Interview with Raymond Kwan, CEO of FreeFly881

We are in the telecom industry, and we aim to revolutionize the way companies interact and communicate globally by creating a one-stop app for businesses.

Driven by our slogan of “One World. One Call.”, FreeFly881 is virtual phone system, which can be applied to smartphones, VoIP phones, and tablets, and is based on a network that has broken away from the strict parameters of traditional communication companies.

We recently released the FreeFly881 Android app, available through Google Play for both phones and tablets, which aims to expand its network and build a community of users who can enjoy the benefits of unlimited free calls.

At whom is your startup aimed?

Our target audience is primarily businesses and businessmen and woman worldwide. The global business directory featured in the app, coupled with the new Android app will give businesses an unparalleled international presence, where customers can easily access the desired contact, information about the contact, and website business details.

Potential clients that are based overseas who don’t have the resources to make calls to a particular business now do not have the barriers of international calling charges imposed on to them because of the FreeFly881 app. Also, for business people on holiday or on international business trips, the service can be an invaluable tool as they will be able to make and receive calls from anywhere on their mobile device completely free of charge.

By applying the FreeFly881 app to their business and marketing strategy, entrepreneurs can now be contacted by the growing number Android users that account for nearly 80% of the global market share.

How does your startup stand out against its competitors?

Our main competitor would be Skype. We believe that although Skype offers a good service, it cannot fulfill the trends and specific needs of businesses, especially the e-commerce trend. 

Once our service is activated users only need an active Internet connection to call other FreeFly881 numbers and VoIP phones. Unlike other calling apps, users of FreeFly881 do not need to add or accept contact requests; they can just open the app and dial without having to worry about international roaming fees.

Additionally, FreeFly881 features a global directory that incorporates all registered users of the app. With this tool, individual and business profiles — which can be easily customized — can be searched for by anyone using the app.

Where did the idea for the startup come from?

As business owners, our management realized the need for a better and revolutionary way of communicating with other international business. The idea also came from experience, since there were always challenges and frustration when speaking with clients and partners overseas, whether it was expensive roaming charges, or dropped calls over Wi-fi.  Furthermore, we realized how difficult it was to find certain businesses we wanted to contact (both domestic and international), and even harder to contact them via voice calling AND for free.

Did you have any concerns when starting your business, if so what were they?

People have not yet understood the difference between FreeFly881, and other popular social networking apps such as Skype, Viber etc., thus our main concern would be user education and product knowledge, since our idea is innovative and there is nothing like it in the market. 

What is your business background, and what got you interested in startups?

The founders have been involved in the IT world for over 20 years.  They have realized that it is a booming industry, and feel the need to make a ground-breaking idea.

How did you initially raise funding for your company?

We funded the company ourselves and are now looking for investments partners.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Due to the fact that FreeFly881 is such an innovative idea, our biggest challenge has been getting the public to accept and understand this concept.

In the coming year, what would you like to achieve with your business?

We would like to adopt more users globally, and to have the public to understand our app thoroughly and what it aims to accomplish.  In addition, we want to position FreeFly881 in the business category for apps (not like skype, viber, etc. which are under the social media category).  Therefore, successfully marketing FreeFly881 in the global mobile app market in telecommunications for business.

What has been your most valuable lesson so far since starting your business?

We have learned that the Internet world is changing constantly. It is a very fast-paced environment where businesses need to be up to date on the user trends of the specific markets they are in. Doing so ensures that the startup company is fully ready for the challenges ahead, and will know its position in the industry compared to its competitors.

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about starting a business, what would it be?

Starting off with a good idea is a MUST. Thorough research is inevitable and you must also comprehensively think about how the product or service works.  And of course, it is crucial to understand the market your product/service is going into and to be able to forecast or foresee where the market is going and how your specific product/service fits into it.