Start-Up of the Week: ActivityLounge.com
Jul 22nd, 2008 by admin
Social networks… they’re cool, they’re fun… And they’re everywhere you look nowadays. The problem or should I say downside to most of these sites is that they’re very broad – based on the MySpace and Facebook concepts – behemoths that are hard to compete with. While the barriers are somewhat high from a competitive standpoint, there are all these niche opportunities waiting to be exploited. Well our featured start-up this week is all about niche exploits and building upon a great business concept. His name is Alex Teplitxky and he has discovered a huge gap in the social networking space (and one he intends to cover). Here’s more from Alex and his exciting start-up ActivityLounge.com:
What is ActivityLounge.com? How will it differ from sites such as Facebook and MySpace? Target audiences?
AT: ActivityLounge.com (AL) is a social network for outdoor, alternative and extreme sports enthusiasts. AL is not only for snowboarders, skydivers or kite surfers but also for hikers, climbers and backpacking gurus. In total we will have 38 activities to choose from. AL obviously differs from MySpace and Facebook in many ways, starting from the concept itself and the target audience, but also in terms of the structure of the platform. With AL, we are really focused on member interactions and event organization. Each activity we represent has its own “Lounge” where members (Loungers) will be able to interact either via the forum or one of a few additional modules such as the “ShoutOut” or the “Loungers looking to do something now” areas. ActivityLounge will also be a news source for everything outdoor and extreme, covering on our blog the most important events and happenings.
The final goal of AL is to be much more dynamic than Facebook and MySpace, so our members can log in and find things to do with other members at anytime, anywhere. Everything will be more obvious online. 
Where did you come up with the idea for ActivityLounge.com?
AT: I came up with the idea of ActivityLounge a couple of years ago (time flies) when I was living in San Diego. At the time I was finishing up classes toward my degree in International Business and all I could think about was going out surfing, climbing or riding my motorcycle in the hills after school. Most of the time, my friends were either at work or in class when I wanted to climb so I couldn’t go. I would end up riding to the beach and practice surfing (I’m really bad at it) by myself. At that point, I figured there should be a social network targeting people like me. I checked, there wasn’t anything close, so I decided to get a team together and do it ourselves!
Is this your first start-up? What other businesses have you operated or been involved with?
AT: Yes, ActivityLounge.com is my first start-up. The only other Internet related job I had was working as a French Quality Rater for Google. However, I’m not alone in this project and the people I am working with have a lot more experience than I do. Also, living in the Silicon Valley for a while felt like being part of a giant start-up anyway!
Have you always been entrepreneurial? Do you think an entrepreneur is born with a passion for business or is this something learned over time?
AT: I didn’t always realize I was entrepreneurial, but even as far back as elementary school my little friends were quick to label me the “businessman!” Today they’re still convinced I’m going to be a rich entrepreneur at some point. I hope they’re right! When I hear a good idea, I always think of business plan for it right away and try to figure out if the idea is financially viable. I always try to find ways to make things or situations better.
In my opinion, entrepreneurs are born with a passion for business. I believe it’s a particular personality trait that you have or don’t have. It’s about your level of risk aversion and the satisfaction that you get from creating your own project and seeing it grow from the sacrifices, efforts and time you put into it.
What advice or pointers can you give others looking to start or grow a business?
AT: I have a lot! But I guess my biggest advice would be: Don’t procrastinate! If you want to start a business and you believe in the concept: go for it, but never sleep on your laurels. Time flies and it’s always better to fail sooner than later. Those who are and have been truly successful work day and night! Forget about 40-hour weeks.
In terms of personal finances, I was told you should always have six months to a year of savings before you decide to fully commit to a project. Now I understand why! Being an entrepreneur means you will be working very hard, for a while, and make no money. So make sure you have what it takes to survive while you start or grow your business. If you start taking side projects or jobs, you will lose focus of your start-up and it’s likely not to be as successful.
Alex also points out that ActivityLounge.com will have some wiki-based elements, contained in the ActivGuide section. ActivGuide will enable users to share Travel Stories, Spots/Venues and Gear advice/tips. Initially AL will be invite-only as part of a private beta test. Having invite codes will also help Alex and his team track who is inviting the most people so that they can send them awesome thank-you gifts. The main page is currently down for programming, but will be up again soon. For those interested in being an alpha tester, Alex encourages you to contact him at alextep @ gmail.com (no spaces). Once beta testing and updating is complete, AL will be an open forum, moderated by some of the top athletes in the world as well as many outdoor/alternative and extreme sports enthusiasts. How cool is that?
My only question… what about cheerleading? It didn’t seem to make the list.
