[quote style=”boxed”]Listen to your employees.[/quote]
Ellis Gorden is an entrepreneurial thought leader and has more than 40 years of experience starting, growing and driving businesses. Ellis is the founder of PocketCake, the next-generation mobile app development company.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on PocketCake, my new startup company that makes mobile apps. Right now, this includes everything from office space to a private placement for financing. I believe that this industry can be incredibly profitable when executed with the correct structure. We are ready to release our first mobile game called LavaCat, which is the first in a saga of cat-oriented games.
Where did the idea for your current business come from?
I wanted to create Web-based businesses. The first company is a mobile app company specializing in gaming, which will be followed by an online marketing company. I’m particularly interested in high-tech industries.
By partnering with Jim Bassett for researching and developing, we found that there is still room for a niche company to operate with the credibility and honesty that I demand from my companies for consumers. The idea spawned from the knowledge that college grads are now more Internet driven then mechanically/engineering driven.
What does your typical day look like?
I leave home before 9 after watching the morning news for an hour to discuss all matters with department heads: accounting, news, production, clientele, who left the toilet seat up, etc. I manage all the money coming and going and meet with employees to talk about current and upcoming problems to help find solutions.
I normally take a two-hour lunch, during which I focus on the business’s functionality or employee relations. After lunch, I revisit any of the company’s trouble spots. I try to finish my day by 4 p.m. so I can socialize over a cocktail with my wife or investors.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Bringing ideas to life involves many people and many opinions. I don’t want to miss anything. Usually, the idea is scrutinized by all the managers and players. If the idea holds up, I strategize to make it a profit center. Finally, I seek out a person to manage and produce the product.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
The smartphone and tablet craze. Soon, most of the world will own one or the other.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
The worst job I ever had was repairing tallow and animal waste trucks, which were consumed with maggots and other unsavory things. I learned the value of charging extra for certain jobs, especially if you’re dealing with stomach-churning smells and a vision fit for a horror movie.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Hire the top people in the world, then take on the newest technology. I would never let myself get too comfortable with the status quo. Hire an attorney who’s Johnnie Cochran-good to fight off all predators.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Listen to your employees.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Buy low and sell high. Actually, a great idea is to create a business that flourishes from the use of technology, and hire young people who want to put skin in the game to make money with you.
Tell us a secret.
Technology has no bounds. Soon, we’ll be served dinner, go to the bathroom, and brush our teeth — all without leaving the comfort of our couches.
What are your three favorite online tools and what do you love about them?
Spell Check: I sometimes misspell my own last name. Google Maps: I feel I have the whole world at my fingertips. Doggie Porn: My cat, Meow Zedong, has a thing for it.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Any prominent book on wars to learn about American courage and freedom.
What’s on your playlist?
Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young,” all Leonard Cohen songs, and oldies. I sing Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” every morning while I’m in the shower.
If you weren’t working on your current business what would you be doing?
Looking for a new way to increase my net worth with my entrepreneurial skills. If not for my businesses, which are my passion, I’d probably be pacing back and forth in a padded room somewhere.
Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?
Jesus, Buddha, Confucius. Trust me — they know what they’re talking about.
When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?
The other day I laughed aloud when I was passed on the highway by a rather large guy driving a mini car who was eating a cheeseburger, smoking a cigarette, and playing with his phone. A sign of the times, I thought to myself.
Who is your hero?
Arnold Palmer.
What causes you to profess your rightness in a business situation?
Research and experience.
What is more important, your business goals or business victories?
Business goals should bring business victories.
Connect:
PocketCake on Facebook:
PocketCake on Twitter: @pocketcakeapps
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.