Sprouter talks…to crowdSPRING

It can be a challenge at a small company to find affordable high-quality creative – whether for a website, print materials, or overall branding. Chicago-based startup crowdSPRING was started to solve this problem – to help people from around the world access creative talent, and to help creatives from across the globe find new customers. It is described as “the marketplace for creative services” – small businesses can post a creative project (categories include graphic design, web design and photography), creatives around the world can contribute ideas, and then the individual can choose the submission they like best. When you submit a project you can set your own price and deadline, and choose from actual designs, not bids. With over 46,000 creatives in over 150 countries the average project gets 80 submissions – and if your project doesn’t receive at least 25 entries you get a full refund. Mike Samson and Ross Kimbarovsky are the co-founders of this innovative company. In the latest installment of Sprouter Talks they told us about how they came up with the idea for crowdSPRING, why they think it’s important to do your research as an entrepreneur, and what’s coming up next..

Sprouter: Tell us about how you got the idea for crowdSPRING and how you started it.

We have known one another for 20 years. The seed of the idea was formed over a series of lunches in the summer of 2006. Mike was working on outsourcing portions of the video post-production workflow and Ross had just led a website redesign for his law firm – with unspectacular results from a top vendor. Noticing two trends on the Internet – contests and communities – Ross called Mike and said “we should talk.” Lots of research, homework, and iterative steps later, crowdSPRING was born.

S: What were your biggest challenges starting crowdSPRING?

When we decided in 2006 to focus on graphic design, we knew little about that market. To overcome that challenge, we spent more than six months researching. We read thousands of articles, looked at industry forecasts, salaries, hourly rates, spending and many other financial metrics. We also talked to several hundred design freelancers from around the world to better understand how we could improve their opportunities for finding new clients. Finally, we talked with many small business owners to find ways that we could make it easier, more efficient and less expensive for them to buy graphic design services.

S: What are the top 3 tips you’d give to early-stage entrepreneurs?

The initial phase of a startup’s life is exciting and incredibly challenging. Here’s what we would tell early-stage entrepreneurs:

Be clear about that the problem you are trying to solve is a problem for other people and that you can easily explain the problem and the solution to your potential customers.

Set early, achievable goals and constantly measure your progress.

Surround yourself with smart people to help you execute.

S: What do you think can be a game-changer for an early-stage startup?

Early-stage startups typically have little capacity and even less money. However, those startups that creatively and effectively solve a problem for large groups of people often benefit from the viral effect of having your customers promote your company – through word of mouth and through social networks. Engaging a broad and involved community to help market your company is nearly always a game changer.

S: What’s coming up at CrowdSPRING?

We are anticipating the launch of new products and continued growth. In 2009, our focus was on completely rewriting the software that powers crowdspring.com. We’ll be releasing the new code in December and as the new year begins, you’ll see us expand into other products, including copywriting (everything from blog content, marketing and PR materials, to books and resumes).

—

Have a question or comment about crowdSPRING? You can reach the crowdSPRING team on Sprouter here. Thanks Mike and Ross for the insights!