Meet NEXT Client realrec and finally get the recommendations that you want!
About Us: realrec, says Founder Carly Rotter, is built on the idea that we want to know what our friends are buying, using, streaming, discovering, experiencing and loving. Your friends are your greatest asset so find recommendations from the people you trust, and recommend your favorites to the people who trust you. realrec was founded on the realization that we are constantly asking our friends, “what do you guys use for…?”
What do you love about being an entrepreneur? I love taking big ideas and figuring out the tactical processes needed to implement them. The exploration and discovery of how to actually accomplish a goal is very fulfilling and exciting. And, I love getting to own the small details!
What is your business? realrec is an app available in the app store today, in which users can recommend the products/experiences they love to their friends, and also ask their trusted community for recommendations when they are looking for something new. The app allows users to easily search and find recommendations across a multitude of categories from people whose background, views and preferences they know and trust. On realrec, users know exactly who is making recommendations to them, and thus they can feel more confident before trying a new product, service or experience.
What makes your business unique? realrec is based on trust. We ask our friends for help or advice multiple times a day in little and big ways. Our friends are our greatest asset, and realrec allows users to leverage their networks to discover and store trusted recommendations in one organized place.
How do you create great company culture? Let people lead themselves! Having a sense of ownership is key to feeling fulfilled in your job. Nobody wants to be micro-managed or nit-picked when they are qualified and knowledgeable about what they are doing. Plus, when you give people more autonomy in their work, you end up with a wider range of creative ideas from which to choose.
What is the best advice you ever received? Don’t expect others to behave the way you would behave.
What is the hardest lesson you ever learned? Not everyone is rooting for you.
What important trend are you are watching? Payment aggregation and frictionless checkout.
What advice would you give an entrepreneur starting out? There is no reason to wait to get started – learn on the fly and ask every question that comes to mind.
What are the best things about the DMV ecosystem and how can it improve? The DMV is home to savvy and educated consumers. Personally, this allowed for a great base of mentors and friends with whom I could sense check ideas.
