From Senegal To Miami, Tech Entrepreneur Birame Sock Continues To Thrive

TAP: This seems like a great service especially around the holidays when so many purchases are being made. Can MyReceipts be used for gift receipts as well?

Yes, you can forward it to someone as a gift receipt and hide his or her name.

TAP: How has the current economic business climate affected your business?

In the last couple of months, our team has grown from five employees to 17.

TAP: That’s no easy feat in a down economy, and South Florida is no Silicon Valley.

From a growth perspective, I think it’s about timing. Our business model allows people to sign up for free; being green and easy to use is also to our benefit. It’s about listening to consumers and paying attention to the climate and service and strategy. I make sure that we don’t end up obsolete. The market is ready so you don’t want to lose the opportunity that is out there. You can’t be thinking about something today that you want to implement in a year, you have to implement in a few months. It’s a fast pace, but that’s a big differentiator in whether a business will catch on, thrive and continue to be viable.

TAP: What qualities do you bring to the table as an entrepreneur?

You have to have the ability to move fast. From a character perspective, I’m driven and my mom used to make fun of me for it. My dad allowed me to be creative and think, “what can I do with what I have right now?” I came from Africa and have had to prove myself, and being a black woman in tech you find that you have to prove yourself. I look at those things as opportunities. And I love networking and building relationships as well as technology. It’s definitely an asset, because I also need to hire people.

TAP: What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?

Create a supportive environment, understand why you are doing what you are doing and believe in yourself. The biggest thing is not running your company for what it would be in five years, but for the next 30-90 days. You can brainstorm forever, but there are things you need to do now. Look at short-term goals because you can forget about the journey when you think too long. Don’t shoot an expensive commercial when you don’t have your product perfected. Focus on what you can do right now. It’s very easy to get caught up in too many things, so I remind my team all the time to stay focused on short-term goals.

TAP: What is next for you, MyReceipts and Third Solutions?

MyReceipts is available on the iPhone and mobile users should watch out for new announcements on more platforms like the Blackberry. I want to make a mark for 2011 and we’re going to be growing, and growing. We are going to be at the National Retail Federation’s 100th Annual Convention and Expo on Jan 9-12 in New York City. We’ll be demoing our platform. I’m looking forward to that.