Brian Rice started out as an entrepreneur and investor, and now launching his own company Gocella, a mobile text platform that makes it easy for businesses to engage customers.
With this new text campaign technology, Brian hopes to give us a new and better way to reach loyal customers.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your company – what is Gocella all about?
Gocella’s goMobile™ platform – transforming mobile & social marketing at its core. goMobile™ is a proprietary toolset enabling true customer acquisition, retention and engagement!
Gocella is an innovative mobile and social marketing platform and managed services company that is focused on customer retention, engagement and communication. By creating fully integrated mobile marketing campaigns that leverage social media, email and other marketing channels, Gocella quickly and affordably enables businesses to engage customers on their mobile phone.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
At 21 I started my first company that resold marketing lists with my best friend since I was 16. That company evolved over 12 years to be a full service direct marketing and direct response agency. In 2012 after investing in some software companies we decided to sell some of our company and start a software and service company that would empower small to large businesses with the most unique and cutting edge mobile features.
Q: What are some of the projects you are working on right now?
We are currently working with many call centers to increase their contact ratio by at least 25%, we are running a campaign for Job Corp. the Government organization, we are excited about our largest client one of the top 2 insurance companies in the world as well as working on ways to interact and engage in the TV and Film space.
Q: What are your plans for the future, how do you plan to grow this company?
The company has been funded by my partner and I as well as venture capital and angel investors, we came out of beta in November of 2013 and are now at breakeven looking at profit by end of year. We are still raising capital to continue the application development, grow staff and marketing as well as increase our overall bandwidth to take on larger clients.
Q: What were the top 3 mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from it?
The top 3 mistakes I made when starting Gocella were one not listening to my friend and adviser about moving the company too early into Manhattan versus staying in NJ until we hit where we are now, spending a bit too much time and effort on using new code that does now make us very unique and powerful but could have waited and spending way too much time pitching the wrong types of angels and venture firms, more due diligence should have been done here.
Q: Please share some advice for new entrepreneurs, someone who’s just starting out.
Starting your own business is not easy and I started very young the best advice I could give has been given to me: write down all your ideas big and small you need to have many ideas always ready, figure out problems companies are having and find solutions you don’t have to solve the whole problem but figure out a way to help, stay healthy it takes long hours and will be a roller coaster ride, rely on friends and family for support, believe in yourself and your company, give away free ideas it will pay off in the long run.
Q: What was the best business advice you have ever received and who gave you this advice?
My best friend and business partner as well as investor and board member gives me constant advice and the best is hard to find because all of his advice has worked for me and some I mention above so I will have to say read his book “Choose Yourself” and all your questions will be answered.
Q: What are the top 3 online tools and resources you’re currently using to grow your company?
As for tools and resources we build most of our own at Gocella but the important ones that help all businesses are QuickBooks online, DropBox, Google Drive and also Bufferapp
Q: What’s your definition of success?
My definition of success is wealth this is not about money it’s a combination of happiness, being able to look at yourself and say I am good with the me and I like me, spirituality in any way you choose but it is necessary because it connects the heart the mind and the spirit, being able to rest and sleep peacefully and yes growing a business that brings you an abundance (determined by you what that amount is) of money, health and happiness.
Q: What are three books you recommend entrepreneurs to read?
3 books I recommend are:
(1) – Choose Yourself – by James Altucher
(2) – The Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life
(3) – and The Journey Into Yourself (Digital Audiobook) by Eckhart Tolle
Q: What is your favorite entrepreneurship quote?
One of my top favorite entrepreneurship quotes is by one of the greatest minds and business men ever Howard Hughes
“Once you consent to some concession, you can never cancel it and put things back the way they are.”
Q: How can our community get in touch with you?
Our social presence is on Twitter and just starting @gocella, www.gocella.com , brice@gocella.com , my personal twitter is @getbrice and on Google Plus
