Dialing Up Options
David Hauser and Siamak Taghaddos
GotVMail Communications
www.gotvmail.com
Newton, Mass.
Founded: 2003
Ages: 24 and 23, respectively
Hauser and Taghaddos, already on the fourth startup venture between them, got the idea for GotVMail because they were frustrated with the phone-system options for small businesses.
GotVMail gives mom-and-pops a way to sound just like big corporations. They can get the usual voice-mail boxes and also set up preferences like routing calls to a cell phone or getting messages by e-mail in the form of MP3 files -- all for as little as $10 a month.
The company obtained seed money from friends and began turning a profit in its second month of operation. Now it generates about $5 million in revenue per year.
Lesson learned:
Taghaddos: "For a young entrepreneur, having good personal credit is one of the most important things. We wouldn't have gotten all the help from American Express or Bank of America without it."
Hauser: "To be involved in the entrepreneurial community and give back, talking to students is very important."
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