What's Up With LunchClub?

In February 2000, I started a company called LunchClub.net LLC, with William Carey. We had actually been working on getting things set up for the business since mid-1999 (the domain lunchclub.net was registered June 1, 1999) but we didn't create the company till February 2000. The premise of LunchClub was simple: Anyone could come to our website and sign up to receive lunch coupons from restaurants in their zip code. Coupons were sent out daily, by email.

I worked on LunchClub pretty much full time from the get-go, even though I still had another full time job, but in 2002 I quit my other job and started focusing on LunchClub.

LunchClub has now been the focus of my entrepreneurial efforts for over seven years, so many of you were surprised to learn that a few months ago LunchClub was acquired by a company called Scottsdale.com. Some of you probably have not even heard about this development yet. I decided to write up this little post to let everyone know what's going on with LunchClub and what my future holds.

Why Did We Sell Out?

We decided to sell out for a couple of reasons. The first reason was obviously financial. But along with that, the plan is for Scottsdale.com's connections with other city sites throughout the country to greatly accelerate LunchClub's expansion and growth. Our plan all along was to perfect the model in the Phoenix area, and then expand it across the United States. The hope is that Scottsdale.com will be able to make that happen. Will and I are still part owners, so we have a vested interest in seeing LunchClub continue to grow. And we also want to see our "baby" succeed.

Are You Still Working At LunchClub?

Upon hearing about the latest developments, most people ask me are whether I'm still working at LunchClub. The answer is that I'm not working at LunchClub anymore except part time to help in the transition. Despite my many titles I was always the "computer guy" for LunchClub, and now the computer stuff is being done by a company called Contact Designs, so I'm just helping them get things figured out so they can continue maintenance and development of the LunchClub related products and services.

What Are You Going To Do Now?

For the last five or so years I've been doing some part time real estate investing. I've never had much time to put into it, but I've always found it intriguing. Now that I don't have another full time job, I am going to put a bigger focus on real estate investing. I've recently gone to several seminars to improve my knowledge, in San Diego, Dallas, Detroit, and Phoenix.

So that's what I'll be working on. I'll let you know how it goes...