How I Built This with Guy Raz
Calendly: Tope Awotona
Sep 14, 2020
Tope Awotona, founder of Calendly, shares his inspiring journey from Nigeria to entrepreneurial success in the tech world. After early setbacks with e-commerce ventures, he found his passion in creating a scheduling tool that caters to the needs of busy professionals. He discusses the financial risks he took, including cashing in his 401k, and the challenges of developing a user-friendly product. Tope reflects on resilience through personal loss and how the pandemic accelerated Calendly's growth, marking it as a pivotal moment for the company.
01:11:30
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Quick takeaways
- Recognized market gaps in scheduling software for enterprise needs.
- Challenges attracting technical talent for startup collaboration.
Deep dives
Identifying a Gap in the Market
Tope Atana recognized the limitations of existing scheduling software, realizing they were tailored more towards brick-and-mortar businesses rather than complex enterprise needs. He extensively researched various products in the market, deconstructing them to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Despite finding gaps in the solutions available, he observed that existing customers found value in the products, leading him to believe that there was a significant business opportunity with the right approach.
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