“Startups are hard. But they are not impossible. Passion drives the daily grind that it takes for you and your startup idea to succeed,” says RJ Mangubat and JFDI Discover startup team Plugged.
RJ Mangubat on stage at Cebu’s Startup Weekend Pitching session
1. Tell us about your startup and team – who are you, and what are you aiming to do?
I am RJ Mangubat – one of the founders of Plugged – a web/mobile application that aims to help local musicians in Cebu further their careers. We connect musicians to local brands and advertisers, exposing them to the local music community, and provide them with a platform that to feature their music.
2. How did you hear about JFDI Discover?
We participated in Startup Weekend in Cebu, a 54-hour event focused on building a web or mobile application, bringing together people of different skillsets to build applications with a commercial case around them. Our mentors from Startup Weekend introduced us to JFDI Discover.
3. Why did you start this business?
The local music here in Cebu scene needed a boost. We want to promote and establish a growing industry by helping artists penetrate a broader audience. On our end, it would be easier for us to discover and follow new local artists.
4. What were some of the challenges you faced before joining JFDI Discover?
One of our biggest challenges was not knowing how to plan our business approach. We needed to clarify our vision on what we wanted to achieve with our product, and how.
5. How did JFDI Discover help your startup?
JFDI Discover helped us strengthen our approach to our startup idea. As a founder, I learned how to validate the problems that we are trying to address and have reaped the benefits of creating a Lean Canvas business model.
6. What was your favorite and least favorite aspect of JFDI Discover?
We liked how the mentors were easy to approach whenever we had a question. They were also very attentive throughout the program, and guided us from start to finish. However, due to time zone differences and clashing schedules I was not always able to attend certain video conferences which I would have liked to.
7. What is the one lesson you took away from JFDI Discover that you think other founders should know too? (Why is it important?)
Startups are hard. But they are not impossible. Passion drives the daily grind that it takes for you and your startup idea to succeed.
8. Where is your team planning to go from here?
Mock designs for the app have been completed and development is underway. It has been a challenge juggling my full-time job and Plugged, but the work is always rewarding and we are aiming to launch the Plugged app later this year.
9. Which resources do you look to for startup related advice? Have you read any books on startups?
Podcasts are particularly great as you have access to a lot of startup related advice. Lately I’ve been listening to “Startup” by Alex Blumberg of Gimlet Media in which Blumberg shares his personal experience with launching his own startup business from the ground up.
10. Who would you recommend to Discover?
I would recommend JFDI Discover to aspiring entrepreneurs/tech-preneurs here in Cebu.
The Plugged team at Startup Weekend Cebu
Thinking of starting your own business? JFDI Discover will help you find out if you really want to be an entrepreneur. It will reveal if your team is aligned to deliver results. And it will show you how to solve a real problem for customers who are willing to pay thus moving closer to a “problem-solution fit”.
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Cui-Lyn Huang is on the Editorial team for JFDI Asia. Currently pursuing a combined major in Computer Science & Journalism at Northeastern University in Boston, and after growing up on the little red dot. She loves to write, she loves to eat, and loves to write about eating.