Aug 13, 2012 8 questions with: Brian Kim
I had the pleasure of meeting Brian about a year ago while visiting an old college buddy up in the oh so lovely city of San Francisco. The best part about this? The fact that we met on social terms over a few beers rather than at some obligatory networking event. At the time, they were still in the beta stages of Splurgy and were working out an exciting funding deal. Fast forward 365 days later and they are 2 months deep into a successful launch with a growing client list including that of the well-known entertainment and gaming company, IGN. They were also recently mentioned in an in-depth write-up on TechCrunch (congrats, btw!)
Splurgy defines itself as a “universal promotions platform” — AKA they give brands the ability to offer unique promotions and coupons across various social platforms, with the most recent (and notable) platform, Pinterest. Although the promotional platforms market seems quite saturated at the moment, Splurgy is really separating themselves from the field by not only offering their services on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and Pinterest, but also on virtually any website property — something I have yet to see any other promotional service company offer as seamlessly as Splurgy; and 2) they have completely eliminated the need to rely on a 3rd party ecosystem for their promotions to run off of, making for a very simple, and quick experience for both the brand and consumer.
Lucky for us, Brian was able to squeeze in a few moments to answer a quick Q&A. Best of luck to you and Splurgy!
What are you working on?
I am the co-founder of Splurgy, a lead generation platform that allows brands to run incentivized social promotions on their websites in order to generate new leads.
Where do you find inspiration?
We set goals each month, in both product development and company revenue. Every time we surpass those goals, it boosts our morale and gives us the confidence to set even more aggressive goals the following month.
I grew up reading tons of detective fiction, so I’ve always wanted to become a detective. It wasn’t until high school that I got into computers, and I would eventually start my first online business during freshman year of college.
What are you reading at the moment?
Ever since Splurgy launched to the public two months ago, I’ve increasingly become more involved in managing the company’s sales function, so I’ve been reading a lot of sales related books. At the moment, I am about halfway through SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham. It’s a terrific read so far.
Here at Splurgy, we all wear different hats every day. The job is definitely challenging but rewarding at the same time. I am also blessed to be surrounded by a great team of people, which makes the job that much more enjoyable.
What does your work day look like?
My work day starts at eight in the morning, and the first thing I do is reply to e-mails for thirty minutes. I then usually spend about an hour and a half on various phone meetings. After phone calls, I review our progress on the monthly goals and revise the day’s priorities accordingly. Since I’ve been more focused on sales and marketing lately, most of my afternoon / evening is spent on managing our sales team, interfacing with clients, devising strategic partnership programs, and constantly working on the sales copy and flow of our website.
I don’t know about favorite, but lately my post-work destination has been the gym. Oftentimes, I’d much rather lie on the couch after a long day of work, but a good gym session really helps me relieve some of that stress.
Any words of wisdom for those considering the entrepreneur path?
Start a company that solves a real and personal pain point. Personal motivation to solve a burning problem plays a huge role in your drive to succeed. Without this added urge, you will be more prone to burn outs and loss of motivation amidst a down turn in the company.