What is Blys?
By bringing Australia’s best masseurs to your doorstep on demand, Blys makes professional massages more accessible. Users place bookings seamlessly via our website or the Blys massage app, and get a top quality massage delivered to their home or hotel. For therapists, Blys creates additional income opportunities for qualified practitioners who enjoy an independent and flexible work schedule.
How did you come up with the idea?
I’ve always loved getting a massage at my local spot in Bondi. It was my ideal way of winding down after a big week of work, but after having kids I was struggling to find spare time to book it in and make the commute. Inspired by on-demand services like Uber, we thought there should be an easier and better way to get a good massage – and Blys was born.
What’s the biggest win you’ve had so far?
Launching the product in five days, receiving our first booking four days after launch, and growing steadily since then – I think you can say ‘starting’ has been the biggest win so far.
Reading an awesome review also always feels pretty special. I see every piece of great feedback, either from a customer or a therapist as a win – it shows that we’re on the right track and addressing a problem in the market.
I see every piece of great feedback, either from a customer or a therapist as a win – it shows that we’re on the right track and addressing a problem in the market.
What’s your biggest mistake?
It’s the one we haven’t made yet. Making mistakes is part of the game – it shows that we’re pushing ourselves and making progress, so it’s hard to single out just one.
How’s your experience been funding your startup?
Blys has been bootstrapped from the start. We’re quite disciplined around financing and strive to keep the business as lean as possible, as long as possible. We do, however, recognise the value external funding/investors can add to our business, so we’re considering raising capital when the time is right.
What needs to change/improve for Australia to become a global leader in tech?
I don’t see any quick-fix solution that’ll change our position globally, but if we take a ten-year view approach I think focusing on STEM field at schools is a good starting point. Relaxing the requirements around working visas for CS grads would also be helpful – there’s no shortage of talent in the world, we just need more of it here. Initiatives such as TechSydney are also promising – they’re creating a conversation around challenges and opportunities.
There’s no shortage of talent in the world, we just need more of it here.
Have you had any challenges with sourcing and growing your team?
Building a team is always challenging, especially in the early days when you don’t have the funds to offer decent compensation, so it all falls on the founder’s ability to sell the vision and convince people to come on board.
We’re still in the early days, where we wear many hats and do most of the work ourselves, so it hasn’t been a big challenge so far. Speaking of, we’re currently in the process of hiring – I’ll let you know how we go.
It all falls on the founder’s ability to sell the vision and convince people to come on board.
Do you have any tips for acquiring new users and/or scaling your business?
As far as acquiring new users, it’s all about testing new ideas and new channels, removing the ‘fear of failure’ from the equation.
Sometimes channels that you wouldn’t consider ‘scalable’ are the ones that give you that initial traction you need to get things off the ground. I think the main point you need to be aware of is the cost of these experiments. The cheaper, the better obviously.
What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?
I’m passionate about finding ways to do what we do in our daily lives but better, and building teams and businesses around that – I’d probably be doing another startup that’s tech-enabled.
If you could go back to the start, tell us two things you would do differently.
Think bigger. Start sooner.
Do you believe someone with no business or entrepreneurial experience can succeed in the startup world?
Totally. We tend to overestimate what’s required to start a business or be successful, like we do with most things in modern day. I tend to look back and reflect on what our parents achieved. They were less qualified in comparison to us, but that didn’t stop them from giving it a go and eventually having successful ventures.
We tend to overestimate what’s required to start a business or be successful, like we do with most things in modern day.
Tell us one thing about yourself that most people don’t know.
I’m a keen sailor.
What’s the best advice you could give to someone starting out?
Don’t worry too much about what you don’t have. Instead, stay positive and concentrate on what you’ve built, and keep improving it every day. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.