Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview
You're the founders of Oddspedia JSC, one of the leading sports sites in the world. Can you tell us more about your work together and how you ended up where you are today?
Jan Möller: Oddspedia was founded in 2014 by me, Jan Möller, and my business partner, Jeton Kodia. I have been in the gambling industry since 2009, becoming an iGaming affiliate when I turned my hobby into my profession. Gambling is part of my life - I love betting, casino games, and poker. As a student and not the most profitable poker player, I discovered the Affiliate Program button at my favorite poker platform, Party Poker. Soon after that, I started as an affiliate by printing PartyPoker vouchers with my affiliate code on them, then distributing them in the mailboxes of my entire neighborhood in Kassel, where I studied.
Jeton Kodia: Yes, we met in Kassel, where we both studied. We both had shared interests in gambling and decided to turn our interests into our jobs. Additionally, with my first name Jeton, it was somehow destiny that I had to step into this industry.
How did you come up with the idea of Oddspedia and were both of you always focused on the affiliate space?
Jeton Kodia: As I already hinted at before, I wanted to focus more on the odds of sports betting. Therefore, I teamed up with Jan, who was equally passionate about sports in general and football in particular. Together, we co-founded our company and website Oddspedia. The main goal of our company is to provide valuable, competitive, and user-friendly services for sports betting fans, players, and publishers. Since its inception and over the course of several years, Oddspedia has established itself as one of the biggest international affiliates in the sports betting world.
Have you encountered any major challenges during your journey and how have these affected you?
Jan Möller: During all these years we faced many challenges, the worst one resulting in the reduction of half of the company staff, which was a shock for both sides. But as founders of the company, it’s necessary to make decisions that are not easy in order to ensure the company survives. Now, we are happy to say that we are in a much more stable position, both for us and for our employees.
As two co-founders of a large company, do you find it difficult to agree on joint decisions?
Jeton Kodia: Respect and honesty are the keys to each business partnership or friendship. We have always supported each other. We are discussing important decisions on a daily basis and we respect each other's opinions - the “winner” doesn’t stem from ego, but from the most compelling and respectable arguments. We respect each other as equals, which is very necessary if we want to realize the company’s full potential. It's important to share the same intentions, and once we agree on a way to do something, we hold each other equally responsible regardless of whether the outcome was good or bad.
Can you give our readers tips on qualities and skills that are essential in an affiliate team/business?
Jeton Kodia: Don't start something just by yourself if you are a newbie. First, dip your toes in the water and gain some experience in the industry. I would recommend starting with a job at a bigger affiliate company or in affiliate marketing at an operator. If you are smart, you can learn a lot quickly and avoid a bunch of costly mistakes you might have made otherwise. In the next step, you can try out your own ideas. By then, you already have a sound understanding of the industry, which allows you to make even better products right from the beginning. You’ll be able to realize a return on your investment in what’s likely to be a much shorter timeframe as well.
Is there something special that keeps you motivated?
Jan Möller: Running your own business means that you can give customers what you believe to be the best products and services. Seeing positive and appreciative reactions from your customers based on what you provide them can be incredibly motivating. So to build the best gambling affiliate product out there is challenging and keeps me motivated.
What makes you feel ‘out of your comfort zone?’ How do you handle these types of situations?
Jan Möller: You can only improve outside of your comfort zone. Without challenge, you grow too comfortable in your skills and position, and improving yourself becomes nearly impossible. Trying new things is vital if you want to be an informed and innovative entrepreneur. How do you handle this situation? Close your eyes and go through!
You have also launched widgets for webmasters and digital publishers which help them monetize their website through affiliate marketing? Tell us more about the widgets and process of monetizing.
Jeton Kodia: One of the main issues for editors, publishers, and affiliates is providing real-time data to their customers. It is extremely hard to find a proper way to do it. The Oddspedia Widgets fill the gap between sports data feeds and operators.
For editors, the Oddspedia Widgets have been developed as a real “all-in-one” solution. These tools can be implemented into any site by simply pasting their code, thus providing that site’s users with real-time odds data. Publishers can benefit from the live information by not only providing their users an odds comparison widget for free, but they can include their affiliate link to the respective bookmaker. Clicks are shared on a 50/50 basis. The way the split works is that the widgets rotate two links, one for the publisher and the other for Oddspedia, so there’s an equal chance for a user to sign up using one or the other.
Publishers will get real-time sports data without any cost for them, which they can very easily and quickly provide to their user base.
So, what’s the next big goal or project and how can someone get in contact with you?
Jeton Kodia: The next big goals are to enter more markets with oddspedia.com. We just went live in the Netherlands with a franchise partner. Also, we have a franchise partner in the USA and we are getting more and more licenses for this market. In the meanwhile, we are working constantly on the product itself. More Data, more content, more tools, improving everything so we have more and better solutions to create. It's a never-ending process, but that’s how we like it!
