I did an Interview for IndyBizShow.com, a new business site focused on independent entrepreneurs. It’s created by Sean Saulsbury, the co-founder of BoxOfficeMojo.com. I talked about - what else - Rotten Tomatoes and briefly about Wopular.com. Although some of the stuff about the site's beginnings have been discussed by me in previous interviews, there are a decent amount of new material here - like why the site was called Rotten Tomatoes instead of Fresh Tomatoes. It's a 36 minute podcast, and is by far the most comprehensive interview I've given to date.
After listening to the entire podcast, here are some notes:
1. The revenue numbers I gave on the interview were kinda fuzzy. The gist was that before the dotcom bust, we were able to support a company of 25-30 people, but afterwards we were barely able to support a couple. We had a welfare check in the form of an ad deal we did with MySimon (owned by CNet). That ad deal paid the bills until it expired a couple months after the dotcom crash.
2. I was recovering from a cold and was trying my best not to cough.
3. I meant telecommuting, not telemarketing and Episode I, not Episode IV.
4. I'm not the most articulate person, beginning each sentence with "And ... pretty much ..." and used the phrase "do it" often, but I’m glad that Sean is a great interviewer.
All in all, I have the charisma of a wall - with my low, monotonal, soft-spoken voice that sounds kinda like a mix of Ray Romano and Arnold Schwarzenegger with a Chinese accent. If you ever wonder what that sounds like, head on over. Hopefully, if you’re starting or thinking about starting an internet business, you’ll find the interview helpful.
