We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott Morris and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Scott, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?Quick answer: we wanted a place like this to exist so we did it ourselves.
Longer answer: Bermuda Club is a one off experiment a team of three friends and some likeminded investors thought should exist, so we made it happen. We wanted a place to do many of the things we try to fit into our busy days in one place: work, work on ourselves (cold plunge, sauna, gym, self improvement programs), hit some golf balls, grab a drink with friends with a Padres game on, and most importantly, meaningfully connect with people.
There is nothing corporate about Bermuda Club: come as you are, be yourself, make the club what you want it to be, we just ask you be a positive addition to the community. Some members use the club as their primary co-work space. That’s great! Some use it mostly to get unlimited simulator swings in to improve their golf game. Great! Some use it to meet new people and try new things (cold plunge and breathwork class, maybe?). That’s great too… end of the day, you make it what you want it to be, and hopefully that makes you a happier, more productive, more well rounded person.
We’re more than just a space—we’re a place where wellness, work, and social life come together.Work Well. Play Well. Be Well.While the amenities are great, the real magic of what we are trying to build is the community. Post-COVID work relationships are strained by remote work options, instead of real friends we too often have “deal friends.” Now more than ever, middle aged men in particular are suffering from a crisis of connection. Mental health suffers when you do not have close relationships to lean on.
Bermuda Club is a place where like-minded individuals can connect in an engaging space and form real relationships face to face. We are purposefully keeping the membership count around 200 to maximize the value to each member but also to allow for long term relationships to develop with a familiar group of people. Where a country club is in the business of maximizing their member count, we are in the business of providing an outstanding value to our members and fostering connections.
We are quickly approaching 100 members after only opening in September and the magic is starting to happen every day. So, why did we start this business? To meet great people in a unique setting. So far so good. Come check it out for yourself before it’s too late!
What should our readers know about your business?The three partners on this project have very different paths to founding Bermuda Club, but I think the most impressive through line is that we all had full time jobs on the side while executing this plan. We built Bermuda Club so we could be members, not draw a paycheck.
Here’s my quick story: I was a big law firm lawyer for few years, knew it wasn’t for me on day 1 and was looking for an entrepreneurial escape. My wife and I bet on ourselves and started a kids focused eyewear brand as a side hustle that we still own and operate 10+ years later (called Roshambo Eyewear). After a stop at USD Law School for some teaching and student advising, I was able to dive into full time entrepreneurship in 2017 and have not looked back.
I have also co-founded a distillery (in Detroit of all places…) among some other pursuits, but my passion is the creative thinking and problem solving that goes along with willing an idea into existence.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.Start at Bermuda Club with a workout, cold plunge, sauna and a quick round of simulator golf of course.
Have to get a decent burrito: Robertos or Los Tacos maybe, then get them to the beach – Cardiff is my family go to, but Ponto will work too for a little extra space to throw a football around. Bring some local Los Cuernos canned wine to crack in the sand.
Assuming it’s summer, we’re hitting a Padres game, maybe work in a SDFC game starting soon… SD sports fans are hugely underrated… someday we will get a championship.
On the way to the Padres game, try to build in time to grab a burger at Rocky’s in Pacific Beach. For my money, no better burger / place to eat a burger in the world. After the Padres game, take the time to go a little further South to La Fachada for late night tacos and one or two more Coronas.
Can’t go wrong with a tour around La Jolla if they are an out of towner, grab a Board & Brew sando to bring with you for a beach lunch maybe. Sprinkle in a few brewery stops around town and you’ve had a pretty good trip.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?Shout out to my partners in this crazy experiment: Brian Liebman (the CFO Brain), Eric Bowen (the Strategist and Xs and Os guy), and Joe Staley (the Glue Guy, our original investor who believed in it and helped refine what we were trying to build.
More importantly, our wives and families and coworkers at our day jobs that allowed us a long leash to spend WAY more time than we expected last year building this dream.
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