Job Q&A
by Lara Peterson
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Brendan Maher is the CEO and cofounder of SoYouWanna.com, a New York City-based online guide that explains how to do everything from designing your own Web page to backpacking through Europe. Maher, 25, has degrees in economics and philosophy from Stanford University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Monster.com: How did you come up with the idea for SYW?

Brendan Maher: My cofounder, Peter Stris, and I came up with the idea when we were in law school. We were actually sitting around talking about how we didn't want to become lawyers.

Meanwhile, a friend of ours had spent almost a year trying to get his book published. At first, we thought writing would be an interesting career but then thought just knowing how to publish a book would be interesting. We realized there were many interesting things we'd like to know how to do but didn't know where to begin. We set out to put all that information together, and it took off from there.

Mc: What do you do on a daily basis?

BM: I worry a lot. There are all sorts of things to worry about when you're running an Internet company. There are always technological concerns. I constantly have nightmares about some site malfunction our technical team won't be able to fix. Although I'm a worrier by nature, I think worrying about everything is part of the CEO's job.

I also spend a lot of time meeting with strategic investors from other companies. And with the remainder of my time, I make sure the company is being run appropriately and heading in the right direction.

Mc: How has your law degree helped you with SYW?

BM: It gets us the respect we need to move forward. Having a law degree from Harvard means something to people. Having a professional degree conveys a level of maturity and seriousness that many people out of undergrad have, but aren't able to express in a short burst.

Mc: What kind of technical experience did you have prior to starting SYW?

BM: My technical experience was fairly limited. I was familiar with email programs and the World Wide Web and had preliminary HTML knowledge. When you get involved with the Internet, you realize the technology is complicated and time-consuming, and you just end up learning the basics. I now know more about how the Internet works than when I began, but I couldn't actually program anything. But a basic understanding of the technology is important, because it'll make you a more effective manager when you're dealing with your technical arm and/or a partner or competitor's technical arm.

Mc: When you were getting your undergraduate degree, did you imagine yourself eventually running a dotcom?

BM: Actually, yes, because Stanford is in the Silicon Valley.

Peter Morelli, our chief technical officer actually knew Jerry Yang, Yahoo!'s founder. I remember being a freshman and walking into Peter Morelli's room. He said, "There's this new thing called the World Wide Web, take a look. It's a directory of all the Web sites." The directory was "Jerry's list of sites" -- Yahoo! at two months old.

When I was a sophomore, I remember when a guy two years ahead of me graduated, and I asked him where he was going to work. He said he was going to do business development for this company down the road called Yahoo! I thought he couldn't get a job, and I felt bad for him. I don't feel bad for him anymore.

Mc: Where do you see the dotcom industry in five to ten years?

BM: A lot of the companies in the dotcom industry now aren't really businesses; they're just marketing and front-ends, so those will disappear. The Internet as a medium will only get bigger, reach more people, and be capable of delivering more information.

The future of the dotcom industry is in user-friendliness. The more user-friendly the experience is, the more successful we'll be in selling products, marketing our goods and delivering content. Companies that have a handle on what's user-friendly and what people are interested in will be the giants of the 21st century.

Mc: What advice do you have for those interested in starting an Internet company?

BM: Forming a start-up is a difficult task. You read a lot of press about it, and it sounds very exciting and extremely lucrative: get rich quick, be famous, drive a fast car, get written up in the Wall Street Journal.

It's nothing like that. It is grueling on you and everyone involved. You can't think that you're going to grow your company in two months and flip it. But if you really love and believe in the idea, then you should pursue it. Write a business plan, set up a demo, and get in touch with anyone who can give you advice, lend a hand and/or fund your idea. People are often willing to help if they buy into the vision.