Marshall Haas, a brilliant young serial entrepreneur agreed to do an interview with me this week. Marshall runs a few ventures and has his first endeavors. We have all that covered in this interview.
Just yesterday, Marshall notified me that his BizBreak iPhone app is a finalist in the App Star Awards. Feeling happy that the likes of Michael Arrington, Loic Le Meur and Robert Scoble will be looking at it, Marshall also stands a chance to have his app featured at LeWeb’09, one of the world’s largest gathering of startups and entrepreneurs.
Yes, you are in for a treat. In this interview, Marshall gladly discussed his experience with a few major ventures that he founded and he also shared some tips regarding mobile trends and outsourcing. I know you’re excited. Let’s start!
Introduction of Marshall Haas
Wayne: This week, I have Marshall Haas, a 19 years old young entrepreneur, on Wayne Liew Dot Com Entrepreneur Interviews. Marshall co-founded his first business, which we are going to talk about later, at the age of 17 and currently, he also has a few other ventures going on. How often do you see a young serial entrepreneur, people? 
Hey Marshall, thanks for taking time to do this interview with me.
Marshall: Hey Wayne, thanks for having me.
Wayne: Marshall, just to get things rolling, tell me a little bit about your background, your current ventures and some reasons why you are in business rather than say, working a full time job.
Marshall: Well, I grew up thinking about becoming an architect. At 15, I was fortunate enough to land a position at an architecture firm doing drafting work. I got a feel for what it was like to work a job way before most people graduate college. During that same time period I started to get interested in some business books. My cousin who inevitably was my co-founder was at the same time as well.
Marshall: We started talking a lot about what we were reading, you know Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, those early books that really get the juices flowing.
BizBreak iPhone Application
Marshall: Currently, my focus is on finishing my first iPhone app, BizBreak. BizBreak has not been formally announced yet. I’m wrapping up some partnerships and sponsorships currently. Essentially, BizBreak will be an iPhone app/game dedicated to entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, or anyone sick of their current job.
Marshall: Its been a learning experience to say the least, I started working on the whole concept way back in June of this year. To promote the app, we’ll be launching a pretty big contest that will tie closely into the app. The app is about to be submitted to Apple for approval.
Marshall: I’m focusing on working with our sponsors for the contest I mentioned. I can’t really give much details on the contest other than we’ll be giving every entrepreneur the things they dream for, capital, exposure, and mentoring by "been there done that" entrepreneurs.
Marshall: Michael Dunlop, Mike Michalowicz, Yanik Silver, and other entrepreneurial communities will be involved with the contest. They’ll all be including some pretty cool stuffs for contest entrants. All of that will be announced mid December. The contest and app will launch mid January (12th or 18th probably).
Editor Note: Sign up for the launch and sneak peek notification list at BizBreak iPhone App!
Wayne: Wow, that’s cool! Can you elaborate a little bit on how the application works?
Marshall: Sure, its a simple game, where players get to beat up a corporate boss character. Tilt commands will be used to initiate punching commands. We’ve got some pretty funny "cocky boss" voiceovers to top it all off – think Office Space.
Insights on Mobile Applications Industry Trends
Wayne: Haha.. That would be pretty interesting. Let’s get a little bit of insight from you. What do you think about the future of the mobile applications industry? It certainly is a buzzing industry right now where everyone wants to get in. Do you see it continue to grow or is it just a fad?
Marshall: I do see it continuing to grow and I don’t think its a fad. People are using mobile more and more to browse the Internet, check email, etc. Since phones are becoming smarter and smarter, the productivity and benefits of using them on the go keeps getting better. I think it’s the next shift, already is the next shift, in the next big technology.
Marshall: Things like Foursquare are showing us some of the great new benefits to use location based mobile applications, something that only makes sense on mobile. Our phones really are the one thing that we all have with us at all times.
Marshall: The iPhone app store just passed the 100,000 application milestone. The Android is the next platform that I bet we’ll see an influx of apps in. Those kinds of numbers aren’t fads.
Learning from Mistakes with Velocity Source
Wayne: Very true. Let’s us quickly talk about Velocity Source. What is Velocity Source? I know you have sold the business but how does it help in developing yourself as an entrepreneur?
Marshall: Well, Velocity Source is an online performance parts retailer, catering to the Japanese and European car market. There’s something like 35,000+ products listed. It was my starting point for entrepreneurial schooling really. We just dove head first and had to learn as we built the website and business.
Marshall: I made a whole lot of mistakes, we made a lot of mistakes. But like they say, its good for learning. You learn so much from your first entrepreneurial ventures. It also gives you a taste of what its like to be in business. I’m addicted now
Wayne: Haha… Just out of curiosity, why did you sell the business?
Marshall: I became bored with it. If I’m not stimulated by something, I just have a really hard time continuing in it. We both agreed we wanted to pursue other ventures, and so we decided to put it up for sale. Around the same time, I was starting my second business as well.
Wayne: I see. I understand that, you can’t really go all out for a business once your passion for it dies off.
Marshall: Yeah exactly, passion is everything.
inVision Projects and Outsourcing to the Philippines
Wayne: After Velocity Source, you have another venture called inVision Projects. What kind of services it provides and how does the business work actually?
Marshall: inVision Projects provides architectural renderings for architects, designers, and developers. Our renderings include 3D computer generated stills, animation walkthroughs, and watercolor renderings.
Marshall: I have a team of artists located in the Philippines that is the talent behind the renderings we provide. So really, the business is outsourced. Learning about outsourcing and having experience with it from inVision has really helped with finding talent and help for new ventures.
Wayne: Yeah, I read about the outsourcing part in the About page on your BizBreak blog. How did you go about sourcing these artists? Do you personally visit the country to handpick the artists or do you go through an agency like TaskUs or some other agencies out there?
Marshall: Good ol Elance is where I found everyone. I posted a "dummy" project to test the quality, turnaround time, and communication of a bunch of teams. I talked with about 30 different teams and eventually decided on one that would be perfect for what I wanted to do. So I have never actually visited my team there, although we’ve talked about meeting up. I’d love to visit the Philippines.
Wayne: Do you face any problems with outsourcing? I personally find it hard during the starting stage because things don’t work the way I want it but after some time, I sort of get used to it and my workers kinda slowly starting to understand what I want.
Marshall: You know, I’ve been really blessed with the guys I found. They honestly have always been great to work with. However, I understand what you mean. I’ve had trouble with outsourcing the design and creation of websites and other projects. Actually I’m in the middle of a redesign for inVisionProjects.com and its turning out to be a headache. Hence the "lorem ipsum" and lack of renderings on the site currently.
Marshall: Communication is always an issue, even with outsourcing something to someone in your home country. Sometimes it isn’t even the language barrier, its just communicating what you want. I’ve had trouble using guys in the states before. All of the issues stemmed from not being able to communicate well with them. I think properly articulating your ideas to anyone you ever hire is so valuable.
Wayne: Yeah, I can personally relate to that problem too. Can you share any tips on outsourcing that you think will be important for someone planning to do that other than trying to communicate what they want clearly?
Marshall: Yeah sure, I’d say finding someone that you trust and is fully able to deliver is so important. Checking up on their reviews is a must, of course. One thing that I had to look for when finding my team of artists was finding a team that I knew could handle a load of jobs. I didn’t want a one or two man show. The same is true for single jobs, ask if this is their full time job, or if this is part time. Stay clear of the people that do the service part time, as there’s always the variable that their other job becomes overwhelming.
The Future of BizBreak Ventures
Wayne: Good tips there. Last question before we round this interview up. What will be next after this for BizBreak Ventures? Will it be focusing on developments around the mobile applications industry? Maybe you can also give us a little sneak peek on what you are going to do next.
Marshall: Ah yes the future! I love thinking about the next things I’ll be working on. There are definitely plans in the pipeline in the mobile applications arena, as well as web applications. As soon as BizBreak is submitted to Apple, I’ll be turning my focus to a set of app’s we are dubbing ‘Goodness Apps’ which will be part of a charity campaign BizBreak Ventures will do.
Marshall: We plan to do a BizBreak 2, 3, and so on if BizBreak is well received. And finally, I have two web applications that I’m really excited about starting. I may be looking for a partner, investors, or both when those are started. They are Web 2.0 focused ideas.
Wayne: Can you let us know what the two web applications will be about now or we shall wait an keep a close eye on you?
Marshall: Haha, well, one will probably be called ‘Podums’ (just bought the domain) which will be a new take on product ratings. I think the rating system is broken. We should be comparing products to products. The other will be an open source application which will be for the automotive performance parts industry. Anything else and I guess I have to say keep a close eye out. 
Connect with Marshall Haas
Wayne: OK. I guess it will be worth it since the ideas alone are very interesting. Marshall, you have shared a lot today, both in terms of experience and tips. How can fellow entrepreneurs get in touch with you for business or just to connect?
Marshall: I love talking to fellow entrepreneurs, so anyone out there please do feel free to contact me. I’m active on Twitter @MarshallHaas and then my blog is at http://bizbreakblog.com. Anyone can email me at marshall [at] bizbreakblog.com
Wayne: Cool. Marshall, thanks again for doing this interview and sharing your experience with my blog readers. Look forward to chat with you soon.
Marshall: No problem, it was my pleasure. Thanks again man!
Are You Inspired by Marshall Haas?
There you have it, another great interview on Wayne Liew Dot Com. Marshall is one young entrepreneur that you must pay attention to as 2010 is just going to be a better year for him with BizBreak Ventures.
What do you learn from Marshall’s experience with his ventures?
Share your thoughts and your questions for Marshall in the comments section below.
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