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6 Questions - The Startup Interview

In our ongoing series of Startup profiles, we interviewed Jason Keath, the Social Media Director of Heels.com, an online women’s shoe boutique.

1) What is your 30 second elevator pitch?
Jason Keath:  Heels.com is an interactive online women’s shoe boutique.  People often say that with the big box retailers and the impersonalization of the internet that shopping has lost a little of its fun.  Heels.com was created to bring the fun back to shopping.  We aim to be the top online shopping destination for women’s shoes.

2) Describe the planning leading up to your launch?
Jason Keath:  We arduously studied the women’s designer shoe industry as a whole but also the top players in the industry.  We analyzed where we thought we could be the most competitive and built the site around that target demographic.

Selling high end women’s shoes also creates many inventory challenges.  Shoes must be ordered 6 months in advance typically and the brand has a large impact on the numbers of sizes you can order. This makes growth and sales projections incredibly intricate as we try to estimate our sales numbers so far in advance.  And for products whose demand depends greatly on quick changing trends, our planning must be careful, but at the same time, we set high growth goals.

3) What market need do you fill?
Jason Keath:  We turn the shopping process into a fun experience.  We ship all over the globe.  Our target demographic is female, age 18 to 35 but we have many customers from 13 to 80.  There is really no age limit for enjoying a good pair of shoes.  If someone wants a new pair of shoes to put a little strut in her step, then Heels.com is the place to be.

There are lots of online shoe stores out there, but few are focused on selling designer and high fashion shoes.  Our international reach and focus on using internet technology to give our customers a better experience sets us apart as a shoe buying experience.

4) What is your and your team’s background?
Jason Keath:  We host a diverse mix of fashion experience, entrepreneurs, web developers and designers; while also including strong marketing backgrounds.

5) How are you funded and what is your revenue model?
Jason Keath:  We are privately funded.  Our owners have created and sold past successful startups.

6) What is the importance of being based in NC?
Jason Keath:  Our founder/CEO, Eric McCoy, lives in uptown Charlotte and he would not have it any other way. Charlotte and NC in general are a growing tech region for the east coast.  Heels.com is just one of many startups that are beginning to thrive here.  Charlotte also offers a great shipping home in the center of the east coast and is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and great for new businesses.  Charlotte is home to 8 Fortune 500 companies, the 2nd largest financial center in the country, and is one of the top cities for young, talented professionals who decide to relocate.  We are big believers that Charlotte is a great place to do business.

6 Questions - The Startup Interview

In our ongoing series of Startup profiles, we interviewed Andy Beal, the founder of Trackur, an online reputation monitoring tool.

1) What is your 30 second elevator pitch?
Andy Beal:  Trackur is a sophisticated, yet affordable, social media monitoring tool that allows anyone to monitor online conversations that impact a company’s reputation.  While comparable services cost thousands of dollars a month, Trackur starts at just $18 and can be set up in less than 5 minutes!

2) Describe the planning leading up to your launch?
Andy Beal:  Frustrated at the lack of affordable monitoring tools, I decided that I could not only build a better mousetrap, but I could make it affordable enough for small businesses, yet still keep it powerful enough for Fortune 500 companies.  I compiled a list of all the features I wanted to see in such a service, then prioritized those that could be built into a tool without bloating out the price tag for the user.
Working with a team of developers, I mapped out what I believed would be the perfect tool and we went from concept to launch in around 2 months.

3) What market need do you fill?
Andy Beal:  The concept of monitoring online media for mentions of your company, products, and executives is still very much a nascent one.  Sure, the large corporations get it, but they’re also paying a high price for that awareness–often in excess of $10,000 a month.  Trackur makes it affordable for anyone to monitor what is being said about them.  Realtors can keep track of their personal brands, bridal shops will know if a bride-zilla attacks their reputation, and consumer electronics companies no longer need to pay thousands to listen to what popular bloggers are saying about a new product launch.

Startup Profile: Schedulefly

You can start a business based on solving a simple problem.  The guys behind Schedulefly did just that.  And what they did can be applied to several other industries.  We spoke with Wil Brawley, Schedulefly’s Executive Vice President.   Read on…

What is your 30 second elevator pitch?
Wil Brawley:  Schedulefly is an easy-to-use, web-based restaurant employee scheduling application.  Our value is simple - we help restaurants stay focused on customers by reducing the time and effort spent on managing work schedules.  Managers can cut scheduling time by as much as 50%, better control labor costs, save the expense of missed shifts, reduce turnover through employee delight, and go-green by saving paper printouts and eliminating the need for staff to drive in to check their weekly schedules.

Explain your product and why it’s unique?
Wil Brawley:  Schedulefly delivers a next-generation scheduling option for restaurant managers, utilizing e-mail, text messaging and interactive web pages to communicate new and modified schedules to staff.  With information available 24/7 for all employees, Schedulefly helps restaurant management establish better relationships with an increasingly web-savvy, mobile workforce.  Given the target demographic of the typical restaurant employee (young adult) Schedulefly has differentiated itself by creating a very user-friendly web 2.0 interface that integrates with popular web-based social networks like Facebook and Twitter and technologies like the iPhone and Google – leading to very strong adoption by end-users.

Who are the founders and what motivated them to start the venture?  What was their “big idea”?
Wil Brawley:  Weston Aiken, our founder,  worked as a scheduling manager at a leading restaurant in Wilmington, NC during college at UNCW.  He became frustrated with the manual nature of the task and all the headaches that come with juggling the schedules of other young employees.  He decided to harness the internet to overcome these hurdles and created Schedulefly to facilitate communication and transparency for managers and staff alike.

How was the business funded?
Wil Brawley:  Founded in 2007, the business was self-funded by the three principals [Weston Aiken, Tyler Rullman and Wil Brawley].

What is your revenue model?
Wil Brawley:  Schedulefly is a subscription-based business.  We charge a sliding fee, based on employee size.

What is the significance of being based in NC?   Is NC conducive to startups?
Wil Brawley:  Absolutely.  The strong higher education system and experienced talent pool here in NC give us a competitive advantage in recruiting high-performing staff as we continue to grow.

###

Schedulefly has offices in Wilmington and Raleigh.  Contact them at 1-800-610-6734.

6 Questions - The Startup Interview

In our ongoing series of Startup profiles, we interviewed Gregg Miner, the President and COO of Score Business Systems.

1) What is your 30 second elevator pitch?

Gregg Miner:  SCORE Business Systems, LLC provides management consulting in lean transformations, employee engagement and employee on boarding.  Our processes are designed to empower and engage the existing workforce and help them achieve breakthrough results.   We focus on the employee side of the equation developing the correct culture and behaviors that will lead to a successful transformation.   As part of my lean transformation work, we incorporate the use of a balanced SCOREcard system.  The SCORE in the name is actually an acronym for Safety, Customers, Organization, Results, Excellence.   Every company should be measuring themselves in these categories.   We drive the actual metrics from the strategic plan, so each associate ends up with line of sight to how their individual performance drives the success of the company.

2) Describe the planning leading up to your launch?

Gregg Miner:  We started planning the business in July of 2008 and officially launched it in September 2008.

3) What market need do you fill?

Gregg Miner:  We did a lot of informal research and it helps that we know the market quite well.  Especially in these tough economic times, many companies need to change to survive.  And they don’t have a lot of capital to get it done; that’s where we come in.  In just 2 1/2 months, we have outstanding bids on several hundred thousand dollars of work.

4) What is your and your team’s background?

Gregg Miner:  I’m starting on my own, but expect to grow to two in the near future. I am a degreed Chemical Engineer but have spent my career in the aerospace business.  I came up through the ranks having held leadership roles in quality, engineering, support services and operations.  For the last 7 years I have been either General Manager or President of divisions ranging from $25M to $120M and 150 to 600 people.  In 2002 the company I was running was the winner of the Oklahoma Quality Award for Excellence.  This is the same criteria as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.   I have also been doing lean transformations since 1996.  I am on the Board of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) and a member of the AME Lean Champions club.

5) How are you funded?

Gregg Miner:  Funding is from my personal savings.  Start up in my case is generally lost income. Very limited capital.

6) What is your revenue model?

Gregg Miner: We generally work on fixed price contracts depending on the scope and length of the engagement.   Once the volume of the work is sufficient to require the addition of staff, we can also offer staff on a daily or hourly rate, depending on their seniority.

###

You can reach Gregg at (919) 491-9157 or on-line at www.scorebusinesssystems.com

Entrepreneur Spotlight - TourTechSupport

We will occasionally run short write-ups on local early stage entrepreneurs.  This week a profile on AllenCook’s company TourTechSupport.  Born by addressing a need, TourTechSupport provides IT services to the touring and entertainment industry.

This post is also featured on LinkingRaleighNC.com.

TourTechSupport provides high quality Information Technology support services to the touring and entertainment industries.  They offer a wide variety of wired and wireless networking solutions as well as state-of-the-art VoIP (Voice over IP) solutions.  TourTechSupport was founded by corporate IT and concert touring professionals to help productions and their staff get business done.
Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, TourTechSupport was incorporated in 2007 after several years of product development and field testing.  The systems designs are the result of practical application in the industries they serve.  With equipment staging centers in Raleigh, New York, Los Angeles and Birmingham, UK they can expedite the delivery of equipment and allow provide service on short notice.

In late 2003 founder Allen Cook was approached by a production manager whose computer had been compromised by someone on his tour.  Although, harmless in intention, that attack was the impetus for the creation of TourTechSupport, an IT solution provider for the entertainment industry.  Since most tours at that time were using single, open networks, the simple solution to that problem was to create separate, secure networks for staff, crew and talent.  In 2004 TourTechSupport deployed its first wireless networking system on Phil Collins’ First Final Farewell Tour of the United States.

For the Eastern European leg of that same tour in 2005, TourTechSupport developed and deployed its first IP based phone system with integrated secure wireless access.  The systems were rugged and functioned well in some of the most obscure countries throughout Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  The concept had proven itself and  tours began looking to support more lines and multiple offices.

TourTechSupport launched its first IP PBX system on the Genesis Turn It On Again tour in 2007.  The tour carried two 12 line systems through Europe and the United States.  One was being set up while the other was in use and since the same numbers rang phones in either system, users did not have to keep track of which system they were on.  Although an outward success, stringent requirements such as static IP addresses and the fragile nature of the hardware failed to meet the quality and use standards set by previous TourTechSupport designs.

A total redesign of the IP PBX model resulted in the V series Communication Hubs flower river that are currently in use.  They eliminated the requirement for static IPs, a requirement many venues are reluctant to meet, and selected new phones that boot quickly and are easy to use.  They also developed packaging options to tailor the systems to the tours using them, taking into consideration the amount of truck and office space the systems would occupy.

As we head into 2009 TourTechSupport is looking to expand beyond touring and special events.  New products are being field tested that will broaden the appeal with the current client base and help reach into new markets. Please visit TourTechSupport at www.tourtechsupport.com

Entrepreneur Spotlight - www.mgecom.com

We will occasionally run short write-ups on local early stage entrepreneurs.  This week a profile on Matt Enders’ company mge.com, started in 2006 in Cary and has since grown with 500% annual growth and to 6 employees.

This post is also featured on LinkingRaleighNC.com.

In the online marketing industry there are numerous methods of driving traffic, sales, and leads to your website.  One of these methods is known as affiliate marketing.  Affiliate marketing is a highly cost effective and extremely low risk method of increasing the overall business a company generates via online promotions.  Think of affiliate marketing as a 100% virtual sales force dedicated to your company.  Affiliates work on your behalf to reach online consumers who you would not normally be able to locate, and are paid on a performance-based compensation plan.  Affiliate marketing is a cost effective and low risk option affiliates are paid ONLY when their referred sales and leads are validated.

mgecom, inc. is an online marketing company focused solely on affiliate marketing.  mge.com specializes in this vertical of online sales, and works with a variety of clients from across the US as their Outsourced Affiliate Program Management service provider of choice.

Located in Cary, NC, mge.com has been in business since March of 2006.  Since that time, they have rapidly grown from a two man operation run from a makeshift home office, to a 6 employee company working from great corporate space in the heart of the Triangle.  From 2007 to the close of 2008, they will have realized at least a 500% year over year growth rate.  This growth has enabled them to considerably reinvest in the company, add a higher degree of formal infrastructure and processes, and hire new staff.  Even during these turbulent economic times, they continue to grow their business.  The goal for 2009 is to reach an additional 300+% of overall corporate growth.

mgecom was founded by Matt Enders, a member of the Linking Raleigh NC group on LinkedIn, and a member of the online marketing community since early 2002.  Throughout his career, Matt worked every  channel of online marketing, including: PPC, CSE’s, portal shopping, email marketing, SEO, and of course affiliate marketing.  Affiliate marketing became a clear favorite for Matt, thanks to ever changing daily challenges, a nearly limitless number of relationships to be developed with affiliates, cutting edge technology used by both affiliates and merchants, and incredibly varied but effective tactics available for increasing overall affiliate program revenue for a merchant.  mgecom focuses on driving sales and leads for their clients while keeping an increasingly positive ROI.  We welcome companies of all sizes, from small shops to major corporations, representing multiple industries.  Each program receives our full attention, ensuring the affiliate programs are not only successful, but are a significant portion of overall online-generated revenue.

Contact Matt directly if you would like to know more about affiliate marketing.  Matt can be reached directly via matt.enders@mgecom.com, at www.mgecom.com, or via LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mattenders

Startup Profile: Local Eye Site (www.localeyesite.com)

I’m a big fan of niche startups.  It allows you to offer something that is very specific to the needs of a small group and people will find you if you make sure you can be found (think SEO).  One such startup in Raleigh, NC, is Local Eye Site (www.localeyesite.com), an online community for eye care professionals.  We spoke with Brad McCorkle, the President of Local Eye Site, to learn more about his new venture.

NCSUB: What is your 30 second elevator pitch?
Brad McCorkle: Local Eye Site is the premier online community for all eye care professionals.  Our mission is to support educational opportunities, foster professional development and enhance communication across all positions and specialties in eye care.  In the process of executing our mission, we’ve developed a significant following of eye care professionals.  The result for our customers is an outstanding place to raise the online awareness of your practice and it’s recruiting needs.

NCSUB: When did you start planning?  When did you launch?
Brad McCorkle: I started planning Local Eye Site(LES) in the summer of 2007, and left my previous job to go full time with it April of 08.

NCSUB: What is the background of you and your team?
Brad McCorkle: I spent 13 years in sales, the last 5 in the Ophthalmic and Optometric industry.

NCSUB: How are you funded?
Brad McCorkle: We raised private funds by selling equity shares in LES.

NCSUB: What is your revenue model?  Are you ad-funded?
Brad McCorkle: We use a recurring revenue model.  We sell annual memberships to eye care practices and organizations.  Members are allowed to post as many positions as they need during the year, as well as, access our database of potential “eye care job seekers.”  We do also sell advertising via banner ads.

NCSUB: How did you determine that there is a demand for the service you provide?
Brad McCorkle: During my time in eye care sales I observed the need for a more effective and efficient way to recruit the kinds of specific training and experience needed in eye care.  Sales reps are often leaned on for recruiting help because the traditional methods aren’t as effective as they need to be.  This experience made it clear to me that a resource like LES could be successful.

NCSUB: How many members do you so far?
Brad McCorkle: Site traffic so far is roughly 16,500 visits by about 10,200 individuals.
1,100 professionals in 33 states have registered for free accounts to our site.  We have 25 paying customers so far.

NCSUB: Is the plan to go national?
Brad McCorkle: Yes, we’re slowly expanding into other states and our plan is to go national.

NCSUB: When do you expect to be profitable?
Brad McCorkle: Our goal is to be profitable in year 2.

Local Marketing Executive Launches Full Service Agency to Support Small to Mid-Size Business Growth in the Triangle

Here is a local startup that specializes in marketing services for startup businesses.   They have been growing their business since early 2008 and just officially opened shop.  Here is their press release:

# # #

Local Marketing Executive Launches Full Service Agency to Support Small to Mid-Size Business Growth in the Triangle

M-pact Marketing to provide a full scope of marketing strategy and marketing execution

RALEIGH, NC – October 2, 2008 – M-pact Marketing, a full service agency devoted to growing small to mid-size businesses in the Triangle, today announced the opening of its Raleigh office. The agency, founded by veteran marketing professionals, provides fully integrated marketing services from innovative strategy to execution.

“The Triangle is a popular location for entrepreneurs and start-up companies,” said David Buffaloe, president at M-pact Marketing. “They understand the value of strategic council and positive return on investments, which M-pact delivers in a unique full service approach working as their client’s marketing team or as an extension of their marketing department to help them take business to the next level.”

Buffaloe created the agency after working more than 15 years in the marketing profession namely growing small size companies. Prior to M-pact, he served as vice president of Marketing at First Research where he was instrumental in taking them from grassroots marketing to over 83,000 total users, which ultimately led to the acquisition by Hoover’s, a D&B Company. Before First Research, Buffaloe was a key player in helping DataFlux, a SAS Company, become the leading provider of data quality and data integration solutions. Similarly he assisted in creating the BuildNet marketing team and leading all of their marketing promotions.

M-pact Marketing currently serves several start-up businesses in the Triangle including growth businesses such as AddressDoctor, Local Eye Site, Schedulefly, MemberHub and Zift Solutions. The full service agency provides tailored programs from stand-alone solutions to fully integrated support.

“M-pact delivers top-notch strategy and executes growth generating marketing campaigns and plans,” said Brad McCorkle, president of Local Eye Site. “They understand the balance of working with limited resources while meeting growth goals, which we can immediately identify with and appreciate.”

About M-pact Marketing

M-pact Marketing is the premier marketing services agency geared to supporting small to mid-size businesses in the Triangle. Offering a wide variety of marketing services, the agency focuses on developing and growing a company through innovative strategy, marketing plans and execution. Based in Raleigh, M-pact employs marketing professionals with more than 30 years in marketing, design and communications. Key clients include AddressDoctor, Zift Solutions, Schedulefly, Local EyeSite, MemberHub, On the Fly and WR Chocolatier. To learn more visit www.m-pactmarketing.com.

# # #

Startup Profile: Carrboro Creative Coworking

We’ve all spent a good bit of time at a Starbucks or other local coffee shop working on our business.  When you’re starting up something you need a place to work and sometimes working from the house just doesn’t get your productive juices flowing.  But these public places, like coffee shops, tend to be loud and busy, the tables are too small and, well sometimes they’re just not conducive to business.   If you’re gonna start a real business, you need a real place to work.  And if you’re in Carrboro, NC, you now have such a place.   Carrboro Creative Coworking is a shared workshop designed for startups.  A professional, affordable location with everything you need to get work done, and its opening soon.

We had a chance to speak with Brian Russell, the founder and driving force behind Carrboro Creative Coworking.  Here’s what he had to say…

NCSUB: What is your 30 second elevator pitch for Carrboro Creative Coworking?

Brian Russell: Carrboro Creative Coworking is a shared work space with a community atmosphere.  Its for freelancers, micro-business owners, entrepreneurs, and others.  Our services bridge a large gap that exists between coffee shops and expensive offices.  One way we’re unique is our community and flexibility.  An environment that will create collaboration and networking opportunities.  We’re also the first professional space of is kind in North Carolina.

NCSUB: How are you funded?
Brian Russell: My own cash and a loan from the Town of Carrboro Revolving Loan Fund.

Profile: Piedmont Biofuels

The Startup Blog network will occasionally run profiles of start-ups in varying stages of development (and success).  The idea is to showcase fresh ideas and spawn enthusiasm and, of course, new ideas for other start-ups.

For the NC blog we’re starting with a profile of a biofuel company in Pittsboro, NC.  Yeah, that’s right, biofuel!  We tend to think of startups as internet related ventures, and many are, but they don’t need to be.  Having only lived in NC a few months, it quickly occurred to me how important agriculture is in this state.  And the production of biofuel is a very nice combination of technology and agriculture.

WHO:
Piedmont Biofuels, Pittsboro, NC,   http://biofuels.coop

CONCEPT:
Piedmont Biofuels produces, markets, and sells biodiesel from there facility in Pittsboro, NC.  Additionally, they consult on setting up biodiesel businesses (plants and stations), provide training and lobby the NC legislature and national representatives, on behalf of biodiesel and renewable energy.

FOUNDERS:
Leif Forer, Rachel Burton and Lyle Estill founded the business (which is actually a coop) in 2003.  It was born from one of the most common drivers behind start-ups: they wanted to solve a simple problem they had themselves, which was that they wanted to use renewable energy.  Since it was not easy to come by, they decided to start producing it.

FUNDING:
Initial estimates for required funding were probably too optimistic.  Piedmont Biofuels refinanced twice and also received a big grant from the NC State Energy Office.  But they made it and have grown their coop venture to include several other businesses, such as Eco Organics, Screech Owl Greenhouse (a hydroponic greenhouse), the Piedmont Biofarm and the Abundance Foundation.

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