This is the first in what I hope to be a series of interviews with startup founders that started either while still in college or within a year or so of graduating. The purpose of these interviews is to create something of a guidebook from the experiences of those that have been there before. Tatango is a fantastic service that I use for my business fraternity and it's been an absolute godsend.  If you haven't checked out Tatango and you want to streamline mass communication withing any group that you're a part of, do it now.  The interview will still be here when you get back.  I've had a wonderful chance to talk to Derek Johnson, the founder and CEO via email over the last few days.  He's been very gracious with his time and even offered a few pointers for me for future interviews. College Startup Blog: What does your startup do and when did you start? Derek Johnson: Tatango allows any group such as a church, athletic team, or college organization to send text and voice messages to their entire group simultaneously.  We started the company in late 2007, and have since grown to become one of the largest mobile messaging applications on the web. CSB:Where did the idea come from?  Why did you decide to pursue that idea? DJ: I was sitting at lunch with a friend who was having trouble communicating with her group.  I could relate because I was part of various groups on campus and had similar problems.  I realized there was a need that had to be filled.  People needed an easier way to communicate with a large group of people.  From then on, I worked to find a solution and the process lead me to start Tatango. CSB: Were there any mentors that you had that had a significant impact on the success of your startup? DJ: Ever since I was a little kid, my father has shown me the hard work and hustle that is needed to start a company and make it successful.  This has evidently rubbed off on me, and has definitely rubbed off on all of our employees.  It’s really due to the hard work of all our employees that we have been able to get to where we are. CSB: What unexpected things happened in the first year where you thought, "Wow, we might not make it?" DJ: The first year of any business is tough, and these types of questions will come up almost daily.  You can’t let it get you down though.  Every hurdle is a challenge that gets you one step closer to your end goal, whatever that may be.  Almost every night when we were first starting I would sit up and think, "How are we going to get out of this one?"  Instead of getting down on myself, I took those challenges, made our company stronger and learned a whole hell of a lot. CSB: At what point did you think, "Wow, we're making it!" DJ: I do not think a true entrepreneur ever believes they have made it.  In my opinion, once you start thinking you have “made it” you become lazy and the entrepreneur mentality goes out the door.  The day we “made it” was the day we started the company. CSB: How do you make money? DJ: We have a three different revenue models at Tatango:

1. In text message advertising – 30 or 40 character advertisement at the bottom of each text message.
2. In voice call advertising- every voice message sent includes a 7-9 second advertisement.
3. A subscription-based model- allows groups to remove ads from their text messaging all together.

CSB: If you could give your pre-startup self one piece of advice, what would it be? DJ: Just go for it.  I see a lot of people with really cool ideas, but they never take that leap and do it.  If you really want it and are willing to work your ass off, then just go for it. CSB: Any other bits of advice or warnings you'd like to throw out to the College Startup Community? DJ: The first thing you have to realize is that you don’t know everything.  The second part is that you need to be a sponge.  Being an entrepreneur requires you to absorb everything around you, so be open-minded and always be asking questions.  The more you absorb the better off you will be. Editor's Note:  As an added bonus, I've included a video that I think is fantastic from Derek's blog.  Watch and enjoy.