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Lance Ophof is the CEO/Co-Founder of Scoopbroker ….. his Co-founder Peter Ogren, is from Stockholm…. ScoopBroker is based in Santa Monica, CA.
Hobbies: Photography (Drone), Beach Volleyball, foodie
Favorite quote: “Don’t fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today.”
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScoopBroker
Background
Why did you decide to become an entrepreneur?
Lance Ophof: I’ve grown brands, products, and businesses for other people and companies in the past and was tired of making millions for other people while seeing their companies grow. I wanted to grind and grow a business of my own, while providing a new way for our users to make money on the side.
Who were your biggest influences? Was there a defining moment in your life?
Lance Ophof: Being an immigrant from the Netherlands, my father and his family were amongst the poorest class when they moved to the states as children. He had to learn a new language and work to help support his parents as a kid and put himself through college. He retired as a colonel in the USAF and was the Direct of Staff for Bolling/Andrews Air Force Bases. He taught me that hard work, dedication, and never quitting is the key to success.
Now
What are you working on? How did you come up with this idea?
Lance Ophof: ScoopBroker is the Uber for News and Media Footage. Peter was reading a newspaper in Sweden and saw an ad for the Newspapers app to download, asking for users to submit their footage to the newspapers app where they would pay you for footage used. A few weeks later we saw the movie Nightcrawler, staring Jake Gyllenhaal and that’s where it all clicked.We witnessed a car accident after seeing the movie and started filming the wreck/emergency services. We called the local news station to see if they would be interested in the footage and they tried getting us to submit it for free. Knowing we could make money off of the footage and going through the process of contacting multiple news rooms, we knew there was a flaw in the entire process. ScoopBroker was born that night.
How is your product/service different and unique? What’s the vision?
Lance Ophof: We envision ourselves as the leading marketplace for Citizen JournalistsNews and Media footage. A place where users can submit their footage for sale, and News and Media buyers can search, view, buy/or bid for license agreements. We NEVER own the rights to your footage and always want to help you earn top dollar for your footage. We’ve also built an assign menttool for our News partners that allows them to send assignment notifications to our users app. It notifies users who are in the area of a news event with a detailed description of the footage needed, turn-by-turn directions, and the price they’re willing to pay for a non-exclusive license agreement.
Who are your customers? How do you find them?
Lance Ophof: We partner with Broadcast groups who own affiliate News stations like ABCAction News, Fox News, CBS News etc. With other Media sites like TMZ and the Washington Post also gaining access. Our users consist of Citizen Journalist (anyone with a smart phone camera, drone, GoPro, etc.) News Stringers, Multimedia Journalist and Paparazzi.
Did you experience failure along the way? What did you learn from it?
Lance Ophof: Without failure, there is no true success. Every entrepreneur will tell you they’ve failed somewhere along the road. You’ve got to trust the process and learn.grow from the experience of failure.
Value-add questions
Give the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.
Lance Ophof: Don’t fear failure. Fear being in the exact same place next year as you are today. Know that even the big boys started out small. Stay humble and always hungry.
Teach us something about {internet marketing, social media ads, fundraising, sales funnels or another topic} Can you recommend any favorite websites to learn that topic?
Lance Ophof: Network, Network, Network!
Sales Statistics:
48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect
25% of sales people make a second contact and stop
12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop
Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts
2% of sales are made on the first contact
3% of sales are made on the second contact
5% of sales are made on the third contact
10% of sales are made on the forth contact
80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact
A great resource for first time entrepreneurs is a website/platform called Secret Entourage.
What should an entrepreneur focus on?
Lance Ophof: Your OWN roadmap and game plan. Don’t worry about what everyone else, including your competition is doing. Have a finger on the pulse, but ultimately trust your own process and path.
What are some of your favorite books?
The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen R Covey
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?
Lance Ophof: ScoopBroker will be on the same popularity level as Uber, Lyft, Postmates, Saucy, etc. by 2019.
Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?
Lance Ophof: ScoopBroker will be on the same popularity level as Uber, Lyft, Postmates, Saucy, etc. by 2019.
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