Starting and growing your own business, especially if you are just getting into the game, has many challenges. Indeed, it is a gratifying endeavor that allows you independence and flexibility. But it is also a risky and daring journey. You need to have a clear vision and be passionate about your idea. You need to surround yourself with like-minded people and keep yourself motivated to push through the hard times. Fortunately, entrepreneurship is a well-trodden path. One of the best ways to keep yourself on track is to hear inspiring stories of successful entrepreneurs who have already been there.
We recently had the pleasure to interview David Kosmayer, a highly successful and motivated entrepreneur who shared his story to inspire other entrepreneurs worldwide. And his whole business idea is centered around helping other entrepreneurs succeed and grow their businesses.
Who is David Kosmayer?
David Kosmayer is the CEO and Founder of Bookmark.com, an AI-powered website builder based in Toronto, Ontario. Having a strong sense of entrepreneurship and initiative, David was just 22 years old when he created his first company, Marketing Extensions Inc. Under his leadership, the online affiliate and marketing agency grew to $60M in revenue with a 55-person team in less than a decade. While working at the agency, David realized that making a successful website and building an online presence is a complex, expensive, and time-consuming process. So when he decided to move on from his first company, he had a burning desire to simplify web creation and reform the future of web design.
David’s idea was that anyone should be able to build a website quickly and establish a strong online presence without much effort. That is how Bookmark.com was born, the world’s first and fastest AI-powered website builder.
What is Bookmark?
Bookmark is not just a website builder; it is an innovative platform that will bring your entrepreneurial dreams to life.
David established Bookmark back in 2014. He created a cloud-based website builder designed to empower small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs who want to grow their online presence. Bookmark’s secret weapon is AIDA, its Artificial Intelligent Design Assistant, that will help you create a personalized and unique website within just a couple of minutes. It is straightforward to use, and you don’t need any technical knowledge or coding skills. It will save you time and money and help you focus on developing your business instead of worrying about the technical aspects of website creation.
If you are ready to take your small business online, you can create a free website with Bookmark today!
Seven years later and Bookmark is growing fast. Its users are business owners and entrepreneurs who want to create high-quality websites and quickly establish a strong online presence. The potential of machine learning and artificial intelligence in web design is enormous. The AI-powered website will continue to evolve on its own as the learning algorithms analyze data and suggest optimal changes for your business.
Read the interview below and learn more about the entrepreneurial journey of David.
What makes Bookmark one of a kind?
Bookmark is one of a kind because we are an AI-powered website builder. To dive deeper into who we are, you need to understand that we have been building our AI infrastructure from day one. We don’t use templates. Instead, we work with each individual section, and depending and who you are and what your brand is, your site will come together like a personalized puzzle. On top of that, our AI is optimized to actually bring customers towards your business, growing your online presence each step of the way.
What was your biggest doubt when starting your business?
The biggest doubt I’ve had when starting my business was instilled into me by all of the naysayers around me. They constantly told me the message of “the website builder market is too saturated, you won’t be able to compete with their billion-dollar players.” At first, I didn’t care, but then it did start to get to me a little bit. However, I stayed determined, and here we are today.
What was crucial for Bookmark’s success?
Something that was very crucial to the success of Bookmark was being able to incorporate machine learning into the architecture of Bookmarkfrom the very beginning. And I couldn’t have done this without the amazing tech team that was behind our vision.
Please tell us more about your collaboration with Cosmic Development?
I started with Cosmic Development in 2015 with a team of only 4 talented individuals. We built the foundation of Bookmark together, and they were along for the ride for a long time, with two of them still on the team today, 6 years later. Now that we’ve grown and have investors and partnerships, we are able to continue to add engineers with Cosmic, and that takes a huge and important piece. Of the company off my hands, allowing me to focus my efforts on other facets of the brand.
What’s the biggest benefit of having a remote dedicated team?
Having an IT company that is dedicated to hiring the best professionals is amazing to have as a turn-key service. Whatever I need, the team at Cosmic works hard to help me to achieve. Also, as they are based in Macedonia, I have absolutely fallen in love with the country, and I have visited 11 times in the past 6 years, so that’s is a huge plus too.
What are the future plans for Bookmark and who can join your team?
We just completed another investment round from our great partners at Moneris, and we are now on a major hiring spree! We want to hire Front-end and Back-end Developers, Machine Learning Engineers, Scrum Masters, Product Managers, PHP & Laravel Developers, and many more. Having that said, we are really excited to grow our company, we plan on adding at least 20-30 team members within the next few years, and that’s not even counting our growing team in Toronto! If you are interested in a career in any of the titles listed above, contact Cosmic, because Bookmark is hiring.
What’s your advice to small business owners?
My advice to small business owners is to find an unsolved problem and try to come up with a solution for it. There are constantly new ideas popping up everywhere, in every industry. If you can solve some sort of relevant problem that currently doesn’t have a fix, then that is a business idea that is waiting to be discovered. Also, stay focused, motivated, and dedicated. Keep your eyes on the prize and remember what your final goal is!
Outsourcing Success Story
Ambitious entrepreneurs rely on experts to advance. Dave’s story is a perfect example of a successful company built with outsourced developers from an international IT outsourcing provider like Cosmic Development. The successful use of a talented team of developers has allowed Bookmark to develop quickly and become widely known for its product.
Having the vision to become an entrepreneur is great but making it happen is another story. That is why it is crucial to have a dedicated team of professionals to help you on your entrepreneurial journey.
The benefits that outsourcing brings are manifold. Low cost and access to highly competent and trained professionals will allow your business to gain a competitive advantage by getting the infrastructure developed faster and your company launched sooner.
Taking the first steps toward outsourcing can be time-consuming and confusing. Schedule a free consultation, and we will provide you the means you need to build your business, a dedicated team of professionals.