“He who attracts luck carries with him the magnet of preparation” – William Ward
Name: Jonny Simkin
Age: 22
What exactly do you do for a living? Co-Founder and CEO of SwoopThat, LLC
What state do you represent? California
Did you go to college? Where? Harvey Mudd College
What did you study there? Engineering with an Economics Concentration
Why on earth did you choose this career path and how did you get involved in it?
Haha, I hated buying books – you get ripped off and it’s really time consuming. So, we decided to create a new way to semi-automate book purchasing that guarantees you the lowest possible price and saves you a ton of time.
What are your future plans for your career? Continue to grow SwoopThat nationally.
What are in love with about this profession? What are you not so in love with?
I am so happy that I started SwoopThat. I’ve learned more than I ever thought I could, and even though it requires hard work and long hours, it’s more rewarding than anything I’ve ever done. There really aren’t too many things that I dislike.
Give us an example of a day in the life of you doing what you do?
Up until now, we’ve been really focusing on creating software that helps students buy and sell textbooks in a faster and cheaper way than they ever could. A typical day involves management over the coding and direction of the site, user testing, phone calls for business development opportunities, etc.
As of late, we’re gearing up for our first round of funding. I now have to focus more on the financial plan, business plan, investor pitch, etc…all the boring stuff. I can’t wait to get back into the game managing the direction of the company!
What steps do you recommend to someone who is planning to pursue this career?
Start a company because you love it, not to make money. You’re going to be working hard and it will take time before you can become cash flow positive. If you don’t love your idea, or you’re not 100% dedicated to it, don’t start the company.
What is the single-most important piece of advice you can offer a person pursuing this career?
Don’t start a business for money, start it because you have the ability to solve a “need.” The money will follow.
What is the best piece of advice you have received? Learn accounting.
What can we look forward to seeing from you next?
We’re going to be introducing some really exciting new features into SwoopThat in the coming months. I can’t disclose what they are quite yet, but check the site often as I’m really excited about the impact they’ll have towards helping college students save time and money when buying/selling books.
What professional or community volunteer organizations are you currently a member of? San Diego’s CONNECT Springboard Entrepreneurial Network
What’s a funny or significant memory from your college or high school days you are legally allowed to share?
The bookstore threatening to have campus safety kick us off campus because we were hurting their sales too much. They’re not used to competition.
What book are you reading right now? Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan
What’s playing in your MP3 player right now?
Probably Guster or the soundtrack from Tron Legacy
Where can we stalk you online? Haha, I’m nowhere to be found!
Facebook Fanpage http://www.facebook.com/SwoopThat
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SwoopThat
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/swoopthat-llc
Website: http://www.swoopthat.com/
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