Exploring Life & Business with Ben Jaimen of ZigZag

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Jaimen.

Hi Ben, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The inspiration for what eventually became ZigZag sparked from a video that I produced for a song called “7 Billion People”. My entire professional life, I’ve been in the music and entertainment industry, often working with charity organizations, specifically those dealing with children. So for the “7 Billion People” project we had the idea to create a virtual kids choir, asking kids from all over the world to submit a 5 second video snippet of them doing the 7 Billion People dance. The result was beautiful, but the work to make that video happen was A LOT! From collecting all the clips to engaging a videographer that would mix all of them into one final mashup, and so on. That’s when the idea for developing a video co-creation app was born.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think there is any type of (successful) business that did not/ does not go through struggles and challenges. Of course, every industry has their unique triggers, but I don’t think there is any work field that can be seen as a smooth road – especially if you are the founder behind it. As a social media startup, you will always deal with a lot of competition, and because it’s such a crowded space, you will also constantly have to think of ideas (product and marketing wise) that will make you stand out. Another tough cookie is finding the right people all the time. I say all the time because in a young business the amount of people that join and leave can be quite a lot. Because you are only at the beginning, and it’s not always clear where the journey is going, it’s also not clear which people are the right ones to go along.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our mission with ZigZag is louder than life and we are determined to offer a new way of collaborating and creating together on social media – through video. This sense of togetherness is the core value of our company, which is also reflected by our logo – a zebra. Zebras represent community! We all know that each zebra is unique, as they all have a unique set of stripes. Yet when zebras come together, this is when they are the strongest! We feel the same about creators. Creativity is something so unique and individual, yet when many creators come together they can often create something that is only possible as a group. Like an orchestra! Now I’m sure many will agree that this sounds like a beautiful vision. And it is! But like with any other (successful) business, there is so much more required to turn it into something really great! Commitment, hard work, a never-giving-up mentality, super strong teamwork… just to name a few. And although we still have a long way to go, I am very proud of the goals we already achieved, above all that we were able to recruit first users and dedicated brand ambassadors. Every new user counts, and it’s part of our mission to welcome every single one with open arms!

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Podcasts:
1. The GaryVee Audio Experience
2. Spiritually Hungry
3. LA Ventures

Books:
1. The Startup Checklist (D. Rose)
2. The Lean Startup
3. The Alchemist 😉

Other resources: YOUTUBE!!!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://zigzagtheapp.com
• Instagram: https://www.zigzagtheapp.com/contact-us