Lousy Economy + College Grads = Web Entrepreneurs

ABC News On Campus reporter Nadine Maeser reports:

Genna Suggs and Clark Harris never thought they’d pursue careers as webmasters.

Suggs, a 2007 graduate of the University of North Carolina, teamed up with her fiancé Harris, who had already been brainstorming a website with friend Matthew Simpson, to create FindMeSpecials, an Internet search engine for those looking to find deals at local restaurants.  The three view themselves as self-employed entrepreneurs, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We feel like it is needed by not only the people out there looking for good deals but also by the independent business owners who are using creative ways to inspire patrons at their establishments,” said Harris, who graduated from Wake Forest in 2003 with a degree in studio art. “So it benefits both ends of the spectrum.”

The path to their new career hasn’t been easy or predictable. The lousy economy and a chance encounter inspired them to strike out on their own. Suggs moved to Asheville, N.C., immediately after graduation to pursue a job with a company called Moondance Adventures, an outdoor adventure travel company for teenagers.  There she worked as a student coordinator and a leader in the summers. 

She graduated from UNC with a degree in journalism and a concentration in electronic media, but never really took a true step in that field of work, or dabbled in web design.  The same went for Harris.  It wasn’t until he met Simpson that he would let go of his passion for photography and start to develop his Internet skills. 

Harris, a North Carolina native, says the website is a product of meeting the right person at the right time.  After graduating from Wake Forest with a degree in studio art, Harris worked for a non-profit land conservation and traveled around the world for a bit. Harris then worked in Thailand as an underwater photographer.  After returning to the U.S., he showcased his work in an art show and connected with fellow Wake Forest alum Simpson, who graduated in 1997.
 
“The purpose of my travels was to put myself in a position to readily embrace opportunity when it presented itself,” Harris said. “When this vision aligned with people who could make it happen, I just went for it.”

When Harris met Simpson, the two came up with an idea of a user-friendly website with wide appeal.

“It seems simple, but I really just hope people will enjoy themselves socially and feel good about saving money when they are out dining,” said Suggs.  “I know the restaurant industry could use help bringing customers in, I think we just want to be that bridge that connects the two.”

And so Harris and Suggs put their college degrees on the back burner and embarked on a new journey with Simpson.

“The Internet has been flooded with websites that are founded to make money and simply lack substance,” said Harris.  “I thought to myself, if the perfect site was out there, I'd be using it all the time.”

“It wasn't, so I set out to create it,” Harris said. 

But with a struggling economy, many people are opting to eat out less and are finding it hard to financially take a vacation or have much of a social life.  So how can a website such as FindMeSpecials.com survive? 

Harris says the downturn is all the more reason to have the portal available.  “On the whole, people will turn to the more economic options of eating at home, but when they crave getting out, it is likely they will want to be informed of the good deals in their area,” he said.

Georgianne Papacostas, a recent college grad, agrees.  “Luckily, I am one of few college grads to get a job and it’s in D.C., which is an expensive area,” she said.  “I won’t know anyone there so it is definitely something I can use that will guide me to know where to get the best deals as a young business professional.” 

Papacostas says since this is her first job out of college she’s on a strict budget.  “I use the Internet for everything else so I’ll definitely take a look at the site to help me maintain that budget.”

The website currently covers the southeast cities like Atlanta, Charleston, Raleigh, Richmond, and Washington, D.C.  Harris says they hope to make it a nationwide search engine and to have 500 cities with completed content by December 2010.

FindMeSpecials.com is not the only website to offer bargain information.  Cities, hotels and restaurants offer websites with similar food and drink specials.  CitySearch.com and Yelp.com are among some of the popular sites, but Suggs says the specials can sometimes be buried within the sites.

“We pride ourselves on providing current results as finding specials is our only focus,” said Suggs.  “We are focusing on the simplicity of delivering only information that people want.”