experience. They could enjoy the performance with their friends and family in the comfort of Simpson’s home rather than going out to a bar or pub that required making all the necessary arrangements to do so with a young family. She also found that the artists loved the engage- ment with the audience and the fact that they received 100% of the proceeds and were paid right away. “I experienced an entrepre- neurial explosion after 2015, I had some pent-up energy, a few ideas and just wanted to get things done and explore these opportunities,” “I experienced an entrepreneurial explosion after 2015, I had some pent-up energy, a few ideas and just wanted to get things done and explore these opportunities,” said Simpson, a self-pro- claimed efficiency nerd. Simpson had dabbled a little bit with ‘no code technology’ when she was with Music Nova Scotia and was trying to build more efficient ways of doing things. It was that experience, that started the idea for Side Door. At that time, she didn’t really know what Side Door would look like or the technology that would be needed to get the company off and running, but she did know that there was a need for this platform, and she was determined to create it. Simpson continued to explore the idea and was introduced to Dan Mangan, a West Coast-based JUNO Award-winning artist, who would end up being a co-founder of the business. At the time
of their introduction, Mangan was a successful touring artist that had just started a new label and was looking to book gigs for his artists and himself. Mangan had built a loyal fan base by playing smaller venues and started using this same model with his artists to do the same.
“I didn’t really know what to expect, but we had a plan.”
Simpson explains that their first platform was basically a spreadsheet, “the music industry at the time was built on spreadsheets,” said Simpson. But she and Mangan had a mutual goal to put the artist first. They wanted to make sure the artist would get a good return on investment (ROI) for their shows, that it would be easy for anyone to become a host of one of these events, and make it easier for the artist and host to connect with each other. “Simplicity is the key to the platform.” Simpson goes on to say that the pair basically brainstormed for about a year, as they both worked on other projects. During that time, Simpson ended up hanging around Volta, which is a tech startup space in Halifax. She was able to make a connection with a developer and they collaborated together and came up with a tech plan for the project, however, she is quick to say, “I didn’t really know what to expect, but we had a plan.” In 2017, Simpson and Mangan launched their web- based platform, Side Door, which provided artists and organizers with easy-to-use show-booking tools to connect artists with hosts looking to have in-person shows in non-conventional spaces like living rooms, backyards, warehouses and community centers, as well as traditional concert venues. Everything started to take off, artists and hosts were using the platform and Side Door was doing their first shows, Simpson and Mangan started fundraising and developing the platform as a valuable industry tool. The business pair was also
excited to start to break into the US Market and then the pandemic hit. With the pandemic and government attendance and health restrictions, they had to cancel shows. But as they say, ‘When one door closes another one opens,’ in this case, it was the Side Door. Thankfully because the two co-founders live on opposite coasts in Canada, one being in Halifax
“Simplicity is the key to the platform.”
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FALL/WINTER 2022 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • FALL/WINTER 2022
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