Interview with Alicia

In this first post, lets meet Alicia Navarro, the founder of Skimbit. Without making you all wait any longer, here is the email conversation that we had.

Tell us about your failed Google interview  and the reason behind the startup

I had come up with the idea for Skimbit many years ago, years before the Web 2.0 boom began, when I imagined what  might solve the problems I encountered when I organised group holidays or researched the purchase of a TV. However, I didn’t see how it could ever be a business, so I let the idea lie dormant. I knew I wanted to start a business, and tried lots of things, with little success. I had been living in London for many years, and then decided to return to Sydney to spend time with my family. My solemn vow to myself was that I would never work as an employee again, so I did some contract work while working out what I wanted to do. Then I got an offer to apply for a Product Manager job with Google. It sounded like an amazing job, and to work for Google would have been undeniably fun. But it was counter to my vow.

What was I to do?
I decided to try out for it anyway, so thus went through the series of interviews… Five in total over many weeks. I was still doubtful as to whether I wanted the job, but persevered. In the final interview, amongst other things I was asked to come up with a product idea and explain how you would develop its functionality. I spontaneously decided to describe this idea I had had, and spoke passionately about it. However, I didn’t have the job, and a big part of me was so relieved. It hit me that what I had described during the interview was a brilliant idea, and I truly believed it, and darn it, I was going to give it a go! And that was the start of  Skimbit!

How do you categorize skimbit?

I have been calling Skimbit a ’social decision-making tool’, by which I mean the ability to research and make decisions, with the help of others. I appreciate this is not a commonly used term yet, so sometimes I describe Skimbit as a combination of social shopping and social bookmarking.

Any news on funding/new customers?

I have been seeking funding now for about a month and a half, and its been going really well. The challenge is of course its a new concept, so I’m having to prove the concept as well as myself, which is hard, particularly as I don’t have a business partner. But the feedback has been positive, and am hoping to close this funding round shortly.

Any happy moments to share?

Despite the challenges, this experience has been the most satisfying and exciting of my life. Highlights include being selected for Mashable’s top Social Shopping sites, being selected for WebMission 08, and meeting incredible and smart people who have been so helpful and supportive.

Share a mistake that has costed a lot to Skimbit?

Goodness, so many! Being an entrepreneur is about taking risks, and being prepared and strong enough to cope with the repercussions. I think if I could turn back time, I would have definitely gotten a business partner, doing it on my own has been SO hard. I also have made emotional decisions when it comes to staffing, which perhaps I should not have made. But you know, you can’t look back and have regrets, you just have to accept these are the conditions with which you have to work and succeed.

Current team structure at Skimbit?

Currently it is me here in London, and my developers in Romania. I have also got a Finance Director here in London who advises and helps me, and an Online Marketing Director who has just joined to help bring traffic and drive revenue to the site. I have also hired an Operations Manager who will be starting in May, and will be hiring a developer, product manager, and marketing manager shortly.

How easy/difficult to run a startup and hire people here in the UK?

I think its easier than in other places (ie. Australia where I started Skimbit), as there is a real community, and an infrastructure that can support entrepreneurs, and a large pool of potential employees. However, its not a cheap place to start a business, so you have to really leverage the strengths of your environment to counter the disadvantages. I imagine it would be better in Silicon Valley, but I am passionate about building London to be as inviting and appealing a base for entrepreneurs.

Any advice for first time entrepreneurs?

Network your little heart out – there are so many people out there keen to help and give you advice, and so much to learn. You cannot assume you know it all – there is just so much to learn, and so much potential to improve. And surround yourself with loving and supportive friends/family, because you WILL have downtimes, and its so tempting to give up, and it is often your friends love and support that helps keep you motivated.

Future direction of skimbit? like upcoming features etc?

We have a very exciting roadmap of features. We want to make it easier to skim pages, give more variety of ways to add skimbits, to view your project page, and more ways to collaborate over decisions.

Thanks Alicia for this exciting interview. On behalf of our readers, we wish your startup All the very Best!

Readers if you have any questions for Alicia or about Skimbit, use the comments section below to post your queries.