As I sit in an AirBnb I rented for that month of August (using a failing AC inside the Texas Summer) I figured it could be a fun time to execute a mental check of start-up life as well as the transition thus far. Always advantageous when you’re sweating from sitting 🙂 Having grown we significantly the business side of things is starting to feel “normal.” If that’s a chance. My co-founder Marissa would say we’re out of the “storming” phase and now into the “normalization” phase in our first year. I now use her Westpoint terminology during my common speech, confusing friends with your terms as Sitrep, bluf as well as MFIC. I’ll allow her to enlighten everybody for the definitions. If you ask me, normalizing they helps us show we now have momentum, synergy and our folks (and internal technology) are all aligned as well as the pace is buying bigtime. Nothing but good things.
In past posts I’ve commented on developing the site, CRE culture, investment plus more. On this page I must concentrate on customers and the way to pay attention to them.
When we first launched beta and began collecting feedback, the response was overwhelming from our initial users. “Change this,” “I don’t under this wording here,” “consider adding X,” “is there a map button for that?” (DOH!). To those with tech startup experience I’m sure that’s not new. I first, having only a humble CRE broker’s background, was quite surprised/impressed by how many people are prepared to offer you their help with this mission. What’s the mission again? Help small businesses make smarter lease decisions.
Ahead of time, I felt compelled to push almost all our developing the site and assumptions from the pure property perspective. I knew we might improve on the existing tech in the market, and we’re a commercial property product, right? Sure, we’re free and anonymous and that great stuff but we offer a platform that’s CRE based to your users. Our core assumptions and product architecture/functions were steeped inside the property problem-solving mindset. Even as grew together together, we became less and less reliant on these assumptions plus more plus more engaged through the feedback from our users and other people inside the field. This assumption quickly changed, we’re not really a property product, we’re an enterprise product. How did we discover that out?
We asked.
Our caboodling team has gone out daily hand-collecting reviews in Houston and I’m humbled by their efforts. They’re helping us seed the working platform with real, verified feedback from business decision makers. It’s an important and foundational goal of ours to get these experiences. However, I’m impressed by the response we’re getting from retailers, tenants, small businesses once they hear our mission, try out the working platform and determine what we’re information on. It’s quite normal for the caboodlers to spend thirty minutes one review (which the collection part takes about 60 seconds FYI) as the small business community is just so hungry to become heard. It is a group who’s putting their livelihoods at risk, each day, to create their business grow as well as their personal lives more enriched through their dreams. It’s about damn time someone sat down and paid attention to them.
So that’s what we’ve been doing. Not only coding/testing/building/caboodling and trending hard towards our full release in another few weeks (SUPER excited to show everybody) but all out interviewing, listening and studying under our core customers. I’ve learned that simply because your product costs nothing doesn’t mean it automatically drops some inherent barrier to entry. Products need to solve real life trouble for real life people. This full release I do believe encompasses that mantra. We are going to share it soon.
Even as grow we you have a role to try out right here at Tenavox. Mine is heavily steeped in product, property and methodology. That doesn’t mean we don’t wear fifty other hats too, from fundraising (which never stops haha) to data science, startups would be best at exposing who you are under pressure. Our company (especially the founders) do anything to move the ball forward. People question how the transition from CRE to Startup in tech goes, whenever they take the plunge too with their idea? I smile and ask this: Are you able to handle the load with this deadline, another sprint, sales projections, recruiting, feedback, testing, adjustments, operations, payroll and far a lot more. When you decide to take the plunge and create a thing that matters you in turn become a great deal more responsible. How? Well ideas are just about worth nothing, roughly I’ve learned 😉 It’s all inside the execution as well as the team…as well as the culture. A robust culture could be the foundation for the strong company.
Turning ideas into reality, together.
If you have a concept, it’s just yours, you’re only to blame for cultivating the ideas themselves. Once you start an enterprise (from a concept) you’re to blame for the investors, (usually your friends and families hard-earned money), you’re to blame for your people, their efforts as well as their goals, you’re to blame for your business’s growth, and moving the vision forward each day…but a majority of of you’re to blame for yourself. There’s no automatic paycheck or salary to help you get up and hitting that work-day hard, so pick something have passion for. I reckon that that’s what I’ve learned most. Never underestimate the amount arrange it is to begin a business, never underestimate how difficult some days may be, the load is over charts as well as the stakes couldn’t be higher. However if you have passion for what you’re doing, if you think within your mission along with your culture along with your team? This can be the best damn thing you’ll do all of your life.
No one seriously knows where our path will lead. Startups in their very natures are risky ventures. We’ve made educated assumptions and they are just starting to test them out . in a live environment, time, our efforts as well as the market will dictate a portion in our success. I recognize this, our culture will dictate the way you lead and how we interact as people…and that is something I’m happy with.
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I might never knock people that don’t want to start their very own business, it’s not even close to simple and easy , oftentimes personal considerations don’t so it can have. Should you choose? Speak with your customers, listen and discover. They are going to let you know what they really want to see and increase your thinking, in most part of your product. You will find there’s new mantra now, “Built for Tenants, with Tenants,” so we rely on that. I know what we’re doing right here at Tenavox is among the most rewarding professional example of playing, and that’s worth every bit with the stress, risk and fervour we’re pouring with it each day. It’s funny, whenever we started off I wasn’t sure the best way to border the pain sensation points with the small company owner…Now? We understand them because we live them. Plus a wise someone once said, “there’s no replacement experience.”
There were a fantastic team development a week ago in Austin too! Due to #escapegame #Galvanize and #Laketravis for hosting us!
Stay tuned for the full release in 2-3 weeks and thank you for reading my ramblings as always.
Twenty-four hours a day comment below or please take a run at a number of the other articles I’ve written chronicling my transition from broker to co-founder.
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