Maria Zorn is the co-founder and COO of LugIt, a new app that connects users to a pickup truck and a Lugr (mover) on demand. Follow them at @lugitapp.
What is the first thing you did to turn your current business from an idea into a reality?
The concept for LugIt came to my mother after an attempt to transport a foosball table she had recently purchased home turned into an expensive and annoying ordeal. At the end of the day, she had the classic inventor’s thought: “there’s got to be a better way!” I was living in Canada and my brother was living in France, and we both moved home to start working on an on-demand hauling app to stop similar situations from happening to other truck-less individuals.
What is the scariest part of being a young entrepreneur and how can others overcome this fear?
I think the scariest/most frustrating part of being a young entrepreneur is the perception that you don’t know what you’re doing because of your age. Many established businesspeople like to see a lengthy list of accomplishments at previous jobs and a master’s (or at the very least, bachelor’s) degree, and often don’t appreciate the boldness of a twenty-something college dropout entrepreneur. I’m competitive, so I like to use these situations as motivation to prove my skills as a businesswoman.
Were you ever told not to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams? Who told you that, what did they say and why did you ignore them?
I am fortunate to have a very supportive group of family and friends, but there have definitely been times when people have questioned my decision to leave college to start a business. I ignored this advice because I believe that there’s no set timeline every person needs to follow. In this case particularly, the time for an on-demand hauling app is now, given the creation of the new “sharing economy” of peer-to-peer services that have been created by innovators like Uber, Lyft, AirBnB, GrubHub and many others.
What is the No. 1 thing you wish you’d known starting out and how did you learn it?
Don’t be afraid to pivot. Entrepreneurs are notorious for stubbornly cling on to their original idea and ignoring what their target market actually wants. Get your service/product to market and then constantly interact with your audience to ensure you are filling the need you are intending to fill.
What do you recommend all new founders do for their business — or their personal lives — that will help them the most?
Always make time for yourself. It is so easy to burn out if you don’t set time aside for self-care and a social life, even though every startup’s to-do list always seems never-ending.
How do you end each day and why?
After I finish work for the day, I like to clear my head by doing something physical like working out or taking a yoga class.
What is your best PR/marketing tip for business just starting up?
I would advise businesses just starting up to hold off on hiring a large, expensive PR firm and instead focus on formulating an organic, grassroots marketing approach at launch. Social media nowadays is such that we can really reach a vast (and targeted) market without paying a fortune.
What is your ultimate goal? What will you do if/when you get there?
My business goal for my company is to revolutionize the way people transport goods and add hauling large, cumbersome items to the list of tasks you can outsource from your phone on demand. My personal goal is to create a nonprofit that encourages entrepreneurship in developing countries through a microloan system.
