Introducing Lauren Carson: A Queen’s student completing her teaching degree and founder of Penni. (https://www.pennilocal.com/).
Supporting local businesses has become increasingly popular as the push for sustainability continues. The pandemic has also shined a light on the importance of supporting local businesses and community members. Today, Lauren will teach us more about her business database and why she believes supporting local shops and services is vital to the environment and the economy!
Question: “What is Penni? & Why did you start this company?”
Answer: "Penni is a local business database that also offers curation services. Basically users sign up to the platform with their values and interests and then they can shop for food or clothing or whatever they are looking for! We also send periodic recommendations to make local shopping easier. I know how difficult it can be to start a small business and I think it's so important to support these small and local businesses, especially in regards to sustainable and ethical shopping.”
Penni also offers value filters so users can shop by interests. For example, if one is only looking for second hand items, they can apply a thrifting filter to ensure all items that come up are second hand. This is especially great for people with food allergies or dietary restrictions looking for restaurants, such as vegan or halal restaurants.
Question: “Where is Penni now in terms of traction, team and size?”
Answer: "Currently it's just two of us; me and somebody building out the website. We have about 15 users thus far. Since school started, we are taking a step back and improving our strategy for businesses, to prepare for our big launch on January 1st.”
Lauren also explained how she actually launched prematurely which is why she is re-positioning her company strategy. Rather than getting down on herself, Lauren took her premature launch as a learning experience to motivate and improve for her next launch.
Question: “What does a typical day look like for you balancing school and work?”
Answer: "I have gotten into the habit of booking 7 am meetings, it gets my day started early so I know I have to start working. Then, I work as a student teacher from 8 am - 3 pm, which doesn't leave me much time for other activities in the day. After school, I do any homework and then just do other work for my start-ups.
Lauren is also a musician and tries to schedule in time for her music with her bandmate since it's her creative outlet. As we learned from Stutrepreneur, Patrick, it's important to schedule in time for yourself to avoid burnout and stay motivated!
Question: “What are some challenges you faced with your startup, and how did you overcome them?”
Answer: "At the beginning, a lot of people didn't see my solution as any different from Google maps or some of these bigger name options. So it was difficult communicating the ‘secret sauce’ to my company.”
Question: “Where will we see you in 5 years?”
Answer: "Even though I am in my last year of school I actually have no idea what I want to do with my life. I hope to keep working on Penni, and maybe it could eventually become the first place one would go to search for local businesses, whether in town or travelling.”
Question: “Any other last words for aspiring student entrepreneurs?"
Answer: "It's actually a bit easier to do things than you think it is. Just reach out to people, make a logo, and get started. I mean it's hard work but it doesn't require any special skills.”
Key Takeaways:
It was amazing speaking with Lauren and learning more about her company. Us at Stutrepreneurs agree that it is so important to support our communities by shopping locally, so if you have the opportunity, try to shop small as well! Here are some of our main takeaways from Lauren’s interview:
Even if you face issues with your business, try to take them as learning experiences rather than set-backs.
Start companies you are passionate about as this is often reflected in your work.
Don't be afraid to get started! Being an entrepreneur is hard work, but it is manageable if it's something you put your mind towards.
If you have any questions regarding this interview or are looking to speak with Lauren directly, feel free to fill out the contact form on our “Contact Us” page or email us at stutrepreneurs@gmail.com.
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