In this month’s edition of First Fridays, we introduce you to Zach Frechette, the founder of Quarterly Co., a subscription service that gives people an extraordinary way to connect with their favorite tastemakers. Much in the way that they would select a magazine that appeals to their interests, subscribers sign up for remarkable people. They then receive “actual items that tell a compelling story crafted and narrated by the contributor.” It’s kind of like Show-and-Tell for the post-kindergarten set that, in an era in which magazine subscriptions are migrating to tablets, holds the potential to reinstate the joy once found in unwrapping the postman’s latest delivery. Read on for Zach’s insights on the company and more.

If you had to choose one word or phrase to describe Quarterly Co., what would it be?

"A subscription service for wonderful things." We also toss around the word "magic" a lot, because there's really no other way to describe the feeling of getting a surprise package in the mail.

How do you define success for your enterprise?

We define success by the number of people who subscribe to our service, and how actively they share it with their friends and followers.

What is the one thing you wish you knew before you founded Quarterly Co.?

How hard it is not to take every customer criticism personally.

What is the one thing you never want to hear (or, most want to hear) from a customer/user/client?

Any mention of "value" means we've done a bad job working with our curators and educating our customers.

What compan[y]ies (other than your own) are you inspired by, and why?

Codeacademy. They're on their way to becoming a household name (virtually overnight), they have incredible partnerships (count Mayor Bloomberg and the White House among them), and their product makes the people who use it smarter and more employable. It's also well designed and fun to use. [Editor’s Note: Stay tuned for our interview with Codeacademy founder Zach Sims in next month’s edition of First Fridays.]

What is the next big thing?

Viable, focused social networks that exist outside of Facebook. And autonomous cars.

What is the worst business idea you’ve heard?

I plead the 5th.