If your business needs to get a video online, one place you may want to try is Sugar Land startup Bargainadsplus. This startup even describes themselves as “no business quite like us”. That’s because they offer video ads, video classifieds, ratings and more. Business owners benefit from having a place to put a variety of video ad content. Consumers benefit because theres no cost to peruse the listings on bargainadsplus.com or connect with service providers.
Bargainadsplus also connects customers with daily deals without having to pay a middle man.
We got a chance to talk with Geoffrey Marlin, founder of Bargainadsplus. Check out our interview below.
What is your startup, what does it do?
Bargainadsplus.com is an online Video Directory/ Video Classifieds Page/ Video Optional Daily Deals Page/ Featured Ads Page looking to get funded. There is no business quite like us. For example: we are cheaper and offer more than Yellowbook.com (Business Owners upload their own video commercials and daily deals like Youtube), our Featured Ads page will target 50 big business company’s (Chase, Chevy, Walmart, and etc) commercials monthly, we offer video and pictures on our Classifieds page, we have a ratings system where Consumers can rate a business’s page (unlike Angieslist, we are free for consumers), and we can still be very profitable doing all of these cost effective things. We believe we are the new thing!
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
Geoffrey Marlin (Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and President) is responsible for the direction and success of BargainAdsPlus.com. For the time being, Marlin will also direct the company’s direct sales operations. Prior to launching the company, he was a loan officer for Emerging Mortgage Company of Houston. Marlin was Guest Services Manager at The Hilton of the Americas in Houston in 2007 and prior to that he was “Employee of the Year” at The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa, often-rated among the top resort/hotels in the world.
Marlin attended Houston Community College as well as The University of Houston where he studied Business Administration.
Marlin’s vision for the company came from the lack of online video for small and independent business owners. He sees the company replacing Yellowbook.com and Craigslist.com in the future. He also sees the company sustaining through these tough economic times by offering cheaper advertising for business owners; therefore giving consumers more options for their families’ wants and needs.
Where are you based?
Sugar Land, Texas
What is the startup culture like where you are based?
Sugar Land is a suburb of Houston, Texas which is the 4th largest city in America. Houston has a vibrant and quickly growing startup ecosystem with almost 300 companies. Some of the biggest local startups include websitealive.com, WhiteFence and Spotmau Corporation. A number of venture capital firms, individual & networks of angels and incubators have become part of the Houston community to help local entrepreneurs more quickly develop their businesses. Expect to see Houston produce many more standout companies.
What problem does your startup solve?
There are about 25,000,000 small businesses in the USA according to the IRS including home businesses and those with no employees. Of the 25,000,000, 80.5% (20 million) have sales of less than $1.0 million annually. These businesses typically cannot afford the high cost of advanced forms of advertising such as Internet, TV and Radio. Many do not have the technical knowledge; time nd/or money to compete effectively with giant companies such as mass-marketers. These smaller businesses are the primary audience for dynamic BargainAdsPlus video- enhanced listings.
So, Bargainadsplus.com solves a plethora of problems for businesses and consumers alike. We’re cutting video advertising cost for businesses of all sizes and giving them more ways to reach customers that don’t know them on a 24 7 basis. This enables even the smallest of enterprises to compete effectively with the Fortune 500s and retail mass-marketers. We’re also helping consumers find businesses they don’t know, their daily deals, and their ratings from other consumers without a charge. Businesses can now get the word out about their daily deals in their city without paying a middle man. We’re also helping consumers sell to other consumers, inform other consumers, or engage with other consumers with or without the aid of video. We’re doing all of these things in a cost effective easy viewing video directory/classified format.
What is one challenge that you’ve overcome in the startup process?
After the site was built, we didn’t know if people knew how to sign up for a website and upload things they need to upload to broadcast their business. So I walked people through a step by step tutorial that’s on the site to help them if they have any issues.
What’s one thing the world doesn’t know about you or your startup?
There isn’t a website where a business owner can make and upload a commercial. For the most part you have to have a commercial made for you from an advertising agency that holds your commercial hostage. We have the option for Business or Consumers (Classifieds) to make their very own commercial(s) through their camcorder, digital camera, cell phone, webcam, or a produced video made by a videographer. We also have the option to have multiple video commercials (unheard of on commercial side), ratings and comments, coupons, advertise in different zip codes, and share buttons (Facebook & Twitter) on their page.
Who are your mentors and role models?
My mentor and role model would have to be Jesus. He did things to help others and told us to help others. That’s what I’m trying to do with Bargainadsplus.com. I’m trying to help business owners and consumers find each other through more affordable and efficient means of advertising than what’s presently available. I’m trying to make a positive in this unstable economy.
What’s next for your startup?
We’re looking to get funded or find a business partner to help us get funded. Mr. Marlin will seek a Chief Operating Officer and other vital positions within the company once funded. We will also be looking to get a dedicated server. Lastly, we will start advertising on radio, TV, and print ads to get the word out about us.
Find out more about bargainadsplus here.
everywhereelse.co is the biggest startup conference in the U.S. here’s more