Previously, Rick Marini and I spoke about Tickle – Part I and SuperFan – Part II. In this post, I get to know more about Rick as a person. We talk about his fears, drive, and what keeps him up late at night. Find out how this founder responds to these questions…

THE INTERVIEW

Kim Ngo: You seem really confident. Are you afraid of anything?

Rick Marini: I am especially confident right now because things are taking off for us and we are getting stronger everyday. After a year of hard work for the team, we are starting to have some real fun.

Rick Marini on Vacation

Kim Ngo: Do you fear you might let them down? It is normal.

Rick Marini: I see it differently… it’s not about me letting them down; we are all in this together. And we are all working hard to make SuperFan the best social media site on the web. If you’re not an optimist, if you don’t think you can take on the world and win, don’t be an entrepreneur. Seriously.

Kim Ngo: But that’s not human.

Rick Marin: Most people who have done truly great things in life aren’t balanced people. They’re not normal people. Look at star athletes, look at Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Dwight Howard. Guys like that don’t have normal lives. They spent all their time on the basketball court becoming the best players in NBA history. These athletes are not balanced and entrepreneurs are not balanced people either. We spend 80 hours at work each week and the rest of the time thinking about work. It’s hard but you have to believe that you can create a significant company and work hard to succeed.

Rick skydiving in Queenstown, New Zealand

Kim Ngo: But is it okay to have fear?

Rick Marini: Sure, it’s fine to have fear and to be realistic. I am a realist. I didn’t go into this venture thinking it would be easy to sell another one for $100 million. I have high goals and a plan to get us there, but this is hard stuff. If everyone had the ability to become the next Larry and Sergey of Google, then everyone would be doing it right now. Being an entrepreneur is similar to being an actor in Hollywood. There’s Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, who both get paid $20 million a movie. And there’s a lot of actors who are waiting tables in LA that just aren’t going to make it. It’s not easy to make it as an actor or entrepreneur but the success stories keep the dream alive for everyone.

Kim Ngo: I want to get into your personal life now. Like, who are you as a person, what drives you?

Rick with his brother, Kyle

Rick Marin: I have a strong internal drive to succeed plus my family and friends who continually contribute to my drive. For example, my dad was really into sports and he coached me when I was a kid. He drove me hard. I would come home from school and I would have a new schedule each day including running, practice, chores, homework, etc. My background in sports has driven me to be super competitive. Through training for sports, I learned that if I worked harder than everyone else and kept a positive attitude, I became an all-star; so I applied that lesson to school, business and life.

Kim Ngo: What keeps you up at night?

Rick Marini: Last night I didn’t fall asleep until after 2:00 am because we had just moved into the new office and I was pumped up. The things that keep me up lately are often more positive than negative. Most of the challenges within a business can be conquered. If I can’t control something then I don’t spend too much time on it. I focus on what I can control and try to get that right. But I get really fired up about positive things. The adrenaline gets pumping and it feels awesome.

Christina K Lopes and Rick Marini at Carmel Mission Ranch (Clint Eastwood's place)

Kim Ngo: So it’s like a drug. It’s like falling in love!

Rick Marini: That’s why being an entrepreneur is so fun. When good things happen, it’s like a feeling of love. That’s why entrepreneurs keep coming back, even when they fail, they come back to feel the high.

Kim Ngo: Who is your favorite female celebrity? Who is the hottest celebrity out there right now?

Rick Marini: I’m a fan of Megan Fox right now. My all time favorite is Angelina Jolie because she is the full package. She is beautiful but is doing a lot of things to change the world in a positive way, and I have a lot of respect for that.