Yes, of course they say they that what they really want is an iPad, but quality time may very well be the most important gift an adult can give a child. We know: we’re all so busy all the time, it’s a tall order, but remember: we said quality time.
Itsgr82bme understands what busy families of today need and encourage families to spend time together and get to know all their community has to offer.
It’sgr82beme supports, promotes and markets to local vendors, merchants and businesses that care about you and the community, and always manages to find a variety of unique activities, great restaurants and ongoing opportunities. Whether you have roots that run long or are new to the area, look around the site to find what’s going on in your community!
And since family time tends to be limited, why not find interesting things to do that are closer to home? From a site that takes the guess work out of trying to find activities and places that are “Family Friendly.”
Cofounder Michael Webb fills us in on some more great points about the service.
Tell us about your service.
Itsgr82bme.com is, first and foremost, a national community calendar of events and activities for families, grandparents, care givers or simply put, anyone who is involved in the life of a child. Our secondary market is the small businesses. We developed a unique and well thought out plan to deliver location driven data from our businesses that is clearly visible to our users.
How are you different from your competition?
We are different from our competition in 3 ways:
- Events are the focus of our business and free for businesses to promote. No more need to go “search” for things to do. We don’t want parents having to look all over the web to find events or classes for their children.
- The main feature that sets us apart from our competition is the discounts and services that we offer. When you open an event, discount and services that are in a specified mile radius of the event, appear on that page. This is so helpful for the family on the go. On one page, they are able to find an event and a place to eat! Businesses love this concept because their discount or service gains views on every click.
- Giveaways – every registered business can promote their own giveaway to better market their business.
What market are you attacking and how big is it?
Our market is any person who is involved in the life of a child. Our original thought was to focus on the divorced dad who may need some help when it comes to creativity, planning and all around caring for a child. The divorced dad, a virtually untapped market, finds the app discreet, informative and convenient. Whether they need a dentist, doctor, hair stylist, or cupcake maker, we offer convenience, to ensure that they are confident – no matter what the occasion. Single parents, traditional families, grandparents, and caregivers of children all love the ease and functionality of the site and the app.
What is the business model?
Itsgr82bme is going to be the go to place to find “things to do” in a local area. We are going to do this by offering the first nationwide self-serve event calendar for businesses to use. Let me explain what I mean when I say self-serve: each business operates its own dashboard, creating and managing its events, ads, discounts and giveaways. The business can upload its current logos, descriptions and gallery of images.
We worked with some of our top small businesses to identify the hardest part of marketing for them. Two things were prominent – cost and convenience. With our self-serve product, businesses can create and store marketing pieces, now and in the future. Our price point has been set so that all small businesses can afford to use us, whether they want to promote an event for free, or purchase a coupon or a business listing. It’s at their figure tips.
The value we offer businesses is that, when an event is viewed on the site, any other entry on the site that is within the parameters that we set, is viewable. Below the details of an entry, we will show services, discounts and other areas of interest that may appeal to the consumer who is viewing that event. We constantly have impressions, churning in all areas, from all participants on our site. No outside advertising. Meaning that our vendors, as of right now, do not compete with outside advertising. While we have the capability, we chose to keep the impressions closed to the outside marketing influencers.
Users join the website or download the app for fresh ideas and to help plan family time. Users can narrow down the events and activities available by using filters that can search by cost, age, sex and interest. Items can be selected and added to iCal or Google calendars in a few clicks. Users can get full details, call, get directions and find other activities and areas of interest within that vicinity.
What is the most popular activity for children in NYC on your site?
The most popular events on our site tend to change weekly and seasonally. There is a constant flow, only determined by the popularity of the events. At the current time in New York, parents are looking for pick your own apple orchards, haunted houses and Halloween parades.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve within the next six months.
We started with a three-year plan to develop, launch and beta test our site and we are 18 months into that plan. Over the next six months, we will continue to grow our businesses from a user and business standpoint, while seeking a strategic partner who will help us scale the business to a national level.
If we could be put you in touch with one investor in the New York community, who would it be and why?
We want to work with an investor who shares the same passions we do in regards to children. My wife and I were single parent at one point, and we understand the challenges parents face. We want to work with an investor who sees and understands what we are going to achieve.
Why did you launch in New York?
We launched in NY/NJ because we see the demand from all familial positions. Our focus – mainly, the single parent – has no greater playground than NY/NJ. We wanted to understand the vital importance for a day in the life of this technology drenched, single parent culture. Long hours at work, long commutes and visitation schedules are all distractions that keep parents from finding time with their children. We want to make it easier for them.
What’s your favorite fall destination in NYC?
New York in itself as a whole is a destination. A day in NYC for a local is just another day. For a child, it is an amazing place to have an adventure. Take a ferry ride, a horse and buggy carriage through Central Park, travel back in time by visiting the Museum of Natural History, stand on top of the world at The Rock or the Empire State Building, try climbing the stairs at Lady Liberty or take in a show, enjoying music, charm and the lights on Broadway. Drenched in history, architecture, adventure, excitement, curious children leave with an experience that is different each an every time. Who can narrow just one down!
