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Andrew Fox, 33
Chief executive
Track Entertainment
Dressed in green slacks and a brown sweater, Andrew Fox turned up at hot Manhattan nightclub Life, only to be turned away at the door. That moment a decade ago still sticks in his craw.
"I remember the humiliation, not being good enough," says Mr. Fox, who has since turned his party lifestyle into a business.
After graduating from Adelphi University, Mr. Fox started Clubplanet.com as a message board and online listing of the city's clubs. "It was my calling card into parties," he says.
At first, the site was a fun hobby. After all, he had a day job as an analyst at investment bank Sanford Bernstein. But he abruptly gave notice at his nine-month review in 1997 when he realized that Wall Street was not where he wanted to be.
With less than $1,000 in the bank, Mr. Fox devoted himself to expanding Clubplanet.com. He created a guest-list service and persuaded popular clubs such as Limelight and The Tunnel to advertise on the site. Mr. Fox made roughly $600 per event, or $1 to $2 from each person he brought in.
"He comes off as the little guy," says Lee Heiman, Mr. Fox's partner. "At the end of day, he is sharp as a whip."
In 2002, Mr. Fox bought Mr. Heiman's event marketing firm, Track Entertainment, and adopted its name. Track now consists of six Web sites, including Clubplanet.com and Newyears.com. Mr. Fox expects revenues of over $22 million in 2005, up 38% from last year. Clubplanet.com now claims 2.2 million registered users and lists 80,000 events in 55 markets, including Miami and Los Angeles. "Nightlife is recession-proof," Mr. Fox says. "No matter how horrible the economy is, people will still go out."