Every week I make sure to talk to someone that’s completely unrelated to what I do for a living. They may be working on their own business or be in a completely field of work, but it allows me to see my business through a different lens. I call it “different think.”
Scott Bennett is the founder and CEO of Skratch. Building on a 25-year career focused on sales development, revenue generation, and marketing, Scott leads Skratch and oversees management, marketing, and operations. His professional tenure includes work with early stage companies, such as IndoorDirect, Poptent, and Tongal, as well as emerging marketplaces and consumer ad-driven platforms. He has served as an innovation consultant to global organizations such as Frito Lay, Anheueser Busch, AT&T, and Southwest Airlines. Scott has taken great pride in giving back across Dallas to organizations including Multiple Sclerosis, Israel bonds, and his local schools. Scott earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from The University of Texas at Austin.
Where did the idea for Skratch come from?
Skratch was born out of a conversation between myself and Ronen Akiva, co-founder and CTO of Skratch. Ronen was concerned that his son would have to go to college without having any work experience because he was so overcommitted with school activities and there weren’t any part-time jobs flexible enough to meet a teen’s busy schedule. That was the seed of the idea.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
I start each day with a quick workout and then take the time to exercise my brain by reading news articles. Throughout the day, I dedicate time to thinking about our platform’s user experience. This involves communicating with users to see how we can better the user experience and looking at trends to see how we can be more efficient as a business. There is also a lot of time spent communicating with multiple people on our team, whether it be agency partners or lawyers, to come up with ways to accelerate the growth of our business.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring my ideas to life by allowing them to flow without limitation. I let the “what” come out before the “how.” I believe that sometimes good ideas never develop because we spend too much time worrying about how it will be executed. I think about what my end goal is, and if it’s a good idea, then I proceed to focus on the “how.”
What’s one trend that excites you?
In general, I love the idea of the two-way conversation nowadays between social influencers and platforms. This setup allows people, or brands, to get feedback in real time and build on it.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
Every week I make sure to talk to someone that’s completely unrelated to what I do for a living. They may be working on their own business or be in a completely field of work, but it allows me to see my business through a different lens. I call it “different think.”
What advice would you give your younger self?
Risk, while scary, is the biggest rush. When you take a risk and you live to tell about it, it’s awesome. Don’t be afraid to take a risk.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on?
Individual sports are harder than team sports. Ultimately winning and losing falls on one person. In team sports blame can shift depending on the angles people take.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
I constantly read things that are impactful. There are articles that I find really inspirational that I read over and over again and they still feel like the first time. It’s something I definitely recommend people do.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
For Skratch, one strategy that has helped has been allowing others to feel like they have a voice. We’ve done that with moms and teens. We constantly ask them for input to help shape the platform and we listen. We listen to their ideas and implement them. They have a hand in making Skratch a success.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
One failure I experienced was probably assuming that the market would remain as excited over the long haul as it was in the beginning. We’re overcoming that by finding fresh ways to present the business. We look to showcasing the business in a different light so that it has an impact on people.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
As a parent, I’ve seen my kids grow up, and with that grow out of so many clothes over the years. I’ve seen the concept of Rent the Runway and thought about how great it would be if there was a network out there for parents to share clothes as a community as their kids grow out of them.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
I recently donated to Hurricane Harvey relief. I did that, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because I have friends that had to experience all of that firsthand. Being so far away, I felt hopeless and saw my donation as a way to do something that would have immediate impact.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I like using Slack. It helps organize the fast-paced channeling of ideas around the business and makes it so easy to revisit in a streamlined manner. I love using it throughout the day to communicate with my team.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
I really like “The Founder’s Dilemma: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls that Can Sink a Startup” by Noam Wasserman. It reminds the reader that there are always certain challenges that will come up as your business grows. I read it before I started my business and would encourage others to read it before starting theirs.
What is your favorite quote?
“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!” – Rocky Balboa
Key Learnings:
- Don’t worry too much about how an idea will get executed in the early stages. Focus on what you want it to become and then start planning how to achieve it.
- Never assume once your business is launched that you’re finished. It’s important to continue finding different ways to present your business.
- Read “The Founder’s Dilemma: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls that Can Sink a Startup” by Noam Wasserman prior to starting a business to really understand how decisions can make or break a startup.
Connect:
Scott Bennett on LinkedIn:
Skratch on Twitter :
Skratch on Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/getskratch/
Skratch on Facebook :
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.