Robert Falk , 24, RAD Reality.com
What motivated you to start your own business?
I honestly don't know. When I was 8 years old I started having future dreams and goals and they all involved owning a business. A lot of my family are business owners as well as a lot of people around me growing up were entrepreneurial. So it might of just been a type of lifestyle that got ingrained into my head.
Would you mind giving us an introduction to your business?
RAD Reality is an online success forum focused on providing information from qualified experts to help you live more successfully in all areas of life.
How did you come up with the idea for RAD Reality?
Back when I was a senior in high school I was also taking business classes at a local college. I had started my first business when I was 15, so I had a little bit of experience already. I soon realized that I wasn't learning what I needed/wanted to learn in these business classes. I also realized that there are a lot of opinions out there about the best way to get educated. I decided that I wanted to make an attempt to help people gain the knowledge that is needed to reach their goals. After 3 years of development, then business was officially started, then went through a couple years of trial and error testing the market to end up in its current state early in 2007.
So you started your first business at 15? Was that business similar to the one you're running today?
It was completely different. It was actually a car audio company. I spent time learning the industry, products, and installation; and then sold to other high school students and their parents.
Most entrepreneurs are driven by something. What inspires you to make cash?
I look at money as a tool. The only value money has comes when it is being used. I have a passion for helping others. That's why I started my current business, and I also enjoy helping various projects in third world countries.
You've set up a community on your website. How do you keep members involved in your company and attract new visitors into your community?
Relevant quality content. The key is to be able to offer the website visitors (or "customers") something they feel is worth their time to read. If its good enough, they will tell others. I always try to get feedback from people. That's why RAD Reality has gone through developmental changes for about 6 years to get to where it is currently. I wasn't happy with the feedback from website visitors until early in 2007.
Moderating a forum seems like a tough job. How do you manage to keep up your school work and your business at the same time?
Well, I have been out of school for a while now. But I do manage other business ventures which take up some of my time. A lot of it has to do with how you engineer a company to run. There are certain things I have done that minimize the spam and unwanted content on the forum, so a lot of my time isn't wasted on things like that.
How does RAD Reality differentiate itself from other businesses that provide similar services?
There are a decent amount of competitors for RAD, but it continues to stand out from the rest because most of its content is from qualified experts who have credentials.
Your business seems like its off on a good start. What are your future plans?
Well the business has a long way till it reaches the point I want it to be at, but that just takes time. Some of my future plans involve developing more ways to reach people to help them get the knowledge they need to reach their goals. One dream I have is getting into high schools and being involved with their business classes.
What tips can you offer to aspiring young entrepreneurs?
Just do it. A lot of people have a lot of ideas, but never act on them. Keep your day job and have a backup plan to pay the bills; but if you are truly want to own a business, then spend every minute you can gaining knowledge, learning from others, and developing your own ideas.
There you have it! Words of advice from a real business owner.
Check out Robert's site: RAD Reality