What led you to start your own business?
I used to work as a luxury travel agent, and I was frustrated with the lack of tools available. There was nothing to make the travel agent’s job easier and more efficient. We still used old legacy software, and I wanted to deliver proposals and communicate with clients instantly.
KATELYN O’SHAUGHNESSY, 29
TripScope, a mobile app connecting live travel agents with consumers
Employees: 5
Financials: Raised $1.2 million in November
Where did you get the startup money?
My grandma, Rose, gave me a $5,000 loan and that got me off the ground. I raised $15,000 from one angel investor, $25,000 from another. My big break was being the first female founder to be accepted into the accelerator program Amplify in 2014 and they put in a decent amount and taught me how to pitch.
What’s been the biggest challenge so far?
Pitching to investors – just changing their perception on the industry, showing them the facts and how large the market size was, and that we had a proven business model. Travel agents were still thought of as a thing of the past and a lot of investors thought it was a dying industry.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?
If you are determined and have enough discipline, drive, and perseverance, I believe you can accomplish anything.
How many hours a day do you put in?
From the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. I live in my office, but I can easily put in 15 hours a day. That’s what you do when you’re the founder of a startup.
Has your youth led to any awkward situations, such as when you supervise employees who are older than you?
My employees are all young, but I do a lot of speaking engagements at travel conventions. I’m talking to an audience of people who have been in the travel agency business since before I was alive and here I am teaching them best practices and new tools to be more efficient.
Would you start another company?
It would be a waste for me to not take all the skills I’ve acquired and put it toward another company, but that’s somewhere down the road.
Could you ever work for someone else?
I could never go back to a corporate job, but I could work for someone else if it was an innovative company.
What do you do to unwind?
I go to the gym every morning to get my endorphins going. And I’ll read a book. I also play beach volleyball.
— Subrina Hudson
