I brought my problems to the Advice Chair

I’d heard about a guy who sets up chairs near USC to hear strangers’ problems. Around 6 p.m. yesterday, on my way to a consulting club meeting, I finally spotted him across the crosswalk from Rock & Reilly’s at Jefferson and Hoover. His sign read “ADVICE CHAIR” and, below it, “TELL ME YOUR PROBLEM!”

I went to the meeting, but I kept thinking about how much I’d regret it if he packed up before I got out. I bailed early and took the attendance penalty. One more and I’m out of the club.

To my delight, he was still there.

His name was Bennett. I had a couple of minutes before I had to host an event. I asked if I could write about him for Hello, Trojan and get some quick advice while I was there.

I told him I’m a sophomore who loves building things. I built Besties my freshman year at USC to help students make friends and meet up for coffee chats.

Some students have told me they’ve made real friends through Besties. Hearing that makes me really happy. I want more students to have that experience, and I’m still figuring out how to make the app useful enough that people keep coming back.

Then there’s Hello, Trojan. It got more than 200,000 views in the last 30 days, and I’m still figuring out how to turn some of those viewers into subscribers.

Thanks for subscribing.

I care about both projects. What I wanted to talk through with Bennett was this worry that I’m better at getting people’s attention than building something that lasts.

Bennett was figuring out where to take Advice Chair next, too. We talked about how to get people to find the things we make, and a little about how to make money from them.

The way I remember it, he suggested giving Hello, Trojan something people would want to come back to every day, like The New York Times’ games. He also told me to keep doing work I liked and keep finding ways to help people. It sounded like advice he was giving himself, too.

Bennett later told me he started Advice Chair last year because people already had a habit of telling him their problems. He’d spent more than a decade interviewing people for podcasts and had always wanted to make TV. His dream is to take the show across the country in a van, then figure out how to fly with the chairs and sign.

“I want your readers and all of my guests to know that just because I help with their problems doesn’t mean I don’t have plenty! I always allow guests to give me advice,” he added.

Next time I see him, I think I’ll ask what he needs advice on.

Advice Chair is @advicechair on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.