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ClubFixit: Diary of a startup
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May 29, 2000: 1:53 p.m. ET
Part 2: Sean Mullin's outgoing personality leads to contacts, advice
By Staff Writer Hope Hamashige
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - No one will ever call Sean Mullin shy and retiring. He'll tell you himself -- he is willing to talk to anyone, anytime, about almost anything.
"Yeah, I'm definitely an extrovert. I'll pitch my company to anyone who will listen," Mullin said.
And his talking has given Mullin's budding company, ClubFixit, a real boost. He has been given great advice, lined up potential clients and met important people who can help him get his startup started.
"I just went up and told him about my company"
Less than two weeks ago, Mullin attended a conference in New York City held by Qwest Communications (Q: Research, Estimates). At the end of one of the panel discussions, Mullin approached one of the panelists, a Qwest executive.
"I just went up and told him about my company," Mullin said. That brief discussion led to an introduction to another Qwest executive, which led to another introduction to a third Qwest executive, Ennio Rizzi.
Rizzi suggested that Mullin contact Weehawken, N.J.-based Hawk Holdings, an Internet investment firm that helps speed new Web-based business growth. Qwest has a strategic alliance with Hawk Holdings.
"I called the guy at Hawk Holdings at 3 o'clock that day. He called me back at 4. And we had a meeting the next morning," Mullin said.
That was last week, and Mullin has not yet heard back about arranging a second meeting. And he probably won't for a while. Mullin got married Saturday in Florida, and then headed off on a two-week honeymoon in Ireland.
Mullin recognizes that Hawk Holdings may choose not to take ClubFixit on as a client. Even if it doesn't, Mullin said, he enjoyed making the pitch and believes it is good practice, especially if it involves a little criticism.
"I'm a big fan of criticism," Mullin said.
Nailing the pitch
After pitching his company at several Internet business conferences to  Internet executives at Silicon Alley parties and attempting to hire an attorney, Mullin has this to offer about what can be learned in the course of perfecting the pitch:
(1) Listen carefully to the questions people ask about your ideas and you will find ways to improve your business plan.
(2) Pay close attention to the criticisms people offer and you may discover obstacles.
(3) Ask for advice and you may get suggestions for a strategy you will employ later.
One bit of advice that altered the way Mullin thinks about his business was offered at a conference held by Garage.com, an Internet investment firm in New York. An entrepreneurial development specialist told Mullin to get his site up and running as fast as possible, even if he has only 10 clients signed on.
"Before that, I thought I should be trying to get the money first," Mullin said.
Mullin took that advice to heart, immediately began researching potential hosts for the Web site and put his programmer to work. The programmer had recently left his job at an Internet company and was waiting for the green light from Mullin to start working on the ClubFixit site.
No contacts? Make them
Some entrepreneurs have a lot of contacts -- lawyers, headhunters, programmers, marketers -- when they start their own business because they already have worked in the industry.
Not Mullin. At 25, and a graduate of West Point, Mullin served in the U.S. Army before going to work at a law firm in New York.
To make the contacts he needs he relies primarily on his willingness to approach people.
It helped him not only to arrange the meeting with Hawk Holdings but also to get an attorney. Mullin contacted a partner at a top New York law firm and, even though he knew it would be out of his range to hire him, he asked for a few suggestions about good corporate attorneys experienced with startups.
That conversation led to a meeting with an attorney at Nixon Peabody, who Mullin will retain. They have been working out the fine points of the retainer agreement.
Find a strategy that works for you
CEO Guy Kawasaki of Garage.com said each entrepreneur has to develop a strategy that works for him. Some people, he said, have perfected the art of the soft sell and are extremely successful employing a quiet approach, but they run the risk of being overlooked.
Others, like Mullin, get ahead by employing the full force of their personality to attract attention. They run the risk of being too overbearing, Kawasaki said.
"I really don't think there is any one type of entrepreneurial personality," he added.
Mullin has developed an approach he thinks works for him. The quiet way is out because he's far too outgoing, but he makes an effort to listen as much as he talks and, perhaps above all, he keeps an open mind.
When Mullin returns from Ireland, he plans to begin signing on clients in earnest. Without really expecting it, again because he is always willing to talk about his business, he already may have nailed his first client.
Recently, while pouring drinks at his part-time job as a bartender, Mullin mentioned ClubFixit to one of his customers, who happened to be looking for someone to host a Web site for his chimney sweeping business. They exchanged cards and agreed to talk further when Mullin returns from his honeymoon. 
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Garage.com
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