QA with Michael Venn, founder of Crugo

QA with Michael Venn, founder of Crugo QA with Michael Venn, founder of Crugo Image Source: Michael Venn, CrugoMichael Venn launched  Crugo  as a group-based collaboration tool for business teams, to improve productivity through better communication and collaboration. Crugo is a platform that enables  users to collaborate  through public or private groups, or to communicate and work directly one-on-one with a specific team member.“I want to create a brand and product people enjoy and love using.”Crugo already enables work through file sharing, real-time communication through ‘chat’ and notes, and team-based to-do lists. It’s ingenuously simple stuff, and fits in with  its developer’s ultra  simple business goal of creating a brand and product people enjoy and love using.Aged in his early 20s, Michael Venn is something of a  serial startup entrepreneur, having had his first experience of setting up a business at the age of just 12 yearsâ€"a successful chicken farm venture that he started from a shed in his backyard.On a more impressive level, he has also  started a number of tech businesses, including iOS app review sites, and several popular iOS games, including Piggy Bounce and Santa Bounce. In addition to this, in tandem with and arising from his consultancy work in the mobile and web solutions space, Michael Venn has also founded Duplia Ltd (social network solutions for B2C and B2B, of which Crugo is one), as well as Tagstrâ€"a multi-media social sharing network without egosâ€"and Frames  (a video collaboration app).Michael Venn  has been featured as an entrepreneur of note by some of the world’s leading business pundits, all before the age of 24 years. But he seems to have his feet on the ground, with ambitions over the next decade expressed in terms of his  continued “evolution” in the tech sector.Thankfully, he found the time to talk to AGENT, answering  our questions about his career as an entrepreneur to date and passing on his advice for anyone considering setting up their own business. (adsbygoogle = window. adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 10 Questions for  Michael Venn (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1.  Briefly tell us how you first  got into business, and describe your business goals.After leaving school, I moved to London and started a number of technology-related businesses. My first venture was developing and selling simple iOS games, which planted the foundations for later creating two iOS app review sites and going on to be a full-time graphic designer and consultant for technology services.   As for my business goals, I want to create a brand and product people enjoy and love using!2. What age were you when you realised you wanted to run your own business?I experienced my first taste as an “entrepreneur” when I was just 12 years old, and  I started a Chicken Farm. This consisted of buying day old chicks, rearing them and then selling their eggs to local shops and restaurants. This grew from just 100 laying hens in a backyard shed to 2,500 hens in three spec ially built houses. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 3.  Who are your business icons and inspirations?When living in Africa, I became fascinated by technology design, specifically how Apple products were evolving. So I suppose you could say Steve Jobs inspired me with his overall vision for Apple and especially his attention to detail and how technology can be integrated into people’s daily lives.4.  What has been your biggest challenge in business, and how did you surmount it?Adapting to working environments rapidly. I started off working alone and I suddenly had to take on more responsibility and manage a team. I had to pitch to investors, and it was a massive learning curve as I had never dealt with anything of this size and magnitude before. I just went with the flow and took in as much as I could and gradually adapted to my working responsibilities and tasks. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 5.  Work-Life balance: is it possible? How do you achieve it?Work-life balance is hard for someone working within a startup and with so many projects on the go. I make sure I keep time aside for my family and the things I’m passionate about. I also workout daily, and that helps a lot with my work-life balance6.       What is the first thing you do every day?Check my phone and then go for a morning run to clear my head and prepare for the day ahead! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 7. What screen saver picture is currently on your phone?The Crugo logo!8. What is the most important app on your mobile phone, and why?The most important app on my phone is Crugo. This is the product we have built and we use it to communicate and collaborate in the workplace. I wouldn’t get any work done without it. It’s very important to that we use it because by using it we can see where we can improve, rectify problems and really feel how our end user is experiencing our product. It has our whole team calendar and to-do lis t within the platform. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 9.   What item do you never leave the house without, and why?It would be my iPhone; I can’t leave the house without it. I use it for all my business needs and communicating with the team on a daily basis.10. What advice would you give to your younger self starting out in business?Be prepared for many changes and always keep yourself informed with new market trends.  Most importantly, listen to your customers’ needs.  After all, they are the end-user and they can really help with feedback and shaping the future or your business.Image Source: Michael Venn