Reflecting on 2025 with Chris Taylor of The Red Fridge Society

Welcome to this issue of The Austin Business Review.

Events are basically quiet until January, but we’re still going strong with my series on people you need to know here in town if you want to make 2026 your best year yet.

Today’s week’s subject: Chris Taylor, owner of The Red Fridge Society, a founder club over on the west side.

The Fridge is one of those very special spots that makes Austin so unique. I’ve thought a lot about why I feel that way, or how to say it in a way that really gets to the root of it, and I think I finally figured it out…

In a word: Culture. Chris is an expert at shaping culture, and building one you want to be part of. As proof, I offer the following anecdote:

Red Fridge Society is based out of an antique Craftsman house over on the west side; the very same house Chris chose as the office for his previous company. Back in 2015, that company was chosen by Fortune as the No. 2 best place to work in the entire country (which alone says a lot). But it was Chris, not the number-one winner, who got the multi-page full-color writeup in the print edition that year.

The culture he’d built was just too unique to pass up. Still is.

No matter what stage of business you’re at, if you’re trying to get connected here in Austin, you’re gonna wanna make sure you get at least one Red Fridge event on your calendar next year.

Chris also writes an excellent newsletter I recommend you get on (he’s got a very interesting vantage point on the Austin startup scene).

Finally, if you’re new in town, and you’re a VC, exited founder, or running a $1M+ company, and looking to build your circle here, his Austin Fresh program is perfect for recent transplants.

Merry Christmas!

-Ethan

Meet Chris Taylor: Founder of The Luckiest 2,000 Square Feet In Austin

1. Looking back on the year, what surprises you most about what you’ve accomplished in the business? What were you not expecting? 

This year, what I thought was a side project became my 20-year platform for impacting Austin entrepreneurship.  

After selling my 17-year bootstrapped company in 2021, I redefined my work around a new purpose: connect founders to thrive. My first “quick” community idea was to take my beloved 1920s Craftsman office and make it vibrant again by finding 25 founders to share the space.  

My teenage daughters and I modeled the brand on the earnest-but-ridiculous secret societies that were all the rage when the house was built (Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, anyone?). I had an iconic retro fridge as my office centerpiece, so the Red Fridge Society was born. 

We decided not to take the brand too seriously–members are Magnates, guests are Raiders, and there are endless opportunities to make cool fridge puns.

When we hit 30 Magnates earlier this year, two things became clear. First, there was room for many more entrepreneurs. Second, the real value wasn’t co-working, events, or the 24/7 social club; it was the community of accomplished founders helping each other thrive.

We’ll finish the year with 50 Fridge Magnates and more than 1,500 founders coming through our events. Once the daily vibe feels right, I’ll cap membership and focus on leveraging the Society to support the larger Austin entrepreneurship ecosystem. 

2. What’s one hard or unconventional decision you made this year that worked out well? What helped you make that?

My vision for the Red Fridge Society is a space where accomplished founders can connect and support one another throughout their (crazy!) journeys.

As our brand has grown, I’ve had a lot of potential revenue streams get thrown at me: Can I rent the space for an event?  Do you do day passes?  Can I sponsor?  Do you sell your sweet hats?

The Society is first and foremost a passion project and a love letter to Austin’s particular brand of scrappy entrepreneurship. So, I’m resisting my old capitalist ways and leaving money on the table to keep our experience aligned with my mission. 

I have only one paid product: memberships for exceptional founders. Our weekly founder events are always free because they are an investment in the community. Join us!

(And, the answers to the above questions:  No, but I’ll sponsor an event for founder communities. Founders who need a place to crash can come as my guest. Nope, but if you have a local CPG brand, you can drop some off. If you see a Fridge hat on someone, they are a Magnate.)

3. What’s one book that stuck with you most this year. (DIG DEEP - looking for titles you won’t see on the NYT list)

If you’ve seen our library at the Red Fridge Society, you know that I’m a Sci-Fi geek.  I’d love to say I keep my fiction-to-business-book ratio at 1:1, but it’s probably closer to 2:1 (okay, 3:1). 

I also listen to my required founder podcasts, trying to figure out what AI means for the world economy and my daughters’ futures. 

My favorite these days is the relatively optimistic Moonshots with Peter Diamandis.

They regularly reference Accelerando by Charles Stross, a 2006 novel about the singularity we seem to be on the cusp of. It is dense with hard sci-fi concepts that were new to me (Matrioshka brains!). I wouldn’t say it predicts a bright future, but it has me thinking about how to participate in Economy 2.0 and Democracy 2.0 (and it’s a wild ride!)

Bonus answer! The book I have gifted the most is Die with Zero by Bill Perkins.  I grew up in rural West Virginia and have never had a healthy relationship with money (especially after I sold my company and actually had some.)  This book is a must-read for anyone who stresses over money (so, everyone).

4. What’s one use of money this year that significantly improved your work or personal life?

One of the concepts I’ve embraced from Die with Zero is that experiences pay dividends just like investments do. 

Time spent with family and friends today builds memories and bonds that last a lifetime. Although I am still pretty frugal for most things (just ask my teenage daughters), I now splurge on experiences–especially on our family vacations.  

This past summer, we spent a month in Portugal and Italy. The highlight for me was taking our daughters to the small island off the coast of Italy where my grandmother was born. I had never actually visited, and sharing that sense of grounding in family and history with my wife and daughters was the best investment I’ve made this decade (except for maybe the $5 in Italian Affogato).

5. What’s a new question you plan to ask more often next year in your work? Why?

How can I uniquely help this founder win?

Between our Magnates and events, 50–100 founders come through the Fridge each week. As I was building the initial community, I had a self-serving internal dialogue when I met a new entrepreneur: Would this person be a great member?  

Now I’m shifting to a question more aligned to my mission: What small intervention could change this founder’s trajectory?

I don’t always have the time or the answers, but the most meaningful impact I can have on Austin is to nudge a thousand entrepreneurs toward success.

6. What’s one thing prospective members should know about your plans for next year? Brag about the cool sh*t you’ve got planned

On my Fridge tours the last two years, I’ve pointed to our side yard with a (slightly sad) ping-pong table and talked about how we're eventually going to build a wellness area. 

Eventually is here! 

We just added a Sauna from Fridge Friend Mark Hellweg’s Vim Saunas, and we’ll be building out the rest of the space in 2026. Peer advising other founders in a 180-degree sauna… that’s my kind of sweat equity.  

FINALLY: Look at your camera roll… What’s one photo you took this year that means a lot to you? Why?

I’ve already covered my family travel highlights, so I’ll share a little career-related gratitude. This photo is from a 30-year reunion I hosted with friends and colleagues from my first job in Austin.

I moved down to Austin after graduating from Carnegie Mellon on August 1st, 1995, to join the inaugural class of Trilogy Software’s famous (infamous?) new hire training program.

There’s a lot that’s been said about the Trilogy culture–both inspiring and cringeworthy–but it undeniably brought hundreds of young, amazing people to Austin. Those individuals dramatically impacted my life through their friendship and the Austin tech scene with their talent.

1995 Chris couldn’t have imagined how he and Austin would grow up, but he’d be proud of both. I feel Austin has kept its soul through all the scaling, and it has been a joy to play my tiny part in the city’s evolving story.  I’ll forever be grateful to Trilogy for bringing me to Austin and surrounding me with such an inspiring group.

If you want to stay up to date on what Chris is working on, you can subscribe to his newsletter.

And if you’re new in town, and are a VC, exited founder, or running a $1M+ business, and trying to get connected, check out his Austin Fresh program.

That’s all for this week!

Email me here if you want to share any feedback, or let me know about an event you’re hosting.

Until next week,

-Ethan