What has made you successful so far?
How much I truly care about design and the feel of PollUp. When I show people the product, it speaks for itself. There is such a stigma that goes along with HR, so creating a service to help with the perception of HR , you have to make it beautiful. And my team has put in so much time into seeing that through.
Have you experienced any setbacks?
Yes. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to fit as many features as we initially hoped. This is when we took to customers to reevaluate what was most essential and worth it for them. After that, we had a very clear guide when it came to what to eliminate and what to keep.
Where do you see your business in the short-run and long-run?
In the short run, I want to make PollUp accessible on all applications- iOS, Android, and Windows. Currently we are building on the iOS platform.
I have big aspirations when it comes to long-term goals. I envision PollUp being THE portal for employee communication. I want it to completely redefine things like “employee of the month”, strengthen company morale, and be the tool companies utilize to find and solve problems internally.
What was your earliest entrepreneurial experience?
I’m originally from Mason City, and in 5th grade, we took a field trip to the NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. Obviously I thought nothing of it at the time, I still thought I was going to be an astronaut!
But in high school, I had my first real encounter with entrepreneurship. A friend and I thought we had a brilliant idea for a documentary series and were ambitious enough to want to pursue it and start a film company. Our dreams were shot when we realized just how expensive all the equipment would be. So that was the beginning and end of that pursuit!
What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?
If you have an idea, it may not seem like you have the means needed to get it done, but don’t let that discourage you or allow you to give up. If you really open your eyes and search for those resources, they will find you.
You can create something out of nothing.
What has been your favorite moment of CYstarters?
Seeing how possible it is to becoming a successful entrepreneur in Iowa. You always hear about people making it in places like Chicago and New York, but entrepreneurship isn’t as prevalent here. With CYstarters, I am surrounded by people who are on the same journey to starting their own business, just as I am.
We are all crafting our own success stories.
Checkout PollUp through their website, https://pollup.net/.
Interested in becoming a Beta User? Contact Kenyon at kenyonbrown@pollup.net