Category Archives: Ecommerce
Entrepreneur Ira Zoot – Founder of Ticketstub.com
What I have come to know in 46 years: – Have a friend with a pool – Have a friend with a boat – Have a friend that can get good tickets! Meet my friend Ira from Ticketstub.com Entrepreneur Ira Zoot – Founder of Ticketstub.com The ticket industry looks pretty straightforward from the outside looking in, but spend some time trying to navigate the inner sanctum as you write your business plan and you may decide that sitting in a 6 by 8 cubicle at corporate headquarters ain’t so bad after all… But Ira Zoot has managed not only to learn the infrastructure of this enormous industry, but also to thrive with his website Ticketstub.com. If you’ve looked into purchasing tickets online in the past few years (who hasn’t?), chances are you have been a visitor on Ira’s website. MO: Ira, you have carved out an online business in a complicated and highly competitive space. What attracted you to the niche and how did you “cut your teeth” in the business? What year are we talking about and how old were you at the time (if you don’t mind sharing :))? Did you learn the ropes in an offline business first and then bring that experience to begin selling online, or did you go online right out of the gate? Ira Zoot: Mo … where to start? Well, I got my first domain in late ’95 . . . Zoot.com. I wish I had some idea of where domain names were going to go. But it was for my photo/design/Illustration business that I registered it. That and hey, it’s my last name. I started “collecting domains” in ’98 when a friend of mine who was doing it turned me on to the “game.” It was amazing how quickly I got [...]
Entrepreneur Raymond Troy – The Nuclear Entrepreneur
When meeting a group of business minded people for the first time, you often get a sense of who in the group might have that super heated passion to launch, thrive, and succeed in business. I got that impression very quickly from Ray when listening to him at an entrepreneurs meet-up here in Columbia, MO. Only later did I discover he had a Masters Degree in Nuclear Engineering and he was starting his PhD program at Mizzou. I’m not really sure what Nuclear Engineering is, but it seemed a good match with someone of Ray’s energy and drive. His website NineAPair.com is one among several opportunities he is pursuing, so I expect him to be a repeat interview as his ventures take shape.
Brian Benko: Backbay Ventures
The web makes it easy for everyone. Nobody, for the most part, gets preferential treatment. We are all given free access to powerful tools, and we can work with anyone on the planet to build the next best thing. I really got started in 1998. Not too early and not too late. What 12 years will provide is a little bit of wisdom and a priceless rolodex.
