Interview with:Karl J. Treier [kjtreier]
ENTREPRENEUR
 | What is the business idea that you are working on right now? How did you come up with it? I am currently involved with a SaaS Company called ProspectStream. The product idea actually orginated with one of the founding Partners but it needed a major technology refresh to move into the Cloud and that's where my skillset came in. |
| Is there a website, blog or social media link where we can see more about your project and/or yourself? |
| What is your professional background? What were you doing before? 2012 represents my 26th year working in the technology field. I started out working in Air Traffic Control maintaining DEC PDP-11 microcomputers and have progressively worked through the ranks. But I have also had the greatest fulfillment when working for myself or with other like minded individuals. |
| What have you achieved up to now? What have you yet to achieve? I think ProspectStream has achieved that most important of milestones which is to prove that there are customers who will pay market rates for your product and that achieve the results with it that you (and they) were expecting. We now need to turn that into sales growth to the extent that we become profitable. |
| Entrepreneurs have a reputation as "control freaks." How do you avoid that? I'm not sure I'd agree with that statement. I do agree that entrepreneurs are control freaks about what they know, but I would never claim to know everything, and I always seek to work with or hire people that can fill those knowledge and skill gaps. |
| What is your main motivation: being your own boss, adventure and discovery, getting rich, doing good for others, or is there something else? I'm principally motivated by the desire to make enough money to engage in my hobby. I love flying, but it's an expensive hobby. I definately want to be able to buy my own aircraft at some point, so that's my immediate goal. |
| What do you think of big corporations? Would you work for one? My experiences with them has not be positive. I think they overthink problems, respond slowly to opportunities and ultimately give up on innovation, instead they buy innovators. |
| When you need guidance or advice, where do you find it? I have an extensive network of fellow entrepreneurs and friends who have many more years of experience than me whom I can talk to. Sometimes I listen, sometimes I don't. |
| Which well known entrepreneurs/enterprises do you admire? Why? I'd have to list Bill Gates and Dharmesh Shah as two that I have been paying attention to. But I pretty much admire anyone that gives up the corporate ladder and attempts to go it alone. |
| What other types of businesses are you frequently tempted by? Oh I often think about all kinds of businesses I'd like to run. I think my wife and I would like to run a Bed and Breakfast somewhere where I could offer aerial tours. I'd also like to possibly retire from technology at some point and start a flight school. |
| Are these times of crisis good for beginning a business? I think the best timing is whatever works for you personally in terms of the idea, the ability to finance it, or live without a steady income. It's all to easy too put it off and say tomorrow will be better. You just have to decide to go for it. |
| How important have PR and social media been for you? I think Social media is a great and inexpensive way to raise awareness of what your doing but as with any form of PR it can be hard to get your message heard above the noise. I think Blogging is a great tool but you have to write frequently and as with any aspect of business don't expect overnight results. |
| What would you call success? Where would you like your business to be five years from now? I think an acquisition within 5 years at a market multiple of revenues would be great. |
| What skills would you advise a want-to-be-entrepreneur to acquire? I think you should round out what ever areas you feel your weak in. For me that is definitely finance and accounting. The number one skill entrepreneurs need however is patience. All the companies you think had overnight success for the most part existed for years before you ever heard of them. Be patient, work hard, I mean really hard, and success will come eventually. |
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215 visits Whohub
Karl J. Treier
Cincinnati USA
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95720 interviews created
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