Driving Force Podcast

Driving Force Podcast


Episode 59: Peter Chee - Founder CEO, Endurance Athlete, Father of Three Kids

March 07, 2021

Today’s guest is Peter Chee. Peter loves tackling what he likes to call “peak experiences” and has often found these experiences through entrepreneurship and endurance sport. Currently, Peter is the founder and CEO of Thinkspace. Based in the Seattle area, Thinkspace provides workspace for a community of entrepreneurs, tech startups, non-profits, and small businesses with a common affinity for passion and inspiration. Prior to Thinkspace, he launched the Entrepreneur Organization’s Accelerator Program which focuses on helping startups go from $250K to reach $1M in revenue. He also had almost a 10 year stint in the tech industry in which he worked in software and database development for companies like Disney and Paul Allen’s Starwave Corporation. On the endurance side of things, Peter runs just about every day as he prepares for his next marathon (of which he’s done 13). He finds time to both run Thinkspace and prepare for marathons while raising three kids. In this interview, we get into Peter’s time growing up in Seattle, his stint in the tech industry during the dot-com bubble and lessons learned, Thinkspace, and his endurance athletics career.


Timestamps


00:02:46 Entrepreneurship as part of the family growing up


00:07:08 What he was passionate about as a kid


00:09:01 His desire to seek out peak experiences


00:10:31 Why he went into data analysis as a career path after college


00:13:23 Starwave Corporation


00:15:46 Onecast Media and lessons learned from a failed startup


00:20:28 Disney and lessons learned from working there


00:24:12 Pivot to real estate and working with his dad


00:28:40 Genesis of Thinkspace


00:30:14 Thinkspace overview


00:36:05 Covid-19's impact on Thinkspace


00:41:38 Ultimate vision for Thinkspace


00:43:21 Beginning of his endurance athletics career


00:46:09 His marathoning journey


00:52:01 His weekly training schedule


00:56:11 How he's balanced business, endurance athletics, and being a father


00:58:15 Similarities between entrepreneurship and endurance athletics


01:00:51 What he wants to accomplish 5 years from now


01:02:10 His daily routine


01:04:37 His driving force


01:06:05 Parting words of wisdom for the aspiring entrepreneur/athlete