Nikolaj Køster is the co-founder and head of communication at Click A Taxi. I invited him on YHP to share some of the key things he has learnt since starting the business.

Hi Nikolaj, Thanks for doing this. How are you doing today?

Very well thanks. Copenhagen is covered in beautiful snow and we have a TV crew coming to do an interview in 60 min. It’s gonna be a good day 

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

Sure. I co-founded Click A Taxi with three others 1.5 years ago. My prior job was as a director at a Danish advertising agency working with digital solutions. And I just turned 36 last week Friday 

Tell me how you initially got into business?

Søren (CEO) approached me with his insane idea of building an automated taxi app working anywhere you travel. At first I stood my ground but he ended up persuading me it could be done. And so it goes….

How did the idea for Click A Taxi come about?

Being stuck in Spain, in a street you don’t know, with no vocabulary except ‘ola” and not knowing the phone number of a trusted taxi company…. It’s such a pain and everybody’s tried it.

Tell me about the early days, what was the hardest part of starting the business?

Finding the right people and handling our impatience. We wanted to be global in 12 months and this requires an amazing team of dedicated people.

What is Click A Taxi? And what are you trying to solve with it?

Getting people a safe taxi wherever they happen to be in the world.

How have you been able to fund it so far?

We been fortunate to have some amazingly talented business angels believe in us. We now have two prominent angels in Claus Moseholm (of goviral) and Tommy Ahlers with very successful exits behind them (Zyb and Podio).

What advices would you give to entrepreneurs looking to raise funds for their startups?

Have a revenue model from day 1, a clear and pragmatic strategy and talented team members on all key positions (don’t do it all yourself).

About the first few months, how excited were you, tell us about how those months felt, what happened?

The first six months we had no office. Half the time we worked from a couch in a coffee shop the other half on a very sunny roof top terrace. That was a lot of fun and felt very startupish!

How did you initially get traction?

Home markets are always important and we won an award two months after launch. This really boosted our user base.

What are the most crucial things that you have done to grow your business?

Get key employees on as co-founders.

What would you say has been the highlight of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

Our global launch last two weeks. I feel so happy that we’ve been able to achieve this integration between a digital product and the real world of taxis in only a year.

What should we be expecting from yourself and the Click A Taxi team for 2013?

A further widening of the coverage in the world and a lot of exciting additions to the app and eco system.

Lastly, what three pieces of advice would you offer entrepreneurs starting out today?

Focus on getting very few things done really well, give away shares to key employees and know your revenue streams and user acquisition costs.

On Saturday 9th March we will be hosting, alongside Brightside, ‘Get Up Start Up‘ where you will be able to apply and be approved for a Startup loan of between £2,500 & £10,000 to help you get your business started!