by 
Welcome to the ninth edition of “Startup of the Week” which features many great startups and interviews with successful business heads. This week, I interviewed Clarence Kin, the founder of Jobspresso. I’ve asked Clarence a series of questions regarding Jobspresso and also regarding tips for budding entrepreneurs. Have a read at what there was to be said.
How did the idea of Jobspresso come about?
To balance a busy career with an itch for travelling, I’ve sometimes had to bring work along to places I was visiting. Working from a beach house or an internet café on an island somewhere has really become a viable option. That got me thinking: with the ubiquity of WiFi, how is it possible that most of us are still tied to our cubicles?
“That got me thinking: with the ubiquity of WiFi, how is it possible that most of us are still tied to our cubicles?” – Clarence Kin
I looked into the process of conducting a remote job search, and discovered the problems that come along with it: few companies are hiring remotely, some companies have unspecified time zone/geographic restrictions, others don’t seem to be committed to being remote-friendly, etc. So I decided to do something about it, and create a job board that lists curated, high-quality remote careers at interesting companies. The goal is to separate the wheat from the chaff, reduce the guesswork, and ultimately simplify the job seeking process.
Simply, what does your website do?
Jobspresso is the easiest way for remote job seekers and companies to find one another.
Did you have a business plan?
I think most entrepreneurs have at least 3 business plans: the unrealistic one that prompted them to start the company, the one that actually makes sense when they’re starting out, and the one that they’d like to ultimately implement. I have all 3 :)
What were the boundaries you faced when creating Jobspresso?
For a dual-sided business like this, the biggest challenge is definitely in getting the word out to both job seekers and hiring companies. Without job seekers, there’d be no job applications, and without hiring companies, there’d be no job postings. So the business model works if and only if you can successfully engage both parties.
What is the difference between you and your competitors?
Our biggest differentiator is quality. We do a lot of research in order to list the best remote jobs at the most interesting companies. Similarly, we attract high quality job applicants for hiring companies, by taking a targeted approach in promoting the job online. We think it’s a win-win if we can hook up good people with interesting, forward-thinking companies, wherever they are in the world.
What were you doing before Jobspresso?
I’ve spent 10 years in the software development industry in various roles: software developer, agile coach, team leader, and project manager. During this time, I’ve worked on numerous distributed teams with remote people based in the U.S, Canada, U.K, Singapore and India, so remote work is something that I’m quite familiar with.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
In this age of freemium business models, entrepreneurs are forgetting that free does not tell you if you’ve built a valuable product. More importantly, it doesn’t tell you if people are willing to pay for it. Determine your product’s worth by charging up front. This recent article by Chris Savage of Wistia really drives home the point and resonated with me.
What is the one thing you think an entrepreneur should focus on that they may not find important?
Create a business where you can be profitable but still find time for things that matter to you, ie. friends, family, travel, continuous learning, etc. Many entrepreneurs seem to focus on pouring all of their hours into their project, but at some point you’ll find this unsustainable. The ability to balance your startup with your life priorities is the key to business longevity.
In one word, describe your job?
Persevering.
Thank you
I’d like to say thank you to Clarence for this interview. Have a look below at Jobspresso’s social links. Get in touch if you want your startup to be in the running for an interview.
Website: jobspresso.co
Twitter: @Jobspresso
Headquarters: Anywhere!
People: Clarence Kin
