Title: Founder, Red Cup Media, www.redcupmedia.com
Industry: Internet
Type of company: Online media network
Year founded: 2008
Location: Tucson, Arizona’s great portal to the Internet
Number of employees: 6, all college students
1. What is the startup story behind your newest business venture?
Red Cup Media is just one big snowball that keeps growing. It all begin with a small sports blog that started up over the summer, TheSportsCulture.com. My buddy Lance and I loved talking about the off-beat side of sports, and others enjoyed listening. So, in tern, we decided beginning a sports blog just to share satirical stories and funny videos that would attract readers not for its topic, but for the originality and uniqueness. Nobody logs onto The Sports Culture.com for hard sports news, that’s why there are sites like ESPN.com and CBSSports.com. But rather, we strive to deliver the most obscure angles to the daily sports cycle.
As a result, I thought if two college kids could write about something they loved and potentially made a few bucks during the process, why do we have to be limited to sports? As a college journalist myself, I’m extremely familiar with college newspapers and the level of journalistic excellence that some students can develop on their respective staffs. I first sent out a listserv message to the nation’s top 10 most prestigious journalism schools, giving students the opportunity to start a blog in their favorite niche while earning 100% of their network advertising revenues. That got me an excellent alcohol blogger, Alex of TheBoozeBuzz.com, and music blogger, Chris of TunesLevel.com. Since then, we’ve added a sex columnist, Di of CollegeAndSex.com, and received freelance content for TheManLog.com, a blog for guys.
It’s been an never-ending expansion process that has just suddenly began to reach fruition. Our newest property, HottestCollegeinAmerica.com, is a completely user-based interactive reality search for the sexiest campus in our nation. The feedback has just been immensely supportive.
2. What is your definition of success and has your company achieved it?
We’ve been successful, but I’m not sure anybody can pinpoint what “success” means in today’s continuously evolving blogging frontier. As a big sports guy, I really take more of a coaching role in my organization, guiding the writers to better content and providing steps in the right direction in terms of their blog and content. I believe in the whole one-day-at-a-time approach, and although there isn’t a “championship” in blogging, there are still benchmarks that show general progress. I’ll admit, I’m obsessed with our visitor statistics each and every day, but those numbers don’t directly reflect the amount of effort we put into our Web sites. Consistency is a term that I continuously drill into our bloggers (probably a little too much) because that’s a trend that will pay off huge over a long period of time. Like all small businesses, nothing instantly becomes “successful” overnight.
At this point, I consider success in blogging is based on establishment and recognition. In terms of revenue, that’s the ensuing affect of great establishment. Advertising will take care of itself if the content is good enough. (That, of course, barring the recession.)
3. To what do you attribute your company’s recent achievements?
Our writers have done an excellent job making the transition from print to online. Nobody began with extensive blogging experience, nor completely understood the differences between newspaper articles and blog posts. It’s still a work in progress, but like I said before, it’s their consistency that will win over their target audience, and in tern, target advertisers clients.
Personally, I’ve been the “glue guy” in this whole expansion process, ensuring that the designs, network advertisements, writers and public relations are all on the same page — literally. It’s the constant 24-hour BlackBerry connection that probably has become an unhealthy addiction.
4. How important have good employees and team members been to your success?
From the first day I started this, I told Lance that being surrounded by good people is the biggest key to success. Sure, we’ve had someone flop and completely drop out, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that moving forward can only be done with good people in the organization. I feel like, at this point, I have great surroundings that I’m very comfortable to work with.
5. What three pieces of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
1) Follow your heart — Entrepreneurship is something you’re born with. And even if you’re born with it, you need to be proactive and aggressive. Nothing is just going to come to you wrapped in a gift box. Be patient and don’t expect to blossom as this superpower Donald Trump overnight. It takes an immense amount of hard work to start up a business. But then again, if you’re born with the passion and entrepreneur mindset, then it shouldn’t be a problem, therefore these three tips are almost meaningless because you’ll strive to meet your goals regardless of what I say 
.
2) Don’t do it for the money — Sure, none of this is charity work; everybody’s time has value to it. But entrepreneurs can’t immediately judge success based on revenue or profits. There needs to be another integer that measures your progress. Never should a lack of income drastically affect how a startup operates if a solid business plan is in place.
3) Don’t be afraid to take risks — Again, this is couldn’t be more of an understatement for entrepreneurs. And again, if you’re born an entrepreneur, then this should be second nature.
6. What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
An online-based company has many benefits, including relatively inexpensive startup costs. We’ve had a blogger quit already, so that domain name and design went down the tube. That’s completely my fault, just because it was a bad hire and didn’t have the instincts that I have now when spotting potential blogging talent. A lot of mistakes like mine happen to everyone, and that just comes with a lack of experience. I’ve learned different trends and personalities to look for in bloggers that equates to a good formula. That was the biggest factor, along with the over-eagerness to expand. Yes, there is such thing as growing too quickly, so always be cautions about that and only expand when needed.
As I mentioned early, I love being a coaching figure. And just like college coaches, I’ll learn to recruit better over time.
7. Describe/outline your typical day?
Well as a college student, my typical day often begins 10 minutes before my first class of the day. After rolling out of bed and attending classes, I’ll chip away throughout the afternoon at whatever needs to be done. I bring my laptop to all classes, so often times I get to monitor everything in Red Cup Media and keeping tabs in lecture halls. I’m also a youth basketball coach in the city, so that gives me a great outlet to do something else I truly love — coaching young kids. See a trend?
Between homework and a social life, I keep busy to say the least.
8. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it?
That came from the good ‘ole personal checking account. I look at it as an investment, just like the investment I’m making in my education. Except out-of-state tuition really sucks.
9. What stops you from throwing in the towel and giving up during those frustrating days of running your business?
There’s been frustrating instances in getting everybody on the same page, but nothing drastic enough to think about quitting. Other than the strenuous struggle to balance academics and work, there really haven’t been obstacles inside the company, and I certainly attribute that to surrounding myself with good people. I could definitely see that being a different story if I didn’t have reliable people.
10. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
You need to be born with the entrepreneur gene. And luck. A lot of it.
11. Who has influenced you most and been your greatest inspiration?
Believe it or not, Nik Richie from TheDirty.com has been an interesting story that I’ve followed. Here’s a guy who started a simple blog about the Scottsdale nightlife. He’s someone who wanted to share a few laughs and keep his day job light hearted with satirical commentary. His quickly growing reality paparazzi-style blog, in which he dubbed the world’s first reality blogger, expanded to students at the University of Arizona and ASU, becoming wildly popular through negative press and publicity. He’s executed the ideal process of expanding at the appropriate lengths and handling an incredibly critical national media. His simple idea became the first of its niche, giving him the originality. His content became viral, giving him the marketing. It’s the ideal combination that he has turned into profits, and just goes to show that truly anybody can make it work with a great idea and natural instincts. I’ve followed his site since it was called DirtyScottsdale.com, and look forward to how he is going to develop.
12. What book has inspired you the most?
Not really a big book reader, but I’m open to recommendations. Suggestions, anybody?
13. How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Now that’s the million-dollar question. I’ve partnered up with a college buddy of mine who just graduated with a degree in public relations. Now that we’ve established ourself as a reliable source for content and entertainment, it’s now our time to execute our marketing plans. Setting up a business is all a step-by-step process, and we’ve reached the point that relies on an aggressive marketing plan and connections.
Because our company is so unique (content for college students by college students) we anticipate a good amount of press coverage from college newspapers, especially with the connections that we have. From there, we’ll reassess what needs to be done.
14. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Rewarding.
15. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
I love some of the things that Gawker Media is doing. After explaining Red Cup Media to another entrepreneur, he said, “Oh, so you’re basically a college version of Gawker?” I’d say that’s a pretty big compliment, and certainly a great company to model after.
16. How do you achieve balance in your life? Or do you?
I’ve always kept a full plate of activities since high school, when I played sports all year round. So time management has been an evolving trait that I’ve learned to utilize better and better. As for achieving balance, I’m still a typical college student that attends class and goes out on weekends. Unlike some up-and-coming entrepreneurs, I don’t have a wife and kids to support, or full-time job that engulfs 40 hours per week. Relatively, college students don’t have anything like that to lose, so I feel like this is the perfect time to begin that awkward growing period that takes up ridiculous hours. And like a college student, I’m pretty much best friends with all-nighters and the sunrise.
17. Where do you see yourself and your business in 5 years? 10 years?
Every entertainment company aspires to locate to L.A. I’d love to open an office in southern California and promote our sites through promotional events and parties. But seriously, I have no clue what the future of the internet entails.
18. What’s your exit strategy?
Exit strategy? I’m not going anywhere.
19. If we could introduce you to anyone, who would it be and why? (you never know who we know!)
Nick Denton and Mark Cuban.
Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book:Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.
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