“Social currency starts well before you have to cash [it] in.”
–Nick Barron
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Nick Barron, who is the co-founder of a company that I think has a great idea.
Flypt is a company that enables entrepreneurs to barter goods and services with each other. I know that when we founded OpenSource Connections, there were many times when we could have traded programming skills for other skills like web design, SEO, or even tax preparation because we were a) bootstrapped, and b) not fully busy in our infancy. Flypt looks to solve that problem and allow entrepreneurs to grow their books of business.
Recently, Nick was kind enough to do an interview session with me about Flypt, entrepreneurship, and how he ties it all in together in his personal life. The quality of the recording is a little wonky in a couple of places, but stick with it, as the hiccups only last for a couple of seconds. Blame Google+ Hangouts; don’t blame Nick!
In this interview, you’ll see:
- 0:45 – Learn more about the Flypt story
- 5:43 – How did he validate the market viability of Flypt
- 10:19 – How do you spread the word with the “big hitters?”
- 12:48 – Why shouldn’t you bomb your Facebook list and friends and family about your startup?
- 14:23 – The entrepreneur’s dilemma: how do you put food on the table?
- 18:34 – How do you keep from burning out?
- 22:45 – How do you keep going when there’s a day when you don’t get a customer?
- 27:45 – How to have the conversation about entrepreneurship’s requirements with your spouse/partner?
- 32:35 – Surviving the “I wish I had a mulligan moment” (including a potential trademark issue)
- 37:10 – What’s the one piece of advice he has for aspiring entrepreneurs
Bonus: Watch the entire video to learn about the “Flypt blow fund”
Without further ado, the interview is below!
To read about what happened to Nick next, click here.
What did you think of the interview? Let me know in the comments below!
As a follow up, Nick founded Limbertwig, which led him to a job at Fannie Mae. We wish him the best of luck in his endeavors!