And his decision to leave RewardsPlus was based on his desire to start yet another company that he hopes to build into a Baltimore-based international firm. He's willing to take the risks involved in new ventures. Instead of waiting for the company to come around to his way of thinking, he took what he knew and developed the technology that still propels RewardsPlus. And if the company wasn't doing so well, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving. The company partners with major benefits providers to offer a collection of products through its Web sites.
Industry analysts estimate that online benefits is a large and still relatively untapped market.
Barksdale's new company will basically take what RewardsPlus does in the United States and offer it abroad. The company, which has yet to be named, will launch in the United Kingdom first. Australia, Singapore and Canada will follow in no particular order, Barksdale said. Barksdale plans to self-finance his company in the beginning. He said looking for venture capital in the future is not out of the question.