Après TFS - Julian Golden '14
In our April edition of Après TFS, we sat down with entrepreneur and co-founder Julian Golden '14
TFS: Please describe the path you took after TFS.
JULIAN GOLDEN: After graduating in 2014, I went to McGill University, where I majored in economics with minors in marketing and sociology. Montreal was amazing. It’s a super fun city, and a great place to keep using French. I also met my now fiancée there, who’s French, so that’s come full circle in a nice way.
After McGill, I joined a tech startup called Bonsai, an e-commerce company connecting brands with digital media platforms. I started as employee number eleven and stayed for about four and a half years. It was an incredible introduction to building a company. I took on a lot of responsibility early and learned a ton. I then moved into the media and experiential space, working with luxury brands at a company called Contempo Media.
During the pandemic, I started a company with my co-founder Jeff called Pier Five. It began as a social media project and evolved into a media company focused on entrepreneurs and small business owners. We built it on the side for five years before going full-time in January 2026. Today, Pier Five helps people turn their passions into careers. We've interviewed nearly 500 founders, hosted 50+ events and provided over $275,000 in grants to new entrepreneurs.
I’ve always been entrepreneurial. It started with an obsession with sneakers and finding ways to make money to buy them, like reselling vintage sportswear as a kid and even spray-painting T-shirts to sell at TFS. At McGill, I launched a more formal clothing brand as well as a website design business and was constantly trying new things. Over time, meeting others building their own projects became a huge source of inspiration. Pier Five grew out of that. It started as a community and naturally evolved into a business.
TFS: What does a typical day look like for you?
JULIAN GOLDEN: As a full-time founder, I usually have two versions of my days at Pier Five: sales days and production days.
Sales days are focused on partnerships, connecting with advertisers, brand partners or clients. We also have an agency arm of Pier Five called Pier Five Studios where we produce content and events for global brands like Lululemon and Electrolit, so a lot of that time is spent understanding what partners are looking for and building pitches around that. This is where our revenue comes from.
Production days can be really fun. That’s when we’re out filming content, meeting business owners or working directly with partners. We do a lot of video content with local entrepreneurs – restaurant owners, designers, all kinds of people – so those days are more dynamic and collaborative.
Outside of work, I try to stay active. My fiancée and I play a lot of tennis, so I’ll usually fit that in when I can. But overall, it’s either a day of selling or a day of creating.
TFS: What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
JULIAN GOLDEN: For me, it comes down to the people I get to interact with. The entrepreneurs and creatives we meet are like-minded and it’s a great community. Being around people who are building things, taking risks or thinking differently is energizing. It keeps things interesting and constantly sparks new ideas.
The impact we’re able to have is also really important to me. We’ve seen people go from side projects to full-time businesses, or meet founders at our events who go on to build something successful. It’s incredibly motivating to see that. We’ve been doing this for five years now, so we’re starting to see long-term outcomes. Being even a small part of someone’s journey is rewarding.
TFS: How did your experience at TFS help you get to where you are now?
JULIAN GOLDEN: The faculty were a huge part of my experience. They were always there when you needed guidance, but there was also a strong emphasis on thinking for yourself and finding your own approach. The teaching style encouraged the idea that there’s more than one way to solve a problem. That stuck with me. It helped me develop confidence in my own thinking and approach.
Outside the classroom, I was really into music and art. At one point, we turned a tiny storage space into a recording studio so we could jam during free periods. I was also a higher-level art student, which gave me a lot of creative freedom. I even convinced the school to let me use funds for spray paint and graffiti materials. That was a unique opportunity.
The diversity at TFS also had a big impact. Being surrounded by people from different backgrounds gave me exposure to a wide range of perspectives. At the time, I probably didn’t fully appreciate it, but it definitely shaped how I see the world now.
TFS: How has French language and bilingualism impacted your career?
JULIAN GOLDEN: It’s always an advantage to have another language. Even if you’re not using it constantly, it opens doors. I’ve been in situations, like business dinners, where being able to speak French made a difference.
Where it’s had the biggest impact is in my personal life. My fiancée is half-French, and being able to communicate with her family, especially relatives in Paris, has been huge. It’s also helped me connect with people more broadly, at McGill and beyond. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how valuable that is. Even if it’s not central to my career, I feel very lucky to have learned another language at school.
TFS: What skills or lessons from TFS do you find yourself applying most often in your work?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Creative problem-solving is a big one. Understanding that if something isn’t working, there’s always another way to approach it.
I also learned a lot about responsibility and representation. I was elected as a Premier Citoyen and while I didn’t fully understand what I was getting into when I ran, it ended up being a really valuable experience. In these types of roles, you realize pretty quickly that how you present yourself – what you say, what you do – has an impact on others. That translated into what we now think of as a personal brand. It helped me develop a sense of professionalism early on and understand how to navigate relationships, both personally and professionally. Those things weren’t necessarily taught in a classroom, but they came from the experiences the school made possible. And why not discover that at 16?
TFS: What was your most memorable experience at TFS?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Honestly, a lot of it was the time outside of class — the in-between moments, the extracurriculars, the social side. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the classes too and learned a lot. My economics classes, for example, definitely influenced what I studied later. But the most memorable parts were the friendships and the community. I’m still very close with a number of people from TFS. We're going to each other’s weddings now, which is pretty special. Even with people I’m not as close to anymore, it’s great to keep up with them online and see what they’re doing around the world.
I joined TFS in Level I, which felt like a big transition at the time. I had to figure out how to navigate new social circles while maintaining old friendships. It wasn’t easy at first, but it ended up broadening my world in a really positive way.
TFS: What advice would you give to current students?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Keep your passions close and try to integrate them into your learning as much as possible. There can be pressure to learn things just for the sake of it, but I’ve found that everything becomes more meaningful when you connect it to something you care about. Even subjects that don’t seem personally relevant at first, might build skills and ways of thinking that are helpful in almost all paths you choose later on in life. So, push the boundaries a bit. Think about how what you’re learning can apply to your interests and the real world.
TFS: What do you wish you had known while at TFS that could have better prepared you for life after graduation?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Entrepreneurship wasn’t really talked about when I was a student. The focus was more on traditional career paths. Looking back, I wish I had thought more about how what I was learning could connect to building something of my own. At the time, those things felt separate. School on one side, personal interests on the other. Now, there’s a lot more visibility around entrepreneurship, which is great. Programs, conversations, exposure to founders – it all helps. Not because everyone needs to start a business, but because it shows what’s possible. If I had been exposed to that earlier, it might have accelerated things for me. That’s part of why I’m passionate about creating those spaces now, so others can see those paths sooner.
Back
JULIAN GOLDEN: After graduating in 2014, I went to McGill University, where I majored in economics with minors in marketing and sociology. Montreal was amazing. It’s a super fun city, and a great place to keep using French. I also met my now fiancée there, who’s French, so that’s come full circle in a nice way.
After McGill, I joined a tech startup called Bonsai, an e-commerce company connecting brands with digital media platforms. I started as employee number eleven and stayed for about four and a half years. It was an incredible introduction to building a company. I took on a lot of responsibility early and learned a ton. I then moved into the media and experiential space, working with luxury brands at a company called Contempo Media.
During the pandemic, I started a company with my co-founder Jeff called Pier Five. It began as a social media project and evolved into a media company focused on entrepreneurs and small business owners. We built it on the side for five years before going full-time in January 2026. Today, Pier Five helps people turn their passions into careers. We've interviewed nearly 500 founders, hosted 50+ events and provided over $275,000 in grants to new entrepreneurs.
I’ve always been entrepreneurial. It started with an obsession with sneakers and finding ways to make money to buy them, like reselling vintage sportswear as a kid and even spray-painting T-shirts to sell at TFS. At McGill, I launched a more formal clothing brand as well as a website design business and was constantly trying new things. Over time, meeting others building their own projects became a huge source of inspiration. Pier Five grew out of that. It started as a community and naturally evolved into a business.
TFS: What does a typical day look like for you?
JULIAN GOLDEN: As a full-time founder, I usually have two versions of my days at Pier Five: sales days and production days.
Sales days are focused on partnerships, connecting with advertisers, brand partners or clients. We also have an agency arm of Pier Five called Pier Five Studios where we produce content and events for global brands like Lululemon and Electrolit, so a lot of that time is spent understanding what partners are looking for and building pitches around that. This is where our revenue comes from.
Production days can be really fun. That’s when we’re out filming content, meeting business owners or working directly with partners. We do a lot of video content with local entrepreneurs – restaurant owners, designers, all kinds of people – so those days are more dynamic and collaborative.
Outside of work, I try to stay active. My fiancée and I play a lot of tennis, so I’ll usually fit that in when I can. But overall, it’s either a day of selling or a day of creating.
TFS: What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
JULIAN GOLDEN: For me, it comes down to the people I get to interact with. The entrepreneurs and creatives we meet are like-minded and it’s a great community. Being around people who are building things, taking risks or thinking differently is energizing. It keeps things interesting and constantly sparks new ideas.
The impact we’re able to have is also really important to me. We’ve seen people go from side projects to full-time businesses, or meet founders at our events who go on to build something successful. It’s incredibly motivating to see that. We’ve been doing this for five years now, so we’re starting to see long-term outcomes. Being even a small part of someone’s journey is rewarding.
TFS: How did your experience at TFS help you get to where you are now?
JULIAN GOLDEN: The faculty were a huge part of my experience. They were always there when you needed guidance, but there was also a strong emphasis on thinking for yourself and finding your own approach. The teaching style encouraged the idea that there’s more than one way to solve a problem. That stuck with me. It helped me develop confidence in my own thinking and approach.
Outside the classroom, I was really into music and art. At one point, we turned a tiny storage space into a recording studio so we could jam during free periods. I was also a higher-level art student, which gave me a lot of creative freedom. I even convinced the school to let me use funds for spray paint and graffiti materials. That was a unique opportunity.
The diversity at TFS also had a big impact. Being surrounded by people from different backgrounds gave me exposure to a wide range of perspectives. At the time, I probably didn’t fully appreciate it, but it definitely shaped how I see the world now.
TFS: How has French language and bilingualism impacted your career?
JULIAN GOLDEN: It’s always an advantage to have another language. Even if you’re not using it constantly, it opens doors. I’ve been in situations, like business dinners, where being able to speak French made a difference.
Where it’s had the biggest impact is in my personal life. My fiancée is half-French, and being able to communicate with her family, especially relatives in Paris, has been huge. It’s also helped me connect with people more broadly, at McGill and beyond. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how valuable that is. Even if it’s not central to my career, I feel very lucky to have learned another language at school.
TFS: What skills or lessons from TFS do you find yourself applying most often in your work?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Creative problem-solving is a big one. Understanding that if something isn’t working, there’s always another way to approach it.
I also learned a lot about responsibility and representation. I was elected as a Premier Citoyen and while I didn’t fully understand what I was getting into when I ran, it ended up being a really valuable experience. In these types of roles, you realize pretty quickly that how you present yourself – what you say, what you do – has an impact on others. That translated into what we now think of as a personal brand. It helped me develop a sense of professionalism early on and understand how to navigate relationships, both personally and professionally. Those things weren’t necessarily taught in a classroom, but they came from the experiences the school made possible. And why not discover that at 16?
TFS: What was your most memorable experience at TFS?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Honestly, a lot of it was the time outside of class — the in-between moments, the extracurriculars, the social side. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the classes too and learned a lot. My economics classes, for example, definitely influenced what I studied later. But the most memorable parts were the friendships and the community. I’m still very close with a number of people from TFS. We're going to each other’s weddings now, which is pretty special. Even with people I’m not as close to anymore, it’s great to keep up with them online and see what they’re doing around the world.
I joined TFS in Level I, which felt like a big transition at the time. I had to figure out how to navigate new social circles while maintaining old friendships. It wasn’t easy at first, but it ended up broadening my world in a really positive way.
TFS: What advice would you give to current students?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Keep your passions close and try to integrate them into your learning as much as possible. There can be pressure to learn things just for the sake of it, but I’ve found that everything becomes more meaningful when you connect it to something you care about. Even subjects that don’t seem personally relevant at first, might build skills and ways of thinking that are helpful in almost all paths you choose later on in life. So, push the boundaries a bit. Think about how what you’re learning can apply to your interests and the real world.
TFS: What do you wish you had known while at TFS that could have better prepared you for life after graduation?
JULIAN GOLDEN: Entrepreneurship wasn’t really talked about when I was a student. The focus was more on traditional career paths. Looking back, I wish I had thought more about how what I was learning could connect to building something of my own. At the time, those things felt separate. School on one side, personal interests on the other. Now, there’s a lot more visibility around entrepreneurship, which is great. Programs, conversations, exposure to founders – it all helps. Not because everyone needs to start a business, but because it shows what’s possible. If I had been exposed to that earlier, it might have accelerated things for me. That’s part of why I’m passionate about creating those spaces now, so others can see those paths sooner.
