Hey, I'm Jessica Devine, and I'm the founder of Todayist, based out of Seattle.
Tell us all about your business...
Todayist is simple, friendly tool that helps busy people take better care of themselves. Our customers are folks who have tried habit trackers, bullet journaling, daily planners, etc., but have found them to be too rigid, too guilt-inducing (e.g. breaking "streaks"), or just not sustainable.
What's your background and motivation to get into the solopreneur life?
When my son was around 5, I decided it was time to take better care of myself. I tried everything, but the tools were either too rigid (my life can look pretty different day to day), too cumbersome (if I had time to make "SMART" goals for my personal life I wouldn't need support!), or just too narrow. One day I had the idea for Todayist, and things just moved along from there.
I find that taking just 2 minutes in the morning to check in with myself and make a plan for my day can radically impact my productivity and sense of purpose. I saw a way to make that experience possible for other people who might be struggling, and had to bring it to life.
As an entrepreneur, what does success ultimately mean to you?
These days, I measure "success" 3 ways:
1. Have I learned and grown?
2. Have I positively impacted others along the way?
3. At the end of the day, when I put my head on my pillow to go to sleep, do I feel good about my efforts and how I've ultimately spent my time?
What are the top 3 tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run or grow a business today?
Great question! My first tip is to find ways to get started without spending any money. I taught myself visual design in Figma (which is available for free) and was on my 5th fully clickable prototype before I decided to bring Todayist to market.
Second, be fearless! Tell everyone what you're thinking about and ask for their feedback. You never know where you'll get the best feedback - be open to learn from absolutely everyone you encounter.
Finally, ignore "common knowledge". There's a good chance it doesn't apply to you, and anchoring on how other people have done it limits your own creativity.
If there was one thing you could do repeatedly day in day out to help grow your business then what would it be?
Talk to my users. While I have a strong perspective on how Todayist can offer value, it's ultimately not my opinion that matters. Asking questions and truly listening to others' perspectives keeps me flexible, open to new ideas, and in touch with how Todayist can offer the most value.
What are some of the things you put in place to maintain a healthy work/life balance and to keep it all together?
Ha! Well, for starters, I use Todayist 5 days a week to connect with my personal goals and fit them into each day. :)
Who are some of your favorite entrepreneurs and best business resources/books?
My top resources are ones that let me meet with new people and learn from them 1:1. I try to connect with at least 3 new people each week.
For anyone looking to start a business today, what would be the number one bit of advice you'd give them?
Really think before outsourcing. There are people you can pay to do pretty much everything for you... it can be tempting to just hire them.
I get it, brand new things can be intimidating. Just remember that google is your friend. If you're willing to grind on your own website, or social media, or business strategy, you can save those $$$ for things like advertising, or dev work.
Where can people find you online?
You can find me on LinkedIn and Twitter.
If you like what you've read here and have your own #GoSoloStories that you'd like to share then hit Jonny up on Twitter, we'd love to feature your journey.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.