Beyond The Pedway

6 New Cities, 10 Months, & $1.6 Million: An Update With Grubwithus’ Eddy Lu

Back in October 2010, I interviewed Eddy Lu, co-founder of a brand new Chicago social dining startup called Grubwithus.  After Eddy and his co-founder moved to Chicago to open a brick and mortar store, they started Grubwithus on the side to help them meet new people in the city.

Apparently a few other people had the same problem and loved their solution.  Grubwithus started taking off organically in Chicago.  In the 10 months since then, Grubwithus has participated in the Y Combinator incubator program, raised $1.6 million in funding, and expanded to 6 new cities beyond Chicago.

I invited Eddy here to catch up on their story and learn what has changed, and what he’s learned, in the past 10 crazy months of his journey.

Why Getting Feedback From Your Customers Is So Important – with DreamChamps

I interviewed Jill Felska and Jen Krenn a year ago about their company POP! Social Media.  Recently, they started DreamChamps, a site which seeks to connect companies with unique cultures with employees that really fit those cultures.

On their blog Pursuing Our Passion, Jill and Jenn recently wrote about an expensive mistake they made with DreamChamps that they wanted to share with their readers.  I invited Jill and Jenn here to expand more on that post, and explain what they learned about the importance of asking customers for feedback.

Building Your Website Idea When You’re Not Technical – with Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence is the co-founder of SpotHero, a website that enables you to reserve parking spots ahead of time in cities like Chicago. If you’re ever driven around Wrigley Field trying to find a spot before the Cubs game, or arrived 30 minutes before your meeting in downtown Chicago because it takes that long to find parking, you appreciate a site like SpotHero.

In this interview, Mark and I discuss how SpotHero was created, and how best to approach building a website idea when neither you or your co-founder are technical people.

Building A Service And Product Hybrid Idea – with Ryan Evans

Ryan Evans is an amazing entrepreneur and person in general. In addition to his main company Rand Media Group, Ryan recently launched Bite Size PR, a new site that helps small businesses who can’t afford big budget PR firms.

Lesley Tweedie of Little Independent was raving to me about the service and how Ryan and his team had landed her some solid press. The more she told me about Bite Size PR, the more I knew I needed to sit down with Ryan and learn why he launched this unique service.

When Your Idea Morphs From A Need To Frustration – with Garrick Pohl

Garrick Pohl is the founder of Zipments, a company in the emerging buyer powered market space that helps you get things across town by having local couriers bid on your need.

I interviewed Garrick to learn why he created Zipments, what his previous company did, and why Zipments was one of those ideas he had to act on.

From Failing An iPhone Development Class To Developing AirRun – with Rob Matthews

Rob Matthews first came up with the idea for the AirRun iPhone app while in an iPhone development class in college. A class he wasn’t doing the best in.

In this interview, Rob and I discuss the origins of his iPhone app idea, where he sees the future of this emerging buyer powered market going, and how he went about building an iPhone app.

Fusing Traditional And New Media For Wedding Invitations with Mightyvites

Christopher Stump and his sister Stephanie are the founders of Mightyvites, a new way to send out wedding invitations (and other events down the road). You send out beautiful, hand crafted paper invites, which contain instructions on how people can RSVP online, allowing you to manage responses and such more efficiently.

An Artistic Twist On Family Photo Sharing with Photogram

Bob Armour and Brian Hand are part of the team behind Photogram, a new iPhone app that puts an artistic twist on family photo sharing through email.

I interviewed Bob and Brian to learn why they created Photogram, how they went about executing on their idea, and the challenges they faced along the way.

Helping Local Independent Shops Reach Wider Audiences – with Lesley Tweedie

Lesley Tweedie is the founder of Little Independent, an online marketplace for sale items from independent retail stores. Lesley is an independent store owner herself and owns a local bike shop in Chicago.

I interviewed Lesley to learn where the idea for Little Independent came from, how she created the site, and what she’s learned from being a brick and mortar entrepreneur creating an internet business.

From Interviewing JK Rowling To Inspiring Millions Every Month – with Emerson Spartz

Emerson Spartz is the founder of Spartz Inc., a network of websites including OMG Facts, MuggleNet, and GivesMeHope that reach millions of people every month.

Emerson’s Harry Potter fan site MuggleNet was so popular that it attracted the attention of JK Rowling, who invited Emerson to Scotland to do a special interview with her when one of the later books came out.

I interviewed Emerson to learn how he created this popular network of websites, his process for evaluating new ideas, and why homeschooling ended up being the best thing that ever happened to him.