Emily Webb, CEO of MyLücke, shares her entrepreneurial journey of launching a parking app after her frustration of trying to find pubic parking in Los Angeles.
What inspired you to start your business?
My inspiration to create change in the parking industry stemmed from my own frustrations as a new Angeleno. Daily routines were no longer simple tasks; it was an exercise in itself to find consistent and reliable public parking. As my life began to revolve around parking regulations in Los Angeles, empty driveways were calling out to me, and it seemed so intuitive to be able to park in the abundance of underutilized spaces while allowing people to generate passive income.
What is the greatest challenge and the greatest reward of being your own boss?
The greatest challenge of being my own boss lies within myself. The passion, drive and expectations to build a great company is continuous, which is also the most rewarding aspect of being my own boss. I love the eagerness and hunger to succeed. It’s an incredible opportunity to be challenged by my own vision and be able to create opportunities and deploy executions while being surrounded by a team whose beliefs are aligned with mine.
What motivational tips can you give to our readers about goal setting and managing both successes and failures?
I’m not a fan of the word ‘failure’. I think everything in life is a learning experience, and there’s a simple quote that helps me through my experiences: “you don’t know what you don’t know”. It’s not fair for oneself to feel failure when there is so much we don’t know about executing our visions. Every endeavor is unique in itself, and the sooner you can realize there is no universal formula for entrepreneurs to rely on, the sooner you can learn to stay focused on discovering and implementing the successes of a business model and feel confident about discarding the tactics that weren’t as effective.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as a business owner?
As co-founder of a startup, patience and execution has been the biggest challenge. There are so many aspects to building a business and sometimes, hard work doesn’t equate to immediate results. My passion and desire to build a great company are sometimes stronger than the reality we face in executing an incredible idea. Creating a strategic roadmap to lay the foundation and learn about our user base takes time. I have to remain stubbornly persistent throughout our execution, while bringing in the right talent at the right time.
How have you benefited from mentoring or coaching?
Mentoring the kids at Camp Start-Up has been an incredible experience emotionally. Providing a support system and helping kids believe in themselves and their visions reminds me of when I was younger and how grateful I was when I found people who believed in me. I feel so lucky to be a part of an entrepreneur’s revelation; that moment when they realize ‘yes, I can do this’ is priceless.
What advice can you give about the benefits of networking?
At the end of the day, it’s all about people. Your family, friends, colleagues, associates, acquaintances. Be the best version of you, every day. Help people and don’t expect anything back. Network for the love of meeting people and wanting to be a positive contribution to society and along the way, surround yourself with people who believe in you and whose visions are aligned with yours. Ultimately, your dreams will come to fruition because of the people in your life.
What are your tips for scaling a business and how do you plan for and manage growth?
If you plan to scale a business, make certain all facets of technology and human resources are prepared. Also, find your traction channel and understand your users! Cash flow and human capital are key aspects to managing the growth of a business.
What does the future hold for you?
My future is this business; continuing to listen to our users and build a great company. I am so passionate about what we’ve built, every day is a blessing. Outside of business, I plan to live life and enjoy all that this world has to offer
