Invoiceberry CEO Uwe Dreissigacker chats with Giedrius Ivanauskas
Uwe started his first business as a hobby when he was 14 years old, and his first successful national business at the age of 16 – an online gaming company which had at its peak over 300,000 players. As well, as a spin-off, he created an online advertisement company which boasted over 1 billion ad impressions per month within one year, and created revenues in excess of half a million Euros. After moving to London, he decided to take a break and concentrate on completing his Bachelor in Entrepreneurship before he started his newest venture, Invoiceberry, a simple, fast and effortless invoicing service for small businesses.
G: Tell us about your start-up, Invoiceberry
U: Invoiceberry is a simple and fast online invoicing software for small businesses, sole traders and freelancers. Small businesses can create, send and manage their invoices with just a few clicks. All invoices can be either sent by e-mail or Royal Mail directly from Invoiceberry. Since all data is stored securely online, businesses can access their invoices from home, the workplace or on the go. We try to revolutionise small business invoicing and improve the cash flows of our customers.
G: What were the biggest obstacles in launching your company, and how did you overcome them?
U: The biggest problem was that you meet a lot of people who think they know better what your company is about than you and what you need to do to improve your company. You do need to listen to other people when starting a new company, but you also have to believe in yourself. I wasted a lot of time doing things which other people told me were important, but looking back I know that it was a waste of time.
G: What would you say has been your most memorable moment since launching Invoiceberry?
U: When my third customer paid £20 to use Invoiceberry. I checked my emails on my iPhone at midnight on a Saturday and couldn’t fall asleep until 4am because I was so excited.
U:DO’s:
- Believe in yourself.
- Get obsessed with what you are doing.
- Listen to other people BUT don’t always act on their advice.
- Enjoy your life as an entrepreneur. It’s the best you will ever do!
DON’Ts:
- Be stupid!
- Expect to make money straight away.
- Believe that it will be easy. It’s not!
G: Why did you choose Shoreditch in launching your start-up?
Shoreditch is the most vibrant, buzzing and exciting place to be in London, or even Europe at the moment. There is no place where more new ideas get created and innovative business people meet for a coffee or a pint. You don’t just go to work here; you work, live, drink, eat, enjoy and create new ventures in Shoreditch.
G: What does the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ have to do to compete with Silicon Valley?
U: We need more incubators, cheap serviced offices, and cheap flats/houses to rent to get young and buzzing entrepreneurs and web developers to move to Shoreditch and share office spaces, and throw new creative ideas at each other. A bit more sunshine wouldn’t be bad either…
G: Who/what are your favourite entrepreneurs/start-ups in Shoreditch?
U: Invoiceberry – That’s a no-brainer. You have to be self-confident.
Cup of 3 Design – Our web design agency which helps us with all our design needs.
Nearby Digital – Thanks for all the social media advice we got from these guys.
Dopplr.com (Matt Biddulph) – For coining the term ‘Silicon Roundabout’.
Ergobliss – For whipping the team back into shape!
G: What does the future have in store for Shoreditch?
U: Shoreditch will soon become the number one spot for European start-ups and creative businesses. Unfortunately, this will also mean an increase in rental prices. However, with the Olympic side being used as office spaces after the Games in 2012, lots of new office spaces will be available for large tech companies such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook. It’s not technically Shoreditch, but it will help the Shoreditch eco-system.
