Zaarly Rolls Out New Storefront Platform for Kansas City Entrepreneurs

Where can you find the best pumpkin pie in Kansas City and get it delivered to your doorstep at any hour of the day?

Where can you buy custom furniture--from bed frames to nightstands--for under $500?

Where can you find a repair man who comes to YOUR driveway?

Believe it or not, you don't have to open the Yellow Pages, beg for a referral from a friend or research online for hours on end to find any of these Kansas City services.

All of them--and many, many more--can be found in one spot.  On Zaarly's new storefront platform.

Bo Fishback, CEO of Zaarly.

For the past few years, Zaarly has enabled users to ask for anything from people nearby.  And now, with its new storefront platform, the Kansas City startup allows entrepreneurs, store owners and talented individuals to market their services directly from the Zaarly site (in an extremely professional way!).  That means that you can find virtually anything on Zaarly--from bakers to repairmen, yogis to massage therapists, calligraphers to tutors--all at a reasonable price.  And all of them have been Zaarly-approved (many by CEO Bo Fishback himself!).

Simply log in on www.zaarly.com/in/kansas-city.  From there, you can discover all of the amazing products and services that your neighbors provide.  With over 1000 listings in the Kansas City market alone, you're bound to find something you need (or want) just by scrolling through the storefronts.  Don't have time to make dinner tonight?  Order a weekly meal plan of homemade soups from Jenn Stagner.  Frustrated when attempting to train your disobedient puppy?  Newman's Dog Training can help with that (even while you're at work!).  Looking for a creative gift for a friend?  Get some sneakers custom painted by Ken Deladurantaye.  You never know what you'll find on Zaarly.

This same Zaarly storefront platform has already launched in test markets including San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City.  But Kansas City is Zaarly's first real trial of the new platform.  According to Fishback, "there is real magic that we can capture in Kansas City."

Fishback wants you to discover Zaarly storefronts for yourself (don't be shy...give it a try!).  The CEO himself encourages you to give the new platform a shot by "favoriting" a particular storefront, buying a cool product and experiencing exactly how the new Zaarly works.  Not satisfied?  Bo will personally reimburse you for anything you buy and are not satisfied with.

"This is the place in the world to go when you want to find something awesome," states Bo Fishback, quite simply. "That is Zaarly.  That is the goal."

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Holy Zaarly! Bo Fishback Makes Cover of Entrepreneur Magazine

Entrepreneur Magazine saved the best for last: Bo Fishback of Zaarly.

WRITTEN BY ALLISON WAY, SENIOR COPYWRITER & CHIEF EDITOR

When we saw Entrepreneur's final issue of 2011 we couldn't help but yell, "Holy Zaarly!".  There he was; Kansas City entrepreneur and founder of Zaarly, Bo Fashback, gracing the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine for the first time.  According to Entrepreneur, Fishback has become known as one of "the next rainmakers" in the startup world...and for good reason.


Bo Fishback founded Zaarly, a San-Francisco-based startup, when he attended both Startup Weekend Los Angeles and SXSW in the spring.  Since then, Zaarly has raised a $14.1 million Series A round, has grown to approximately 30 employees and is taking over cities nationwide.  Zaarly currently has over 100,000 registered users, 15,000 unique monthly listings and nearly $6 million in offers posted.


But it's not just Zaarly's outstanding numbers and lightning fast startup story that has put the company on the map.  We believe that Zaarly is becoming a testament that successful startups can come from anywhere...including the Midwest.  After all, the company sprouted from Midwestern roots and plans to stay well-grounded in Kansas City.


Zaarly is a company that has proven that incredible ideas do not have to come from Silicon Valley.  Although the company was developed in Los Angeles during Startup Weekend, a large majority of Zaarly's efforts have been put forth in the Kansas City area.  In fact, Bo Fishback spoke not too long at the first Kansas City Entrepreneurs Unpluggd event at the Screenland Crown Center.


Fishback is well-rooted in Kansas City.  As a notorious Kansas City leader and Vice President of Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation, Bo Fishback can't help but get involved in some of the biggest entrepreneurial efforts that Kansas City has to offer.


Congratulations to Bo Fishback and the entire Zaarly team for making it big!  


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Bo Fishback of Zaarly Pulls It Off: You Can Be an Entrepreneur and a Great Parent

Work-life balance.  For entrepreneurs, it seems impossible.  How do you keep your family life, your work life and your personal life on the same level?  Bo Fishback, co-founder and CEO of Zaarly (one of the fastest-growing and successful startups of 2011) seems to have mastered it.

In the picture above, something doesn't seem...normal.  Perhaps its Pierce Fishback, Bo's child hanging on the the powerful CEO's frontside.  This picture was taken during Entrepreneurs Unpluggd in Kansas City, where Bo Fishback was featured as one of three keynote speakers for the night.  He discussed the startup adventures of Zaarly for forty minutes while baby Pierce patiently listened to his father, squirmed his arms and legs and sucked on his pacifier.  Throughout the speech, Pierce maybe made two or three peeps, in which his father would look down at him and start bouncing up and down.  The audience, of course, cooed and laughed.

Bo Fishback has shown that even as a full-time, caffeine-induced, email-answering, stressed out entrepreneur, you can also be Mr. Mom.

But the Entrepreneurs Unpluggd event wasn't the first instance where the startup world met Pierce Fishback.  Bo brought his family to Entrepreneur Corner a few months ago during First Fridays in the Crossroads District. It was the perfect blend of family, business and fun.

So entrepreneurs, did Bo Fishback help you change your mind?  Maybe you can do it all. 

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

Zaarly, Think Big Partners & OsteoGeneX Come Together at Entrepreneurs Unpluggd KC

Last night's Entrepreneurs Unpluggd event brought together entrepreneurs, social media experts, developers and designers from in and around the Kansas City area for the first time.  The event featured three main speakers from extremely different entrepreneurial backgrounds (Bo Fishback of Zaarly, Tyler Prochnow of Think Big Partners and Debra Ellies of OsteoGeneX).  All three speakers told stories about their entrepreneurial paths and then opened up for a Q&A session.

The Think Big team and I sat in the second row so we could get up-close-and-personal with the speakers.  Lucky for me, I was able to capture a few snapshots of the successful night:

Entrepreneurs Unpluggd organizers Stella Fayman and Tim Jahn.

Bo Fishback (with son, Pierce) talks about his crazy Zaarly venture.

Tyler Prochnow of Think Big Partners: "With the right team of people,
it's possible to build about anything."

Tyler Prochnow of Think Big Partners.

Screenland Crown Center was the perfect venue for an intimate evening.

Networking took place before and after the Entrepreneurs Unpluggd event.

An after party took place at the recently opened Snow & Company bar.

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We Have Liftoff: Zaarly Launches in Kansas City

Fasten your seatbelts.  Zaarly has launched in Kansas City. 

Ink reporter Sarah Gish made the first Zaarly transaction
when she delivered coffee to the Zaarly team. 
Read the full story.

I can't say I was too surprised when I opened my Ink magazine to find a full article about Zaarly.com.  After all, the online business is truly booming and word is getting out about the new business.  And how could it not?  Zaarly's easy-to-use digital platform gets you what you want, when you want it at the click of a mouse (or touch of a button!).  Have an extra wireless mouse lying around?  Someone near the Downtown Airport will pay you $20 for it.  Got some time on your hands?  An office in Kansas City needs someone to hang 6 photos on their walls...and they'll give you $50 for it.  What you want, when you want it: that's Zaarly.

Tomorrow night, Zaarly is having its Kansas City launch party at bizperc (1800 Baltimore Kansas City, MO) from 5:30-8:00pm. With knockout supporters like Ashton Kutcher, an incredible team like Adam Coomes and Bo Fishback backing it up, and the Zaarly buzz circulating throughout Kansas City (and even across the nation!), it's plain to see that Zaarly has a lot to celebrate.  Become a part of the Zaarly community and come down to bizperc tomorrow to connect with the Zaarly team, learn more about the company, and find out how its changing the local marketplace.  Or just come by for some awesome appetizers, beer, and wine.  The Zaarly launch is being presented by KC IT Professionals. 

Register now!

Written by Allison Way.
@AllisonThinkBig