Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Adams.
Hi Susan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started EatsnATX as a hobby and a creative outlet, simply wanting to share some of my favorite spots around Austin and the food I was discovering along the way. I also loved experimenting in the kitchen, so I began sharing easy at-home recipes and things I was cooking. What started as a fun personal project slowly grew into a way to connect with other people who shared the same love for food and Austin.
As the community grew, I realized I wanted to create something beyond food content and create something that brought people together in real life. One night out my best friend Angela and I shared an idea of starting SoftHourATX, an event platform focused on creating welcoming experiences and building community around local people, businesses, and shared interests outside of the normal networking events. The partnership has taught us what our strengths are and why we make such a great team!
It’s been really rewarding to see something that started as a hobby evolve into a community-driven project. What began with sharing food has grown into creating spaces where people can connect, discover new things, and feel more connected to the city they call home.
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?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been simply figuring things out as we go. When we first started, I was new to content creation, building a community, and understanding how to turn something we were doing for fun into something with real potential. There wasn’t really a roadmap to follow we just had to learn through trial and error.
As EatsnATX grew, I had to learn how to navigate partnerships, events, branding, consistency, and what it actually takes to build something that people want to be a part of. There were definitely moments of questioning whether we could take it beyond a hobby, but those challenges pushed us to become more intentional about what we were creating.
The biggest lesson has been realizing that starting something meaningful takes time. I’m always learning, but we’ve gotten to a place where we can see the bigger picture and understand how EatsnATX and SoftHourATX can expand into something that goes beyond content that has impact on the community in a positive light.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For the past eight years, my career was in the corporate world, where I worked as a consultant on engineering projects for the Department of Defense. While I learned a tremendous amount from that experience, over time it began to feel increasingly draining and made me disconnected from the work. I wanted an opportunity that felt more creative, personal, and connected to people.
It was a difficult decision to leave that career and pursue to get my real estate license, which opened my eyes to the importance of community and relationships. I didn’t just want to know the city from a business perspective, I wanted to actually know the people, businesses, and communities that makes Austin what it is.
I’m most proud of taking the leap to start over and build something of my own. My background in consulting taught me how to organize, problem-solve, and execute, while my work with EatsnATX and SoftHourATX has allowed me to bring the creative and people-focused side of myself into what I do.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Being open to opportunities and maintaining a positive mindset can create your own kind of luck. There were definitely moments when things didn’t go as planned or wasn’t sure what the next step would be. Instead of letting those setbacks discourage us, we stayed optimistic, kept showing up, and trusted that something would eventually come together.
One conversation would lead to an introduction, which would lead to another opportunity or idea that helped me take the next step. We both learned that you never really know where a relationship or a simple “yes” might lead.
Looking back, I’m grateful for both the good and bad experiences because they pushed me to keep moving forward.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/softhouratx/
