The Great Parking Integration Game: Ethan Glass & Ocra vs. the Industry

All Things Parking with Dani and John

Ethan Glass is a self-proclaimed parking nerd who helped build a centralized management platform for parking operators. In the parking industry, it’s ambitious to even attempt to build one single place for parking operators to log in to do all of their tasks. But that’s what Ethan and his team at Ocra have done.

In this episode, your hosts Dani Crain and John D. Conway, and their guest Ethan, get into:

* Starting a parking app business and transitioning to B2B software.

* Parking management and the challenges of managing multiple disparate technologies.

* The need for a unified platform to manage inventory and maximize revenue, which led Dani and John to partner with Ethan and his team at Ocra.

* How the Ocra platform allows for centralized management of inventory and data from different channels, providing a single dashboard for parking operators.

* John’s frustration with the lack of data sharing in the parking industry.

* Visualizing parking data in Ocra.

* The challenges with integrating with other companies, including lack of open API infrastructure and unwillingness to admit limitations.

* Staying in one's lane as an entrepreneur.

* The value of mentorship and dividing tasks to achieve growth.

* The flywheel effect of using information from outside the business to grow the business.

* Acquisition opportunities and pass-ups, with a running joke about almost every week someone offers to acquire Ocra.

* Setting realistic expectations for a parking startup's growth.

* Ethan shares that Ocra has been cautious in selecting investors who are aligned with the business's goals and values, and have turned down money from investors who are not the right fit.

* The challenges of integrating parking reservation systems with existing hotel systems.

Thanks to Ethan Glass for being on the show!

* Connect with Ethan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanglass/

* Learn about Ocra, the Centralized Management Platform for Parking Operators: https://getocra.com/

Thanks to our sponsors for supporting this show:

* Parking Revenue Recovery Services (PRRS), bringing you a new standard in parking compliance: https://www.parkingprrs.com/

* Asura Technologies, an automated license plate recognition (ALPR) and video analytics company: https://asuratechnologies.com/

* Parking Whisperer: https://parkingwhisperer.com/

Connect with the hosts:

* http://www.parkingtalk.com

* Dani Crain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-crain-3754a3178/

* John D. Conway: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-d-conway-b55a7025/

* [e-mail]

Subscribe, like, and follow:

* Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/44KScHB

* Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3rKBJVn

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ParkingTalkwithDaniJohn-hb9ku

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parkingtalk-com/

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/parkingtlk

This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.successwithstories.com.