Young Entrepreneur Blog

Welcome to the second of our world exclusive interviews with the planets leading young business minds.

Today we are going to chat with Avichal Garg who is part of the three man team behind Prepme. Prepme.com is an online SAT preparation course. Avichal has since been listed as one of the top young entrepreneurs on the planet.

(From left to right: Joe Jewell, Karan Goel & Avichal Garg - The team behind PrepMe.com)

So without further ado, here is the Retiredat21.com interview with Avichal Garg.

1 – What inspired you to create prepme.com ?
We saw a user need. The existing products aren’t adaptive to an individual’s needs and really that’s the promise of technology and the Internet — a personalized experience tailored just for you.

2 – What were the main challenges you faced in getting prepme.com off the ground?
We started working on PrepMe when I was 18 so the biggest challenge was credibility. We were some random teenagers with no track record or credibility. 6 years later we’re the same guys, no one has implemented the ideas we had 6 years ago, but now we have some credibility to back us up. Karan has an MBA from a top business school, I’ve worked on Search Quality and Ads Quality at Google, and Joe is a Rhodes Scholar. Now people take us seriously.

3 – What single factor would you say helped you the most in getting prepme.com where it is today?
Determination.

4 – Did you want to be an entrepreneur when you were a child?
When I was really young, I wanted to be an airplane. After I realized I couldn’t do that, I wanted to be an astronaut.

5 – If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started. What business related advice would you give yourself?
Put everything in writing.

6 - Do you think that entrepreneurialism is something that is in your blood? Or is it something that can be learned?
I think it can be learned. Some people are born with that talent (just like anything else) but it’s definitely something you can teach.

7 - Is there anyone that you look up to and model yourself on?
My parents.

8 – What is the best advice you have ever been given?
There is no such thing as a great opportunity; you are the one that makes the opportunity great.

9 – What is the best thing about being a successful young entrepreneur?
The groupies.

10 – What are your plans for the future?
In the immediate future, keep on growing PrepMe and have a great time doing it. In the longer term, to have a hand in the next generation of companies that ultimately define how we use technology and information in 2015 and beyond.