U.S. Companies – Interviews and Articles on FeaturedBiz.com

Leading the Way in Email and Web Security Services: An interview with Michael Murdoch, CEO and co-founder of AppRiver

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Editor

Michael Murdoch, CEO and co-founder of AppRiver

AppRiver leverages cloud computing to make powerful, best-of-class email and Web security services affordable for businesses of all sizes. Michael Murdoch co-founded AppRiver with CTO, Joel Smith, in 2002, and serves as the CEO of this award winning company.

Hi Michael! AppRiver has become a leader in the email and Web security sector. What’s been the formula for success in this competitive category?

We’ve always believed that success comes from offering outstanding products and services at a fair price and backing them with Phenomenal Care. We create real value for our customers and that’s something other businesses may tend to ignore.

What made you and co-founder Joel Smith believe that you could build a successful email and Web services company?

User admin screen

From our own experiences as business owners, Joel and I understood that small and medium-sized companies needed many of the same types of IT services as Fortune 500 companies. Spam and virus protection in particular had become an extremely urgent need, but the solutions on the market then were either prohibitively expensive or only marginally effective.

At the time, no one was really talking about “cloud computing,” but we recognized that providing subscription-based security applications over the Internet would allow us to offer a dynamic, super-secure solution for a fraction of the cost.

We also knew that SMBs were wary about launching complicated, time-consuming applications, so we made sure our services were very simple to deploy and fully supported by our team. And nobody wants to get stuck with a lousy product, so we decided that we would offer all of our services free for 30 days.

AppRiver Corporate Headquarters in Gulf Breeze, Florida

You’ve been at the helm of AppRiver since you co-founded the company in 2002. What’s been your greatest challenge as CEO?

Throughout the years our customer base as grown to more than 45,000 companies worldwide, and with that growth came the challenge of meeting customer need without changing cost structure or sacrificing performance. Also, we will work tirelessly to make sure Phenomenal Care is part of everything we do here at AppRiver, always.

AppRiver has thousands of customers. Has it been difficult to scale the business?

We’ve experienced the normal growing pains that many growing companies face such as staffing, billing, office space, etc. The hard part is scaling our Phenomenal Care commitment, making sure every one of our customers knows they are valued. For example, we work closely with new customers to ensure a fast, efficient onboarding or migration process. And if you have any issues, you can speak to a trained AppRiver employee, based here at our Florida headquarters, any time of the day or night.

AppRiver Co-founders, Joel Smith, CTO, and Michael Murdoch, CEO

AppRiver also boasts a very high customer retention rate. How do you keep your customers so satisfied?

We’re proud of the fact that 93% of our customers choose AppRiver year-over-year. And again, the main reason we’ve been able to do that is because customer service is not an add-on or an afterthought. Instead, it’s deeply embedded in our corporate culture.

How hard is it to stay ahead of the spammers and virus makers?

There are billions of dollars at stake for successful spammers, so there are a lot of smart people working for the ‘dark side.’ Fortunately, AppRiver has a brilliant team of analysts and technicians who monitor cyber risks on a 24/7 basis. This research leads to immediate and constant improvements to AppRiver’s security posture, protecting clients from ever-changing threats while striking a balance between security, compliance and productivity. In addition, our proprietary email filtering systems are updated approximately 4,000 – 8,000 times each day, so illicit email is quickly identified and blocked.

Spam reporting

Cloud computing is fundamental to your business. Is it here to stay?

There’s a paradigm shift going on in the industry about how we deal with computing infrastructure. Today, companies are evaluating the cloud as it offers tremendous cost savings, scalability, ease-of-use and management. Throughout the next few years, we will see more organizations and consumers move appropriate applications into the cloud.

What’s the corporate culture like at AppRiver?

Our success is a product of a special relationship between dedicated employees, motivated partners and well-satisfied customers. Strengthening that relationship through continuous workplace improvements, innovative service offerings and phenomenal care remains the highest priority. That’s why we offer many on-site training and certification opportunities through our on-site training and development facility. AppRiver University offers employees a multitude of training courses that are designed to develop technical, professional, wellness and life skills.

Congratulations on being named the 2009 Ernst & Young Florida Entrepreneur Of the Year! What are some of the other awards recognizing AppRiver that you are particularly proud of?

AppRiver training session

Thank you! We’re very proud to be recognized as one of the “Best Companies to Work For in Florida” by Florida Trend magazine for three consecutive years, and to have earned CSIA’s International Service Excellence Award.

What’s the future hold for AppRiver?

Our pipeline continues to be strongly influenced by what the market demands. We’ve seen a surge in customers who need stronger email safeguards in order to comply with governmental privacy laws worldwide. So that’s one area where we expect continued growth. Our channel partners have also told us that Web security is a rapidly growing need among their clients, and so we’ve launched our SecureSurf Web Protection service to meet those needs.

The market is massive and global, but it demands that we pay close attention to what our customers need – and then answer with quality products, fair pricing and exceptional customer support.

For more information about AppRiver, please visit http://www.appriver.com/.

Posted in Web Security | Leave a comment

Boosting brand awareness for hotels & restaurants with social media: an interview with Brian J. Kent, co-founder of Flip.to

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Editor

Brian J. Kent, co-founder of Flip.to

Flip.to is a social media marketing product for the travel & hospitality industries that is designed to boost brand recognition and generate new revenue streams for hotels, airlines and restaurants. It works by incentivizing customers to share their upcoming trip or recent experience on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Brian J. Kent is the co-founder of Flip.to and also a partner at Novologies, a web applications development firm located in New York City. Flip.to was launched in 2010.

Hi Brian! Please explain how the Flip.to service works.

By encouraging folks to spread the word about an upcoming trip or a recent experience, Flip.to helps hotels & restaurants tap into a huge, trusted marketing force with tremendous reach- their guests.

Flip.to website

After a guest books a hotel room, Flip.to incentivizes guests to post on their social networks about where they’ll be staying. Or ask for suggestions, tips for their destination, which is a pretty common thing to do.

And just as Flip.to engages hotel guests at natural touch points (like at time of booking, suggestions when they arrive, a quick review after their stay), Flip.to engages restaurant guests right from their table on their own mobile device.

Aside from some of the best brand marketing you could ask for (happy guests telling everyone they know), Flip.to helps hotels and restaurants learn who their guests are and make a personal connection with their friends, family and colleagues.

How did this idea come about?

Flip.to incentivizes hotel guests to post on their social networks

The very first incarnation of Flip.to (pre-beta) was to help companies spread the word about new products or services with the help of their employees and customers. We got lots of interesting feedback but as we were kicking ideas around, it felt far more natural for folks to talk about their travel experiences. Plus the marketing budgets for boutique hotels and destination restaurants were hurting after the downturn- helping them turn their guests into advocates just made sense.

Will hotels, restaurants and airlines continue to be the focus of your service or do you expect to offer the Flip.to service to other types of businesses as well?

We’re going to stick to the travel & hospitality industry- it just makes the most sense to us for something like Flip.to. For example, there are services out there that encourage people to talk about the stuff they just bought, but for most people that’s not something they would do ordinarily. Exciting trips, boutique hotels and great meals are far more interesting to hear about from your friends.

Guests post to social networks and Flip.to provides analytics

How important is the type of reward or incentive in motivating the customer to recommend your client’s service?

Well, if you’ve just booked a room at The James Chicago, you’ll earn a complimentary room upgrade certificate in all of two clicks. (First-hand experience says that’s a sweet certificate to get.) And at Tune Hotels in London, you‘ll have a shot at getting your entire stay on them in appreciation for a quick post.

One of the neat things about Flip.to is that it allows hotels and restaurants to tie back incentives to different actions depending on what their goals are (such as an incentive for posting or a reward for getting a certain number of sign-ups). For some hotels, it might be to build brand awareness and increase engagement, for others it could be to increase enrollment in their loyalty program.

Flip.to engages customers through their mobile phones

What if a patron posts a negative comment? Will they still receive a reward?

We have an automated system that orders 10 large pizzas on behalf of any negative commenter for delivery straight to their door. Actually nobody has asked for that feature yet (and we’d have serious reservations about doing that, for the most part).

Flip.to helps restaurants to be more responsive to unhappy guests, which is bound to happen. If a guest shares a negative review with the restaurant, the team (staff, floor manager) gets a real-time alert so that they can try to make things right (or at least a little better) even before the guest leaves. If they don’t catch up with that table, Flip.to automatically sends a certificate to the guest with a note, which can then be followed up with by a manager.

Flip.to helps turn your guests into your strongest advocates

The idea is to encourage happy guests to spread the word and for unhappy guests, to figure out where things went wrong (and incentivize them to come back for a second try). Our post-stay review process for hotels is pretty similar.

The other co-founder of Flip.to, Gil G. Shabat, is also your partner at Novologies, your web development firm. What’s the story behind your business relationship?

Flip.to plugs into a hotel's booking engine

Five years ago, Gil and I were simply co-workers. A miserable work environment and a flood of ideas for products led us to launching our own company, transitioning to co-founders. In NYC, the financial industry can easily suck you in, we broke free and aren’t looking back.

What’s the main thing you’d like all prospective clients to know about Flip.to?

Flip.to is great largely due to the feedback from our existing clients- we’re very good listeners. And even more importantly, we care about their success so we’re driven to make Flip.to even better with their help.

For more information about Flip.to, please visit…

http://flip.to/

Posted in Marketing, Travel & Hospitality | Leave a comment

An “Unchained” Interview with Patrick Perugini, the Founder and President of Dynamic Bicycles

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Editor

Patrick Perugini, Founder and President of Dynamic Bicycles

Dynamic Bicycles is the world’s largest manufacturer of chainless bicycles – bicycles powered by shaft drive technology. Patrick Perugini founded the company in 2004. The company is based in Bristol, RI and the bicycles are sold online for commuters and recreational use at www.dynamicbicycles.com.

Hi Patrick! What’s the story behind Dynamic Bicycles?

I’ve always been interested in new technology and have been an early adopter when it comes to innovation. A number of years back I was looking for a pedal system to power my hang glider when I came across shaft drive technology for bikes. Thinking it might be a good model to use I bought a bike. I liked the bike so much that I bought the company. I’ve been busy, but I do still think about applying the technology to hang gliding one day.

shaft drive technology

Please explain how the shaft drive technology works.

Our patented shaft drive is a simple, clean, safe and very low maintenance way of transferring power from the pedals to the rear wheel. We use forged alloy beveled gearing, which is the most efficient way to transfer power 90 degrees. We also couple the shaft drive with Shimano’s high performance internal gearing system which is fully enclosed allowing for easy shifting and very little maintenance.

How proprietary is your shaft drive technology?

We hold a number of patents which helps to protect the technology. However, we do sell the system to other companies around the world who make their own shaft drive bikes.

With chainless bicycles, there's no chain to fall off or get caught in your clothing.

What advantages do Dynamic bicycles offer over other traditional chain bicycles?

There are a number of advantages to our bikes. They are easier to operate with a gear system that is independent of pedaling so you can shift gears anytime, even at a complete stop. They are safer because there is no chain to fall off or get caught in your clothing. They are cleaner with no grease or oil exposure to get on hands or clothing, and they are lower maintenance with fully enclosed components. All of this makes a chainless bike smoother and easier to transport and operate with a lower cost of ownership.

Dynamic bicycles come in a variety of styles including hybrid, mountain, comfort, and folding options to match any lifestyle. What style is your best seller?

many styles to choose from including hybrid, mountain, comfort, and folding options

We’ve seen strong growth in the hybrid market. Not only is it a growth area, but it suits our technology very well. Particularly among commuters who are looking for low maintenance, high performance options.

Do you expect the interest in commuter biking to continue in an upward trend? How could it not?

With gas prices rising and an increasing commitment to reducing one’s footprint, cycling is a perfect solution. Not to mention the added fitness benefit and reduction in overall expenses… it has to continue.

May is National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month. Does this event have much impact on business and how does your company celebrate it?

I think it is an important way to raise awareness and to provide a forum for conversations about the merits of riding. We do see more people interested throughout the month. In terms of celebrations, we typically run sales during the month and we, of course, continue to ride ourselves. But we do that every month.

Your website provides ten reasons to go chainless. Do you think chain-driven bicycles will eventually become obsolete?

I don’t think so. It is established technology that is widely accepted. We just look forward to having more consumers realize the significant benefits of a bike without one.

Dynamic Bicycles website - order online

Will Dynamic Bicycles ever offer bicycles through retail locations?

We have over the years and we are always looking for the right partners, but selling direct allows us to keep our prices low for a high quality bike. If we do sell through retail they just need to understand that the bikes won’t be in for as much servicing as they are used to.

What are your plans to grow the company over the next five years?

We are introducing new bikes and improved technology all the time. We continue to get interest from overseas everyday so we want to find ways to broaden our presence globally while at the same time increasing our footprint in the US. Either way we plan on significant growth in the coming years.

For more information about Dynamic Bicycles, please visit…

http://www. dynamicbicycles.com/

Posted in Consumer Products, Fitness & Recreation | Leave a comment

Helping Businesses Leverage the Internet: an Interview with Mike Volpe, VP of Marketing at HubSpot, Inc

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Editor

Mike Volpe, VP of Marketing at HubSpot

Founded by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah in 2006, HubSpot, Inc, provides an all-in-one marketing software platform for small and medium-sized businesses. The suite of tools helps businesses get found online, convert visitors to leads, close those leads, and make smart marketing investments. Mike Volpe has been the VP of Marketing at HubSpot since early 2007.

Hi Mike! HubSpot just received $32 million in the latest round of financing with Google being one of the key investors. That brings the grand total of investor funding to $65 million to date. What kind of momentum does that create for the business?

Co-founders Dharmesh Shah, CTO and Brian Halligan, CEO

Certainly the funding announcement itself created a lot of buzz in the market, especially because of the high quality of the investors. This is the first time these companies have invested together, and the first time Salesforce.com has invested in a marketing software company. It is a very exciting time for HubSpot not only because of the funding, but also because two multi-billion dollar players in the marketing industry have validated the concept of inbound marketing.

We are one of the fastest growing companies in the SaaS (software as a service) industry and have over 4,000 customers. Our revenue grew about 150% in the past 12 months, and we expect this type of fast growth to continue. There are millions of businesses worldwide that could use HubSpot, so we think we have just gotten started on our quest to help all of them transform their marketing.

And how will the recent funding be used?

Unlike most companies that tend to take funding and put it exclusively into sales and marketing, we’re going to put the majority of the investment to work towards enhancing our product and platform. We have a really broad vision for how marketing is changing, and we need to continue to build out our software to help marketers do more of these tasks. Beyond functionality in the product, we are opening up the system to allow partners to develop applications that work with HubSpot through our API and platform. In addition, we are considering some strategic acquisitions in the marketing industry.

HubSpot web interface example

HubSpot provides online tools that help businesses leverage the Internet in order to generate more leads and gain more customers. Is there much of a learning curve in using the HubSpot tools effectively?

Many customers get up to speed very quickly. Compared to marketing automation systems which tend to be quite complicated, HubSpot and inbound marketing are simple to use. We have coaching and training available, and we also offer a free trial. Most other software companies don’t offer a free trial because it is too hard to use the software. You can get started and become proficient with HubSpot very fast.

HubSpot TV - weekly video podcast covering inbound marketing news

However, as you get deeper and deeper into inbound marketing and using HubSpot, I think you find that there are more and more tips and tricks to learn and implement and you start to get a grasp for more of the subtle and advanced concepts. You can think of it as taking a couple days to learn, but a lifetime to master. I am still learning new things, and I have been doing inbound marketing since 2003.

What advice do you have for businesses on how they can get the most out of the HubSpot application?

The data is clear. Looking at our 4,000 customers, the ones that use HubSpot more often get a lot more out of it. We have proven that our inbound marketing methodology works, time and time again. The path to success is clear, just follow our methodology. If you are active and follow the methodology, the average HubSpot customer gets 4 times more leads after 6 months.

Should every small and medium-sized business use HubSpot?

HubSpot presentation to user group

Of course! Actually, there are some businesses where HubSpot is not a good fit. When you think about it, there are 3 ways to make money on the internet. First, you can sell products through ecommerce, like Amazon.com. Second, you can generate leads that you close with a sales team, like Oracle. Third, as a media company, you can monetize content through advertising, like AOL.

HubSpot is a fantastic fit for companies doing lead generation. We have thousands of customers and tons of case studies for this type of customer. For ecommerce businesses, we have an emerging set of tools and use cases that are really helpful and we are seeing some nice success. For media companies however, we are not a good fit. So if you’re not a media company, you should check out HubSpot for sure.

Does HubSpot use HubSpot? Assuming yes, how has the application impacted your business?

Yes. We are our own best case study. We have always eaten our own dog food or drunk our own champagne; however you like to say it. Using inbound marketing has been critical in our huge growth, and we use our own software extensively.

The HubSpot Support Team

Our blog (using the HubSpot software) has 42,000 subscribers. We have over 600 landing pages (built in HubSpot) and have generated over 500,000 leads (all in HubSpot). We track our over 1 million website visitors (using HubSpot). HubSpot is the primary hub for all our marketing activities. It is the spot where we go to do marketing.

The HubSpot platform is currently available in 31 countries. Is it difficult to roll it out in other languages?

The concept of inbound marketing is universal, but HubSpot has not yet become a truly global company. We have a growing international use of our software, and yes we are in 31 countries so far. It is still early in our international efforts, most of the companies using HubSpot outside North America are thought leaders and innovators trying to stay way ahead of their competition by being the first to adopt HubSpot. One customer I met in the Netherlands was one of the first Dutch businesses to launch a website in the 1990’s, and now they are one of the first Dutch businesses to implement HubSpot, and they see themselves as innovative marketers. In the next 2-3 years, I expect a lot of our growth will come from companies outside of North America.

Mike Volpe addressing HubSpot user group

As the VP of Marketing at HubSpot, what’s your biggest challenge?

For a company like HubSpot, the big challenges all relate to growth and scale because of how fast we are growing. So even though we generated 35,000 leads last month, I worry about how we can double that to 70,000. I also worry about how we can grow the team and organize the team members as we grow and hire more people. If we were not growing, I actually would not have too much to worry about. Things are going well! I only worry about how to grow faster.

What’s one thing that everyone should know about HubSpot?

Over 4,000 customers use HubSpot to generate and manage over 5 million leads.

For more information about HubSpot, please visit…

http://www.hubspot.com/

Posted in Marketing | Leave a comment

Supporting Upscale Events: An Interview with Mark Casaburi, founder and President of At Your Service Staffing Inc.

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Editor

Mark Casaburi, President of At Your Service Staffing

At Your Service is a premier black-tie event staffing company operating in New York City, the Hamptons, Boston, Washington, D.C. and London. The business provides highly trained catering professionals to assist at country clubs, corporate events and private parties. Mark Casaburi is President of the company, which he founded in Long Island over 25 years ago.

Hi, Mark! At Your Service Staffing Inc. has been in business for over 25 years. How did it get started?

Hi! Thanks for having me today. I’ve been looking forward to getting the chance to speak with you about our company! The idea for At Your Service Staffing came to me while I was studying Business Management and Finance at the University of Albany. I had to create a business plan for one of my classes and realized that there was not a catering staffing service in the area. In fact, the only way for caterers to bring in wait staff was to bus them in from remote locations. This meant that they had to pay additional fees for travel time and expenses, which I didn’t believe was very efficient! Also, because of the distance, the staff that was being brought in was not being trained. With that in mind, we immediately developed a local crew (with no travel expense) and a comprehensive training program that we are continuing to improve upon today.

And how has the business evolved since the early days?

To be honest, this is a very operational and detailed oriented people business. We have to deliver friendly, trained and professional staff in a timely manner. In order to deliver on this—we have to be on our A game each and every day.

In the very beginning, our sole form of of communication was over the phone. In fact, I remember that one year my ear swelled up because I spent so much time on it! With all the technology available today, I am happy to say that we have evolved from that. Although we still enjoy getting on the phone to talk to our clients and staff, much of our booking is done online. Clients, meanwhile, are now receiving invoices over e-mail. We pride ourselves in the fact that our communication with clients is quick and efficient. It is important for us that we are available for them 24/7.

You deal with high-end clients. How difficult is it to meet their expectations?

Our team has patience with our clients and we listen to their needs. Everyone who works in our company has had experience in the restaurant and catering field. They have knowledge of running an event from start to finish, so they are able to see things from a client perspective. This experience also helps us deal well and plan for the unexpected situations.

What are some of the most memorable moments in running your business?

One thing that really sticks out in my mind as memorable is the fact that we have staffed events for each President dating back to Ronald Reagan. These events have always been exciting for us. The Secret Service has a very strict protocol and background check that we’ve grown to know well.

Another fun moment that I’ve had was a chance meeting with Calvin Klein at his estate. He wanted to know a bit about each staff member, so before the event it was just me and Calvin at his kitchen table talking about service staff. Amazing!

Were there any incidents that changed the course of your business?

The recent financial turmoil certainly changed it up for a bit. I remember two years ago, right after Lehman closed, our phones were not ringing like they used to. We had to regroup very fast. I still can not believe how quickly business has returned (knock on wood!), but I’m glad that with hard work and determination we were able to come through better than ever.

Is it hard to find good employees and get them properly trained?

It’s always a challenge finding great staff. We have developed a mantra over the years—Attitude is Everything! That means that we only hire friendly people—people with a great attitude. We can train anyone to serve and set a table but a professional attitude can not be taught. That is what makes At Your Service Staffing so unique.

So what’s the secret to your success?

Hiring the best. And I’m not just talking about our waiters and bartenders. Our management team is very special. We extend a lot of time and energy into hiring the right people to run our company. They are a seasoned team and work around the clock to make our clients and staff happy. I am grateful for every single team member we have.

Have you ever thought about opening an office on the West Coast?

LA would be great. The labor pool of actors and actresses mirror our Boston and NY crew. And the LA movie premieres would be an exciting book of business. But right now, we are looking to focus on being the BEST agency in the Northeast.

If you were to do it all over again, would you do it differently?

If I could do it all over again, I think one thing I would do differently is start our Reserve system earlier. A Reserve is when we place additional staff on our events. Our staff are guaranteed a Reserve fee for just showing up. If the client needs additional staff day-of at the event, our clients keep the Reserve and they pay their hourly rate. If they are not needed, we do not charge the client. This is our guarantee to our clients on hitting the exact number of staff that they ordered. But other than that, I think we’ve had a great evolution as a company since we started in 1985 and I look forward to continuing with it in the future.

What’s one thing you’d like everyone to know about your business?

One thing I’d like everyone to know about our business is that every single person in our organization cares and takes pride in their work. From our catering staff to our management team, everyone is ready and willing to be as accommodating as they need to be. We call it a “service heart,” and we’re proud to be as dedicated to our clients as we are.

For more information about At Your Service Staffing, please visit…

http://www.aysstaff.com/

Posted in Event Services | Leave a comment

Catching up with Traci Bisson, founder of The Mom Entrepreneur website and company

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Editor

Traci Bisson, founder of The Mom Entrepreneur, with sons

The Mom Entrepreneur is an online service that provides tips, advice and resources for women who are balancing motherhood and running a business. Traci Bisson launched the website in 2008, eight years after she started her first business while also facing the many challenges of being a new mom. Her company includes a support group, co-op shop, blog and much more.

Hi, Traci! You are a mom entrepreneur and you also started a website to help mom entrepreneurs. How do you find the time to manage two businesses and raise two boys?

When you love what you do, you somehow manage the commitments. Prioritizing tasks is key, and never losing site of family comes first is also what keeps me in line with my goals.

The Mom Entrepreneur blog

The Mom Entrepreneur blog had an immediate impact on the mom entrepreneur community and received an overwhelming response. Did that surprise you?

I was pleasantly surprised that when I started blogging about my struggles balancing motherhood and running a company, other women from all over the world connected to share their stories. It seems as though these women just needed someone to pull them all together into a supportive community.

The Mom Entrepreneur community has over 15,000 followers

As of the writing of this article, The Mom Entrepreneur community boasts over 15,000+ followers. What’s it like to know that your website is influencing and assisting so many mom entrepreneurs around the world?

It is a great feeling to know that the resources we offer can help so many women achieve their dreams of starting or growing a business. This is such a liberating feeling to be your own boss, and have more quality time with your family.

Do you have a favorite story about a mom entrepreneur who benefited from your services?

I don’t have one particular story per say, but I receive many emails from moms in our community who have benefited from our organization either by connections established with the media, a potential client, a manufacturer, rep organization, etc. It is always encouraging to hear this feedback.

Traci Bisson - TV interview on WMUR, Channel 9, New Hampshire

Given the nature of The Mom Entrepreneur business, you must have your finger on the pulse of women/mom entrepreneurship. What trends are you seeing?

We are seeing more and more women start at-home businesses in many different fields, including hobby type businesses (cards, candles, Avon, etc.), virtual assistant services, public relations, marketing, etc. These seem to be the easiest types of businesses to start since there is a larger demand for these types of services. There is more support available then there use to be just a few years ago for moms starting and growing businesses.

Are you ever contacted by men, like work-at-home dads, who are also looking for entrepreneurial guidance?

We have been contacted a few times, but refer dads to other groups since ours offers support specifically for women. Our members would not be comfortable sharing their inner most feelings if men were part of the mix.

The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group

What’s the main thing you’d like everyone to know about The Mom Entrepreneur company?

The Mom Entrepreneur Support Group is a growing and thriving community that encourages 100% involvement and feedback from its members and community. We truly focus on uncovering what mom entrepreneurs need, and then creating products and services to take care of those needs.

And what’s one important piece of advice for mom entrepreneurs just starting out?

Surround yourself with a strong network of like-minded women who can offer support and resources. It is hard to make a go of it on your own. Learn and share with others who have experienced what you will face as you start this journey.

The Mom Entrepreneur website

For more information about The Mom Entrepreneur company and support group, please visit…

http://themomentrepreneur.com/

http://supportgroup.themomentrepreneur.com/

Posted in Entrepreneur Resources | Leave a comment

Making it Easier to Get Things Custom Made: an Interview with Michael Salguero, CEO and Co-founder of CustomMade.com

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Editor

Michael Salguero, CEO and co-founder of CustomMade.com

CustomMade.com brings together buyers and makers of custom made products in one convenient online marketplace. The site provides access to thousands of artisans, woodworkers and custom makers from around the world. Since Mike Salguero and Seth Rosen purchased CustomMade in 2009, they have been revolutionizing the way custom products are bought and sold.

Hi, Michael! So, how did you come to acquire CustomMade and what exactly did you acquire?

My co-founder Seth was looking for a custom coffee table, but quickly learned he had no place to go to find all things custom. After some internet browsing, he found CustomMade.com, the Internet’s largest online platform for finding custom wood furniture. I reached out to the seller in the summer of 2008, and by January 2009, we had purchased CustomMade.com.

At the time, the site had about 325 of the best woodworkers in the country.

Artisan Joe Leonard of Custom Woodcarving, at his studio

What attracted you to the business?

Really for me it came down to the domain name, the artisans on the site, and the mission, connecting people to custom goods of all different kinds.

What are the buyers saying about their experience with the site?

Buyers love being able to choose their materials, their maker, their story.

If I told you that you could buy a custom piece of furniture, pottery, or metalwork for the same price or a small premium to a high end store, but that you would be able to have a say in the process and that you would know the maker, wouldn’t you try it out?

Easy Chair and Side Table by David Rasmussen Design

We are making custom accessible to all consumers, but are doing so in a way that allows the consumer to make the choice of maker.

What are the artisans/custom makers saying?

Many of our makers have never had an Internet presence before. Our platform allows them to be connected to a global audience for a comparatively small fee.

What are some of the most popular custom made products?

Right now, the most popular custom made products on our site seem to be those made from reclaimed or recycled wood.

How important was it to have the “CustomMade.com” domain name?

We love it. We are very lucky to have been able to acquire such a premium domain name.

Philadelphia lowboy by E. Jacobsen Furniture Maker, LLC

Do you feel you need to educate consumers on the value of custom made products?

Absolutely. Custom has for too long been considered too expensive for anyone to afford. That is just not true anymore. At the end of the day, we are out to change the way that people shop… that is a lofty goal that requires a great deal of education and consumer hand-holding.

You met Seth Rosen, the co-founder and CFO of the company, in college. What can you tell us about that relationship?

Seth and I met while working full-time and going to college. In addition to CustomMade, we started a breakfast group in Boston called The Junto Group. People always ask whether I thought it was a good idea to go into business with my best friend. Right now, I consider it to be the best decision we made.

Artisan House by Corlis Woodworks

Seth and I are like Yin and Yang, our styles of managing, living, and work are totally different, but we do hold some things sacred: honor, family, and a dogged determination to be the best we can be. Because of this determination, we have the kind of relationship where I can tell him when he is messing up, and I rely on him to tell me the same thing.

How have your partnerships with other companies benefited your business?

Yes, we have a few great partners in this industry. The two relationships that have taught us the most are our relationships with Rockler Woodworking and Hardware (Rockler.com), and FineWoodworking (FineWoodworking.com). These two partners have helped us guide our product towards the needs of the maker community.

What’s on the horizon for CustomMade.com?

In the next year, we are going to be moving into all things CustomMade. We have already seen makers in Custom Knives, Custom Dresses, Custom Speakers, and a few other categories who are interested in the exposure we can offer. In 2011, we will more aggressively reach out to these people to let them know about our services!

For more information about CustomMade.com, please visit their website…

http://www.custommade.com/

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Welcome to US.FeaturedBiz.com!

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Editor

The “U.S.” section of FeaturedBiz.com contains interviews and articles about leading U.S. companies that have a national or global presence. We hope you will enjoy learning about these dynamic enterprises and the talented executives who run them. We also hope you will visit us.featuredbiz.com often.

If you would like to schedule an interview about your company, please contact us right away.

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U.S. Companies – Interviews and Articles on FeaturedBiz.com

Leading the Way in Email and Web Security Services: An interview with Michael Murdoch, CEO and co-founder of AppRiver

Boosting brand awareness for hotels & restaurants with social media: an interview with Brian J. Kent, co-founder of Flip.to

An “Unchained” Interview with Patrick Perugini, the Founder and President of Dynamic Bicycles

Helping Businesses Leverage the Internet: an Interview with Mike Volpe, VP of Marketing at HubSpot, Inc

Supporting Upscale Events: An Interview with Mark Casaburi, founder and President of At Your Service Staffing Inc.

Catching up with Traci Bisson, founder of The Mom Entrepreneur website and company

Making it Easier to Get Things Custom Made: an Interview with Michael Salguero, CEO and Co-founder of CustomMade.com

Welcome to US.FeaturedBiz.com!

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