MailChimp

An Interview with Michael Tchong

Founder of Ubercool and The Most Influential Trendsetter in America

How are you able to stay a step ahead of the leading edge and track the the elusive "ubercool"?>

I don't believe that I do anything particularly unique. To stay on top of trends, I monitor about 20 sources via RSS. I also belong to a dozen social networks and discussion forums where I learn about new phenomena, companies and products from other members. And, of course, PR people send me a lot of tips. My favorite new tool is one recently launched by Guy Kawasaki, called Alltop, which aggregates a large number of information sources in vertical categories, allowing me to stay on top of the 16 industries I track.

What's the best thing about being Michael Tchong?

I'm not going to say that I do anything better than anyone else, but I do appreciate creativity and innovation, and that's one of the key reasons I became a trendwatcher. I figured out that after founding five companies I had the necessary talent for spotting the next big thing, because all of my start-ups rode new waves. I have now "productized" that capability and offer it to audiences I either speak to or reach via my blog.

Why MailChimp?

That same appreciation for creativity lead me to MailChimp. I love the "talking" Chimp and I recommend MailChimp to anyone who's looking for nuts-and-bolts Internet marketing advice. As the founder of a start-up that specialized in ease of use, I truly respect all the work that went into the MailChimp user interface. I wish all Web services companies would follow your easy-to-use and engaging approach.