Zaang
Name of business:Zaang, LLC – www.zaang.com
Mission: To create a community where users are rewarded for sharing quality content.
Began: 2007
Where: Online
Founders: Mike Markarian (mike@zaang.com), Alex Kravets (alex@zaang.com) and Dave Chenell (dave@zaang.com)
How The Idea Began: We began as an electronics retailer offering special deals for college students. We realized we needed to build a community to keep users coming back, and that instant marked the beginning of something special.
Initial Preparation to Germinate Idea: A full year of creating, reorganizing and rebuilding a simple concept
Favorite Thing about the Business: The thrill of creating something that will help others in all facets of life.
Biggest Challenge: Anticipating where online advertising is going, and getting there before everyone else does.
Lesson Learned: The dialogue you should be most concerned with is the one you have with yourself — limits are created internally. You start thinking bigger, your passion grows exponentially, and you get this amazing feeling that something really special is about to happen.