FROM THE START: A chat with the founder of Noteful
Ascender’s FROM THE START series continues with our 2023–2024 Incubator!
Too often, we learn from other founders only after they’ve “already made it,” but there’s a lot to gain from their journeys as early-stage entrepreneurs. FROM THE START is our ongoing interview series with founders from our Incubator that traces their startup stories from the beginning, reveals some of the resources helping them overcome the bumps, and points out ways you can help them thrive.
Since joining the 2023–2024 Incubator in June, all of the companies have been hustling to get their brands and businesses out there. Now it’s time to get to know them!
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Read more about Becky Billock and her startup journey below. Some answers have been edited slightly for brevity.
What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
As a music educator, I’ve been running a business as a sole proprietor for over 35 years. But Noteful has been my “first rodeo” in terms of building a scalable company. Next to parenting, I will say that it has been both the most fun and the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It has taxed me immensely but in the best way. I’ve had to dig deep to find creative solutions, I’ve had to learn more than I thought possible, and I’ve acquired a whole new skill set that would have been intimidating to me several years ago. We’re a bootstrapping team, so I’ve spent a good portion of my time attempting to pull resources out of a hat like a magician. One of the unexpected bonuses of being an entrepreneur has been the opportunity to meet a lot of other people with new and innovative ideas. The startup world is full of interesting people and I’ve enjoyed being surrounded by the energy from other founders.
What does your business do, what problems does it solve, and how?
Our smartphone and web app provides early music learners with a fun and engaging way to gain music literacy skills. These concepts have traditionally been taught using boring theory books and worksheets that students are not keen on completing. Our goal is to provide through gamification a motivational mechanism that will encourage learners to develop the building blocks they need to succeed at their musical goals. Most music learners can see the green grass on the other side of the river; being able to read music, play by ear, and understand how music is put together. We’re providing them a raft to cross the water.
What bumps have you encountered so far in your entrepreneurial journey?
As a bootstrapping team, the hardest thing is trying to figure out how to get things done with no budget. I’ve had to learn how to do all sorts of things I didn’t ever imagine myself doing. But I’ve also had to get pretty creative about finding resources that we could afford on a shoestring. Necessity is truly the mother of invention, and never has this been more apparent than in the past three years of birthing this startup.
What do you wish you would’ve known before starting up your own business?
There’s so much that I’ve learned and there are certainly things I would do differently if I were starting over today. On the other hand, I’m glad I didn’t know how hard it was going to be when I started, because I’m not sure I would have had the gumption to move ahead with the plan. So in a way, being blissfully naive about startup-land was its own kind of gift and I don’t regret any of it.
How has Ascender’s Incubator benefitted you and your business?
Being a startup founder can be isolating because the very nature of creating something innovative means you’re kind of off in your own territory forging brand new pathways. In my experience, a lot of founders have also never grown a scalable company and there are many aspects to this process that can be daunting. Having experienced mentors who can not only give good advice but who can actually help you complete the necessary tasks has been a godsend. I’ve been absolutely blown away by the support I’ve gotten from the Ascender team throughout the lead-up to our launch. And being around other founders who are struggling with some of the same challenges our team is facing has been encouraging and provided moral support. I feel like I’ve made some lifelong friends. I’m so inspired by all of their creative ideas, and I love the way that we are able to boost each other, offering help of various kinds, or just giving an encouraging word.
What’s a resource or tip that’s helped you develop as a founder and move your business forward?
For me personally, the best advice I got was to make sure to clear time for myself first thing in the day. I have my morning routine that I stick to before I check email or Slack, or any of the other channels that start to pull me in various directions. You have to wear a million hats as a founder and it’s easy to get swept away in the chaos every day. But having that bit of time in the morning during which I can focus on self-care has been invaluable.
As far as moving my business forward, I can list two resources that have been game-changers. The first is being part of a great incubator. We had the good fortune of getting a start with Project Olympus at CMU during the first few months. I also was part of the Founder Institute cohort in the spring of 2022 and now I’m making really great leaps forward as part of the Ascender incubator this year. The other resource that has made a huge difference is having an affiliation with CMU. The university provided a funded sabbatical so that our CTO Jonathan Aldrich could focus on developing the app during an entire semester. We’ve also been able to tap into multiple different capstone teams who have propelled the progress of the company.
What’s next? How can our readers help you?
We just launched the Noteful app on October 5 so we’re definitely in the business of finding market traction and market fit. We’re already looking ahead towards what the next version of the app will look like, as well as how to get the word out. I have two asks for the Ascender community: 1. please tell people in your network about our app, and encourage them to download it and try it out. There’s no cost! And 2. it’s really important that we get positive reviews on the app stores as soon as possible. If you can take a few moments to give us a thumbs up and let us know what you like about Noteful on either the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, we’d be so grateful!
Learn more about Noteful.
Visit: www.noteful.net
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From fledgling tech companies, healthcare innovators, and nonprofits to makers, creators, services and shops, Ascender is for Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurs. We help businesses of all types in the Pittsburgh region start and build a business through education and connectivity. See how Ascender can help you.
BECKY BILLOCK was originally published in Ascender on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
