Fear can be countered, they added, by refusing to let your imagination get the best of you. “If you manage your expectations, ninety percent of life will work out.”
A natural extension of this, and one of the most important ideas they brought up is the need to be personable. “Being approachable is important!” mentioned Thompson. Thinking of business vendors as partners is the best way to cultivate strong relationships. In the restaurant industry, encouraging social experiences is especially vital for long-term growth.
Madison Social, to these entrepreneurial-spirited Seminole alumni, is a testament of the willingness to persevere, make decisions and take chances. “We worked so hard to get to this point and finally to just get here, is unbelievable,” Mckenna said. Since their grand opening in the fall semester of 2013, their new business has continued to increase in popularity.
