Over the coming weeks we’ll be interviewing each of the eleven finalists taking part in The AIB Start-Up Academy. This week we caught up with Karl McCarthy, founder of Usher, to find out what it’s like to be part of an Irish start-up and the key pieces of advice he has been given so far in his career.
Usher is an event discovery application. The platform curates the top ten things to do in Dublin each day, whether it’s a secret gig, food tasting or a retro cinema showing. Usher wants to be your personal guide to what’s hot and what’s not in a 48 hour window.
iPad booking stations have been placed in leading hotels and hostels where guests can book and receive their tickets directly to their phone. A mobile iOS and Android version is due for release this May.
What prompted you to start your business?
My previous career as a management consultant meant a lot of travelling. Watching Top Gear reruns from my hotel room became extremely boring. I would ask the front desk of the hotel for suggestions but inside tips on what to do that day were few and far between. Usher was created to provide this inside knowledge in an easy to use format.
Why did you choose to go into the mobile app/tourism industry? What research did you undertake before starting out?
We were lucky that several competitors had launched in Europe and the US so we piggybacked off their research. Dublin markets itself as a tourist city and there was plenty of data out there.
We played around with several prototypes including printing physical tickets at the booking stations. This proved disastrous. Printers break. A lot. After the 100th callout in a week to fix one we decided to ditch them. Prototyping is great, never underestimate how quickly the general public can take apart and crash your carefully put together product.
What did you do to make you stand out from the competition?
Indirect competition takes the form of ticketing platforms. They are not the most popular of services with their high service charges. It was not that hard a sell.
What is your USP? How did you decide to market your USP?
We have a team of curators who’s job it is to find out about Dublin’s top listings. Instead of hiring spork-wielding hipsters, we found genuinely sound staff with good taste and even better hygiene. This quality control sets Usher apart from the rest of the gang.
What has been your biggest barrier since starting up Usher?
Convincing event organisers to use our booking platform at the very beginning. We had no track record and we were asking them to trust us with an extremely important part of their business.
Have you had many mentors? What has been the best advice they have given you?
Get a demo of your product into the hands of testers as soon as possible. That was pretty good advice. It has saved us tears and dollars.
What has been your greatest moment since starting up?
Overhearing two strangers at a bar talk about Usher in a complimentary manner.
And your worst?
Realising they were talking about Usher the singer.
What’s the bravest decision you have had to make in business so far?
Prioritising the development of our mobile app. It will make or break us.
Name three things you have learnt at The AIB Start-Up Academy so far…
- How to effectively (and politely) ditch a boring person at a conference.
- Bobby Kerr was great to speak with. He has gone through the mill as an entrepreneur and lived to speak about it today.
What are your three pieces of advice you would give to somebody starting off?
- Find a partner in crime. It can be pretty lonely doing it by yourself.
- Take a holiday before you start, it will be a long time before you get to go on one again.
- Market research can be boring but it’s worth its weight in gold. Don’t ignore it.
What Fortune 500 company would you MOST like to be in charge of?
Apple. I would cut their product prices by 70 per cent to what they really should be.
What Fortune 500 company would you least like to be in charget of and why?
Gazprom. Russian CEO’s lead a hazardous lifestyle.
What are your “cheats” or “hacks” for making life easier in the business world?
Make sure to exercise and stay fit. Running a business is tough going and you need all the energy you can get. A healthy body equals a healthy mind.
Who would you prefer to face off with in a fight to the death: Bill Gates or Donald Trump? Keep in mind that the winner keeps the loser’s business…
Has to be the Donald for a fight. He can keep his business though. I’m happy with Usher.
