Meet Patrice Archer, founder of Appy Ventures
Patrice Archer is the CEO and founder of Appy Ventures. A company on a mission to prove there are a few clever processes organisations can put into play now - that will keep them afloat. His company helps all kinds of businesses from retail to tech grow digitally, without charging them the cost of their business to do it.
What’s the most common problem your customers approach you with?
The entrepreneurs that we speak to tend to be non technical or have not had experience in creating tech businesses, so most of the time they approach us with an idea but are not sure how to take it forward. Having done this many times, we understand the process to follow to move through the stage towards a successful launch.
How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?
In 2 ways: firstly, our approach is very much of a Partner, not an agency. This means we work with our clients as their product/tech team, advising on each step of the way. Secondly, when it comes to entrepreneurship, we are practitioners, not theorists. We also have our own startups, at all stages including to exit - which means when we talk about ideas, we understand what the journey ahead looks like.
Keeping an eye on the numbers in any business is important. How do you ensure that you’re always up to date?
This is very important and can be an expensive mistake! Apart from having Quickbooks for my accounts, I have a daily cashflow forecast which I look at religiously. It’s super simple with columns for Date/ Client/ Comment/ Cash in/out/ balance... looking 3-6 months ahead. This is critical management information to know of any potential cashflow pinch points - the key reason for businesses to fail.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?
Join a mastermind: surrounding yourself with can do people, who have similar goals and ambitions. 3-4 people catching up every 2-4 weeks to talk about Progress they’ve made, any Problems/ blockers they have and Plans they will execute before the next mastermind… this gives ultimate accountability and drives you forward.
What are your top tips for entrepreneurs wanting to get their business out there?
Clarity of message: I speak to 5+ entrepreneurs every week and also see lots of pitch decks and most of the time it’s not clear what they really do and what problem they are aiming to solve. If you can’t explain it clearly, you’re probably not clear on it - and no customers will trust you enough to buy. Simplifying your offering to a key initial hook is great to get an initial “yes” and get the ball rolling.
How important is company culture and what is your top tip to get it right?
For over 8 years I’ve been working remotely. Creating a remote first culture has been a USP in terms of staffing and customers. Having regular, clear communication with a shared ethos is key. This needs to feel right and starts with recruiting people who share your mentality.
What’s the single most important decision that you made, that contributed to your business?
Deciding to work differently than other companies in our space by taking a real Partner approach, not service provider. That means thinking like an owner, and often times sharing thoughts that are much wider than purely developing an app/website. There’s a lot more time spent helping but it’s a worthwhile investment and key differentiator.
How much time do you spend on things that don’t add customer value?
Feels like a trick question… none? I think a different question might be “how much time do you spend on things that are not billable?” And the answer would be: as long as it’s adding value to our customers then it makes sense!
Is word of mouth working to your advantage?
100% yes - that’s how we get all our business, which is maybe not a scalable marketing strategy but is congruent with how we think and work. We don’t have a sales team and don’t compete in big RFPs as we believe in relationships vs selling.
