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Name: Luigi Goulianos
Company: Doitforme.eu
What are you building, and who benefits most from it?
At Doitforme, we’re building innovative tools that benefit two groups of users. For businesses and freelancers, our platform simplifies lead generation by running and optimizing digital marketing ads without requiring any marketing knowledge. This tool is called QuestAd because it turns simple questionnaires into an advertising funnel for lead generation. It saves users time and money by eliminating the need for digital agencies.
As for individual consumers, our platform helps them find services and products online through our marketplace, doitforme.eu, and save money on supermarket bills by using market.doitforme.eu. We achieve this by providing a platform where you can sort all products in Greek supermarkets in minutes and find which one has the cheapest product in order to create your shopping list.
Overall, our platform benefits anyone looking to save time and money online, whether they’re a business owner, a freelancer, or an individual consumer.
What is one of your startup’s most impressive accomplishments?
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It was the inclusion of our CEO and CTO on the Greek Forbes 30 under 30 list. This is a significant recognition in the entrepreneurial community as Forbes identifies and celebrates the most innovative and impactful young leaders across various industries.
Our CEO and CTO were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the technology and startup industry. They both have extensive experience in the field and have brought unique skills and perspectives to our startup. Our CEO led the development of our platform from ideation to launch, while our CTO was responsible for implementing cutting-edge technology solutions and overseeing the development team. Together, they have achieved significant milestones for the startup, such as securing seed funding and acquiring early adopters.
Being recognized on the Forbes 30 under 30 list is a testament to their hard work and dedication and a source of inspiration for our team to continue pushing boundaries and reaching new heights.
What has been the biggest challenge so far, and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge we’ve faced so far was bootstrapping our startup from the ground up, without any external funding. As a bootstrapped business, we had limited resources and had to be strategic in our decision-making to ensure that we were making the most of our time and budget.
To overcome this challenge, we adopted a lean and agile approach to product development, focusing on building only the most essential features for our minimum viable product (MVP). This allowed us to launch our product quickly and start generating revenue from early adopters.
We also leveraged our personal and professional networks to spread the word about our startup and attract new customers. We reached out to potential clients through social media, attended networking events, and provided exceptional customer service to encourage word-of-mouth referrals.
Another key strategy we employed was to continually monitor and optimize our expenses. We made sure to track our spending closely and identify areas where we could cut costs without sacrificing quality or efficiency.
Overall, the bootstrapping experience taught us the value of resourcefulness, creativity, and perseverance in building a successful startup. It also instilled in us a sense of discipline and frugality that we continue to apply to this day, even as we’ve grown and scaled the company.
What tool or app could you not live without and why?
Besides our own product, there are several tools and apps we could not live without as they help us streamline our workflow and improve our productivity.
One tool we find particularly useful is Canva. It is a graphic design platform that allows us to create professional-looking designs and marketing materials without the need for extensive graphic design skills. This has been a game-changer for us as it has allowed us to create visually appealing content for our website, social media, and marketing campaigns, without the need to hire a dedicated graphic designer.
Another tool we rely on heavily is Mailchimp. This email marketing platform allows us to send personalized and targeted emails to our customers. We use Mailchimp to manage our email lists, create automated email campaigns, and track the performance of our emails. This has helped us improve our engagement rates and build stronger relationships with our audience.
We also use Meta Ads, a digital advertising platform, to create and manage our online ad campaigns. Meta Ads allows us to target specific demographics, track conversion rates, and optimize our ad spend for maximum ROI.
Finally, we use Jira, a project management tool, to manage our software development process and collaborate with our development team. Jira allows us to track tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress in real time, which helps us ensure that our product development stays on track and on schedule.
Overall, these tools have been essential to our success as a startup as they have helped us streamline our operations, improve our efficiency, and stay focused on our goals.
What marketing strategies have worked for you?
One is social media marketing. We use platforms such as FaceBook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to reach out to potential customers and promote our product. We post regular updates, share valuable content, and engage with our followers to build relationships and increase brand awareness.
Another is email marketing, which we use to keep our customers and leads informed about our product updates, promotions, and other relevant news. We segment our email list to ensure that our messages are personalized and targeted to each recipient’s interests and needs.
What has been your biggest business failure to date? What did you learn from it?
One of our biggest business failures to date was when we launched market.doitforme.eu and aimed to partner with a government app. We spent a lot of time and resources trying to make the partnership work, but ultimately, the processes were slow, and nothing came of it.
What we learned from this experience is the importance of focusing on the things we can control and not relying too heavily on external factors. While partnerships with government entities can be beneficial, they are often subject to bureaucracy and red tape, which can slow down the process significantly. Moving forward, we’ll focus more on building partnerships with private entities that share our values and vision as they tend to be more agile and responsive.
Additionally, we learned the importance of being agile and adaptable in the face of challenges and setbacks. Instead of dwelling on the failure, we quickly shifted our focus to other areas of the business and continued to innovate and grow. We realized that failure is a part of the entrepreneurial journey, and the key is to learn from our mistakes, adjust our approach, and keep moving forward.
What’s the best specific piece of advice you have for other entrepreneurs?
If you can dream it, you can do it! One of the most important things for entrepreneurs is to have a clear vision and purpose for their business. You need to understand your why, and what drives you to pursue your business goals. This clarity will help you make better decisions, stay focused on your goals, and overcome challenges that come your way.
It’s also essential to be adaptable and willing to pivot when necessary. As an entrepreneur, you will face obstacles and setbacks, and it’s crucial to be able to pivot and adjust your strategy to stay on course. Embrace failure as a learning experience and use it to inform your future decisions.
Another critical aspect is to build a strong team and culture. Surround yourself with people who share your vision and values and bring diverse skills and perspectives to the table. Invest in your team’s growth and development, and create a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Finally, stay focused on your customers and their needs. Listen to their feedback, and use it to improve your product or service continually. Build relationships with your customers, and prioritize their satisfaction above all else.
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