Ep 008: Netflix and Chill, Plus Order Up! w/ Andrew Kootman

OrderUp San Diego is locally owned and operated out of Pacific Beach. In preparation for its San Diego launch on August 17, owner Andrew Kootman carried out beta market testing near San Diego State University, where the app quickly became popular with college students and university employees. The company then expanded its reach to Pacific Beach, partnering with more than 25 additional, hyperlocal restaurants in preparation for its August launch date. To date, OrderUp San Diego has delivered more than 30,000 orders, and long-term plans place OrderUp San Diego in additional neighborhoods including North Park, Hillcrest, Downtown San Diego and more.   Strategies Used to Fund Business I had invested in a bingo machine company that was super random and actually paid a huge return. It was that and borrowing money from friends and family that really funded my business. Founders I did not have any partners. Everything was completely done on my own. Worst Entrepreneurial Moment Starting out I didn’t have the budget to really hire somebody full time. I really wanted to put most of it in marketing as much as possible, and OrderUp kind of took off from the beginning and I need help immediately. So I actually asked my sister to help me out. But probably the worst entrepreneurial moment was working with her. Not that she did a bad job, it’s just mixing family and business, it just didn’t work. HUGE SUCCESS Watching OrderUp launch in Pacific Beach was pretty exciting and really seeing the reception it had from the very get go was a huge success. I was shocked by the amount of restaurants that had already heard about us in PB even though we hadn’t marketed out there. It’s just a very rewarding experience when people really start to know your company. Superpower I can fly. That’s why our average delivery time is very fast. And also it’s because of my understanding of the financial aspect that goes on with a business.It’s not the most exciting thing, but truthfully it is one of the most important factors with a startup business. Kryptonite Stress. I have a tendency to think that people know what I know, and so sometimes with communication I feel like I need to be better at teaching people and explaining things. IF YOU CAN HAVE ANY SUPERPOWER… I would read people’s minds. We do so much sales and marketing, and to be able to know what they think, we can find out what we can do better for them. RECOMMENDED RESOURCE OR APP Google Analytics: Improve performance across your sites, apps, and other marketing channels. Google Analytics and related products can help you turn customer insights into actionable solutions for your business. Uber: Your Ride, On Demand   RECOMMENDED BOOKS   ADVICE TO HACKER NATION You got to just go for it! You got to do your research. I was scared out of my mind when I knew I was going to make that transaction, but you have to make it happen for yourself. Speak to people that have done it before. You have to realize that you don’t have all the answers. FOLLOW Facebook Twitter Instagram