Boa is a new Aussie social media platform for entrepreneurs and business owners. The platform has launched with the mission to democratise the ability of business owners to leverage a powerful network and tap into the power of the collective.
Boa is bringing together the best elements of Twitter, Reddit and LinkedIn, to create a networking platform that delivers exactly what business owners are looking for.
Boa CEO, Daniel Hakim, said, “We wanted to create a community where business owners can engage with each other, share knowledge, and network in a meaningful way. Businesses need support more than ever with increasingly difficult economic and social times. The existing major platforms are too broad and noisy to be truly effective resources for business owners, so they are used primarily as marketing and recruitment tools. Business owners need a place to discuss the things that matter to them with those who understand them.”
Many well-known names in Australian business have joined the platform already, including Kirsten Carriol, founder of beauty brand Lanolips. Here, we talk with Kirsten about her thoughts on Boa and to find out more about her entrepreneurship journey.
How do you find Boa brings together the best aspects of Twitter, Reddit and LinkedIn?
To be honest I’ve only just started to use Boa. But I’m excited by the promise of Founders / Owners only, and not being continually spammed with irrelevant business approaches. It’s always frustrating to know that I may miss meaningful business opportunities or conversations on LinkedIn as I’m conditioned to see messages there as spam, often written by bots.
When so many entrepreneurs get together to back the launch a new platform, they clearly believe there’s a real need or problem to solve. How would you describe the need for a new platform such as Boa?
There’s definitely a need in the business community for a place to gather and share and talk with like-minded business owners, without the noise of current options. If I was to use LinkedIn as an example again, when I go on that platform I feel like I’ve jumped into a huge crowd of hecklers and market stalls, with people grabbing me and yelling wares at me, when I’d really love a quiet corner in a restaurant to chat over a coffee or glass of wine with people who are going through what I am. Boa, on the other hand, allows people to ask the group questions and get a heap of support and advice in return, without all the spam and noise.
Tell us what inspired you to become an entrepreneur. What are the characteristics you need to be successful in business?
For me I was hit with a one-eyed passion and obsession for my product, which came first. Then, the tenacity and drive I had honed with my previous company experience was the glue that kept it all together as we worked through the ups and downs along the way – and there have been many….so I would say you need to be uber passionate about your product and also have a determination to never give up. If you are missing one of these, it will be very very hard to succeed.
What have been some of the lessons you’ve learned, starting with the launch of Lanolips?
Knowing what to listen to and what to not is really hard but very important. Everyone has opinions and you have to trust yourself but also know your limitations and work with people that know what you don’t – and trust them. I guess if I look back, gut feeling has been a good guide, and large group decisions give generally average outcomes! Keep your advisory groups tight and specific.
We love curating favourite apps and podcasts at Women Love Tech. What are some of your favourite apps, podcasts, and general tech products?
Recently I’ve adopted and forgotten about Clubhouse and BeReal – they seemed fun for a minute but they didn’t stick with me. I use WhatsApp to chat with my friends but keep it off the work vibe, I use ToDoist for personal to-do items, Time-Buddy is amazing for multiple time-zone appointments, and my iPhone & Mac laptop for everything else. I don’t skimp on supercharging memory and processing power on my laptop. Podcasts – I’m in flux with podcasts – I feel like I’ve outgrown most of the beauty start-up ones, but haven’t found a replacement yet – hit me up! How I Built This with Guy Raz would be my favourite business one, it feels understated and real. I love human behavioural writers, so do follow interviews with Robert Greene, Simon Sinek and Seth Godin.
