Today we’d like to introduce you to Lane Petrauskas.
Hi Lane, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My background is in Advertising — as a Creative Director and Writer. During my career, I’ve enjoyed conceptualizing, writing and producing work and campaigns for brands like SVEDKA Vodka, PepsiCo (Quaker and Bubly Sparkling Water), Zappos, JetBlue, Stitch Fix and many more. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the brightest minds in the advertising industry, and my experience at renowned agencies has been exceptionally useful in bringing Skorch to life and to market.
I launched Skorch when I saw a need for a more streamlined, tailored and vetted platform for finding and sharing great restaurants, bars, coffee shops and attractions. The tediousness of combing through pages of text-heavy, outdated reviews/rants, skimming lengthy articles and scouring influencers’ geo-tags on social media didn’t feel intuitive or exciting to me. So, I had a vision for a curated, stylized and social platform. At the heart of it is a belief that finding places to go shouldn’t feel like work. Really, finding places to have fun should be fun.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Thankfully, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. I say “thankfully” because obstacles and challenges are how I’ve learned and grown. I believe that every challenge is an invitation to improve. And that core belief has helped ease the fear I’ve faced as a founder. Really, I can identify fear at the root of many of the challenges I’ve faced. That’s why I try to build positive momentum at the beginning of each day – whether by meditating, exercising or going for a walk – so that when I am faced with challenges or need to make an important decision, I am more likely to do it from a place of trust, confidence and clarity. If I feel like my thinking is clouded in fear, then it’s not the time to make any sudden movements.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Skorch is a lifestyle app that shows users the best (aka Skorch Worthy) restaurants, bars, coffee shops and attractions. It’s also a social platform – users can follow friends and influencers, save and share their favorite hotspots and post to their Skorch profiles while out. We call it a “heat map of cool spots” because it’s curated to only show the top-recommended places to go – think tasty, trendy spots and cool, hidden gems. And the warmer the color of the place on Skorch, the more popular it is with Skorch users.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Entrepreneurship and risk-taking are typically synonymous. As an entrepreneur, I am inherently a risk-taker. But because I’m led by such a passion for the vision and a genuine enjoyment in building it, it doesn’t usually feel like a risk. It feels like I’m following my joy and in alignment with my path – simply because it’s so fulfilling and fun. It lights me up. And although I can never be certain of exactly where my path is leading me, I am sure of one thing – risk or not – this is the way.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.getskorch.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getskorch/
Image Credits:
Headshot: Black Lacquer Design Images of app/lifestyle images: Amaka Hamelijnck
