TRENDING: START-UPS & NEON

The 'What If?' and the hustle.

The idea came to us in Systems Dynamics. It was a particularly riveting lecture on multi degree of freedom systems and yet nearly three-quarters of the class raised their hands when asked if they were confused. While Sarajane and I weren’t confused, we were big doodlers. Our minds wandered off to the things we could potentially make at the Aero Maker Space for the Women In AE event. Earlier that day, we’d both received the following alert:

Besides the matrices, scribbles now lined the corners of our notebooks.

"Create cute things in the AMS", her note read.

I had been particularly enamoured by the idea of creating a neon wall décor that read ‘Hustle’. It had been trending at Urban Outfitters and Bed Bath and Beyond - a glowing reminder to work hard every day. What better way to bring out the girls who might otherwise be apprehensive to use the Maker Space, I thought.

As soon as class let out we began to bounce off ideas. The wall décor idea was great she said, but what if we pushed ourselves further? What if we began to create them ourselves? What if we sold them?

“You mean like a start-up?”

We couldn’t possibly… I thought.

However the prices were steep considering it could easily be manufactured by us. It was a good idea. But it wasn't helping anyone. It didn't have lasting impact and it wasn't different.

What did women in aerospace need? Hustle signs or something bigger?

What do you think? Let us know.

THE BIRTH OF A PRODUCT

Mimi Ikonn, Mo Seetubim and the next big thing.

Helping Sarajane meant taking the initiative to learn about start-ups, and start-up culture at Georgia Tech. 

The first resource that I sought out was the Create-X program. 

Create-X is Georgia Tech's initiative to instill entrepreneurial confidence in their students. However their curricular approach meant that we had to be enrolled in their program to learn about creating a long-term impact. Hence the best way to troubleshoot this was to reach out to friends and contacts within the program. 

A simple phone call later, I had all the current slides for the program thus far.

Lecture one consisted of ideating.

It had to be a problem we wanted to solve, it had to be big and it had to be solvable.

A neon 'Hustle' sign didn't necessarily help a consumer. However I began to have the inklings of an idea that could. 

I have been an avid user of both The Happiness Planner by Mo Seetubim and The Five-Minute Journal by Mimi Ikonn for the past two years. They have shaped my wellness journey at university. One encourages measurable steps for a positive outlook. The other encourages gratitude. Both encourage consistency and emphasise the importance of perspective. 

The concept of a changed vantage point, offering a new perspective is something that beautifully tied in with space exploration. In the words of Neil Armstrong, played by Ryan Gosling in the First Man -

"It allows us to see things that we should have seen a long time ago, but we haven't till now."

This was it, I thought.

This is what Sarajane could do.

I began to draw upon my own experiences thus far with these journals. I was a consumer that experienced a wellness success story. I knew firsthand how the practices encouraged in these products helped me feel fulfilled.

What if we could create a journal that helped inspire young women about space exploration. What if we could create something that helped them answer the most important question - why? 

Why go through rigorous training? Why put your life at risk? Why dabble with the unknown? 

When the glamour and prestige is stripped away - what would keep impressionable young women motivated and inspired to remain on their mission?

What do you think? Let us know.

A TRIO

Finding the right partner for our venture.

Designing the journal meant understanding our market, the consumer - you. Now equipped with our new found knowledge from Create – X we created our Business Canvas.

It consisted of the following components:

1. Key Partners

2. Key Activities

3. Key Resources

4. Value Propositions

5. Customer Relationships

6. Customer Segments

7. Channels

8. Cost Structure

9. Revenue Streams

Populating this chart while juggling classes proved to be difficult. We needed a third.

Identifying the gap in our skill-set was important and so was understanding our dynamic. Emotional intelligence played a key role. I had had experience blogging about my 'musings' on my handle 'a-balancing-act.com', in terms of reflecting through emotional intelligence. I had also had experience using it whilst leading a nationally competitive dance team or being the wing-lead on my Design, Build, Fly team.

However we needed to further research articles from industry experts on Forbes and Entrepreneur.

Sarajane and my partnership had begun by a shared love for creating in the Aero Maker Space and the desire to make a long-term impact upon others like us.

In our search for the third partner this was perhaps the biggest criterion, to be ‘one of us.’

This is when I roped in Sanjana, thus completing our trio.

We were not friends, nor were we acquaintances. We were merely social media connections. However I was not one to be shy. After having been a follower, I messaged her for a coffee chat through Instagram – a major perk for Generation Z.

Sanjana’s coding, building and crafting skills fell almost secondary to her attitude.

It was always, “I might not know how to approach this now but by the end of the day I will.”

There was no question about it. Our tribe had cultivated the right vibe. Her determination was infectious and offered focus to my creativity. Tackling the Business Canvas as a trio began by redefining the value proposition. How would our startup add or create value?

Value Proposition

I identified and suggested the wellness wave – the surge in individuals prioritising self care. Concepts that used to be considered luxuries are now integrated in mainstream culture. Once again, thank you Gen Z.

I believed that a successful journal would be one that would offer the following:

Inspiration - A Quote.

Words of encouragement from an aviation expert or champion for women in the field could do wonders to set the tone for the day. This section would be crucial in providing a consistent source of inspiration to answer the 'why'.

Knowledge - Three Things I Learnt Today

The three of us identified that the one thing we wished we had was a method to curate all the tidbits of information we consumed from space journals, TED talks, podcasts and YouTube.

We had also experienced the strange phenomenon of not wanting to speak up when we were only 90% sure of a fact or statistic. We had been given opportunities to speak. We were in encouraging environments. But the lack of confidence was attributed solely to discomfort. How could we tackle this?

Confidence through consistency - let us push for that 10%; let us be a 100% sure of what we are saying.

This section would allow us to become experts, not only in specific subdivisions in industry but also have a plethora of general knowledge. This would add an immense amount of self-confidence amongst any peer of any gender - simply through consistency.

We envisioned brilliant minds continuing to purchase these journals and holding on to their previous ones throughout their careers. We envisioned these scientists, and mathematicians carrying these as mementos into space.

The reflective nature of this section would allow one to process the day's learnings and end on an inquisitive note.

Creativity - A Sketch-A-Day

Finally, we wished we had been encouraged to think critically through design throughout our adolescence. A successful journal would cultivate a habit not only of reflection, but also of creativity for engineering. The beauty of this section, adjacent to the writing page, is that one could fill it with sketches of landing gear or a look book. Truly anything that made the engineer whole.

The impact of this is backed up by the research conducted on the therapeutic effects of adult drawing and colouring books.

'Begin Inspired, End Inquisitive, Remain Creative'

What do you think? Let us know.