Founder Fridays: Textaurant

Submitted by Jason Evanish on Fri, 07/09/2010 - 7:28am

Who are the faces behind a company? How did the company get started? These are common question you may have about startups you see and hear about. If you don't get a chance to personally meet the founders, you're unlikely to ever know their story. That's where we're starting Founder Fridays. 
 
Each week, we'll profile a different startup (with ties to Boston) through a simple interview that highlights some of the simple questions that make all the difference for a startup like, "How did you meet your co-founders?" and "What was the best advice you ever received?"
 

This week, we have Josh Bob from Textaurant, who are changing the way you wait for tables at restaurants by using SMS on your phones. 

 

Found Fridays: Textaurant

1) What is your current Startup? (Name & URL) 

I'm working on Textaurant (http://textaurant.com), which has consumed every fiber of my being for about a year and a half.


2) What's the elevator pitch?


You know those annoying buzzer devices you get when you wait at a restaurant? We're replacing those with your cell phone. Right now, you have to walk into a restaurant or call them to find out the wait time and get on the list. This wastes your time, especially if there's a long wait. With Texaurant, you can see wait times online or on your mobile device, choose a location, and get in the queue remotely - from wherever you are.

 


3) When did you know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I've wanted to work for myself since my very first job - it's got something to do with not playing well with others. :) Even before then, I was trying to buy and sell baseball cards for a profit as a young kid (net total: -$22 or so). Plus, my dad's been running his own business for about 8 years, and that was a big inspiration for me.


4) How did you meet your co-founder?

Dan Pickett and I met at a TechStars Founder Dating event, but he wasn't that into the idea at first, so we kept in touch - first meeting up at events, then grabbing lunch about once a month. One day, he said, "You know, I've been thinking a lot about Textaurant," and the rest is history.


5) What was the best advice you ever got?


I've gotten a lot of great advice from some fantastic entrepreneurs, but the best advice is actually from a Hugh MacLeod, a cartoonist, entrepreneur, and all-around "tell-it-like-it-is, even-if-you-don't-want-to-hear-it" guy: "What people say they want and what they're willing to work their ass off to get are two different things."


6) What Startup(s) are you most excited about today? Why?

Aside from Textaurant, I'm pretty excited about StarStreet Sports, Tungle, and Blank Label / Gemvara.  StarStreet has a ton of potential, and they execute hard; Tungle's got a great premise and are doing well; and BL/Gemvara are both really cool companies run by Babson grads who work their asses off.


7) What's your favorite part about being an entrepreneur?

The hours. I don't mean, "I work short hours" - instead, I can choose to work the hours that I need to in order to make sure that I get everything done that I want. I also like "reporting" to myself - the sense of ownership drives me much more than working for someone else.


8) If you could recommend one book for entrepreneur's to read, what would it be and why?

If I could recommend one book, I'd flagrantly ignore the limitation and recommend three: "Art of the Start," by Guy Kawasaki, for the pure knowledge and accessibility; "The New Business Road Test," by John W. Mullins, to figure out if your venture is even the right one for you; and "American Gods," by Neil Gaiman, because it's fantastic.

 
Still want to know more about Textaurant? Check out their listing on the GHC Career Connector. 

Want YOUR company featured on Founder Fridays?  Contact us at jason[at]greenhornconnect[dot]com and tell us what your company is about.

 

 

 
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