Today’s Notable Young Entrepreneur is Qriket mobile app CEO Jonny Comparelli, whose company allows users to spin a wheel and win money while getting offers and promotions from local businesses. What was the inspiration behind the idea? Find out in today’s profile…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your business in a nutshell.
Qriket is a free mobile app that lets you win real money.
We give 40% of our revenue to all of our users. You just spin a wheel and win money while getting offers and promotions from local businesses. You also win cash back for your purchases at participating retailers!
Why did you start your business, what was the inspiration?
Qriket is really about gamifying the consumption of media and connecting that experience to something tangible – not points or credits – but dollars. It’s a fulfilling and worthwhile experience for users to interact and this creates a successful platform for local businesses to reach a relevant audience.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
Without a doubt, the best part of what I do on a day-to-day basis is the people I work with. Hearing everyone’s ideas and allowing them to blend with my own always gives me a new perspective on things. We’re not only growing a business, but we’re growing as people too!
On the other hand, the most challenging part is that nothing happens overnight. “There is no such thing as unrealistic goals, only unrealistic timelines.” – if you believe in what you’re doing, being ambitious and confident should always follow, but I’ve learned to not expect results at the same speed the thought of them arises.
What does success look like to you?
I think everyone has a different idea of what success looks like but I believe happiness is always the common denominator. For me, even though I have goals, I’d like to achieve in the future what could constitute “success” – I still think being happy and appreciating the present is always the closest thing you can get to it.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
The excitement and anticipation between releasing the first version of Qriket (In 2010) to later securing our first $500K investment (July, 2011) were definitely the most memorable milestones in my career so far. Crossing the $1,000,000 mark given to our users is a close second though!
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
As a first-time entrepreneur, I’ve learned that simply beginning and taking the first steps in the direction in which you’d hope to see your idea evolve is all it takes to bring a new one to life. That being said, being realistic with those ideas is also important. You need to be your own harshest critic and believe in yourself at the same time. The start-up experience definitely taught me that a brilliant idea is not always a “eureka!” moment, but rather comes from building and improving simple and straightforward ideas too.
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
Qriket has partnered and continues to work with notable charities like Save the Children, charity: Water, JDRF and Goodwill to provide ‘frictionless’ donating. Our co-Founder Mark also travels with our long-time friends A Nerd’s World on their “Project of Love” tours to Santiago de Cuba, delivering hundreds of pounds of supplies and basic necessities of life to less fortunate villagers. You can learn more about the project here.
BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
iPhone, at least until Qriket launches on Android devices!
How do you keep active, energetic, and vibrant?
I’m lucky to get to do what I love on a daily basis and Qriket is really what keeps me energetic and vibrant. When I’m not doing something Qriket-related, I stay active by playing hockey with my two brothers or picking up my guitar when I have some spare time.
#LYNL | (Live Your Notable Life)
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