Meet Nathaniel Bridges | Bartender and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathaniel Bridges and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathaniel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always dreamed of being my own boss and finding a way to incorporate what I enjoy doing in my free time into my professional life, as I’m sure most people do, but up until I had this idea I couldn’t think of a way to make that work. While I was golfing this spring I had the idea for GolfDi but I was sure something like it must already exist, and I was thrilled when I searched around the internet, and subsequently had a patent search conducted, and discovered that nobody had yet developed anything like my game. I was always under the impression that to start my own business I would need to find people to take a chance on me, but I’ve been incredibly lucky that for this particular project I didn’t need to take on any investors or loans to get it off the ground.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m still working as a full time bartender while I’m getting my business launched, and as of right now I’m running the entire operation out of my garage and my sun room. I’m the most proud of the fact that I actually followed through with an idea that I felt confident was a good one, and I’m proud that my business/game serves to bring a little more joy into the world. I’ve done so many things that I’d never done before, things that are equal parts exciting and terrifying. I bought a 3D printer having never used one and learned how to design and print the prototype. I hired an attorney to help me with my patent, I set up an LLC and opened a bank account for it, I worked with 4 different manufacturers to get my game and packaging just right. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but with a little determination it actually all came together much faster than I thought possible. With that said, I do still feel like there could be a knock at the door at any moment and a man in a suit will say you did everything wrong when you set up your business and you need to go to jail. I guess what I would want the world to know about my business is that if it crashes and burns, it’s probably my fault because I named my dog, Charlie, as the CEO.

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.
Well it would certainly depend on what time of the year they were visiting! Walking around outside during the day in Charleston in July and August is no joke. Charleston and the surrounding area has so many great golf courses that we would definitely get a couple rounds in. Shadowmoss is my home course, and I love it, but I also really like Stono Ferry, and Charleston Municipal for great courses that don’t break the bank. I would of course have to take them to dinner at Melfi’s because that’s been where I’ve been behind the bar for the last 4 years, and chef Ashley Kegu makes amazing food. Before of after dinner we would hit Graft, the best wine bar in the city and run by amazing people. You can’t visit Charleston without spending some time at the beach, and my favorite beach is Sullivans Island because the beach itself is often a bit quieter than Isle of Palms or Folly, and I prefer the food options there. On the way to, or back, I lke to stop at Shem Creek and watch the boats and the dolphins and have a drink on the deck at Red’s or Saltwater Cowboy. My favorite dinner spots in the city right now are Vern’s, XO Brasserie, Chubbyfish, and Lowland Tavern. I like to stroll about Magnolia Gardens, particularly in the spring when the flowers are all starting to bloom. Wandering around all the old historic mansions by the battery is a must, and in my opinion the most charming area of the city. I almost always bring visitors to Hampton Park where my dogs like to watch the ducks and geese. If we decide to stay up past our bedtime, the best place to do that if you ask me is The Commodore, but The Pour House is a great slightly lower key option too, and Motown Throwdown on Sunday afternoons at The Pour House is always a blast.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, if GolfDi achieves any type of success it will be in large part because of all the help I’ve had from my wife, Tina Bridges. While the game is my brainchild, every way that it’s presented to the public is her work, from our website to our social media which is our primary way of reaching our buyers. All of our branding was done by a former co-worker of mine, Alexander Griffin who operates under Gumbo Design Co., without whom I wouldn’t look nearly as professional, and my product photography was done by another incredibly talented co-worker of mine, Victor Garcia. I feel like I should also shout out my golf friends that helped me fine tune the rules and the game while I was developing it, Donnie Tudor, Jason Warren, Trenton Stathas, and Ben Sinon.

Website: https://GolfDi.com

Instagram: golfdigame

Other: TikTok: golfdigame
Email: hello@golfdi.com

Image Credits
Victor Garcia