Smoof can help turn your pipe dream into reality.
Starting a new business is an exciting time for any entrepreneur, but it’s rarely a cakewalk; you’re almost certainly going to experience exhilarating highs and pretty crushing lows. Smoof can relate - we’ve been there ourselves, which is why we offer our services to startups.
It takes a lot to get an idea off the ground, and new teams are often lacking in a certain area; be it design, development, marketing, or business acumen. As a startup, it can be difficult to fill those boots until you’ve had a bit of success, but it can be even more tricky to get traction when your team’s missing a key ingredient.
We invite you to think of Smoof as the missing piece in your puzzle, supporting you as you commence your startup journey.
90% of startups fail. Be the 10%.
So you think you’ve got a great idea? Has your mum told you that it sounds really good? It can be difficult to tell if you’re breeding a unicorn or a donkey when you’re blinded by drive and passion, and this can be a problem for solo founders especially.
It’s surprising how many companies make no effort to validate their concept before taking it to market, which is why so many of them never get off the ground. We can work with you to design and implement tests that can help you ascertain whether you’re sitting on the next big thing, or if you’re better to quit while you’re ahead and start work on your next awesome idea!
If you’ve identified a pain point, we can help you test your solution until you find something that works, before plotting a chart to MVP and beyond!
A lean, mean, digital team.
Adopting lean methodology transformed the way we work, and we haven’t looked back since. Smoof can show you how to become a well oiled machine so you can hit the ground running from day one.
Working lean will make you more productive, reducing the amount of time you waste on inefficient processes. We don’t believe in a ‘one size fits all’ approach, so we’ll work with you to determine how we can help you to make the most of your time.
Everyone has the same number of hours in a day (honestly, even Elon Musk only has 24), but it’s what you do with those hours that counts - we can help you implement strategies that will increase the quality of your output whilst saving you time by eliminating waste.
Experts in UI and UX.
You might already have an incredible designer on your startup strikeforce. If you do: congratulations! They’re hard to come by, so make sure you keep them happy with a regular supply of their favourite biscuits.
If not, or if you need an extra pair of hands, our award winning design team have got your back. We’re (literally) professionals when it comes to creating stunning visuals, but our work’s more than just a pretty face - we know what works and what doesn’t when it comes to user interface design, and our user experience skills are top notch.
We’re also on hand if you want us to cast our beady eyes over design work you’ve already done, or if you’re just looking for a stunning logo for your new business.
Dexterous developers at your disposal.
Much like that troublesome city of Atlantis, a good developer can be hard to find. Fortunately, the Smoof team includes some coding geniuses who love nothing more than getting their teeth stuck into a new repository.
If you’ve got your concept nailed but need someone to build the darn thing, or if you just need a bit of guidance about the best solution for your idea, we’re your guys. We can help you navigate through the various hosting options available to find a setup that suits your requirements, and we’re also on hand if you just need a couple of bugs exterminating!
We use a tried and tested method for all development work we do, using backups and version control to make sure all changes are accounted for and everything’s recoverable.
Making AB testing as easy as ABC.
Remember when you were in school and your science teachers told you how you had to experiment in order to prove or disprove your hypotheses? Now that you’ve built your product, it’s time to go back to the classroom.
We certainly know our stuff when it comes to testing - whether it’s finding and crushing pesky bugs, or ascertaining what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your UI and UX. Smoof know the value of a well-tested app!
Testing is a great way of finding out how actual human beings use your product, and quite often you’ll find there’s a difference between what you think they’ll do and the behaviour they actually exhibit. We can help you reconcile these differences and use them to improve your product.
Just add water (and a team of growth experts).
If you build it, they will come, right? Unlikely - unless you’re someone like Peter Thiel, Jack Dorsey or Drew Houston (in which case, hi, hello, we love your work), you’re going to have to actually spread the word about your new product.
We get that not everyone’s a natural born marketer, which is why we offer startups help to promote their new website or app. We’ll spend time analysing your market to find out where your users hang out and the best way for you to get your product in front of them, as well as advising which marketing channels you can use to get the most traction.
We can work with you to build an awesome marketing plan that’ll get you on the fast track to growthsville - you’ll have users flooding in in no time at all!
MBA = Mega Business Acumen.
The ‘business’ part of starting a business is something that can sometimes be overlooked by entrepreneurs - especially those more focussed on building a great product and getting it shipped ASAP. A lot of startups grow from an acorn of an idea, and the skillsets of founders don’t always include in-depth knowledge of how to register a company, trademark a logo or file yearly accounts.
Let’s be honest, it’s not the most glamorous aspect of startup life; there are a tonne of loopholes to jump through, and navigating legal and financial matters can be more difficult than sailing through the Bermuda triangle. Fortunately, we’ve done it all before, and can offer you advice and guidance - so you can get back to the fun stuff.
To infinity... and beyond.
So you’ve built an amazing product, Mashable is calling you ‘the next Facebook/Dropbox/Uber’ (delete as appropriate), Angels and VCs are banging down your door for the chance to invest in you, and TechCrunch is wondering when you’ll IPO. Or, more realistically, you’ve got a few thousand users and you’re beginning to build momentum.
So what’s next? Aside from the fact we’re always available as a sounding board, Smoof can help you plan a roadmap designed to help you continue to test, improve and grow your product, so you can keep ahead of the competition at every turn. We’re also on hand to help you continue to manage the business side of things, as well as offering support as your court potential investors. And we’re only ever a phone call away!