Big Tips for Small Business with John Caplan

John Caplan founded OpenSky in 2009 out of a desire to help people discover and connect with great small businesses. Today, the e-commerce site is one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. with three million members and over 1,000 merchants. This May, OpenSky launched the Small Business Breakthrough, a national movement to celebrate and promote entrepreneurs.

How did you get the idea for OpenSky? Why and how did you get started? 
One Saturday, I took my son shopping. He was nine at the time and all he wanted was to learn how to do magic tricks. We searched the Internet and found a small magic shop run by professional magicians on 34th Street in New York City. We spent an entire afternoon at the magic shop learning how to do tricks from professional magicians and picking out the ones we really wanted to buy. When we left, my son said to me "Dad, that was amazing." It became clear to me that there is something missing from the way most of us shop today. Most people don't have shopping experiences that are personal, exciting and full of discovery. That's when I knew I had to find a way to connect people around the world with the great small businesses and the passionate creators, so everyone can have the magic store experience.
  
What is the current size of the company? 
We have 65 employees spread out between New York City, Portland and Nashville. The site has three million members and 1000+ merchants.
 
What are the keys to managing a fast-growing business? 
The most important assets in your company are your team and the culture. At OpenSky, we share a belief that diversity, selection and discovery are better ways to shop than by search box and empowering businesses to grow is a great way to spend your day. Our shared vision keeps us connected and allows us to stay focused on our goals.

It’s important to set goals with your team, make sure all of those goals are aligned and then measure every action against accomplishing those goals.  Staying focused in this world full of distractions is key. 

How have you marketed OpenSky and what have you found has been most successful?  
What has been the most effective is giving people a great experience because then they share it with their friends and their friends share it with friends and so on. There is nothing more effective for marketing than a truly happy customer.  
 
OpenSky understands the value of word-of-mouth. How can small businesses tap the influencers in their own lives or neighborhoods to grow their business? 
When you’re a business owner and it’s your passion that has been the driving force behind creating a business, it's important to tell people about it. We live in a very digital world where most communication is by email but you can’t replace the connection you make when you meet someone face to face. My advice is take your passion out from behind your desk and tell people your story face to face whenever you can, whether its over coffee or lunch or just a catch up -- you never know where a conversation can go.  
 
What is your advice for small businesses looking to breakthrough to the next level?
The Internet is the most powerful partner to a small business if you use it correctly. You have to leverage the distribution that you can get by getting your business online. OpenSky merchants are growing their business by being part of our community and reaching national and ultimately international markets.  Every company -- whether a service business, a manufacturer or a local restaurant -- can use technology to grow. OpenSky, ShopKeep, FourSquare and Belly are some of the platforms that are helping.  
 
If you were running a small business and you had $500 left in your monthly budget at the end of the month, how would you spend it?
That's a great question. If you're an advertiser, small budgets are very effective when you target. However, I'd probably decide to do something that ignites word-of-mouth among my community of customers or followers. A viral video.  A charitable promotion. Something to put the business in the center of a conversation between friends. When people are sharing your brand and talking about your business, your business will grow. 
 
What have been your keys to success?
There are few things that are bedrock for me. I believe in the courage to pursue big ideas. I love hard work. I refuse to quit. I don't think I'm always right. I work with people that I am inspired by and who are the best in the world at what they do. And then lots of luck.