10 Questions for ImageShack Owner Jack Levin

Meet the Owner is a weekly column that features business owners in the town of Los Gatos. Los Gatos Patch asks each owner the same 10 questions every week so the community can get to know the people behind our local businesses. 

started as the hobby of two brothers and turned into a 20-employee company. YFrog, the company's photo-sharing product often used on Twitter, now has more than 18.6 million users each month.

Jack Levin, founder of ImageShack, 236 No. Santa Cruz Ave., No. 100, learned great things from his former employer Google, which inspired him to get serious about his hobby and create a successful online company that became a leader in the photo-sharing world. 

10 Questions, Shoot!

Los Gatos Patch: What did you dream of being as a kid? 

Jack Levin: A firefighter. 

Patch: How does your personality play into your business? 

Levin: I worked at Google for six years. I learned what I know from that company. Thinking big is definitely in their DNA. They think that it is possible to achieve anything and operate with that idea. When I started Imageshack, I felt like it was time to start my own thing. I applied what I knew from Google, which included doing a lot of nontraditional stuff. In a year we became one of the top 100 sites in the U.S.

Patch: At what moment did you decide to open a business? 

Levin: It was sort of a natural progression. My brother and I started in 2004, and it was kind of a hobby for three years. In 2007, there were more competitors, and we were at the deciding point between making a serious push to create a successful company or letting the competitors take the market. We decided that we had a chance to be successful and a leader in the market and just went for it.

Patch: What inspired you?

Levin: It is challenging and a lot of fun making products that millions of people use, and I like being challenged. Google was very inspiring to me. I thought, if they can do it, there is no reason why we can't do something interesting.

Patch: Describe the biggest challenge of owning a business in the town of Los Gatos?

Levin: That's easy, parking.

Patch: Describe the best thing about owning a business in the town of Los Gatos?

Levin:  The food. They have everything here. Sometimes I take investors to the kabob place across the street. We talk and drink tea. It's cool, because it is like having a conference room, but they serve you food.

Patch: What is one thing you would never change about your business?

Levin: I feel like the founder of the company is forever in the company's DNA. When people step down and let others run the company, it just isn't the same company. I would never quit or step down, because I don't feel like it would be the same company. 

Patch: What is your business' greatest asset?

Levin:  The people. Without the staff we have, things wouldn't get done the way they are being done. Brilliant staff mixed with brilliant ideas makes for a great company.

Patch: What is your favorite spot in town?

Levin: Borders. I go to Borders every Saturday. 

Patch: What's one thing the community should know about you?

Levin: We are the only start-up in downtown Los Gatos. So we are really adding to their cool factor.