Katy Allen, founder of Artful Agenda. (Credit: Courtesy of Artful Agenda)
A Comprehensive Digital Planner With a Paper-Planner Touch
Katy Allen’s app, Artful Agenda, combines the satisfaction of filling out a paper planner with the functionality of tapping into a digital calendar.
For years, Katy Allen loved using paper planners to organize her calendar and to-do lists — that is until her full time career, three kids and a traveling musician husband overstretched the capabilities of a simple diary. After experimenting with Google Calendar, Allen still found herself missing the tactile experience of an old school paper planner – and so in 2018 she decided to create her own. Allen launched Artful Agenda as a solution for busy women who need the functionality of a comprehensive planning system with the accessibility of a digital platform, and an efficient way to manage different calendars in a household. Today, the Nashville, Tennessee-based entrepreneur hopes her app will help women organize and plan their lives with efficiency, ease – and style.
Here’s our lightly edited Q&A, from The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project.
How is your business different from others in your industry?
Our app is inspired by paper planners. It offers the functionality of a comprehensive planning system, the accessibility of a mobile platform, and the efficiency busy people need – all while bringing new, digital life to the paper-planning experience.
Tell us about your biggest success so far.
Starting a successful business from scratch – going from knowing nothing about software or app development, to owning and running a multi-million dollar tech company!
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
Marketing is my favorite part of owning a business, but it’s also one of the most challenging aspects. As the years have gone on, we have had to work hard to continue to distinguish ourselves and find new groups of customers. Initially, I let an agency handle our ad creation and copy, and we experienced a considerable rise in cost (without much return on investment). So, I took some time this summer to focus on retooling our ad messaging and worked one-on-one with our internal marketing specialist to that aim. Our results have been great! Our product is pretty niche, so I think our ads needed a personal touch to best reflect the product’s value.
What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs?
Be prepared to spend money on marketing. Even the best product in the world needs help getting the word out! If you expect news of your business to spread with no plan for making that happen, you are probably setting yourself up for frustration and disappointment. I thought the idea of Artful Agenda would catch on organically, but it wasn’t until I started spending ad dollars that I saw growth.
How do you find inspiration on your darkest days?
I have people in my life who believe in me, even when I am struggling to believe in myself. A good chat with one of these friends is usually the thing that will bring me out of my funk and into a head space where I am reminded that I’ve conquered a lot – and will continue to do so!
What is your go-to song to get motivated on tough days?
“Daisies” by Katy Perry.
Who is your most important role model?
This might be a cliche answer, but in the spirit of total honesty, it’s Taylor Swift! I have always been a fan of her music, but more than anything, I’ve been a fan of her creativity, business savviness and her innate sense of what her fans want. Everything she does is done to an incredibly high standard, and she meticulously plans every detail to make sure it fits with the current theme or vision for her art and her product. She has trusted her instincts time and time again, and I admire this – and I try to emulate it in my own professional life.
Instagram: @artfulagenda
Facebook: @artfulagenda
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