I’m Jun Loayza, Founder of Lion Step Media and Passport Peru, and This is How I Power My Business

January 8, 2013 8:27 am0 comments

Firmology’s How I Power My Business series profiles the technology business owners use to run and grow their business.

jun-loayza

Name: Jun Loayza
Businesses: Lion Step Media, Passport Peru, Minted Republic, Fashion Blogger Network
Location: San Francisco, CA
Smartphone: iPhone 4S
Tablet: iPad – but I rarely use it.
Computer: Just bought a new Macbook Air. Absolutely love it.
Other Gadgets: Nikon D3000

What’s the story behind your businesses?

In 2010, my company raised $1,000,000 in Angel funding for RewardMe. We grew the company to a fully functional product, over 10 clients and 15 employees. But then in mid-2012, we ran out of money and had to let go of many of our employees.

I realized a few important lessons as a technology entrepreneur:

Fundraising takes a LONG time
It’s foolish to focus on fundraising and a user-base as oppose to focusing on profitability
Business-focused entrepreneurs have a big disadvantage in the tech world

I stepped away from my company in July 2012 to focus on my own projects. I am no longer an internet entrepreneur; instead, I’m a lifestyle entrepreneur that focuses on building profitable projects that can scale quickly and require less than 3 people to run. All my current projects fit this model.
What apps or services are essential to the operations of your business?

My team and I use Basecamp to stay organized. It’s inexpensive and allows us to manage all of our projects and clients within one platform.

Our preferred email marketing platform is MailChimp. It’s free for the first 2,000 subscribers and is extremely easy to use.

I love DocuSign. It allows us to easily close a deal with a client without having to print, sign, and fax a signed document.

I’m not a developer, but I can do something amazing things with Thesis. I 100% recommend to get DIYthemes to build your sites on top of.
What apps, services or gadgets do you recommend to other business owners?

Biggest time-saver(s)?
Virtual assistant: I found my virtual assistant via Elance. She helps keep my contacts organized, leads some social media projects for my clients, and does miscellaneous work that just requires some attention to detail and elbow grease.

Biggest money-saver(s)?
No office space: My entire team is virtual, which means we save a ton by not having an office space. We use Google Hangouts or Skype to do conferences calls when needed and stay organized with Basecamp.

Favorite mobile app(s)?
Instagram: great way for ecommerce stores to build a following and sell products online.

Favorite personal app(s)?
Camera+: I’m no photographer, but this app for the iPhone makes me feel like one.

How can others reach you?
Website: http://www.junloayza.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/junloayza/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/junloayza
Other (email, phone, etc): [email protected]

If you’d like to be featured on Firmology’s How I Power My Business series, email [email protected] with the subject line: How I Power My Business