A personal interview with Will Armstrong, founder and CEO of Ivan AI.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?:
A: I am new to the area. I moved here at a not so ideal time but I am starting to get out more and explore the area. In my free time, I like getting outdoors and that’s one of the things I love about North Carolina. I have done a couple of trips to Asheville and Wilmington. I have three dogs at home and spend the majority of time hiking with them.
Q: What’s your 30-second pitch?
A: Ivan AI is a virtual property management software for landlords. Ivan AI acts as a middle man between the landlord and the tenets while automating all of the tasks that are associated with managing a property. In essence, it is an affordable way to put your rental properties on auto-pilot.
Q: What inspired you?
A: I’m an investor myself and when you self manage your rental properties it can be a headache. I felt the majority of my time was going back and forth with my tenants for small issues and really with tasks that can be automated. I noticed that this industry has been lagging compared to other industries. There is a lot of technology out there but it doesn’t exist in this space. The inefficiencies that I have had is what really inspired the start of Ivan AI.
Q: What is your favorite part about being an entrepreneur?
A: The freedom and the ability to be creative. I have worked in a corporate setting prior to beginning Ivan AI and you get all these ideas and efficiencies for the way things can be improved but you don’t have any say on if the company will listen to these suggestions. I enjoy being creative and having the ability to identify a problem and come up with a solution for it.
Q: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
A: Just do it and take the risk. Start slowly and really understand the market. I think the biggest thing is people are afraid to try. I have had so many ideas over the years where it would be a really wonderful concept but have been afraid to start. People always have really great ideas but then they just never take action. If you are passionate about something then pursue it. The worst thing that can happen is it will fail.