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Launching Remarkd.com

I met Clay Newton last fall. Then we met in person last December at a conference. At the time he was working with social media initiatives at a major bank. But the entrepreneurial spirit won out & Clay left his job to pursue a dream.

Today Clay’s new venture, Remarkd.com is launching! I’m really excited because I remember the early days of brainstorming with him. I was brought into the conversation because Clay was curious about the details of how I sold my iPhone on Twitter in 5 minutes.

Here’s my interview with Clay about Remarkd - The Social Web’s Marketplace™

Connie: I recall brainstorming with you in the early stages. How has your vision changed since then?

Clay: The idea behind Remarkd has always been about buying and selling, the thing that is so great about where we are at now is that buying and selling is actually a means to an end: our focus is on helping people support Causes they care about. We do this by using technology and social media to build social good. Here’s our “about” page

Connie: Explain how your service works & what makes it unique. It looks like a Twitter experience & is it interfacing with Twitter too? and others?

Clay: Yes, clearly Twitter is an inspiration, and we’ve definitely built upon the conventions used in presence systems like it. We have looked at social networking systems more broadly as a way for individuals and for Causes to get their message out.

We’ve built an interface with Twitter and a Facebook app which people can use to easily bridge their comments and items to these other networks. As an example, if 1,000 people buy, sell or comment on Remarkd, it’s fully reasonable to expect it to reach upwards of 100,000 people. Social networking is an incredibly compelling way for us to build our organization and our Cause community.

Connie: What was the most challenging aspect of getting to the point of launching Remarkd.com?

Clay: Honestly, the most challenging aspect has been navigating through the complex Federal and State charitable giving and commercial co-venturing laws. We’ve had great assistance in this from our Adler & Colvin, a nationally renowned non-profit legal practice.

Secondly, launching an app of this scale and complexity using Google App Engine is something that has never been done. With the assistance of the Google App Engine team, we’ve been able to make an even more compelling offering than we had initially dreamed. Coupled with the integration of technology from multiple partners we’ve launched with a really rockin’ application!

Connie: What were the most enjoyable aspects?

Clay: Waking up every day and thinking about Remarkd’s potential to have an incredibly positive impact on the world. On a personal note: seeing my iPod sold to support the Sierra Club … it still makes me smile!

One other interesting thing about Remarkd is that we have been certified as a B Corporation. B Corporations™ are a new type of corporation that are purpose-driven and create benefit for all stakeholders by focusing on social and environmental goals in addition to business goals.

Connie: What advice do you give to others interested in starting their own online business?

Clay The two things that any entrepreneur must do: 1) know their market; 2) know their customers.

Balance is also important. Stay focused on your vision while still being open and receptive to new data; as you learn new things, it’s foolhardy not to adjust course.

Connie: What else do you want to add?

Clay A big part of our growth plan is to work with non-profits to co-develop campaigns where they endorse Remarkd to their supporters and we facilitate communication and supporter donations. As an example, we are working with a few organizations to have a Fall Yard Sale. These organizations will create campaigns on Remarkd and plug them in their regular communications with their supporters. This will help them strengthen their relationships with their existing community, and broaden their reach to include the extended Remarkd community.

We’ve quietly launched, we’ll be letting everyone know soon. We’d love for you to come buy, sell and be good!

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We wish Clay & his company the best of luck as they launch their new venture. It’s certainly an exciting time & a great way to support your favorite causes.

You can read more at the Remarkd.com blog & also Clay’s personal blog.

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