[Week 7/52]: ﹙˓ 🎧 ˒﹚Traveling to Miami for Personal DJ Lessons from DJ Nik
We all have that one passion that we wish we pursued.. well I hope today is the day when you're inspired enough to pursue it! I found the answer to my hopes on Airbnb Experiences, of all places.
Feb 02, 2026
[Preview]
What’s something that you’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to doing? - Today we learn to DJ!
I live in a small town in Florida, or maybe “slow” is a better word than “small.” But let me reassure you, there is not much happening here! Majority of residences are retired, enjoying Pickle ball, and not thinking much about work. As a guy in his 30’s.. it becomes a little boring! So I decided I’d spice things up by going on Airbnb and finding a fun adventure. I searched through the new ‘AirBNB Experiences’ feature… and viola!
Within an hour, I had found something I’ve always wanted to try. DJ Lessons.
This is the story of how I booked a random experience on Airbnb, drove two hours, and had honestly the time of my life learning from Dj Nik.
Scroll down to read the full adventure in today’s blog.
But first…
A word from our author in a Harry Potter style talking-painting
When I’m bored… I turn to AirBNB: Searching for Fun
It’s not widely known, but Airbnb offers more than just rentals, they also enable users to ‘rent’ an experience. Aka, you can sign up and participate in a handful of localized services hosted by real people. From cooking classes, to boat tours, all the way to… DJ lessons?
Waking up with an idea:
I arose up on a random day, and decided I needed some new energy in my life. So I booked an Airbnb for a few nights in Miami, and then I immediately checked out all the native Airbnb Experiences near the apartment.
I sifted through a handful of options:
Observe Miami’s skyline from the water
Cigar factory tour
Award winning art deco walk
And… DJ lessons!
I ended up picking that last one. You can see the marketing for it here:
Traveling to Miami, checking in!
Checked into my Airbnb, this place was hysterical. So ‘Miami.’
It had fake Versace everywhere, marble floors with cracks in them. Really captured the essence of Miami… All flash, no substance. Some photos below:
The real reason I booked it was because it had access to this incredible hot tub heaven. And yet again, in true Miami fashion… all flash, no substance. There was so much chlorine in there that both myself and my (almost) girlfriend broke out in rashes. But I digress. Still, gorgeous, up on the 15th floor, overlooking the Miami canal. Really cool.
So I had trouble sleeping because the city is so loud, I had a rash from the chlorine filled hot tub, and I was paying $12 for a coffee just to work remote from the local cafe. Other than that, it was great! Sunday morning I woke up.. the time had finally arrived! It was time for our DJ lesson! (I made my GF join in, because she used to sing opera and so I thought it would be cool for her).
Arriving to our DJ Lesson
Step 1: Getting set up with our teacher, DJ Nik
We drove to a sketchy neighborhood, and entered the building, which the owner promptly locked altering getting inside.
“Is our car going to get broken in to?” we asked. No response.
But hey, I love a low burn rate. So I’m here for it. We get introduced to DJ Nik, our Italian instructor for the day. There he is! What a guy. And, what a great teacher!!
You can see we had the full kit. Pioneer DJ set (shoutout Tribe XR), Rekordbox software from AlphaTheta Corporation (a $500M market cap music company, who just sold a % of their software asset, Serato, to Andrew Wilkinson of Tiny). All that’s to say, we had the best of the best gear. Which was pretty cool considering I barely knew how to spin (check out my new lingo)!
Step 2: Selecting your tracks!
DJ Nik taught us the basics of how you pick a track, we selected Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’ as our core track. After learning that’s roughly 100 Beats-Per-Minute (BPM) we were then instructed to pick another track of a similar BPM. This way, when we faded one song into the other, or when we combined the vocals from one and the beat from the other, it matched up. So we did.
Not to mention, since Abba sang in the key of A-Major we also had to find a complimentary track that paired with the sound. It was very cool, and helped me understand the dynamics of how music impacts our feelings.
For example, one key aspect of DJ’ing is to ensure the “low-end frequencies” don’t get muddied. In simple terms, the human body can feel low frequencies even when the ear cannot hear them. So if a song is playing, and you don’t like it, or it makes you feel ‘off’ that is most likely a result of too much low end being felt in your stomach. Your ears and brain don’t typically recognize this, but your gut does. Fascinating.
Don’t take my word for it, let’s ask our trusty friend Gemini, aka, Gigi.
So after an hour of spinning our hearts out, we got pretty good. We learned how to BPM match, key match, how to make the ‘scratching’ sound, how to select tracks, how to operate the DJ controls… there are a lot of random nobs and levers, that is for sure.
By the end of the lesson, we were performing and dancing, and blasting music. 10/10, I say!
Step 3: Leaving a glowing testimonial
Now here’s a lesson for all you founders out there, ALWAYS ask for testimonials. And DJ Nik did.
You never know when you’ll need them! And they help validate your company with social proof. You can watch the testimonial I left for DJ Nik below, huge fan!
Karma points: I really love small business owners! So I made sure to send even further encouragement to the owner after:
I hope that you find something on AirBNB experiences in your town, and book it! Let me know if you do, I’m happy to hear if I can be the spark that gets you to go learn, create, and enjoy life.
Resources for you:
Here’s the link to AirBNB Experiences, type in your city and book something! [Link]
Here’s a virtual reality company that can teach you to DJ, if you’re looking to stay at home and master the same techniques [Link]. Tom, their CEO is a friend and I love what his startup is doing!!!
Invitation for you:
I hope to see you at our upcoming founder/investor event on February 11th!
