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Chris Turner thinks that most success stories out there about entrepreneurs compare to people’s flawless Facebook façades: they leave you wondering what *really* goes on behind the picture-perfect smiles.
That's why he's sharing his story here with us.
At first, it seemed impossible for Chris to quit his job and launch a business without any tech expertise, so he took matters into his own hands and enrolled in a coding class. With his newfound knowledge, he decided to create Tenrocket and build web and mobile apps for businesses in under 10 days for only $10,000 — a lot less than what his competitors charge.
Chris believes that the sky is the limit for his business, but it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. We talked to him about how he got Tenrocket off the ground and why he's encouraging other small business owners like him to tell the truth about their startup struggles.
Name: Chris Turner
Business: Tenrocket
Started: June 2014
How did you create your awesome job?
I founded a nonprofit organization in high school and worked as a professional fundraiser for four years, but later realized that I missed building something from the very beginning. I went into the charity sector thinking that’s what I was meant to do because of my experience, but I felt drawn to entrepreneurship.
There were a lot of barriers to getting started, however. I realized that if I wanted to launch a tech startup, I’d need an app or website priced at $25,000, minimum. That was prohibitively expensive on my salary!
So, I decided to enroll in The Iron Yard's coding academy. I spent three months at 80 hours per week training become a junior developer, but my final project took just 10 days to complete.
I thought, "If I can accomplish so much in such a short period of time, imagine what someone with more experience could do?"
That’s where the idea for Tenrocket was born.
My startup builds web and mobile applications in 10 business days for $10,000. We can’t build any app in just 10 days, but even Facebook didn’t have a fully formed website when it first launched.
Clients who have already gotten started also hire us to add more key features. We only offer our services for 10-day stints, though, so if a project is estimated to take less time than that, our developers can be hired on a freelance basis.
When did you know your business was going to work?
When I pitched my concept at a local startup event shortly after graduating from The Iron Yard, someone in the crowd raised their hand and said they’d be my first client. After I finished that job and got a second customer, I realized Tenrocket would work. I incorporated the business and brought in my co-founder, Justin Richards, in October of 2014.
A year later, we were featured in Product Hunt, an online publication a lot of entrepreneurs read. That’s when we launched our new website, which now includes a custom-built project management area.
So far we’ve had 27 clients in only 18 months — from as far away as New Zealand and Dubai!
What has been the biggest surprise so far?
Finding out how many well-known app-building businesses don’t deliver on what they promise was a huge surprise.
We primarily work with companies in the early stages, and their biggest problem is that their projects haven’t been completed to a high enough standard.
One client we have paid a firm about $50,000 to have an app developed, but after six months it still wasn’t finished. Most projects that end up coming to us only reach 80% completion at other companies, leaving the remaining 20% to drag on for months until they seek help elsewhere.
How do you price your services?
Our process is built around 10-day projects for $10,000. If the app won’t take at least that amount of time to build, we won’t accept the client.
Typically, it’s going to take at least 10 days from the ground up, and entrepreneurs frequently hire us to build a fuller version of a prototype. We’ve had one job for $50,000, where we completed 5 projects and stacked them on top of each other.
What is your most effective means of getting new customers?
Most of our business is through referrals because we provide amazing customer service. We’re friendly and work super hard to take care of our clients, and we don’t just take on any project. If we don’t see a need for a product in the market, or if we think the founder hasn’t thought through the idea properly, we’re honest with them.
To network and make connections, we sponsor a local Meetup group called Make It Real, where we share what we’ve learned along the way.
For example, we tell our audiences that instead of worrying about branding and creating a quirky culture, entrepreneurs should start selling — even if they only have a working prototype. It’s possible to build a service-based business by using Google Docs, spreadsheets and a single-page landing site. Get a company off the ground by making sales as quickly as possible.
If you could go back in time, what’s the one thing you would do differently when starting your business?
We would’ve placed more emphasis on customer service from our first few projects because we rely on recommendations to gain new business.
Our early clients might read this and think, "Hey, the service was great!" But we have an even higher standard of customer service now.
How do you juggle other responsibilities and interests outside of your business?
The typical narrative in entrepreneurship is that you grind away for 80 hours a week and neglect your family.
I work as productively as possible, and I make my family life the biggest priority. Occasionally I work until 2am, but not every night!
What would you like to learn today from a community of other small business owners and self-employed professionals?
I’d like them to tell me a story about starting a business that they don't readily share. The more we discuss what goes on behind the scenes, the more it will offer relief to other small business owners going through the same thing.
For example, we recently went for three months without much business. It became really scary as our bank account dwindled, and we worried about Tenrocket’s future.
We’re back on track now, but it was a challenging time.
Are you ready to share *your* startup story?
Do you have a story to share about starting your business or getting through a lean time financially that's not all sunshine and roses?
Let's get real and share our own challenges and experiences right here in the comments.
