Friday, March 24, 2023
708-340-5666
  • Login
  • Home
  • Our Mission
  • Media
  • Campaigns
  • Calendar Events
    • Events
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • Classified
    • Listing Page
    • Listing Form Page
    • My account
  • Education
    • Digital Education
No Result
View All Result
Champ4success
Advertisement
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • Our Mission
  • Media
  • Campaigns
  • Calendar Events
    • Events
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • Classified
    • Listing Page
    • Listing Form Page
    • My account
  • Education
    • Digital Education
No Result
View All Result
Champ4success
No Result
View All Result
Home Our Mission

A Q&A With Brian and Jamie Ratner, the Founders of CertifiKID

Admin by Admin
November 23, 2022
in Our Mission
0 0
0
Nominate and Emerging Entrepreneur today!
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Nominate and Emerging Entrepreneur today!

Brian and Jamie Ratner have a lot going on. The husband-wife duo are parents to two teenagers; the recent co-authors of ParentPreneurs: A Decade of Deals from a Messy Minivan; and the founders of CertifiKID, a 12-year-old web-based business that offers families discounts at nationwide locations, ranging from summer camps to amusement parks to farm festivals. Backed by Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, CertifiKID is the kid-friendly version of Groupon. We talked to the Ratners about working together, parenting and one of their smartest business decisions.

Where did the idea for CertifiKid come from?

Jamie: I was in charge of security management at a law firm, and I had a blog on the side related to food and fitness—just what my interests were. I stumbled upon the company Groupon when it was first starting and I loved the concept, but it was all spas and restaurants. I had just had two little, little kids and wasn’t going to spas and restaurants. But I loved the concept, so I presented the idea to Brian on a drive. By the end of our drive, we had mapped out the business idea, and we were all in.

How do you support each other while working together?

Brian: We have had this amazing experience of being able to share something together professionally that I think has been really unique and enriching between us, but also for our family. We’ve written a book about this now, but it’s been a unique process for us of mixing marriage and parenting with business.

Let’s talk a little bit about the book. What was that writing process like?

Jamie: I love to write, so it was super fun for me. For 12 years, I’ve been just racing, especially having two kids. I haven’t had a chance to really reflect on these past 12 years, so the writing process allowed me to do that, which was really fun.

What do you splurge on with the business and where do you save?

Jamie: Well, we’ve never had an office, and that, I was very strong about. Brian kept saying, “We’ve got to get an office; you’ve got to get an office.” And I think that was probably one of our smartest decisions—especially during COVID. We were used to functioning remotely, so we did great throughout the pandemic. It didn’t really impact the way we work. So that’s a huge savings.

Brian: When we launched, we tried to do it on a shoestring because we didn’t know if this was going to be something that was going to succeed. So we didn’t invest enough in the technology out of the gate. And that just required us to invest a lot more later to clean up everything that we had not done initially. So, therefore, where we have splurged, no penny has been left unspent since then in terms of trying to build the technology side of what we’re doing.

Is there anything that you wish you had invested in when you first started your business?

Jamie: Maybe expansion quicker. In some ways, I attribute that to why we succeeded—that we were slower. But, there are still some parts of me that question, “If I had just invested in a couple more people, could we have grown a little faster and then a little more?” But I’m very risk averse.

How do you balance being parents and entrepreneurs?

Jamie: I think it’s integrating everything. It’s using that time when we’re driving to soccer games or sitting around waiting for the game to start. I have my computer with me, so we can take advantage of that time together to have discussions we need to have. Even our kids are exposed to us talking. They’ve learned a lot from hearing us on these drives as we’re constantly in the car going to soccer games.

Kevin O’Leary is one of your investors and business partners. What’s that relationship like?

Brian: It’s great. He and his team are our only investors. When we went on Shark Tank, we didn’t have external investment in this company because we were profitable in the first year and just reinvested and always thought about doing that. We were a great fit for him because we were a very mature business, so we had very strategic and specific needs. We didn’t need a lot of hand-holding, and we’re profitable, and he likes that. So, when we need things, we’re very specific and targeted with what we need, and as a result, he and his team are super responsive. They’ve created amazing opportunities for us. We’ve gone on The View. We’ve had a Facebook Live series with Tan France. [O’Leary has] given us really great advice, and we’ve done things with his other Shark Tank companies and partnerships. He also wrote the foreword for our book.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2022 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photos courtesy Brian and Jamie Ratner








Source link

Admin

Admin

Next Post
How to Discover Your Next Career Move Amid the Great Resignation

How to Discover Your Next Career Move Amid the Great Resignation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Hadley to host Multicultural Festival February 18th

Hadley to host Multicultural Festival February 18th

November 27, 2022
Home

Kindness cabinet

November 28, 2022

Waffa Jubeh “We will deal with them”

November 29, 2022
Hadley to host Multicultural Festival February 18th

Hadley To Host Multicultural Festival

November 28, 2022
Elevate Your Writing and Personal Brand with Ann Handley

Elevate Your Writing and Personal Brand with Ann Handley

0
Count Your Blessings Glass Gratitude Jar

25 Fun Thanksgiving Activities to Do With Your Family

0
Nominate and Emerging Entrepreneur today!

A Q&A With Brian and Jamie Ratner, the Founders of CertifiKID

0
How to Discover Your Next Career Move Amid the Great Resignation

How to Discover Your Next Career Move Amid the Great Resignation

0
Oura - Your Success is in Your Hands

Brand Strategy: 4 Key Principles to Keep in Mind

March 24, 2023
SUCCESS Speakers Bureau

3 Post-Secondary Programs for Students with Autism

March 23, 2023
Want to Stop Making Impulsive Decisions? Do This Instead

Universal Design Increases Equity and Inclusion

March 23, 2023
Be the CEO of Your Own Health with Maria Menounos

Fred Gehring: Keeping a Classic Approach to a Brand

March 22, 2023

Recommended

Oura - Your Success is in Your Hands

Brand Strategy: 4 Key Principles to Keep in Mind

March 24, 2023
SUCCESS Speakers Bureau

3 Post-Secondary Programs for Students with Autism

March 23, 2023
Want to Stop Making Impulsive Decisions? Do This Instead

Universal Design Increases Equity and Inclusion

March 23, 2023
Be the CEO of Your Own Health with Maria Menounos

Fred Gehring: Keeping a Classic Approach to a Brand

March 22, 2023

About Us

We bring you the best Premium WordPress Themes that perfect for news, magazine, personal blog, etc. Check our landing page for details.

Read more

Categories

  • Calendar Events
  • Campaigns
  • Media
  • Our Mission
  • Volunteer

Recent News

Oura - Your Success is in Your Hands

Brand Strategy: 4 Key Principles to Keep in Mind

March 24, 2023
SUCCESS Speakers Bureau

3 Post-Secondary Programs for Students with Autism

March 23, 2023
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Champ4success - All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Our Mission
  • Media
  • Campaigns
  • Calendar Events
    • Events
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • Classified
    • Listing Page
    • Listing Form Page
    • My account
  • Education
    • Digital Education

© 2022 Champ4success - All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In