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Try and Try Again, Going Global with Panjiva

The key to building a great business is persistence, which is a quality Josh Green has in spades. The original idea behind his company, Panjiva, was to develop something like Yelp for global manufacturers. Green's company wanted to provide easier access to information that global trade businesses need. There are plenty of review-based businesses out there. The basic model existed. However, those businesses often focus on the "casual" reviewer for content. Panjiva wanted to do something different. Panjiva wanted to supply all of the most useful information to global trade businesses. Panjiva wanted to be a hub.

There were some hiccups. A few of the early customers did not love the prototype. Green says an important part of growing a young venture is taking feedback from customers and potential investors. The company redesigned the prototype. "Customers started to buy the vision. They knew that one day there would be a big business at the end of the rainbow."

Then, the market crashed.

A dedicated customer-base provided great shelter during the global economy's turmoil. Finally, Panjiva reached its sterling moment. "Profitability is a magic word," says Green. A profitable company doesn't have to worry as much about having money in the bank. Now, Panjiva has a lot of customers. Currently, the Panjiva platform features information on over 1.5 million companies across 190 countries.

Finally, Green says, "I have three professional goals: 1. I want to do what I enjoy on a daily basis. 2. I want to be able to support the people I care about. 3. I want to do something good for the world. Panjiva offered me an opportunity to do all of this at the same time. The risk for the business is huge. The risk for you personally is very small." He concludes, "You will never know what your business can do unless you try."

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