Dinesh Ravishanker, CEO and co-Founder of CallFire

Three weeks ago, Dinesh Ravishanker, the 29 year-old co-Founder and CEO of tech startup CallFire, spent close to an hour explaining to me the intricate details and benefits of cloud telephony.  Don’t tell him, but, aside from my notes, all I really remember about the conversation was that he was a very sweet, very nice guy with a dog.  One who didn’t bat an eye at a lengthy explanation of a communications service he is obviously passionate about (to someone whose passion is anything but technology).

I do remember that cloud telephony services offered by CallFire can pinpoint which marketing efforts are working and which ones are costing you by providing a near-limitless amount of trackable phone numbers. The no-lag connection created by CallFire’s human answering machine detection is superior to automated detection systems (the ones that cause the dreaded “dead air” sound the second before a telemarketer comes on the line). And since the term “cloud” refers to on-demand technology, you only pay for what you use.

Most importantly, the Jack Russell’s name is Lucky.  See, Dinesh? I was listening, after all

1. Can you give us a quick explanation of cloud telephony and how CallFire works?
CallFire provides creative telephone solutions for nonprofits & businesses on a pay-as-you-go basis.  For example, CallFire was recently used by NoOnProp8 (case study) to enable over 10,000 volunteers to work from home to help increase gay-rights awareness.  We’re also used by businesses to automate collections phone calls and by governments to deploy emergency broadcasts during natural disasters.  Our team developed CallFire’s platform to reliably handle several thousand inbound & outbound telephone calls simultaneously.

2.  How much of your day is spent explaining how CallFire works, and does it ever get tiring?
<lol> Much of my time is spent as a proxy between partners, customers & our development team.  Inevitably, 80-90% of my time is spent explaining CallFire’s value prop!  Thankfully we have a diverse, energetic team that pretty good at explaining CallFire’s services.  This means account managers, developers & support staff talk directly to all of our customers… and when the going gets tough we help each other out by picking up the slack.

3.  What is the key to marketing a technology that so few people understand?
We take a very simple approach to marketing by defining our audience for each marketing campaign first.  Then we tailor creative messages that convey our value proposition to that specific audience.  In the SAAS (Software-As-As-Service) world constant product innovation, coupled with easy-to-use interfaces, also helps to keep customers coming back.

4. As someone who has spent his adult life focused on technology, do you find it hard to unplug at the end of the day?
When business took off in 2007, my partners and I learned how to force ourselves to “unplug.”   My recent diversions include mixed-martial-arts and developing explosive marketing models! I also enjoy finding unique places to eat in LA, hiking in Santa Monica, cooking healthy and teaching our mascot new tricks!  (Photo features Lucky, CallFire’s mascot)

5.  Would you rather date someone who shares your understanding of technology, or someone who can distract you from it?
Distractions never hurt, but tech-savvy women are definitely a turn-on.

6. At what age did you decide you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

My partners and I have always been highly entrepreneurial.  Our interest in developing a cloud services company grew while learning Computer Science at UC Irvine.  We were only 19!

7. What do you enjoy most about owning your own business?

I’m fortunate to work with talented friends and that I’m able to help nonprofits like MoveOn.org (case study) & NoOnProp8 achieve their goals.  It’s also very fulfilling to help SMBs succeed (case study) in such challenging economic environments.  Our dev team mans a 24×7 operation, sustaining telephone connectivity for over 14,000 small businesses around the clock.  It’s a huge engineering undertaking, but we enjoy & thrive on delivering ambitious projects that help other businesses grow.

8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
My partners and I share a strong interest in education, technology & philanthropy.  I suspect we will venture into related fields, perhaps in fewer than 10 years.  For now our team is focused on building communications tools that businesses love, forging key industry partnerships and acquiring financing to accelerate our growth.   CallFire has sustained over 3 years of profitability, impressive year-over-year growth and revenues into the millions.   The organization can grow even faster with the help of reputable VCs or strategic partners that have significant telecom experience.   It would be great to work with a firm like Khosla Ventures or OpenView Partners.

Dinesh’s Bio:

Dinesh Ravishanker is 29 years old and lives in West Los Angeles, CA.  He serves as the CEO of CallFire, an innovative cloud telephony company comprised of an aggressive team of entrepreneurs and techies.  Dinesh is a recognized authority on creative telephony for nonprofits, call centers & the enterprise.   He earned his B.S. in Computer Science and an MBA from UC Irvine.

Connect with Dinesh on LinkedIn or Facebook HERE!

original publish date 9/15/2009

Serial Entrepeneur Brad Peterson

Do you ever wonder how some people come up with one great business idea after another? For Denver based serial entrepreneur Brad Peterson, new ideas don’t just come easy. They come right on time.

With jobless rates soaring across the country, Brad rode the recession’s silver lining to launch the brand new (and perfectly timed) iPhone application Audio Job Interview. With one download and a few good answers, potential employees get noticed by self-recording answers to common interview questions and then attaching the corresponding urls to their resumes. Confused? Scroll down and play the quick video below before reading on as Brad explains putting good ideas to use through even better execution.

Waiting to her Brad’s newest idea? Don’t worry, his next launch is only weeks away.

1. Your timing couldn’t be better. Which came first, the idea for Audio Job Interview or the recession?

Audio Job Interview, the timing was mostly fortuitous. Contrary to what one might believe the recession is not necessarily all good news for our product though. Sadly, we have found that a lot of job seekers have given up and are waiting on the sidelines to hopefully ride the recession out. We anticipate an upswing in the user downloads side once a recovery starts to feels tangible for beleaguered job seekers.

2. Who is the competition and what makes your application better?

Video interviewing is becoming more used and it’s just a matter of time before we see the technology niche-embraced in the mobile device realm. One of the shortcomings of video is that it’s not very candidate friendly. People are not always comfortable “on camera” and the effort required to make a video of acceptable quality is challenging. An Audio Interview is far easier to record, far more candidate friendly, and there is no chance for a “looks” bias to factor into the hiring equation, which HR departments must be very sensitive to.

3. What tips would you offer job seekers looking to make the most of Audio Job Interview? Any success stories?

Be confident, believe in the product and do not give up! One candidate re-applied to the same jobs she had been rejected for just weeks prior to trying Audio Job Interview. She re-applied but this time attached to her resume the URL link of her interview created on her iPhone. It got her two face to face interviews and both employers mentioned that they had never seen this technological platform used before. They were impressed and they appreciated the effort and originality.

4. What kind of feedback have you received post-launch?

Several venture capitalists have approached us to buy the technology and three rather large firms specializing in the staffing and hiring industry are interested in white labeling the product post-haste.

5. Audio Job Interview wasn’t your first entrepreneurial venture. Tell us about Wediting and any lessons learned.

Wediting, which I later sold to one of the editing artists who ran the company, specialized in outsourcing photography work flow and retouching for wedding photographers nationally. I learned that no matter how good an “idea” was or how marketable it appeared to be, at the end of the day it’s not what your business does but the people that run it that determine success. It’s best to think of businesses as people not ideas. I believe that any viable business can succeed so long as the right people are chosen to run it. Luckily, I was blessed to have such great people involved in this project.

6. Have you ever had a “real” job?

I was a construction laborer while I was in college. I enjoyed the physical labor but realized that no matter how hard I worked I was not in charge of my own destiny- I was simply earning a fair wage, not earning a living. Earning a living to me means balancing your life with work and enjoying what it is that puts bread on your table.

7. Describe the person who would best complement both your life and your business.

At times I have this naïve notion that I can’t fail so long as I try my hardest and surround myself with good people…which of course is a bit reckless and perhaps cocky. Any person who would ground me and remind that I can, and have many times, failed, would be both helpful and complementary. Luckily I have had girlfriends who were happy to do so!

10. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I hope that my life’s path allows me to continue pursuing creative entrepreneurial projects that inspire me to get out of bed in the morning and still pay my mortgages!

Brad’s Bio:

Bradford Peterson was once told by a business professor that all business idea’s had been thought of already- nothing is truly original. The professor said, “The difference, as to whether or not those idea’s came to be a success, had to do with people, not so much the ideas.” This resonated in Brad’s mind and became a cornerstone of belief in his pursuit of business endeavors. Rather than focusing on the idea behind a business concept, he chooses to place more emphasis on the people element. Business ideas are a dime a dozen, personnel who run the idea are not, he believes. To date Bradford has owned Forthright Auto Net, a classic car sales and marketing business, Wediting, an outsource workflow solution for wedding photographers, Imagetek, a youth sports photography company and two iPhone applications, Audio Job interview and iGiveway his latest app, which will hit the iTunes store within the month. When not surrounding himself with projects and people he considers to be smarter and more creative than himself, he enjoys kayaking, photography, fly-fishing, classic muscle cars, dating and yard work.

Want to connect with Brad? Follow him on Facebook!

Josh Bob of Textaurant

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I posted a message on Facebook and gave a random interview to the first single entrepreneur who called me via Skype.

(Are you part of our Facebook party?)

Unfortunately, video wasn’t set up on Josh’s end, but a great interview nonetheless. Thanks, Josh!

Want to connect with Josh? Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or check out the Textaurant website!

Derek Johnson, CEO of Tatango

Derek Johnson was suspended in the third grade for selling candy at school.  But that was 9 businesses ago, and at only 24 Derek is now the Social Media-friendly, always accessible, CEO of text-messaging service Tatango. How accessible?  He posts his personal cell phone number online and has video cameras streaming live from his office.  And if you look like Derek, that’s a pretty decent marketing plan.

1. What is Tatango and how does it work?

Tatango is a company I started while in college that simply put, offers group text messaging.  Tatango allows any group to collect, manage and text message all of their group members from both a computer and mobile phone.  We have all types of groups using the service, like athletic teams, religious organizations and businesses.  Any type of group that would like to get a message out to their members in a fast, efficient manner can benefit from using Tatango.

2. You say you didn’t get good grades in school (I don’t believe you).  What about your personality makes you so such a successful business person?

Yea, I was a horrible student.  I wasn’t even able to get into the business school at the University I attended.  I think education plays a big part in being a successful entrepreneur, but what has always separated me from others is the “hustle”.  In the end, it really comes down to who wants it the most. I really want it.

3. At 24, you have already started a handful of businesses.   Do you think you would ever have the attention span to commit to someone for more than a few months?

Yea, I’ve been known to have a pretty short attention span, in both business and my dating life.  With how crazy my life is right now, I think someone would really have to impress me to even try and hold my attention.  I think it’s possible though.  If you’re up for the challenge, here’s my cell phone number 206.334.4012.

4. Do you ever feel like you’re better than other guys your age?

No, not at all.  I think everyone excels at his or her own things, mine happens to be business.

5. You took a rare day off recently to attend a friend’s bachelor party. Do you feel like you’re missing out on your youth by spending so much time working on your business?

Yes, there is no doubt about it that I’ve missed out on certain parts of my youth by focusing so much on my business ventures.  I feel though, if you really want something, there are going to be tradeoffs.

6. You’re looking to date women in their early twenties, but seem to feel they aren’t as motivated.  Why don’t you just date older women?  I’m motivated.

I would be down to date an older woman.  If you’re ever in the Seattle area, be sure to look me up.  In regards to the first part of the question, I wouldn’t say “motivated” is the right word.  Most of the girls that are in their early twenties are just finishing up college and their lifestyles, goals, availability, etc. are just different than mine, which makes it very hard to get on the same page with someone.

7. I get the feeling you are doing well financially.  Are you afraid of women who may look at you and see dollar signs?

A lot of people have the misconception that just because I started my own company, I am set financially.  This is very far from the truth, as the majority of what I have is tied up in the company.  I still get those types of girls approaching me though, but it’s very easy to see their intentions.

8. Has being a single entrepreneur helped you or hurt you in your business and why?

The biggest benefit to being a single entrepreneur has been the ability for me to focus 100% on the business.

9. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Being the CEO of an internet startup, but things change so fast, and I really only plan a couple of weeks in advance.  10 years, who knows really?

Derek’s Bio

Derek Johnson is the 24 year old CEO of internet startup, Tatango.com. A dropout of the University of Houston Entrepreneurial program, Derek has raised half a million dollars in investments for the company from private investors and the Bellingham Angel Group. As any entrepreneur will tell you, launching a company is hard work. Derek, a self proclaimed workaholic puts in 100+ hour workweeks to fulfill his vision of Tatango. Derek and the Tatango.com team have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, Mashable, TechCrunch, PC World, LifeHacker and other national publications.

Want to connect with Derek?  Follow him on Twitter and Facebook!