Launching a company during a pandemic? It’s a Doozy!

We’ve now been working from home for a year in the UK, and this has brought with it its own set of ups and downs. But for some, it has made time to be creative and grow a business. At Xero, we believe in the power of positivity through sharing inspiring stories. 

Meet Doozy, a social hub of activities for remote teams. It has adapted and grown over the past year. We spoke to the co-founder, Milo Hill, to find out more.

The impact of COVID-19 – time to think and create

“Without COVID-19, there would be no Doozy,” says Milo when he told us about a new app he launched during the first lockdown last Spring. 

The aim of Doozy is to make Zoom quizzes that little bit more bearable. Since then, remote working has become more common, and the team has had more time to grow the idea.

“One of the few benefits of being locked down is that it gave us a ton of time and very few obligations to allow us to start building something,” says Milo. The time in lockdown has also made the company’s purpose clearer. “At the beginning, Doozy was a quiz app, with no clear target audience – well, apart from our friends on Zoom! Now, Doozy has a clear mission – make remote work more fun, and foster communication and relationships in the workplace.”

The role of technology

Milo says that technology is at the core of the company’s offering and growth, which has been crucial in building the business. “We’ve got to where we are with just our core, founding team – one engineer, one designer and one product strategist. We’re releasing new features and updates almost daily and constantly evolving our product based on the feedback we receive from users. None of this would be possible without modern cloud-based tools and technology,” adds Milo.

Managing finances without an accountant

Milo says that running a business and tracking financials was brand new to him when he launched Doozy, so he needed a solution that made it as easy as possible.

He started using Xero, and explains: “In a matter of minutes, I was up and running and had our starting bank account linked. The free workshops and the Xero community forum have both been invaluable.”

Staying open to innovation in a time of crisis

Milo says that “having to juggle launching a start-up on top of everything that comes with a pandemic and a third lockdown means we need to be acutely aware of others’ time and need for mental space.” That means being flexible with people’s time and allowing them to work when they can.

Top three tips for starting your own business

Milo shares his top three tips for others thinking of starting their own business.

1. Be flexible and get ready to wear many, many hats. It can be challenging, but it’s also an incredible learning experience.
2. Start building already. Make the leap and start working on making your idea a reality. Build a prototype, lay out your vision and start talking to potential customers.
3. Test and iterate. Continuously refine your idea, keep talking to users and evolving your product.

Our dedicated business recovery site has resources, webinars, and more inspirational stories to help your company emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.