Eran Eyal

Izimvo has the pleasure of introducing Springleap.com co-founder Eran Eyal.

Springleap is a website where every two weeks designers get to enter a t-shirt design competition to win R7482.18 (about US$900) – half in cash and half t-shirts – plus massive exposure online and offline. They also get royalties on reprints.

Winners are selected by the site’s users who vote on their favorite designs. Springleap.com also offers free next-day delivery anywhere in South Africa.

Website: http://www.springleap.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/eranEyal
Location: Cape Town

Eran was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: Eran Eyal, 34, co-founder of Springleap.com, They are working on a crowdsourcing social media platform to compete with Ning in 2010! They also make rad t-shirts!

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I play Japanese Shakuhachi, Hochiku and other transverse flutes. Also carry one in my car as well as a harmonica in case I get stuck in rush-hour traffic :) Biggest phobia I had – Clinical Vertigo. Got over it.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: Playing the flute somewhere natural and quiet. Practicing Shaolin Kung-Fu and Bagua Zhang.

E-Commerce in South Africa

Q: Congratulations on winning in the best clothing and accessories category in the 2009 Jump E-Commerce awards? What does an award like this mean to a startup like Springleap?

A: Thank you! We are over the moon about it! For our brand Springleap, it means we are definitely heading in the right direction in an extremely difficult and saturated market often dominated by amazing corporate brands like Woolworths. Receiving an accolade of this sort from a jury of what we truly believe are our peers is really a massive morale boost for us as well as tip of the hat indicating we are doing something right. Oh yeah. Bragging rights :) don’t forget those! – No, seriously, it is fantastic for the shareholders to see us constantly and consistently taking the business to the next level and it gives us an excellent introduction to corporate clients.

Q: What advice would you give young Internet entrepreneurs starting out with little or no money?

A: Don’t give away too much too soon. We played it that way and are really happy. It’s tough and tempting to give away equity, but hold on as long as you can. Startups are very often a marathon, so make sure you have the emotional and mental stamina. Do regular physical activities to keep your body and mind occupied. Remember what makes you passionate about your business and hold onto it.

Entrepreneur December 2009 Article

Q: Can you give us a little insight as to what it is like behind the scenes at Springleap?

A: Wow – right now it’s quite crazy. Springleap.com is growing fast and we have really weathered the garment industry’s tiresome road. Now our major mission is to focus more on building the brand and solidifying the branding as well as hosting more corporate themed competitions (which are piling up nicely!).

We are currently moving to larger offices downstairs which are awesome and are hiring some amazing new people. The real development is actually more on our holding company’s side. Recently I raised R4m from an Angel Investor…and it’s not for Springleap. Rather it’s for the complete overhaul and redevelopment of our platform which we have been using Springleap.com as a test case for.

In the new year we will be launching multiple new brands, and more excitingly a SAAS model – you will be able to create your own mini-Springleap site via a drag-and-drop interface in a manner of minutes… For free. The platform will incorporate social media flavors you love ranging from profile pages, hosting events, making different tiers of friends, virtual gifts etc, e-commerce with crowdsourcing methodology as a focus at the heart of it all.

Of course there will be value added features at a price and full-blown corporate models deliverable with a few weeks from point of order. In the new year we will be hiring an internal development team to affect this.

Q: How do you hire great talent?

A: Wow – luckily? It can be a real lucky packet. From hiring talent over the last few years the best methodology is still word of mouth and referrals. We always try to focus more on the jockey than the horse he came riding in on.

Q: What advice would you offer to smaller sites wanting to commerce enable their sites?

A: Wait till next year when our platform launches ;) or just come chat to us! The door is always open and advice is often free. Read the E-Myth and E-marketing. They are tenement books on the matter.

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: Not my family so much, but we were affected when we had 5 break-ins in Florida Rd, Durban a few years ago when we had the eSquared shops. Very tiring stuff. Luckily no one was hurt and we were insured.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: mmm. I have considered it in the past, and glad I didn’t – I studied a CELTA course with a view of emigrating to Japan. That was when I was living in Durban. Moved to Cape Town about a year ago. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I am happy as a pig in… Well you know.

Q: Given the opportunity, which governmental department would you select to lead?

A: Good lord. None of them. I suppose it would have to be ICASA/telecoms at a push. We need some serious headway here… It’s holding us all back.

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: The rocks in Llandudno at sunrise/sunset, The canons of Camps Bay on a beautiful day (like the one we just had on Saturday – I took some amazing pictures – here is the link and see what I mean)  and – of course – my place if they are really nice. Scratch that – just kidding on the last one ;) The third would be for a tour of Franschhoek and walk through the mountains there. Gorgeous.

Life in Cape Town

Q: Best spot for a romantic night out?

A: Nobu restaurant at the One and Only

Q: Favorite venue for team building?

A: Go-Carting!

Q: First place you would go in or around Cape Town to put a new camera through its paces?

A: A drive through Woodstock. You won’t believe the variety of rich and lush Cape-townian life you can experience there.

General

Eran playing the flute

Q: Which South African blog do you read on a daily basis and why?

A: iMod. Chris Mills is awesome – he offers good general information, tech reviews and a break from all things mundane. He also has a good casual writing style.

Q: If you were able to pick anyone as your mentor, who would it be and why?

A: Steve Jobs. He is an incredible visionary and an amazing public speakers. A man who has changed the rules on every level ranging from commerce to technology. What an amazing leader.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

A: The Business Brickfield.

Q: Favorite South African brand?

Q: Springleap. Hands down. I know it sounds egotistical, but I really do believe we are doing a great job and have an amazing product that constantly surprises even me.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo?

A: Johan Rupert- I head him speaking for the first time at Silicon Cape. It was a milestone I shall soon not forget.

We’d like to thank Eran for taking the time to answer our questions and wish him and the team at Springleap every success for the future. We looking forward to seeing some amazing announcements from the team in the coming months.

Right, competition time.
Win one of the trendy Springleap T-Shirts. To enter simply make sure that you are a fan of both the Izimvo and Springleap Facebook pages. Thats it!

Winners will be drawn Wed 9th Dec at 9am. Good luck!