Articol de: Olivia Vereha
You have built your company with the help of crowdfunding, a practice more and more exploited in all countries across Europe. What’s the secret in becoming the largest equity crowdfunded startup in UK?
Alex Stephany (CEO): To start with, you need a fantastic concept. JustPark is just that – like the crucial insight that lies behind any of today’s tech giants, it solves an everyday problem in a simple and elegant manner. That’s certainly a key reason why I joined the company in 2011 – JustPark provides an answer to an eternal urban problem, finding a new solution in the same way that Airbnb and Uber have in the hotel and taxi industries.
We wanted to do crowdfunding because it enabled us to involve our large and engaged community of users. Around half the people who invested in the round were existing JustPark customers, drivers who had used the service or property owners renting out their spaces. We wanted to offer our users the opportunity to share in the company’s success, because at the end of the day we wouldn’t be here without them. The response was overwhelming and an incredible accolade to the business.
The whole idea of JustPark is based on principles specific to the sharing economy. Please let your imagination a bit loose and tell us how do you see this sharing developing in the future.
Alex Stephany (CEO): In time, the sharing economy will grow to be pervasive across a wide range of industries – we’re only just at the beginning. Healthcare, education, insurance – even farming. There are barely any sectors that can’t be impacted and streamlined by the efficiencies of online marketplaces that allow people to bypass the big established players.
For more on what’s coming up next and the way that everyone can start saving and making money using the sharing economy, I’d recommend heading to my business book, The Business of Sharing, published earlier this year. It has a whole chapter telling consumers with no prior knowledge of the sharing economy about how they can cash out from these new opportunities.
Anthony Eskinazi (Founder): I have to say it’s one of the best business books I’ve read so do grab a copy. It’s also great to have an expert on the sharing economy as part of the management team.
Alex Stephany (CEO JustPark)
Alex Stephany (CEO): Thanks Anthony. Another thing I’d add is that peer-to-peer businesses are able to grow fast, but for them to become really big then the people providing services on them need to become as professional as any old-fashioned business. We are already seeing that on sites like Airbnb and JustPark, where property owners provide all sorts of additional services and take massive pride in their work – whether that’s replying to a message within minutes or washing a driver’s car when they’re on holiday – it all helps make life easier, cheaper and more fun. And that’s the sharing economy in a nutshell
As an entrepreneur, what is that one thing you wish you had known before you started off on your own?
Anthony Eskinazi (Founder): I wish I’d been aware how hard it is both physically and emotionally to start your own business. It’s a rollercoaster of ups and downs, successes and knockbacks, and there’s a constant fear that you are throwing years of your life away. There were times when I was at a very low ebb – exhausted, wondering whether I could get the business off the ground by myself.
However, through sheer determination and the support of friends and family, I was able to keep going. Eventually, I got the business to a stage where it could attract investment and I could start hiring a team. When Alex joined in 2011 as the first JustPark employee, it made a huge difference – with two minds on the case, we were able to make significantly more progress.
