While Bros hold down jobs of all types, there is no career aspiration more common among us than the prospect of becoming a successful entrepreneur. What Bro hasn't had an idea for a new business and dreamed of making it big -- and yes, striking it rich? And so, every week, BroBible picks the mind of a successful Bro entrepreneur and discovers what it takes to turn a simple idea into a thriving business. You've recently TOMS shoes founder Blake Mycoskie, sports agent Doug Eldridge, Hollywood agent Ben Press, Tanteo Tequila founder Jonathan Rojewski, Bonobos co-founder Brian Spaly, 30 Words co-founder Andrew Kitchell, and GearRx founder Jeffrey Pandolfino.
Up next is Adam Sachs, the co-founder with fellow Northwestern grad Dan Osit of Ignighter.com, a website that facilitates "group dating." What's group dating? It's just like blind dating except without the awkwardness of one-on-one, oh-my-god-she's-awful meet and greets. Essentially Match.com on steroids, Ignighter allows you and your single Bros to search for groups of single ladies who are also looking to hang out and have a good time in the same city. Ignighter helps you find girls worth pursuing, and then helps set up the date. So far about 15,000 groups have registered on Ignighter, so we caught up with Sachs -- who, yes, is also a client -- to find out the details and see if all our BroBible readers should join up.
BroBible: What was the inspiration behind Ignighter?
Adam Sachs: The inspiration for Ignighter came out of a real life need that my co-founder Dan and I felt when we graduated from college and moved to New York. We were used to the structured social setting that we had in school. We had university groups, our fraternity, class, and a bunch of other avenues for meeting new people. Once we started our jobs in NYC, we quickly realized how isolating it was.
What's the advantage behind using a group dating site like Ignighter versus just going out with your boys looking for groups of girls?
Of course the goal, when out with your boys, is always to meet a group of girls, but that doesn't always happen. When you use a site like Ignighter, you are no longer leaving things up to chance. Approaching new groups isn't always easy. You never know if that group of girls is there to meet a new group of guys or just to have a low-key girls' night out away from their boyfriends. When you plan a date through Ignighter, everybody's on the same page.
Isn't there some danger in any type of group dating -- where there's a specific motivation to make something happen by the end of the night -- that guys might end up competing over the same girl?
That's a common concern amongst people when they first hear about group dating. And the truth is that, yeah, it happens sometimes. But the mission of Ignighter is really to create a more fun, less awkward environment for groups of friends to meet, not necessarily that you're going to close the deal at the end of the first date. So that kind of stuff is really dictated more by the personality of the group than the site itself.
You guys specifically set out to make the profile part of creating a group as simple as possible (no long questionnaire, etc.). But what advice do you have for a group of guys who are at the profile stage of Ignighter? What should they include? Leave out? What are the women on the site looking for in those profiles?
Women are looking for information. They want words on the profile page. For guys, it tends to be different. Guys can scroll through a group's 10 pictures and without looking at the Info section of their profile, decide they want to ask this group out. Girls like good-looking dudes, for sure, so post your pics wisely. But spend a little more time showing why you and your friends are fun, interesting, and unique.
So many guys, in their profiles, say their interests are Women, Drinking, and Going Out. Guess what guys... most girls could have already assumed you like those things. So while you don't need to hide the fact that you like to do normal, fun things, find one or two interests that make you unique.
What kind of success stories have you guys heard about so far? Any engagements or marriages yet?
No marriages so far, but there are a handful of couples that have met as a result of using Ignighter, myself included. We can also claim that we've provided a shitload of really fun nights out, and that's what we're all about.
Do you guys use Ignighter for your own group dating?
We got on Ignighter dates all the time and we love it. My girlfriend and I met on an Ignighter date. Yes, go ahead and give the obligatory "not only the president, also a client" reaction.
About how many groups do you have registered on Ignighter so far? Are they mostly in New York or elsewhere throughout the country?
We have about 15,000 groups on Ignighter and we're growing very quickly. New York is our largest market at the moment, but we have Ignighter users all over the world.
What entrepreneurial experience did you guys have before starting Ignighter?
Honestly, not a whole lot. Dan and I, back in college, had always thrown around different entrepreneurial ideas, but it wasn't until we came up with the idea for Ignighter that we actually dropped everything (including our corporate day jobs) to try to make it happen. When we applied, got accepted, and went through the
TechStars program our level of entrepreneurial experience skyrocketed.
What's been the biggest challenge you've faced in launching Ignighter?
Our biggest challenge has been to build a great product. People tend to really like the idea behind Ignighter, and that certainly counts for a lot. But people come up with great ideas all the time. It's the people who execute on a kick-ass product that are able to turn a kick-ass idea into a kick-ass company. Our product has come a long way since we launched a Facebook App prototype in January 2008, but we still have a ways to go.
What advice do you have for other budding entrepreneurs?
Seek advice from as many people as you can. We've benefited (and still do) greatly from the guidance of mentors; people who have been in our shoes and have made mistakes before us. So I would say my advice would be to get involved in your local startup community, make some friends and share your ideas.
What's next for Ignighter?
We've just recently launched our
Ignighter Magazine and we're constantly working on making Ignighter more fun and engaging to use. We're always looking for feedback though!