Blogtrepreneur Interview: Shahed Khan of Viatask.com
He’s impressive by just about any measure, but for a teen working on his first startup, Shahed Khan is worth taking a closer look at. Shahed is the founder of Viatask, an application that’s launching 11/22/2011 and has been called Craigslist for chores. There’s no doubt in my mind that his is a name we’ll be hearing a lot of in the years to come.
I was fortunate to catch up with Shahed recently, and he agreed to answer a few questions for Blogtrepreneur. He shares some great insights in the interview. Enjoy reading and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Your company, Viatask, is a very innovative idea. Can you sum up what it is for our readers? When will the site officially launch?
Viatask is a social platform where you can outsource your daily errands with trusted people in your neighborhood! Don’t have time to grab a bite? Have a Viatask Runner drop lunch off at your office. Want the next iPhone, but don’t want to wait in the enormous line at the Apple Store? Have a Viatask Runner wait in line for you! Imagine if you could let trusted people nearby help you finish your daily tasks. Let Viatask help you make your life easier, one task at a time!
Where did you get your entrepreneurial spirit? Are your parents entrepreneurial?
I’ve always loved creating things that would one day be used by thousands, if not millions of people. I’ve always had a passion to sell electronics on eBay, after a few months, I pivoted to creating my own tech start-up. No one in my family is an entrepreneur. I think it’s nice to have someone in the family that is doing something different!
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced that are unique to starting an online business, and how have you overcome them?
Some of the biggest challenges I faced early on was that I knew no one that could help mentor me, and teach me the entrepreneurial ethics. I also lacked in public speaking, and networking with other entrepreneurs. Also, at only 16-years-old, I still attend high school and try to fit everything in my schedule. After a few months of going to events in Chicago, and attending TechCrunch Disrupt SF, I started to feel more comfortable speaking in large groups, and started to have people emailing me asking for advice for their companies. I got out of my comfort zone and started to network, network, and network. Now I can turn to entrepreneurs who’ve been successful in the past and ask them for advice, or their opinions on a specific design, or a feature in our web application.
What three pieces of advice do you have for would-be internet entrepreneurs interested in starting their first business?
- Build your product: Don’t worry about anything else than building a product that sets you apart from your competitors.
- Attend Networking Events: The more you network with entrepreneurs/investors, the more you grow your contacts, the easier it will be for you to turn back and ask for advice or help when you are struggling with something. Not only will they help, but in the future you will have a better chance doing a partnership with them, or getting introduced to one of their contacts that might end up being helpful to you.
- Help others succeed: As I look back to my past, there were a handful of helpful people that stood by my side and would constantly answer any and all of my questions, help introduce me to other entrepreneurs, and constantly give me feedback on my app. Return the favor, and help other entrepreneurs succeed. Remember, the more you help people, the better you will be in life!
How do you personally define success?
You know you’re on the path of being successful when something you’ve built, or helped build, is being used by people all across the world, and in return they thank you for creating such an awesome product.
