Amazon.com shut down today when runaway sales of my latest poetry collection, Singing Back The Darkness, overwhelmed the site. I wish. That statement–the first one–is a lie of course, which I might post very shortly on a new social platform startup called Got Fibs.
Got Fibs works like a Twitter for lies, where users can anonymously post fibs of all variety and then tell the truth without messy complications. What fun! And apparently we Americans have lots of little white lies and colossal whoppers to share. According to site statistics, the average person fibs 4 times a day or 88,000 times before turning 60 years old.
Founder of Got Fibs, Dave Everett, invited KillerStartups to his estate in Tuscany to tell us more about his startup. OK, so we didn’t meet in Italy. He did answer a few questions, though. And I’m pretty sure he was telling the truth.
How’d you come up with the name for your company?
I was sitting at a Bar and thought about how every person in the world has Fibs to share, thus everyone’s GotFibs.
What’s the very first thing you do at work everyday?
We have a good laugh at all the fibs that were told overnight.
How many people did you start the company with and how many people work for you now?
2, and now 8
Remember the early days starting up? Maybe you can share one anecdote that describe the struggle you went through?
Our biggest struggle was getting people to use the site. We didn’t know what it would be. Now that people are using it, it is taking shape just as predicted.
How do you handle frustration? When/how was the last time you dealt with frustration?
Everyday. We have concluded that is a part of life and we channel frustration into a challenge. We all love a good challenge. What’s your office environment like? Is it the kind of place where everyone is bumpin’ away to house music or is it more traditional? We have a virtual office, but we have multiple-group calls constantly throughout the day, so things are still bumping away. Our ad agency is great. We often visit them to brainstorm, and to come up with creative product and advertising ideas.
How do you picture your company in 5 years?
We don’t really know. The users will define the content and we will adjust the platform accordingly.
Who or what inspires YOU? Role models? Quotes? Running? Video games? Snack food?
Denis Crowley (on our Advisory Board) once said: “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got.” GotFibs runs on Dunkin’.
How’d you fund this venture? VC? Self-funding? Crowd-funded?
Self-funded with a small capital infusion from a Private Partner.
Got any great bootstrapping tips for the lean startups out there?
When you have a great idea, find people with the same motivations, mentality, sense of urgency, goals, and dedication. If you want to be a self-funded startup, have at least six months of salary saved up and choose your partners wisely.
What would you be doing if you had one year off and $500,000 to spend (and you couldn’t spend it on your current startup / projects)?
We would invest in other social media startups we could roll under our umbrella.
Do you consider yourself a successful entrepreneur right now? If not, what’s it gonna take to make you feel successful?
Yes, we have all launched great products in the past. Website you couldn’t live without and why? Weather.com. We are always headed to meetings and need to know when to carry an umbrella.
Mobile App you’re in love with and why?
Advanced Task Killer. It stretches our cell battery life during the day by killing many of the apps we don’t use.
Dogs or cats?
Fish!!
iOS or Android?
Our site is mobile friendly. We are constantly adding new features such as photo upload capability–look in the coming weeks for Android, and iOS to follow shortly thereafter.
Number 1 country you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t yet?
Germany. I hear they fib a lot over there.
What’s the greatest thing about your company/website/idea?
It allows people to share and create content (anonymously), provides a sense of freedom for all, and allocates a place where those 454 billion fibs per year being told in the United States can be channeled.
Where can our readers get a hold of you? Facebook? Twitter? Google+? Personal blog?
What do you wish I had asked you? Ask yourself and respond.
Question: Where do you see the company in three years? Answer: The internet leader and hub for fibs.
