The first step to creating a startup is finding a prime pain point worth solving. Wang Chao founded Sure BeautyPlace to aid the working woman in tackling her career, without compromising some of life’s luxuries, writes Cui-Lyn Huang
1. What brought you to JFDI Discover?
JFDI Discover was recommended by JFDI alumni Ching Tse of JFDI’s startup team Vaultdragon, and Justin Hall of Golden Gate Ventures, which has invested in many JFDI alumni.
2. Tell us about your startup and team – who are you, and what are you aiming to do?
We are a group of three NUS alumnis. We are currently building a mobile app to assist the modern busy businesswoman search and book appointments with top hairstylists, spa therapists and nail artists with our unique real-time scheduling.
3. Why did you start this business?
We started Sure BeautyPlace because we believe that making an appointment should be easy, fast and reliable. Something you can be Sure about. Many women may not have the time in their work week to research and make phone calls in order to book beauty treatments. Therefore we decided to streamline and process through our mobile app, allowing anyone to ensure they look good and feel good, even with their hectic schedules.
4. How did JFDI Discover help your startup?
JFDI Discover helped us validate our idea in a structured manner, taking the process a step at a time. This allowed us to thoroughly consider each aspect of our startup and pay attention to the areas that needed it most.
5. What was your favorite and least favorite aspect of JFDI Discover?
We particularly enjoyed the systematic development process in order to validate our idea, as mentioned above. However, we felt that communicating with the mentors was difficult as it was all conducted online. We also wish the JFDI Discover program was longer!
6. What is the one lesson you took away from JFDI Discover that you think other founders should know too?
Solve a problem worth solving. Many startups waste valuable time and effort on developing ideas that are not a problem to begin with. With this in mind, founders can better identify valuable startup ideas.
7. Where is your team planning to go from here?
We have applied for the JFDI Accelerate batch! Fingers crossed!
8. Which resources do you look to for startup related advice? Have you read any books on startups?
We tend to look through YouTube for insights into startup culture. Otherwise, we recommend the online Y-Combinator course.
9. Who would you recommend to Discover?
We particularly recommend the JFDI Discover program to startups that are still in the idea validation stage or pre-launching stages, as we feel these groups would reap the most from the program.
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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.