When her advertising agency closed Patricia worked for, she used her knowledge to create an iPhone app and help other act on their own ideas.
Tell me a little bit about how you got started?
I was a Creative Director in an advertising agency for nearly twenty years. At its core, my job was about generating new ideas. When the agency closed, I wondered what would happen if I took all of that creative energy and applied it to my own life, instead of to my client’s needs. What followed was the most exciting and rewarding time of my life. The idea for TENideas grew from there.
Along with an amazing team, I developed an iPhone app, also called TENideas, that helps users generate, organize and act on their own ideas. It taps into what I learned about innovative thinking for all those years as a Creative Director.
Why did you start your Side Business?
How long have you been doing this?
I started developing the app in February 2013; it became available on the App Store in December of that year.
How do you make money (Hourly, By Project, Retainer or One Time Fee)?
Right now, I make money through app sales. The goal is to keep TENideas a colorful, clean and organized digital space to capture and act on ideas. That means I’d like to avoid monetizing by including banner ads in the app for as long as I can. The bigger picture is that I’m just getting started with TENideas and there are lots of exciting possibilities that I’mdeveloping to share the TENideas system with a larger audience.
What Areas of Marketing have worked best for you, for instance Referrals, Social Media, etc?
My entire career has been in the advertising, marketing and communications space, but I’ve learned that promoting a mobile app comes with its own unique set of challenges. Facebook mobile advertising has been a good vehicle for digital promotion. Social media and content creation aremy go-tos for brand building.
When do you find the time to work on your side businesses with a full time job and other obligations?
The short answer is I’m passionate about this project so I make time for it. The long answer is more complicated.On the professional side, when we were in the thick of the development phase, I left my full time position to pursue freelance and consulting opportunities. This gave me the time I needed to work on TENideas. I’m still trying to find the right balance between my career and running my own business. On the personal side, I also have a family with all of the demands that come with having school-age children. But I love that my daughters see me pursuing my dream and they think it’s pretty cool that their mom has an app on the App Store.
What has been the Best thing that has Happened in your Side Business?
I wake up excited every morning because I am always working on my ideas. I will never go back to just managing my tasks again.
For many years I had a quote by Confucius taped to my desk at work: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Finally, I feel like I am living in a way that is consistent with that message.
What advice would you give someone just starting out?
Understand that it’s natural to fear change, but it’s what you do as a result of that fear that will define you. Real success is usually found outside of your comfort zone.
If you were starting all over again, what would you do differently?
Take more risks earlier and start living a life based on acting on my ideas sooner. TENideas isn’t just a business for me, it’s become my personal philosophy.
How can people find out more about your Business?
You can find TENideas on the App Store at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tenideas/id775884806?mt=8
For a video overview of TENideas, go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsSd_lRs4Y0
You can also learn more and join our mailing list at
http://www.tenideas.co
Finally, you can follow us on
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/mytenideas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TENideasPatty
Anything exciting coming up that you would like for us to know about?
TENideas is a good app and I’m working hard to make it a great app. I’m just getting started. Lots of excitement to come.
Andrea is the Chief Chick of Smart Money Chicks. After filing BK twice (once because she panicked, second time because the pro messed the first time up), she realized that it all could have been avoided if she understood more about how her Finances worked and the options available. At that point, she wanted to help as many as she could never make the same mistakes again. Our Promise is that all the content you read on here is created or edited by Andrea