How hard can it be to run a Startup? Oh the naivety!

It seemed like a simple idea…
After the global financial crisis, I stepped into the consulting world. I really wanted to help small business owners survive and thrive by embracing and implementing technology, so that when the next crash inevitably hits, their businesses will be resilient.
I loved it, but there was one stumbling block that I kept running into — billing. It took me hours to reconcile what time I had actually spent on clients’ projects, at their premises, doing research, on the phone, etc.
I was in a client’s car park one evening, feeling particularly proud of myself, as I had actually remembered (for once) to make a note that I was leaving several hours later than scheduled! It was then that it struck me: what if there was an app that could not only track my time, but my behavior as well? Something that would know when I was with a client, or at a meeting, and would check with me as needed to see if I was at lunch or track how far I had traveled.
This genius app must exist, surely. And so I jumped into the App Store to find it! Well, if it existed, I couldn’t find it. The only thing to be done was to make it myself.
And, just like that, BullRush was born.

A global problem solved
BullRush is an app that automates the cumbersome process of filling out time- sheets using Geo-powered technology.
No matter what you do for a living, no one enjoys boring administrative tasks. If anything is going to get you procrastinating, it’ll be the need to fill in a time-sheet! BUT — failing to record time (or even failing to get it done accurately) is financially punishing. It’s estimated that in the US alone, businesses lose over $7.0 billion daily on unbilled time.
Even if you’re living the dream — working when you want and where you want — you still have to charge someone for that time. We at BullRush want to make this as easy and frictionless as possible for all sizes of business.
BullRush went live in January 2017. And while we were busy focusing on helping businesses keep track of the time they needed to bill we got a pleasant surprise as we were approached by an international software company, one that loved our software so much they wanted us to build a custom solution on our platform for their 22,000 users.
Getting that custom software live earlier this year was a massive milestone for us, an accomplishment to be proud of, especially given that we’re a small team.
The solo founder roller coaster ride
I am an over-30, female, non-technical, solo founder. Depending how you view the world, that can be a stack of negatives. None of those things are negatives to me, however. They may bring me challenges, sure, but when I overcome them, BullRush and I are all the better for it!
An experience that I went through during the very early days saw me trying to solicit quotes from a development house. I had to book a phone call (two weeks in advance, no less) and then when the day finally came, I was on the receiving end of a fractious, condescending conversation This person casually joked that I might want to stick with raising a family! I got the distinct impression that he thought I had $5k to my name and a crazy notion that I was going to build an app.
That experience was followed closely by the rudest investor on earth, who was holding 20 minute drop-in ‘Investment Clinics’. I wasn’t pitching — I saw it as an opportunity for some advice and feedback, but nevertheless I was new to this and nervous as hell. So when, in a very terse voice, this guy asked me “Where’s your buddy?” while pointing to the empty chair next to me, I was puzzled. He repeated himself and I explained I didn’t understand. He said, “You’re not a solo founder, are you?” this time with a look on his face that suggested he was moments away from calling to have me locked up in an asylum. When I nodded my head in the affirmative, he said, “Well you will NEVER succeed. It’s impossible to do this as a solo founder!”
I immediately gained a deep sense of resolve to prove that charmer wrong.
It is definitely tricky being a solo founder, and there are more than a few days where I would be overjoyed to have someone to share the actual workload with. But, I have built a network of founders, advisors, and, most importantly, friends and mentors and allies, so there is always someone to discuss the hard stuff with. In the end, I think it comes down to a state of mind. Back yourself, and I believe you will get there.


Stripe for the win
Being a solo founder, I am short on time, cash is precious, and communities are really important to me. I understand the value in outsourcing things that aren’t your core business so utilizing Stripe as our payment backend was a no brainer. It only took a few minutes of research to see that it was by far and away the best option to get payments up and running. Setting Stripe up was quick and efficient, something which saved me many dev hours and precious cash. Then Atlas came along, making U.S. incorporation a dream with its massive time, effort, and cost savings.
What I didn’t expect from Stripe was an amazing community of engaged entrepreneurs and start-up founders. I feel so much less alone seeing the connections between all of our shared journeys. For those times where I may trip and fall, maybe I can share and prevent half a dozen others from doing the same thing. Or if I am pushed for time and need a new piece of tech, rather than researching for hours, I can ask the community and get a raft of responses, recommendations, and advice. It’s a no brainer.
Being able to share your journey or give a fellow founder a hand with some hard-fought knowledge you have gained along the way and knowing it will be repaid in kind is awesome. Communities like this help you to feel proud of the others in your group, motivated by their stories and achievements, and just a tiny bit more capable.
I have refilled the knowledge tanks, have a ton of motivation, and am ready to get on with another day #kickdowndoors.

