Having Fun At The Cusp Of Technology And Entertainment: Phunware CEO Alan Knitowski (Part 1)

If you haven’t already, please study our Bootstrapping Course and Investor Introductions page.  Alan Knitowski is the chairman and CEO of Phunware, which develops the mobile experience framework brandME and the mobile application infrastructure PRAISE. He is a serial entrepreneur and a veteran of the United States Army. Prior to Phunware he was the president of alternative investments for

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Bootstrapping A 100M+ E-Commerce Company: OpticsPlanet CEO Mark Levitin (Part 7)

Sramana: Are you basically using YouTube to provide commercials and information to your consumers? Mark Levitin: Yes, that is essentially what we are doing. It is not about selling; it is about engaging. It is not the obnoxious infomercial that we all hate. It is more sophisticated. It helps build the brand and also establishes

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Bootstrapping A 100M+ E-Commerce Company: OpticsPlanet CEO Mark Levitin (Part 6)

Sramana: How many members do you have registered with DVOR.com? Mark Levitin: We do not disclose the exact number, but it is a six digit number. Sramana: Can you give some insight into the growth pattern of your business? It sounds like you started off being an e-commerce company, but over time you have evolved

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Bootstrapping A 100M+ E-Commerce Company: OpticsPlanet CEO Mark Levitin (Part 5)

Sramana: You have made several references to your customer communities and lifestyles. Do you have an online community of users centered on a particular lifestyle which your experts moderate? For example, do you have a moderated hunters forum? Mark Levitin: Very much so. We have tens of thousands of posts on our forums. It is

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Bootstrapping A 100M+ E-Commerce Company: OpticsPlanet CEO Mark Levitin (Part 4)

Sramana: Your second market segment, which you call your ‘heroes’ segment, is very interesting because it would seem to be one that could be B2C and B2B. Mark Levitin: Yes, we have individuals who work professionally in those areas who will make purchases from us on their own accord, as well as fire departments or

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Bootstrapping A 100M+ E-Commerce Company: OpticsPlanet CEO Mark Levitin (Part 3)

Sramana: Did you own LOMO America Inc, and did you make LOMO America Inc an investor in OpticsPlanet.com? Mark Levitin: I did not have 100% ownership. I was a shareholder. LOMO America Inc was not an investor in OpticsPlanet.com. I funded it personally with some other partners.

Bootstrapping A 100M+ E-Commerce Company: OpticsPlanet CEO Mark Levitin (Part 2)

Sramana: How long did you operate as an importer and distributor of LOMO? Mark Levitin: We did that for a number of years and grew the business to a point where it generated $10 million in revenue. It was a combination of product development and wholesale distribution. We never sold direct, which is very important

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Bootstrapping A 100M+ E-Commerce Company: OpticsPlanet CEO Mark Levitin (Part 1)

Mark Levitin is the CEO and founder of OpticsPlanet, an online supplier and retailer of technical and high-performance gear. OpticsPlanet was founded in 2000 and has since been recognized as a leading online retailer by Inc. Magazine and Internet Retailer Magazine. Mark studied engineering in the Soviet Union, where he worked as a medical engineer

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