Young Entrepreneur: Brandon Koffler

The Young Professional Daily is an exclusive 30-Day series on Notable where we feature a different young Canadian professional every day for 30 days. They work in a variety of industries, some are employed while some do the employing, and they have various 5-year plans. Sound familiar? We want to share their story with you to offer a bird’s eye on what the colleagues you may not even know you had, are up to. 

Young Professionals are sharp. We see opportunities and potential in new ventures before others, but most do not act fast enough to capitalize. When Co-Founder of FanXChange, Brandon Koffler (along with other Co-Founder, Shawn Brookes) saw an opportunity in the market to create the leading online ticket marketplace in Canada, they didn’t wait. A natural leader and born businessman, Brandon Koffler is a name that the sports industry is becoming increasingly familiar with everyday. Get to know Brandon in today’s Young Professional Daily on Notable. 

Notable: What is your Name and age?
Brandon:
Brandon Koffler – 27

Notable: What is the name of your business and what industry is it in?
Brandon: FanXchange – www.fanxchange.com

Notable: Elevator Pitch (we just met on an elevator, we have 30 seconds together in the elevator, please describe your business):
Brandon: FanXchange is Canada’s Online Ticket Marketplace. Our online platform connects fans with fans to buy and sell tickets to all sports, concert, and theatre events across North America in a 100% guaranteed safe and secure environment.

Notable: Why did you start your business, what was the inspiration?
Brandon: We modeled our business after some very successful American competitors. We realized that the Canadian market was untapped and our competitors were too focused with marketing themselves in the U.S. This left us a great opportunity to become first movers in our space here in Canada. We decided to take advantage of that and FanXchange was born.

Notable: What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis?
Brandon:
The best part of what I do would have to be being able to watch the business grow. I try and take at least one minute of everyday to take a step back and look at where we were when we started two years ago compared to where we are today. We still have a lot to accomplish (we are just at the tip of the iceberg) but we have come along way since inception.

Notable: What is the most challenging part of your business?
Brandon:
Everyday is a challenge. We are constantly striving to enhance the overall user experience on a daily basis. We are always adding new features to the site to make both the buying and selling process more seamless and dynamic. Everything on our site happens in real time, so our programmers and developers are constantly monitoring our engine to ensure it ‘s always performing at the highest level. This constant attention to the actual platform is always an ongoing challenge.

Notable: Where do you see your business going in 5 years?
Brandon:
I try not to look too far down the road as it can sometimes be quite a distraction. My goal is to continue to build the business on a daily basis so that FanXchange becomes the dominate player in our space. Although our primary focus is on building our brand here in Canada, I do see us starting to go-to-market in the U.S within the next two years.

Notable: Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Brandon:
Follow your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and can not do. If you fail, get back up and start again. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that’s why they call it the Present.

Notable: What is your greatest asset as it relates to business?
Brandon:
My greatest asset as it relates to the business has to be my team. A great businessman and someone extremely close to me once said, “always surround yourself with great people”. Don’t be afraid to surround yourself with people who are smarter then you. There is a great synergy with everyone on the FanXchange team. From the team in the office to our board of directors and private investors, everyone is on the same page and shares in our vision. I value every one of their opinions and I am never afraid to seek their advice.

Notable: What does success look like to you?
Brandon: Success is what you make of it. How do you define it? I would like to think that anyone who has accomplished any type of personal achievement or goal is successful. I love to see the people around me succeed. I love to hear stories of other people’s success. That is what inspires me to work hard and do the best that I can. As long as I try and give it my all, no matter what the result, I feel like I have accomplished some level of success.

Notable: What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
Brandon:
It’s tough to choose just one particular milestone and call it my most memorable. FanXchange has come a long way in the last two years and we have been fortunate enough to reach several amazing milestones. The latest milestone would have to be the launch of our new partnership with The Score. We had been working for well over a year to develop this strategic relationship with such an iconic sports lifestyle and entertainment brand in Canada, and to see the FanXchange Ticket Center launch on all of TheScore.com’s major index pages just this past week, felt like quite an accomplishment.

Notable: Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
Brandon: Yes. We support many different charities and organizations. Giving back to the community has always been top-of-mind and part of my core values growing up. This past year alone, we have supported organizations like the Three to Be Foundation, JNF, Movember, Mt Sinai Gala, Baycrest, and several other amazing charities.

Notable: What is Notable to you?
Brandon:
Being able to offer a fan the chance to see one of their favorite live events and bringing them one step closer to the action – that is notable! FanXchange is notable!