Pingg: Taking Leaps

Party over here, party over there.  Every now and then, we enjoy having a cocktail or two.  Especially if it's 72 and sunny outside.  That's why we love Pingg.  It makes those days even easier to come by.  Pingg is a new online invitation and event management system site that enables people to create, send, and manage personal and professional events.  Behance sat down with Lorien Gabel, CEO & Co-Founder of pingg to discuss entrepreneurship, disrupting conventions, and making events happen.

Gabel has over a decade of experience making ideas happen as an entrepreneur, but taking the first leap was the hardest challenge he encountered.  He shares with us, "The first big thing I ever did...was to quit my job as a lawyer and actually pursue the idea. This was back in 1994 when my brother, Matt, had approached me about starting our first company, Interlog.  After hesitating for a minute, I joined him, moved the company from our parents' basement, and managed its growth until it was acquired. Usually that first leap is the hardest. Statistically, most start-ups never launch. So it’s all about tipping the balance in your favor. If you have faith in the product, surround yourself with a great team, allow yourself to have some sleepless nights, then hopefully your odds increase." 

After Interlog, Gabel found himself frustrated with the current state of online event planning and management, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.  "In 2007, when we first sat down to think of our next project, most of our ideas hit the waste basket. But pingg was an idea that stuck with all of us. As consumers ourselves, we knew there was a large hole in the online invitations and event planning category. We knew that people only used certain of our predecessors/competitors simply because those were the only sites available to them. So pingg was one of those viral ideas that once we decided to move forward with, took on a life of its own and, relatively speaking, launched itself."

As for staying organized, Gabel shares some tips on how he effectively manages his time, collaborations, and productivity:

• Time Management:  I like working early in the morning and late at night. I always try to make sure that I go for a run/workout in the early evening so that I can clear my head.  After a workout and a great dinner I’m always re-energized.  I find that taking a break enables me to work longer hours, more effectively. 

• Collaboration:  From my perspective, collaboration is essential and is what has ultimately led to my success. I’ve co-founded all 3 of my businesses with my brother Matt.   It’s truly a great partnership because we complement each other. His strength is technology/UI, while mine is business strategy & finance. I couldn’t imagine starting a business without Matt.
  

• Organization:  In the beginning, we’ve always tended to keep our start-ups small. Today, a year and a half after we hired our first employee, we are still just 7 people.  This ensures that we’re able to stay nimble, focused and organized.  It also enables me to stay in touch with the team so that at all times everyone knows the business priorities.  Most importantly, being small enables us to shift directions and re-calibrate as the business dictates. Like our other businesses, we ultimately will grow much larger, however in the beginning, I’ve always liked to keep the team lean and focused while we evolve the business.

Gabel brings his entrepreneurial ideas to life by disrupting conventions and keeping laser-like focus.  He explains, "It’s one thing to have the big ideas, concepts and the business strategy, it’s another to bring them to life.  I think that by nature of being an entrepreneur, you are defying conventional wisdom.   Starting your own business is always risky. At the same time it’s thrilling to see your ideas come to life.  It’s even more fulfilling if your idea succeeds.  For me, being an entrepreneur means doing things differently, and it means not being deterred just because someone has told you 'no.'"  We're glad he ignored the first couple of "no's" because thanks to Gabel, the fun starts at the invitation, not the party itself.