Tweet
A Brother and Sister Venture: The Story of Harsanik.com
by Shantal Der Boghosian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/07/a-brother-and-sister-venture-the-story-of-harsanik-com/
March 7, 2013
It's difficult to imagine a world where information isn't readily
available to us. We have become accustomed to an easy internet search
from our smart phones any time we need to find an address, phone
number, or even vendor reviews. But a little over a decade ago most of
us were still looking up contact information in the yellow p
Harsanik.com was started by a brother and sister duo, Garen Khanoyan
and Marineh (Khanoyan) Tchakerian
ages, or asking friends of a friend for a phone number of a caterer
they liked. In short, it was not easy to find the information you
needed to plan a party, wedding, or event. This very problem was the
inspiration behind Harsanik.com, a comprehensive online directory of
vendors catering to wedding services around the greater Los Angeles
area. Harsanik means `wedding' in Armenian.
Harsanik.com was started by a brother and sister duo, Garen Khanoyan
and Marineh (Khanoyan) Tchakerian. The idea for the website was
conceived in 2005 while they were discussing the challenges their
friends faced while planning their weddings; many of the vendors at
the time did not have websites and were difficult to contact. Garen
and Marineh's goal was to simplify the lives of those planning a
wedding, and to help wedding vendors be easily found by potential
brides and grooms, and see their businesses grow. `Whether it
succeeded or not, we would have been happy if we created something
useful for the community,' the duo told me.
The creation of Harsanik.com was no easy feat. The most challenging
task for Garen and Marineh was finding a way to make time for their
website idea while also working at their full-time jobs. Garen holds a
bachelor's and master's degree from USC in electrical engineering and
computer science, and Marineh holds a degree from USC in business
administration with an emphasis in marketing. Their unique skills
provided a combination that would be important to the success of an
online business. Garen focuses on the technical aspect of the
business, including the continuous development, maintenance, and
optimization of the website. Marineh focuses on all aspects of
marketing and sales, including developing content, partnering with
vendors to help promote the site, and managing all advertising sales.
The duo began working on the website in December 2005, and during the
development phase decided to create a categorized online directory
(banquet halls, florists, DJ, etc.) completely free for both vendors
and people to use. They felt that in order for the website to be truly
helpful for the community, it had to be free. To this day Harsanik.com
is a free service for users and vendors, and will remain so to serve
the community to its fullest. After 15 months of solid development and
long hours juggling their full-time jobs, Harsanik.com launched in
March 2007.
When asked what motivated them to push through the long hours to see
Harsanik.com to fruition, Garen and Marineh agreed that their number
one focus was to help the Armenian community. `We knew our business
would have a big impact on both those planning a wedding and vendors
who cater to the Armenian wedding industry.' However, the initial
challenge they faced was to gain public acceptance of the website
concept. Most businesses were reluctant to receive a free basic
listing on their website. They suspected fraud since they had never
heard of Harsanik.com and did not believe they would benefit from a
free service. Others were very skeptical of the idea and did not think
the concept would work, but that motivated Garen and Marineh to work
even harder.
By 2008 the website had gained traction and enjoyed a steady growth of
online traffic, as well as a vendor and user base. `We started
receiving countless emails from users and vendors thanking us for
building a great resource for the Armenian community, and it's that
positive feedback that pushes us to keep working on the site and
continue improving it.' They soon realized the added potential for
helping the greater community by allowing users to share their
experiences, and launched a ratings and reviews system as part of
their directory. As the website continued to grow, the team focused on
creating great experiences for their users, maintaining a high-quality
site, and never compromising their integrity and core business values.
They maintain an unbiased and fair system towards all businesses they
work with.
In 2009 the Harsanik.com team expanded the business further by
producing an upscale bridal show. They chose to partner with Christine
Zohrabians of `Fancy That! Events' to organize the bridal event. The
show was a huge success with hundreds of brides and over a thousand
guests attending, proving that there was a high demand for a bridal
show targeting Armenians. After receiving positive feedback from
vendors and guests, Garen and Marineh decided to continue the bridal
shows annually.
But what is it that motivates them to pull in long hours into the
business? `It might sound crazy, but running a wedding website is
actually a lot of fun. We have met so many amazing people through this
business that we would never have had the chance to meet. We've both
learned so much by running our own business, both professionally and
personally. The experience of having our own `side project' that has
blossomed into a full online business has taught us many lessons, and
we are confident there's much more for us to learn on the Harsanik.com
journey. `
Marineh (Khanoyan) Tchakerian is a Product Marketing Manager at
Intuit. She has been with Intuit for 7 years, working on the product
development and marketing of the TurboTax product. In 2011, she won
the Scott Cook Innovation Award, which allowed her to spend 3 months
in the Intuit UK office where she launched a pilot for a brand new
mobile payment product in the UK. Garen Khanoyan has been working at
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 15 years as a software and hardware
engineer. He has worked on the last two Mars rover missions and is
currently working on a perception system for autonomous helicopters
and next generation decelerators for Mars landers.
Apricot Yogurt Cake
Modified from thegutsygourmet.net.
The following recipe produces a coarse-crumbed cake; for ease of
slicing, dip your knife in hot water before cutting each serving.
Ingredients:
-Two 8-ounce containers plain yogurt
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 large eggs
-3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped fine
-1 cup walnuts, chopped fine
-about 1/2 cup orange honey syrup (recipe follows)
Preparation:
Let the yogurt drain in a fine sieve set over a bowl, covered and
chilled, overnight and measure out 1 cup of the drained yogurt,
reserving the remaining yogurt for another use.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch spring form pan.
Into another bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the
baking soda, and a pinch of salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer,
cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy,
beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and
beat in the one-cup drained yogurt until the mixture is just combined.
Add the flour mixture, beat the batter until it is just combined, and
stir in the apricots and walnuts.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake in the middle
of the oven for 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out with a few
crumbs adhering to it. Put the cake in the pan on a rack set over
foil, pour the orange honey syrup (see below) over it, and let the
cake absorb the syrup. The cake may be made two days in advance and
kept in the pan covered with plastic wrap and foil, and chilled.
Remove the side of the pan and garnish the cake with the mint sprigs.
Orange Honey Syrup:
-1 cup honey
-1/2 cup fresh orange juice
-1/2 cup water
-1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh orange zest
Preparation:
In a heavy saucepan, combine the honey, the orange juice, the water,
and the zest and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 20
minutes, or until it is reduced to 1 1/3 cups. (If the syrup is
reduced too much, it becomes too thick and too sweet.) Let the syrup
cool. The syrup may be made one week in advance and kept, covered, at
room temperature.
From: Baghdasarian
by Shantal Der Boghosian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/07/a-brother-and-sister-venture-the-story-of-harsanik-com/
March 7, 2013
It's difficult to imagine a world where information isn't readily
available to us. We have become accustomed to an easy internet search
from our smart phones any time we need to find an address, phone
number, or even vendor reviews. But a little over a decade ago most of
us were still looking up contact information in the yellow p
Harsanik.com was started by a brother and sister duo, Garen Khanoyan
and Marineh (Khanoyan) Tchakerian
ages, or asking friends of a friend for a phone number of a caterer
they liked. In short, it was not easy to find the information you
needed to plan a party, wedding, or event. This very problem was the
inspiration behind Harsanik.com, a comprehensive online directory of
vendors catering to wedding services around the greater Los Angeles
area. Harsanik means `wedding' in Armenian.
Harsanik.com was started by a brother and sister duo, Garen Khanoyan
and Marineh (Khanoyan) Tchakerian. The idea for the website was
conceived in 2005 while they were discussing the challenges their
friends faced while planning their weddings; many of the vendors at
the time did not have websites and were difficult to contact. Garen
and Marineh's goal was to simplify the lives of those planning a
wedding, and to help wedding vendors be easily found by potential
brides and grooms, and see their businesses grow. `Whether it
succeeded or not, we would have been happy if we created something
useful for the community,' the duo told me.
The creation of Harsanik.com was no easy feat. The most challenging
task for Garen and Marineh was finding a way to make time for their
website idea while also working at their full-time jobs. Garen holds a
bachelor's and master's degree from USC in electrical engineering and
computer science, and Marineh holds a degree from USC in business
administration with an emphasis in marketing. Their unique skills
provided a combination that would be important to the success of an
online business. Garen focuses on the technical aspect of the
business, including the continuous development, maintenance, and
optimization of the website. Marineh focuses on all aspects of
marketing and sales, including developing content, partnering with
vendors to help promote the site, and managing all advertising sales.
The duo began working on the website in December 2005, and during the
development phase decided to create a categorized online directory
(banquet halls, florists, DJ, etc.) completely free for both vendors
and people to use. They felt that in order for the website to be truly
helpful for the community, it had to be free. To this day Harsanik.com
is a free service for users and vendors, and will remain so to serve
the community to its fullest. After 15 months of solid development and
long hours juggling their full-time jobs, Harsanik.com launched in
March 2007.
When asked what motivated them to push through the long hours to see
Harsanik.com to fruition, Garen and Marineh agreed that their number
one focus was to help the Armenian community. `We knew our business
would have a big impact on both those planning a wedding and vendors
who cater to the Armenian wedding industry.' However, the initial
challenge they faced was to gain public acceptance of the website
concept. Most businesses were reluctant to receive a free basic
listing on their website. They suspected fraud since they had never
heard of Harsanik.com and did not believe they would benefit from a
free service. Others were very skeptical of the idea and did not think
the concept would work, but that motivated Garen and Marineh to work
even harder.
By 2008 the website had gained traction and enjoyed a steady growth of
online traffic, as well as a vendor and user base. `We started
receiving countless emails from users and vendors thanking us for
building a great resource for the Armenian community, and it's that
positive feedback that pushes us to keep working on the site and
continue improving it.' They soon realized the added potential for
helping the greater community by allowing users to share their
experiences, and launched a ratings and reviews system as part of
their directory. As the website continued to grow, the team focused on
creating great experiences for their users, maintaining a high-quality
site, and never compromising their integrity and core business values.
They maintain an unbiased and fair system towards all businesses they
work with.
In 2009 the Harsanik.com team expanded the business further by
producing an upscale bridal show. They chose to partner with Christine
Zohrabians of `Fancy That! Events' to organize the bridal event. The
show was a huge success with hundreds of brides and over a thousand
guests attending, proving that there was a high demand for a bridal
show targeting Armenians. After receiving positive feedback from
vendors and guests, Garen and Marineh decided to continue the bridal
shows annually.
But what is it that motivates them to pull in long hours into the
business? `It might sound crazy, but running a wedding website is
actually a lot of fun. We have met so many amazing people through this
business that we would never have had the chance to meet. We've both
learned so much by running our own business, both professionally and
personally. The experience of having our own `side project' that has
blossomed into a full online business has taught us many lessons, and
we are confident there's much more for us to learn on the Harsanik.com
journey. `
Marineh (Khanoyan) Tchakerian is a Product Marketing Manager at
Intuit. She has been with Intuit for 7 years, working on the product
development and marketing of the TurboTax product. In 2011, she won
the Scott Cook Innovation Award, which allowed her to spend 3 months
in the Intuit UK office where she launched a pilot for a brand new
mobile payment product in the UK. Garen Khanoyan has been working at
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 15 years as a software and hardware
engineer. He has worked on the last two Mars rover missions and is
currently working on a perception system for autonomous helicopters
and next generation decelerators for Mars landers.
Apricot Yogurt Cake
Modified from thegutsygourmet.net.
The following recipe produces a coarse-crumbed cake; for ease of
slicing, dip your knife in hot water before cutting each serving.
Ingredients:
-Two 8-ounce containers plain yogurt
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 large eggs
-3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped fine
-1 cup walnuts, chopped fine
-about 1/2 cup orange honey syrup (recipe follows)
Preparation:
Let the yogurt drain in a fine sieve set over a bowl, covered and
chilled, overnight and measure out 1 cup of the drained yogurt,
reserving the remaining yogurt for another use.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch spring form pan.
Into another bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the
baking soda, and a pinch of salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer,
cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy,
beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and
beat in the one-cup drained yogurt until the mixture is just combined.
Add the flour mixture, beat the batter until it is just combined, and
stir in the apricots and walnuts.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake in the middle
of the oven for 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out with a few
crumbs adhering to it. Put the cake in the pan on a rack set over
foil, pour the orange honey syrup (see below) over it, and let the
cake absorb the syrup. The cake may be made two days in advance and
kept in the pan covered with plastic wrap and foil, and chilled.
Remove the side of the pan and garnish the cake with the mint sprigs.
Orange Honey Syrup:
-1 cup honey
-1/2 cup fresh orange juice
-1/2 cup water
-1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh orange zest
Preparation:
In a heavy saucepan, combine the honey, the orange juice, the water,
and the zest and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 20
minutes, or until it is reduced to 1 1/3 cups. (If the syrup is
reduced too much, it becomes too thick and too sweet.) Let the syrup
cool. The syrup may be made one week in advance and kept, covered, at
room temperature.
From: Baghdasarian