What sparked your startup journey?

I didn't have any money when I was 15. And no one wanted to hire me, so I had no choice.

hey, i love this question, a chance to go back in time and introspect. for me, it wasn't a single moment, but a gradual culmination of moments. it was a puzzle slowly coming together, piece by piece, until the image was unmistakably clear. it started with the realization of how i loved building and creating things, merging technology and ideas to craft something valuable. i was in awe of how even a simple line of code can birth an entire universe, which in turn can influence people's lives. then came the need for more. the yearning to craft something that could leave a dent, an urge to take the driver's seat in shaping the future. i wasn't content with just standing on the shoulders of giants. i wanted to be the one building the shoulders for others. the final piece fell in place when i realized that the best way to predict the future is to invent it. we are only limited by our imagination and willingness to turn our dreams into reality. so, here i am, one small step in a giant leap, riding the startup wave, hoping to contribute to the endless ocean of possibilities. the journey isn't easy, it's filled with waves of highs and lows, but the voyage is rewarding, the learning is priceless. and, it's not just about the destination, but the journey and the stories you create along the way. keep hustling, keep building!

Always new stuff to pursue!

I decided I was going to be an entrepreneur since I was 14 because that was the only way to make serious money. Back at that time in my home country the jobs paid very low. Umm.. That was 28 years ago.

What sparked your startup journey? 😄🚀 I'd love to hear the story behind your entrepreneurial adventure and the moment that ignited your passion to build something amazing!

I kinda fell into it. I've always loved programming and building apps (I started as a hobbyist), then one day a co-worker asked if I wanted to help their friend out with an app. I said yes since I do this on the side for fun anyways. A couple of months later I quit my job and joined the start-up full time. It's funny how things work out.

The impetus for my startup was my problem, and this has grown into the fact that I want to help others with the same problem.

The spark for my startup journey was a combination of passion, a problem that needed solving, and the desire to make a positive impact in the world.

combination of the situation, stage in life, passion, and idea

The spark for my startup journey ignited when I encountered a problem that I felt compelled to solve. I observed a gap in the market or a specific need that wasn't being addressed adequately. This realization inspired me to take action and create a solution through entrepreneurship. I wanted to make a positive impact, disrupt the status quo, and create something innovative that could benefit others. That initial spark of identifying a problem and envisioning a solution was what kick-started my startup journey.

Not a good enough product in the market to solve the problem of being able to invest in top crypto projects, with choice of my exchange and without having to do any research of my own.

Annoying email threads, lost attachments and fragmented conversations across emails and WhatsApp, got us going, "Oki we need to do something about this.😮‍💨"

Freelancing.

The starting point for me was when I heard from colleagues that they wanted to do a startup about presentation design. I immediately liked the idea because it was my personal pain :)

Great Question. It is interesting because I am not entrepreneurial by nature. However, I came across a frustrating/infuriating problem I and many other professionals around me faced. What motivated me and what still motivates me to this day is this problem I and many close to me still currently face. As an FP&A analyst, I've always had an affinity for studying business models so when it came time to think of a solution for my problem, It didn't take long to land on my startup idea. In many respects, it came naturally and organically. Because of this, the conviction has always been very high and has grown the more and more we've built and talked to people. I am excited to launch the first half of our marketplace to the world come July 17th and hear what people think of the solution!

It may simply be a good product idea.

Our startup journey was sparked by a shared passion for education and a deep belief in its transformative power. We saw the immense potential of technology to revolutionize learning and wanted to create a platform that would make high-quality education accessible to all. Inspired by the desire to bridge the gap between learners and educators, we embarked on this journey to empower individuals to acquire knowledge and skills in an engaging and convenient manner. Our goal is to unlock the doors to lifelong learning and contribute to a more equitable and prosperous future for everyone.

Finding quality candidates and then shepherding them through the interview process was something I did not particularly enjoy. I loved working in my business, and only when I was particularly overwhelmed would I actively start recruiting. But what changed for me was the realisation that I would have to go through a lot of below average employees, before I found someone who truly above average for our needs. And as soon as that clicked, I started to understand that finding great team members wasn't that hard—I was just doing the wrong thing. Here's what I found to be the best way to find quality candidates: Always be hiring Finding someone great is easy, if you’re not desperate to hire someone instantly. Great candidates are usually are not looking for a job, and especially when you are hiring. So it makes sense to keep job applications open and keep interviewing candidates as well. You can easily pass this along the burden of regular interviews to your team. Your team members can vet the candidates before you do the final round Not finding the right candidates is one of the biggest problems that currently keeps business leaders awake at night. Finding them can be easier if you're looking for them all the time instead of just when you need them. Don't dig a well when you're thirsty. Anticipate that you'll lose a little time weeding through candidates that are not perfect , but you'll be better suited to expand when the factors are right for your business. When you have a few hires in the pipeline, you'll be in a better place to handle the next surge in your business. Continuous hiring - for the growth in your business, or the churn in your team. I found that collecting videos from your applicants is the best thing you can do to find the best candidate to actually interview. The problem is what your hires don't know how to upload a video to youtube, or don't care enough. You've got to make it easy for them. To solve this exact problem, I started Hirevire.com my two person startup last August. Hirevire let's you setup a page with questions one time (less than 10 mins) and candidates keep sending you video responses that you can check in your downtime. Candidates can answer on their phones, no software to install. You can even connect your Indeed or ZipRecruiter jobs posts so you can understand a lot more than what the CV tells you.

Nothing motivates more than adversity. So when adversities hit you low, you do everything.