This is the ninth in a series of interviews with Etsy entrepreneurs.

After pounding the pavement trying to get her line of pillows into brick and mortar shops, Julia Duncan-Roitman decided that the time and money did not balance out. Julia found the perfect solution in an Etsy shop. In this interview, learn how Julia opened Pink Baby Mouse Shop, where which sells her unique line of cone dog pillows.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

I had a few false starts creating my own line and trying to sell it wholesale and consignment through pounding the pavement hitting up brick and mortar shops. I could never make the time and money balance out between the design, production, marketing and selling all by myself. Etsy is the perfect solution; I make things to order and sell directly to customers totally cutting out the process of dealing with stores. I also sell to stores wholesale directly from my site. They find me; I don’t have to go to them.

How do you market your business?

That is another advantage of Etsy, they do most of the marketing for me! People come across my pillows because of the tags that I use for my items, sometimes my items make it to the front page where I get thousands of views, other Etsians include my items in treasuries, the Etsy Storque blog has featured my pillows and they have been featured in gift guides. Bloggers include my pillows in their posts through finding them on Etsy. Last year Heather Armstrong put my cone dog pillow in her 2008 holiday gift guide on www.dooce.com and really jump-started my whole business. At the time I had only sold a couple of pillows and was just making them as a hobby. All of a sudden my store was completely sold out; I re-listed the items and they sold out again and again and again. Within 2 days I had to figure out pillow and fabric wholesalers and a shipping solution. I am also a member of the New New York Etsy Street Team and we have a blog, Facebook page and hold sales events twice a year.

How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

I always post my new items on my Facebook page and on twitter. Friends and members of my street team re-tweet my posts and I for them, to expand viewership. I do get sales this way but I always feel kind of weird selling to friends and family, I always try to give them the item for free and then they refuse, etc. It’s kind of awkward; I prefer selling to strangers.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

I enjoy working totally on my own terms. I set my price, deal directly with my customers and design completely to my own aesthetic. I can experiment and make one of a kind items, so I don’t get bored. I also love working on the Internet; I’m not very good at “selling myself” in person but I can write decent copy and take decent photos of my work.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

Etsy has been so supportive of me. My first sale was from an Etsy staff member and as I mentioned above they regularly include me in their gift guides, blog articles and treasuries. They even brought my pillows on a segment of LXTV on WNBC in December. I did holiday art show with them in December and I met lots of the staff and they were all so nice and eager to learn how they could improve the site.

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

One of the draw backs of Etsy is the dearth of items one has to weed through in order to buy or sell successfully. I think you need to have a distinct point of view and really form a strong identity so that you stand out. I am known for my cone dog pillows. It’s weird but it’s distinct.

How did you come up with your shop name?

Pink Baby Mouse Shop comes from my first job, which was breeding mice and selling the babies back to the pet store. I would get ten cents per baby mouse.

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

It never occurred to me to brand myself but I try to stay consistent in my design aesthetic, simple bold graphic, colorful, whimsical, funny off-beat. I think this is what makes my pieces recognizable and unique.

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

Definitely amongst the members of my Etsy street team. In fact, I am about four months away from opening up my own brick and mortar shop in Brooklyn and I am using my fellow New New York Etsy teammates as vendors in my shop. Some of them will be collaborating with me in designing and producing unique items for the shop and some of them will be my wholesalers. I can spend hours looking through the shops on Etsy; there are some amazing items for sale, it’s very inspiring. Fellow Etsians are very supportive of one another; I have done trades with several of them.

How do you connect with your buyers?

I don’t get too much into that; I used to do a hand written thank you note with every purchase but it felt a little desperate. I now package my pillows as professionally as possible in a cellophane sleeve with a printed hang- tag and thank you note with my logo designed and produced by a fellow Etsian.

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron, lovable dog Hank, and sweet kitten Sammy. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Raymond Lei started ooShirts, a custom t-shirt business, when he was just 16 years old. Raymond had the task of ordering t-shirts for his high school tennis club, when he became disgusted at the lack of a clear solution for his t-shirt needs. In this interview, learn how Raymond grew ooShirts, whose primary principle is efficiency, into a business with $1 million in yearly revenue.

When did you start ooShirts?

I started ooShirts when I was 16 years old. I was a sophomore in high school.

How did you come up with your business idea?

During the summer after my freshman year in high school, I went on a trip to Hangzhou, China, where I first became interested in business. During my stay there, I would walk outside and see this amazing growth of small businesses all around me. Every day, a buzzing new shop would open and replace an old dying one, and every week, the products being sold just kept getting better and better. The customers, myself included, enjoyed as they could buy more and more for less.

When I returned to my home in Cupertino, I had the task of ordering t-shirts for my high school tennis club. As I looked for a place to order from, I couldn’t find a clear solution. All existing companies were either overpriced or had untrustworthy and unfriendly websites. I was a little angered at the lack of a solution. The industry was huge (everyone wears custom t-shirts) but the businesses in it were unsatisfactory. I thought I could provide a better product to customers at a lower cost and set out to do it.

How has your business evolved since the start of your business?

There were several stages, depending on how far back you want to go. At the very start, I directly talked to other clubs at my school and sold to them. After receiving more orders, I built a website so I could take each order more efficiently. After receiving even more orders, I hired a couple employees to help me take orders so that I could focus less on operations and more on growth. Now, we’re building an automated system so that each employee can take care of $1 million in yearly revenue. So you can say we’ve become more efficient. We’ve also improved our supply chain from one supplier to twenty suppliers. I’ll discuss how this helps us later.

Have you always been entrepreneurial?

It depends on how you define entrepreneurial. I’ve always liked to do things differently. I never liked joining existing groups, and haven’t ever joined a group I didn’t create. I would always embark on my own projects fueled by my own ideas. And I liked coming up with these ideas. If that’s how you define entrepreneurial, then yes, I’ve always been entrepreneurial.

One of the things that sets ooShirts apart from your competitors is your company principles. Can you tell us about them and how they work?

Our primary principle is efficiency. We’re much more efficient than our competitors.

First, our ordering process is very streamlined. Our website allows customers to create their own t-shirt designs without manual help from our artists. They can do everything they need to do online, and submit it to us. When we receive the design, the automated order processing code we wrote lets us take care of each order quickly and accurately.

Second, we’ve set up a network of 20 printers and suppliers around the United States. This is important for several purposes. In addition to letting us get shirts to the customers faster and with lower shipping costs, it also lets us have a greater, more readily available line of products in stock.

Third, we outsource internationally. We outsource a good amount of programming and graphic design work overseas where we can get the same quality work at the fraction of the cost.
When we combine these three points, we can price our custom t-shirts at 30 to 50 percent lower cost than our competitors and still make a profit. This is the value customers are looking for, and this is the reason we’ve been growing so quickly these past couple of months.

You are student at UC Berkeley. How has being a student helped you on your entrepreneurial journey?

There are two parts to being a student. One involves academics, the other involves people. I don’t think taking academic courses helps with my business. Textbooks do not teach you how to think different; they teach you how to think the same. I don’t find learning from a textbook is helpful for me, or for any other entrepreneur. I won’t drop out. Though I am an entrepreneur, I am also human. I’ve met some truly amazing people, and want to continue building relationships here.

How do you balance school and business?

I pick the easiest classes and spend the rest of my time on my business.

What are your plans for the future of your business?

My goal is to have an average 50% month-over-month growth rate for the remaining months this year.

For more information on Raymond and ooShirts visit http://www.ooshirts.com.

Julie Barnes is the author is this post. Julie is excited to be living in Generation E – the age of the Entrepreneur. As a writer, she enjoys writing about all aspects of the entrepreneur journey. She enjoys interviewing entrepreneurs whose experience and wisdom can inspire others to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at www.julieabarnes.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieBarnesKS. Become a Facebook friend at Julie Barnes.

Beth Cummings was looking for a way out of cubical nation when she came up with the idea of selling her designs on Esty. Beth started her shop, DiffractionFiber, as a part-time venture and within six months had surpassed her income from corporate America. Beth designs whimsical pillows, mouse pads, and fiber art for her shop. In this interview, learn how Beth went from cubical nation to living the creative entrepreneur’s dream of making a living from her crafts.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

I was working in a cubicle, and hating it. I would dream of being able to be my own boss, make a living off of what I actually enjoyed doing– you know, what most cubical rats dream of. But it was hard to quit, it was a good paying job, that in actuality required very little real work from me, it was really ideal except the whole having to go there every day thing. So I decided that if I could find a way to make the same salary that I’d have no excuse. I dabbled in a few ideas before setting my sights on Etsy. And for me Etsy is perfect. I don’t have to muck about in programming language, or worry about my site going down. They provide a perfect platform for me to sell what I make without all the hassle of a standalone site. So in June of 2009 after only six months of having my shop open I was making my cube salary and then some! I quit and never looked back.

How do you market your business?

I really use only three methods anymore. 1) Getting my products and info to blogs, newspapers and such and letting them tell their readers how cool I am. 2) A ‘fan’ base of previous customers, people who might be future customers, people who signed up for a mailing list after seeing me in person, and so on. 3) Professional relationships teaching, lecturing and the like.

How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

Social Networking is tricky, because for the most part it’s hard to gauge your success. I use Facebook primarily to connect with people who have signed up to hear about new products and things. I am way over Twitter, it used to be cool, now it’s just marketers marketing to one another. It’s obnoxious over there.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

Currently not having to wade through eight inches of snow to get to the train! But really, just being my own boss, having a user friendly way of getting my products to the people who want them and truly making a living off my own creativity.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

Etsy gives you the tools; it doesn’t do the work for you. People expect to list something and become stars … well, that’s just not how it happens. It takes work. Like I’ve said, Etsy is a platform, it’s the vehicle to get your work to the consumer, but it doesn’t drive it there for you.

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

Do what you love. Don’t worry about the trends or about what other people are selling. Create based on you and your personality, your quirks, loves and interests. Make it unique, and make it something you are proud of. If you approach it as a get rich quick scheme you will be sadly disappointed.

How did you come up with your shop name?

I had another shop, Diffraction, that was photography based, and so I wanted a sister site, so it became DiffractionFiber. In all honesty, in retrospect I regret it. But now people know me this way and there’s no turning back.

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

My shop is unique because it’s me, it’s absolutely my personality. But marketing wise, my logo is on everything, and everywhere I can stick it. I think the quirkiness of my products make my brand stand out. I mean, where else are you going to get Peanut Butter and Jelly pillows?

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

It’s there, but there is also a lot of competitiveness. Some people don’t understand that there is room for everyone to succeed. I’ve stopped going into the forums almost entirely, there is just too much complaining about what Etsy isn’t doing for them and too many people fighting. But then again, that’s a problem in most public forums. That being said, some of my best friends are Etsy shop owners, and I love when they succeed! It is essential for me to have friends who are going through the same ups and downs.

How do you connect with your buyers?

I am obsessive about answering convos right away, I hate waiting and so I certainly don’t want to make others wait. I also customize almost all my pillows at no charge; it’s nice to be able to give someone exactly what they want!

For more information on Beth and her designs visit http://www.etsy.com/shop/diffractionfiber.

Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” (Available on Amazon) in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at www.onewhowrites.com. Follow Julie on Twitter at www.twitter.com/onewhowrites.

Steven Haggerty is a 17 year old entrepreneur living in the South of France. Steven used his website and graphic design skills to start Salut Designs. Steven services clients all around the world. In this interview, learn how Steven started his business while still a teenager.

What is the name of your business?

My business is called Salut World; Salut World is the heart of the business with the different areas split up into Salut Designs and Salut Hosting. This gives us more room to expand in the future.

What does your business do?

We offer businesses and individuals everything they need to get there business online, from website & graphic design to Hosting services (shared & dedicated).

When did you start your business?

I started Salut Designs in 2007 and Salut Hosting in 2009.

How did you come up with your business idea?

I have always been interested in website design from the start of high school when we would design a site for a project in I.T class. Then when I was 15 I started to do it more and more then in 2007 I started to do it more professionally.

How has your business evolved since the start of your business?

We have expanded into hosting and plan to expand more. The business has evolved in such a positive way by generating more customers and we now have a good name for ourselves.

Have you always been entrepreneurial?

Yes I believe so, from when I was in the first year of high school (aged 12) I would make mix CDs and sell them to my friends I also started an radio show with some friends. So I think I was always supposed to go into business.

Do your parents help you with the business?

My mum usually makes sure that all my customer contracts and invoices are OK. She also checks my accounts so it is all legal.

You are a great mentor for other teens. How are some of the ways you inspire other teens to start their business?

Thanks, I just make sure they know that they can do it! Plus I think if they see someone who is still a “teenager” doing well in the business world this will help them as it will give them a confidence boost. I am also there to give advice to young people who have a business or are thinking of starting one!

What advice would you give other teens that may have a business idea and are ready to start a business?

Make sure you host your sites with me! I think that as long as the idea is good and you honestly think people will buy into it then go for it! Pick a date to launch your new business. This will help you get everything in order as you are on a deadline.

What are your plans for the future of your business?

I plan to expand the “salut” name into different areas of business, I would love to get into property but I will not do that until I am in my 20s. I have a lot of ideas for my business and I plan to see them all through. I am always open to business ventures.

What inspires you?

Seeing people who have succeeded, people like my brother who started young and is doing well for himself now. One of my goals is to do better than him! Also people like Richard Branson as he has his “Virgin” name and has done all sort with it so why can’t I?

Have you read any books that have helped in your entrepreneurial journey?

Richard Branson’s biography was very inspiring. Also I have started to read “think and grow rich, the original classic” it’s a very can do it book which I like. I really enjoy reading auto-biographies mainly because you can see their how they got to where they are and if they failed why they failed.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thanks for the interview. If anybody would like to contact me feel free to do so! My blog is www.stevenhaggerty.co.uk and twitter/stevenhaggerty. Like I said, if anyone has any questions let me know!

You can also visit Salut Designs at http://www.salutdesigns.com/ or
Salut Hosting at http://www.saluthosting.com/.

Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” (http://www.so-you-want-to-start-a-business.com/ ) in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com.

David Cole has been in book publishing for almost 30 years. He has been involved in every aspect of the industry including stints in editing, production, publicity, marketing and management. In this interview, learn what David looks for before signing an author to a book deal.

How long have you been in the publishing industry?

Since the mid-1970s.

What is the name of your company?

Bay Tree Publishing

What genres do you publish?

We focus on nonfiction in the areas of business, psychology, health, and the environment. We also work with memoirs and recently published our first work of fiction.

What does a manuscript have to contain to be considered?

We look for intelligent writing that gets beneath the surface of a topic. We are also attracted to works that make difficult subjects more understandable for readers without a specialized background.

Do you work with first time authors?

Yes. For most of our authors, we are publishing a first book, though many have already published other kinds of works such as newspaper and magazine or journal articles.

Do the authors you publish have to meet a certain criteria?

Authors must be committed to marketing their work. A good book proposal should contain a solid, realistic marketing plan. Beyond that, we would like to see evidence that an author is truly committed to following through on that plan. Do you write regularly for a periodical? Do you blog? Do you have an established audience online or in print? These are all indications that you are serious, not just about a particular book, but about communicating with readers.

Do you work with authors directly or must they have an agent?

Since we don’t offer advances, we rarely work with agents.

Do you evaluate the competition to ensure that the manuscript can be marketed and advertised as a unique stand alone title?

Evaluating the competition is an essential component of every publishing decision. If there are already ten or a hundred books established in the market that address an issue or need, bringing out another will only be successful if it is twice as good as those already available. If it is only ten percent better, it is unlikely to gain market share unless the author is either famous or engaged in very aggressive self-promotion.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Good writing is essential, but passion sells. From a publisher’s point of view, the best author is already famous. Since Bay Tree is too small to attract famous authors, we look for those who are on fire to reach an audience and who are already actively pursuing that goal. These are the authors who will most benefit from our expertise and who will be of the greatest value to us.

For more information on David Cole and Bay Tree Publishing visit http://www.baytreepublish.com/

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Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com.

Copyright © 2010 Julie Barnes and One Who Writes

Elaine Bliss is best known for her feminine graphics, illustrations and brand identities; Elaine has been using her artistic ability to create feminine and French inspired designs since she graduated from Lancaster Tech in Pennsylvania, with a certificate in commercial art. In this interview, learn how Elaine utilizes Etsy as an artist to generate more revenue into her business.

What brought you to become an Etsy shop owner?

Probably the same reason I used eBay for a while, the traffic. Their SEO (search engine optimization) is phenomenal. They also cater to artists which very few places do. I love that. I purposely avoid any place that calls artist and designers “Artisans”. It`s just not that same.

How do you market your business?

I mainly twitter and blog. Facebook had just become one of those indispensable tools and I have a fan page. Even though I have my family as friends, I keep it 99% professional. I try not to rant or post my opinions. But I share lots of tidbits to my “art” and home life. It helps humanize you and make sales.

How has social networking helped your business? What have you found works best for your store?

It`s had to “socialize” in order to make the sale. Takes time away from designing at my studio. So I automate my “socializing” with services like Ping.FM, Tweetdeck and Twaitter. Social networking does have the advantage of making your brand so personal; your clients will always know the owner of your store. There is no middle man or any degree of separation. The connections are deeper; therefore you stride harder to make your client happy. They in return, come back and buy. It`s a win-win.

What is your favorite part of being an Etsy store owner?

I would have to say that sense of “small community” even though they are huge. You can always get an email from their support team. It is very organized, so everyone feels like they have a special place.

What are some of the ways that you find Etsy helps in your success as a store owner?

I like how they showcase other artist that have quit their day job and made it on Etsy. They share their tips and motivate you to keep going. Secondly, their seller newsletters are full of information. They even have a manual of Etsy`s best practices and the best ways to sell.

What advice would you give new Etsians just starting out?

Be YOU. Having a unique vision and an unique product makes you money and it`s rewarded. You have no idea how many times I have seen the marketplace get crowded with the same things over and over. Tight competition helps no one. Originality is always the best marketing strategy there is. Also, don`t give up! It took me a few months to get a sale. However, if you are thinking about opening a store, do it just before a holiday. You are almost guaranteed a sale and it gets you motivated to do more.

How did you come up with your shop name?

Well I have three shops, one after my name, which I have to be honest; I was shy about doing the blatant self promotion. 8thLove.etsy.com is the store where I sell the fun stuff I find in my treasure hunts and the name came from the 8 things I love the most, the last or 8th love is paper. Rouge Press is my latest shop and I create letterpress stationery. Rouge is red in French. I am a Francophile and this store paid homage to that. Plus red is a great feng shui color for business!

How do you brand yourself to make your shop unique?

Fortunately, I am my own graphic designer and my own worst client. I change my mind about every six months. I print all my own collateral, so I get to personalize every single detail of my operations. From my twitter account to Etsy avatar, to me it`s important to make sure everything is consistent.

Do you feel a sense of community among the Etsy shop owners?

Yes, many shop owners a willing to share tips and secrets on how they got started. Not just on the forums but by simply asking them.

How do you connect with your buyers?

Besides pretty packaging, I like to add a sample card or some letterpress hang tags. A free something is always appreciated. I also like to write a note by hand in the package or print a Merci Beau Coup note, later mailed to their home with a discount code. The latter is so cute that they always come back.

For more information about Elaine Bliss and her Esty shops visit www.ElaineBiss.Etsy.com, or www.RougePress.Etsy.com. You can also visit her main website at www.ElaineBiss.com, follow her blog at www.ElaineBiss.Blogspot.com, or for more information about her stationary visit www.FashionableStationery.com.

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Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” in December 2009. Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com.

Copyright © 2010 Julie Barnes and One Who Writes

Joel Gotler  is a literary manager in Los Angeles who has been instrumental in numerous publishing, book to film, and TV deals. Joel has worked with James Ellroy, Dennis Lahane, Michael Connelly, and Sue Grafton. Many of his clients have won a National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize, and Academy Awards. In this interview, learn what Joel looks for when deciding to work with an author.

How long have you been in the publishing industry?

I have been a literary agent since 1976 and sold my first book to Rodale Press. Then it was called ‘Circadian Rhythms’ a non-fiction book about how the body changes during air flight.

What is the name of your company?

Intellectual Property Group.

What genres do you publish?

We agent fiction and non-fiction.

What does a manuscript have to contain to be considered?

The manuscript has to be formatted professionally and must have a real voice and must be commercial in our opinion, so that we can also market the book to film.

Do you work with first time authors?

Yes, but we get too many queries to deal with everyone who asks.

Do the authors you publish have to meet a certain criteria?

No criteria, but that their covering letter should grab our attention if it is not a writer who has been recommended.

Do you work with authors directly or must they have an agent?

We work directly with authors as the agent or literary manager.

Do you evaluate the competition to ensure that the manuscript can be marketed and advertised as a unique stand alone title?

Yes, we are on top of the market place on a daily basis here and abroad (We get the reports of what is being developed and at what stage the project is at), and in terms of what the Hollywood studios are looking for. For instance, at lunch today three executives from a major Hollywood studio said to me in unison, “No dramas!”

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Hollywood and publishing are hard, tough nuts to crack these days as there are fewer slots for new movies although there is still film development; and, the publishers don’t accept slush pile material, and they have a real economic problem dealing with first timers as well as bucking the electronic publishing trend at the same time, so how do you break in? Get your stuff read by the right person. I am a frequent guest at USC and UCLA to discuss this issue.

Some of our film clients include James Ellroy, Dennis Lahane, Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, The Estates of John O’ Hara, James Cain, and so on. We have about 150 clients all of a status and many having won National Book Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, Nobel Prizes, Academy Awards, etc.

For more information about Joel Gotler and Intellectual Property Group visit http://www.stonevillagepictures.com/ipg/

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Julie Barnes is a Freelance Writer focusing on her passion of entrepreneurship. Julie published “So You Want to Start a Business…Now What?” in December 2009.  Julie lives and works in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, KS with her husband Ron and lovable dog Hank. You can visit her site at http://www.onewhowrites.com.

Copyright © 2010 Julie Barnes and One Who Writes

Here is Tim Besse, Co-Founder and Vice President of Product and Marketing at Glassdoor.com. Tim tells us all about Glassdoor, his background and gives lots of great advice.

Can you begin by telling us about your background? Where you are from, age, college education, etc.

I’m originally from Ohio where I attended and earned my bachelor’s degree from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to co-founding Glassdoor.com, I worked with Expedia where I helped launch early stage businesses, including Expedia’s telesales and private label businesses as well as its online luxury offering, Classic Custom Vacations. However, my most recent role at Expedia was the director of product management and online marketing for the Asia Pacific division of Expedia. In this role, I developed new markets in Australia, Japan, and China, and assumed general management responsibility of the Hotels.com business in Asia.

When did you begin to develop your idea for Glassdoor.com? What gave you the idea to do this? What do you compare the site to if anything?

The idea of Glassdoor.com began in the summer of 2007, when my co-founder Robert Hohman (CEO of Glassdoor) was busy taking time off after having left his position as president of Hotwire.com. His long-time friend Rich Barton called up with an interesting question:

“What would happen if someone left the unedited employee survey for the whole company on the printer and it got posted to the Web?”

The two had previously worked together at Microsoft and then Expedia, which Rich founded in 1994. Expedia ultimately transformed travel by opening up information once available only to travel agents and insiders. Rich then went on to transform real estate with the launch of Zillow.com, allowing anyone to find and research home values from their personal computer.

Robert and Rich contemplated why it’s so difficult to find helpful information about jobs and workplaces. Robert called on me and we expanded the survey concept to include salary details down to the job level and CEO approval ratings, just like politician approval ratings. And thus, Glassdoor was born to deliver new transparency to an incredibly important part of our lives — our work.

To give you a comparison, think of Glassdoor.com as the TripAdvisor or Yelp of jobs and workplaces that uses employee-generated content to provide a free inside look at companies from those who know best – employees.

How did you go about taking Glassdoor.com to where it is today?

We worked on appealing to an individual’s curiosity – There’s always a natural curiosity around the competitiveness of compensation and finding out what others think. Through media relations and word of mouth , we have been able to virally spread the word about Glassdoor so as to show that there are answers out there to questions specific to one’s job title, workplace and even geographic location.

The site definitely seems to get a lot of traffic. What do you recommend to other entrepreneurs who are just starting out and trying to get their site exposure?

Learn from what others have done before you. We have had the benefit of learning from the experiences of members of our Board. For example, Stephen Kaufer (Board Member, Trip Advisor founder and CEO) has been extremely helpful in sharing his lessons learned from building the largest travel community in the world. In addition, we have spent time with other executives at some of the largest community / UGC driven services out there to help us think through the ways on which to build up site exposure. We also continue to hire community experts from local companies like Yahoo! /Flickr.

How do you see Glassdoor.com in the future?

This is a good question as it depends a lot on the needs of the employee and employer. Our goal is to continually improve upon Glassdoor so that it changes the existing paradigm to bring more transparency to the workplace to help people make critical choices about their career.

Are there any ventures you plan on pursuing after Glassdoor.com?

I’m fortunate that I have a job that I love and see plenty of potential in the future in which I can help to make Glassdoor a better career and workplace community.

How has your life changed since you started the site?

Well first I now live in the Bay Area whereas before I lived in Seattle and so I have had the chance to experience a new environment. In addition, I have been exposed to advantages and drawbacks that many individuals share when it comes to their work and careers. With this, I have been able to see that with transparency comes understanding and opportunity.

Can you tell us what inspires you?

In terms of Glassdoor, I am inspired all the time by the feedback and community engagement within the site. It’s a really exciting time for Glassdoor and feel fortunate to have the opportunity to help other people by giving them the tools and resources to make more informed decisions that impact the workplace and their careers.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?

I really enjoy traveling with my wife, Wendy, and we also like to get out into nature for a hike when the weather permits. When at home, you’ll probably find me curled up with a John Grisham novel unless a good football game is on TV. I’ve also been known to enjoy a nice bottle of wine now and then.

Do you have any experiences, advice, or anything else that you would like to share?

Don’t be afraid to take a chance if you are willing to work hard at an option that may seem more risky. I walked away from a secure job at Expedia with a good steady paycheck to try my hand at a start-up (Glassdoor). When we began last year, I was investing in the company rather than being paid to work there, but the opportunity to do this was something I knew I could believe in and in turn something that I could put my heart and mind into.

Thanks for taking time to do this great interview Tim!

Be sure to check out our review of Glassdoor.com

“NeedInstructions.com is the world’s most popular place to find clear instructions on how to do just about everything, as well as help you obtain missing instructions and manuals.”  This is how Christopher Evans, the Founder and CEO, breaks down his site.

All of NeedInstructions information has been uploaded by their members.  They have many categories for users to choose from.  You can find anything from a 1999 Ford Explorer Owner’s Guide to a How To on safely bathing a cat!  We highly recommend the business section, which consists of some great How To’s.  One are we look forward to seeing more of is How To’s on web design.  Web Design is definitely a hot topic and individuals are always looking for some helpful How To’s.  NeedInstructions is rapidly growing and has immense potential.  Christopher Evans is on a mission and his experience and persistence is driving him closer each day.

We were fortunate enough to interview Christopher Evans.  He sounds off about his background, motivation, future, the lowdown on NeedInstructions! Thanks for taking the time to do this Christopher.

Can you begin by telling us about your background? Where you are from, age, college education, etc.

Pretty much you can say I am from everywhere. Growing up I was an Army brat and traveled around the world, so I never really had a set to place to call home. Currently, I am 27 years old, holding a MBA in Accounting/Finance from Regis University and a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from SUNY Farmingdale.

I have extensive management, ecommerce, and technical consulting experience. I have held many technical & management responsibilities. I worked for many big firms such as JPMorgan&Chase, Marsh & McLennan, Accenture, and IBM. My experience in ecommerce stems from over two years of strategy consulting in the consultant world. In addition to my ecommerce background, I have 4 years of experience in data warehousing and data modeling.

When did you begin to develop your idea for NeedInstructions.com? What motivated you to pursue making NeedInstructions.com a reality?

I had the idea for NeedInstructions.com in 2006. I got the idea for the site after a particularly frustrating experience when purchasing a large product that had to be assembled. After purchasing the product I found out there where no instructions included. While not finding any instructions on the product I decided to visit the company’s web-site to see if I could find the instruction I needed to assemble the product. After spending an hour searching the company’s web-site and the World Wide Web without finding anything, the idea of NeedInstructions.com came to me.

Did you receive any help in making the site? What steps did you have to take?

Originally when I first started to create NeedInstructions.com, I was trying to do everything myself, such as the coding, design, and business. Whatever it was, you name it, I was doing it myself. After a while I realized I couldn’t do everything on my own, and I needed help. I figured it was in my best interest and NeedInstructions.com’s to hire a development team to create the site for me while I focus on more of the business aspect.

Initially when I decided it was time to hire an outside firm to help with the development of the site, I already had the basic design and usability of the site. So it made my job a lot easier hiring a web development team to help me bring NeedInstructions.com to life.

Where do you want to take NeedInstructions.com? What do you see in its future?

I want NeedInstructions.com to be the number one site for instructions, manuals, and how to’s around the world. I would like to see NeedInstructions.com partner with many big companies such as Sony, GE, Maytag, and Ikea so that NeedInstructions.com can store and offer their instructions, manuals, and user guides to the public, so that these companies can focus more on there products and leave the instructions to NeedInstructions.com.

Are there any ventures you plan on pursuing after Need Instructions LLC?

As of now, my main focus is to continue keep the public aware of NeedInstructions.com.

How has your life changed since you started the site?

I’m working a lot more. Beginning a startup you will come to realize your day starts off at 8 am and doesn’t end till no later then 1 am or in until the job is done.

What inspires you? What do you recommend to fellow entrepreneurs?

I would have to say that my wife inspires me to succeed. Family is very important in any initiative one takes. Without my wife’s support and love, I don’t believe I would be as far as I am today.

My recommendation to any entrepreneur would to be always be humble and never think you’re above anyone. What I mean by this, is just because you’re a CEO or the boss of your own company you should continue to treat people how you would want to be treated. As they say, “Happy employees generate better returns,” I hold that statement to be true. I also recommend entrepreneurs to constantly network with others. Networking is very important to jump starting any business. And lastly, always double and triple check everything. No job is too big or too small for a CEO or business owner to check over.

What are your hobbies and interests outside of your work life?

Besides from creating my own how to’s on NeedInstructions.com, I love to cook and to spend time with my wife.

Do you have any experiences, advice, or anything else that you would like to share?

Whatever you do in life always give it your all. I know so many people that have started their own business or website and wouldn’t put there all into it and then come to find out down the line it failed and they don’t know why. Starting up a business or website is never easy. You should know this will take up a lot of your time. Also know and understand your target base and users. Lastly, it is always important do your research before initiating anything.

Awesome interview Christopher!  We all wish you the best of luck.

This was definitely very inspiring with a lot of great advice.
Enjoy this entrepreneurs and really take it all in.