Inside the Mind of a Visionary: A Deep Dive with Techlypros' Founder, Natasha Taplin

In this installment of our Founders Q&A series, we had an interesting exchange with Natasha Taplin - the visionary who masterminded the creation of Techlypros. A result of years of passion and dedication, Techlypros is an innovative platform designed to help solopreneurs, passionpreneurs, and start-ups overcome technical challenges as they navigate the demanding digital landscape. Let's delve right into her journey, insights, and experiences as a startup founder.

Q: Can you tell us about your personal background and how it led you to founding your startup?

A: In college I fell in love with the Internet and Web. After I graduated, I found myself in corporate America working in IT and software development organizations on websites and apps. At the same time, I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so I've always found myself helping friends, family and referrals across IT. After many years, I put it all together to create Techlypros.

Q: What problem does your startup solve and how did you identify it?

A: Techlypros is the online help desk for solopreneurs, passionpreneurs, and startups to get unstuck when it comes to tech in their business. We are on-demand tech help when you need it. It actually formulated itself because I get random questions all the time from entrepreneurs that are tired of using Google and YouTube to try to do-it-themselves with no tech partner to help them.

Q: How did the idea of your startup first come about?

A: From meeting entrepreneurs that need a part-time tech partner but don't have the funds to hire someone full-time, but still want a trusting relationship and not some random freelancer.

Q: What is your startup's mission and how does it drive your daily operations?

A: We help bring dream businesses to life. Our mission at Techlypros is to get solopreneurs, passionpreneurs, and start-up businesses UNstuck by providing just-in-time training and help desk services from computer technology professionals who are also building their dream businesses.

Q: Can you share the story of how you gathered your founding team?

A: My team is still fairly small with 2 people most of the time and bringing in others as needed. Referrals and people I've connected with over the years.

Q: How did you go about securing initial funding for your startup?

A: I'm still self-funding it to find a model that is scalable before I seek outside funding. I am in total MVP mode.

Q: What were some major obstacles faced during the early stages of your startup, and how did you overcome them?

A: I am still in the early stages where obstacles include nailing down the service menu (not offering everything in the IT kitchen sink), building out processes, and working ON and IN the business at the same time.

Q: Can you tell us about a time you failed and what you learned from it?

A: Yes! I spent a fortune of my personal funds in a previous business building out an application only to discover later that the curriculum and the content were being neglected. In a nutshell, I should have validated my idea with a prototype before I built out features that my audience wasn't interested in. They were more interested in the content of the application and I had no idea until there were hundreds of thousands spent.

Q: How does your startup stand out from competitors in your industry?

A: Honestly, I am still trying to find my blue ocean. Right now, it's servicing entrepreneurs who are usually solo in their business and helping them create and maintain their online business presence.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of being a founder so far?

A: Giving entrepreneurs a sense of relief when they are stuck with tech in their business e.g., broken website, no funnel strategy, email issues, building a low-code app, etc.

Q: Can you describe a typical day in your life as a founder?

A: Sure. I am still juggling building this business and working on contracts that come out of working with different clients. I spend most of my day right now working "IN' the business, servicing clients and contracts, and a few weeks working "ON" the business to help it become a model that can scale.

Q: How do you stay motivated during challenging times?

A: I take a nap. Real talk.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you received and who was it from?

A: "The only difference between those who are successful is the decision to be successful. There is no magic to it. Just keep going because no one can tell you the recipe to building YOUR business vision."

Q: How do you manage work-life balance, especially during intense periods of work?

A: I definitely work hard, play hard. My flow is not balanced all the time. I work in peaks and valleys, but it balances out at the end of the week.

Q: What strategies have you found effective for managing your team remotely?

A: The past few years have been all remote. But working in IT it's usually all remote. To manage my team, I work with them to identify what they will do and give them the autonomy to get it done knowing I am available if they need it. In addition, regular check-ins are usually about once a week.

Q: How has your leadership style evolved as your startup has grown?

A: I am very much now a servant leader. I'm looking to work with people who love what they do and can bring new ideas to the table.

Q: What does success look like for your startup, and how do you measure it?

A: Success at this time looks like how many businesses we can service each day. Eventually, we need to be able to measure how we have helped their businesses improve.

Q: How do you encourage a culture of innovation within your team?

A: Always be learning something new that's in your interest wheelhouse. And, speak up if you see an opportunity or a threat to the business.

Q: Could you share any pivots your startup had to make and the reasons behind it?

A: Yes I am actually making one right now. The initial Techlypros app was meant to provide on-demand help; however, we've now discovered an app is actually not what entrepreneurs want as an entry point for tech help.

Q: How have you leveraged technology to grow and improve your startup?

A: My absolute favorite way is through automation.

Q: What is one thing you wish you knew before starting your business?

A: A mentor or two that has built what I am building or at least something similar.

Q: Can you discuss a time when customer feedback directly influenced a decision or direction for your startup?

A: Yes. It goes back to what I previously stated about the Techlypros app.

Q: How does your startup contribute to social responsibility and sustainability?

A: By educating the youth about computers, computer science, and coding.

Q: How do you see your startup evolving in the next 5 years?

A: The audience we serve will grow from being solopreneurs to include entrepreneurial business team members and agencies that fund tech help for startups.

Q: How have you adapted your startup to changes in the market, especially during crises?

A: I've adjusted our service menu and planned to operate exclusively online, virtually.

Q: What are the key qualities you look for when hiring new team members?

A: #1 is skill or willingness to learn. #2 is the ability to be a team player (smart people who are difficult to work with are not welcome). #3 passion for what you do.

Q: Can you share an instance where your team had to go above and beyond to deliver on a project?

A: Yes, we recently built a client's complete macro sales funnel. It turned out to be 3Xs the work than we initially thought. So we used it as an opportunity to document, create templates, and a package offering since we had to eat the cost which was higher than we initially thought.

Q: How do you promote personal growth and learning among your employees?

A: Give them access to any and every tool I can for training. Recommending books, classes, and conferences.

Q: Can you tell us about a significant partnership or collaboration that has greatly benefited your startup?

A: Yes, I currently have a business bestie that has a tech business in a different area that is functioning to create leads for my business as opposed to advertising on social media for clients.

Q: What advice would you give to someone considering starting their own business?

A: Find a mentor, even if it's books and classes. Build relationships constantly and always be learning.