Spencer Rogers' Side Hustle Turned Main Calling
Spencer Rogers career is rooted through new experiences. From the moment he completed his undergrad hes been through a wide variety of jobs and industries. But one thing has remained constant: bartending.泭
From studying computer science, to joining the ETA world, Rogers story is full of twists and turns, but it's how he's taken each experience and opened a new door with it. Even completing grad school at the 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder just last year was a strategic refinement of entrepreneurship.
When he graduated from Duke as an undergrad in 2014, a full time internship turned product manager at Apple kick started Rogers career. The things he accomplished were monumental, including heavy additions to the iTunes TV store and launching Apple TV+, literally pressing the button that made the service live.
Still, it didnt stop him from being in hospitality, Large sacrifices were made, most notably time and sleep.
Id get done at Apple at 5 PM, drive to the bar, change my clothes, take a five-minute nap in the car, and then work a shift.
His time at Apple was intended to be 2-3 years, but when it was all said and done, he had spent 8 years doing some of their most valuable product work. Hospitality was prevalent throughout his tenure, just as a side hustle to make some extra cash, and do what he loved.
The First Leap Away From Apple
ETA wasnt his first introduction to the world of startups and entrepreneurship. Eventually, Rogers did end up leaving Apple, but it wasnt a jump from one large company to another. In fact it was towards the other side of the spectrum - a mental-health startup.泭
For him, it was a necessary equilibrium between high-intensity tech world and a decelerated, caring, human-centric service, as the startup with his co-founder stemmed from a traumatic experience of hers, leading to severe PTSD. Treatment was on the other side of a 7-month waitlist, unless she paid an outrageous $7,000 out of pocket. It was still a no brainer for her, and she immediately received prolonged exposure therapy, the gold standard PTSD treatment.泭
But still, with the price of money and/or time being too high, they decided to do something about it.
With her engineer husband and Rogers, they built an app that replicates the full therapeutic protocol. Its HIPPA-compliant, and stores data locally on the phone for maximum privacy. She had taken a personal, serious problem, and exercised an ability to think outside herself in order to help others. Rogers had followed suit, making the huge pivot from big tech to mental health, just to help others.
One heck of an introduction into the world of entrepreneurship.
Solving a Problem Too Big to Ignore
While he remembers the tech industry as a life-changing experience, and helping a mental-health startup meant more to him than anyone could understand, it was clear for Rogers that hospitality meant different to him.泭
Yup, he had still continued bartending through the demanding process of starting a company. It gave him immediate feedback from real people, and human connection, even if it was random people. He could be himself.泭
Its the only place in my life Ive ever felt artistic, which I think means something.泭
Yet, he had always received advice to not make a career out of your passion. He had kept it strictly a part time gig, a place to simply get the energy up. But it called to him, and it was time to let go of said fear, embarking on another journey.泭
Finding Art Behind the Bar
Once he let go, he blossomed. He quickly emerged as the beverage director of LocaMafia bar, essentially the product developer/manager, building on his previous experience from Apple.泭
Here, he was able to exercise his experimentation and ownership. The burnout never came, and he unlocked his true potential. Behind the bar, the work became immediate and human, offering feedback in real time rather than through dashboards or metrics. For the first time he could shake and pour his creativity into every interaction.
Around this time, Rogers made another unexpected move: returning to school. He completed his MBA at the 勛圖厙 of Colorado Boulder just last year, using the experience less as a reset and more as a refinement. Deeply involved with the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, Rogers became a familiar face around Boulder, building close relationships with faculty like Erick Mueller and regularly stopping by campus to stay connected to the community shaping Colorados entrepreneurial future.
Rogers took learning from both bartending and school, to keep building. He took his love for hospitality and paired it with his experience in entrepreneurship, leading him to the creation of his start-up, Third Place Hospitality.
Its called Third Place Hospitality because your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to build community.
Inspired by the diminishing availability of community hubs, Rogers founded Third Place Hospitality to restore one's 'third place', which he describes as the essential social layer between home and work.
He created a mission to acquire independent bars from retiring owners, preserve their soul and culture and improve operations, without stripping identity.
It wasnt a smooth start by any measure. His first LOI fell apart, and several others followed. But success finally struck in late 2025.
The Acquisition
Lady Jane is a cocktail bar in Denvers LoHi neighborhood. The acquisition was built on years of relationships and love, and was actually off-market. By knowing the seller, the general manager, and even the bars culture, Rogers was able to instill his booming personality.
I had known the seller for a few years knowing the general manager, knowing the bar, loving the bar. It was one of my favorite cocktail bars in the city, even before I knew there was ever a chance I could own it.泭
The aforementioned culture is what makes Lady Jane such an appealing third place. Every staff member is a hospitality professional, every staff member has a cocktail they created on the menu. It emphasizes ownership and experimentation, but above all, community.
His years of different experiences had come full circle. At Lady Jane he can provide his startup knowledge, his product management insights, his hospitality skills - a bar embodying Rogers.
Still Jumping, Still Learning
His career is still early, but theres already a lot to reflect about. Now rooted in a place of entrepreneurship, startup culture and ETA, to him, entrepreneurship as a whole is about taking the leap.
To me, it has always just been this deep desire and willingness to take the jump. Whatever the jump might be. There is no way of knowing if youre going to be able to take the leap until you get there. And so the first leap I took was leaving Apple and doing the startup. And I fell kind of hard. I didnt land softly. And so then the question is, am I going to do it again?
Now, Rogers is more under pressure than ever, but hes also happier than ever. Entrepreneurs arent fearless, theyre compelled to keep jumping anyways, and thats clear after hearing Rogers story. But everyone needs a constant, that thing or passion that keeps them going, and Rogers just turned his into success.