Scriptoeris is very excited to introduce the first monthly male inspirational individuals. Summer 2012 changed society’s view on transport because it had been discovered that a 22 year old law student who didn’t have enough money for the bus had to walk home alone in the dark which ultimately led to her to be raped. Scriptoeris ladies- you are more than aware of the consequences of walking alone at night so we are proud to present an exclusive interview with the creators of the app: JumpIn. It may have been over a beer in Leeds City centre but Barney Williams and Sam Ryan have gradually turned transport payment methods upside down.
Scriptoeris: What inspired/ sparked you to want
to start the new app JumpIn?
BW – Sam and I arranged to meet at a bar in Leeds city centre, and without knowing about it, we booked 2 separate taxis to the same place. When we met in the bar we discussed how pointless that was and soon realised that we had wasted quite a bit of money. This then sparked our interest
in taxi sharing and quickly noticed that there was nothing in the market. We also realised that a student taxi app could be a really powerful tool and very useful particularly for students by building a safe network of student sharers. Offering good value fixed fares we had the power to develop a very strong business.
S: When you started out what were your key aims?
SR– I’m not really sure we had any to begin with! We were both just really excited about trying our hand as first-time entrepreneurs. We’ve both learnt so much and have experienced some things we never envisaged happening – visiting no.10 has to be a personal highlight though. Now we’re aiming to build a successful business whilst developing as entrepreneurs.
S: You are both students at Leeds University, how are you able to study and start up your own business?
BW – I have now graduated, but it was indeed at University when we launched JumpIn. Sam is still there and working on it pretty much full time whilst balancing University work and his extremely busy social life! During that time though we both felt that we had a lot of free time. It was helpful having two of us in the company, as if one of us had a deadline, we would arrange for someone else to manage a task if it clashed with that deadline.
Most importantly, we enjoyed starting up the business and have had a laugh at the same time so we always managed to find plenty of time for it.
S: How did you cultivate a base for the JumpIn community? What is it like managing a team?
SR– To start with, all three of us chipped in wherever we were needed but as things have got busier, we have had to become more professional in managing
our workload and managing each other, especially when we often work remotely. We spent the summer months
making everything a bit more professional behind the scenes and we hope it will position us well moving forward. We’re in the process of having city promotional managers on board in each of our locations so we’ll learn a bit more about managing a team pretty soon no doubt.
S: What does a normal day for JumpIn consist of?
BW– A normal day for JumpIn normally consists of a lot of phone calls and emails! We plan marketing events and are in constant talks with taxi firms and students in cities that we are planning to reach. We are also constantly talking to our technical director; James Gupta in assuring that our customers are happy!
S: On top of all the work you do, what is your firsthand advice for building a business?
SR – There has been a ton of various aspects but for me, the fundamental thing is networking both offline and online. It’s all about putting yourself and your business out there and building successful two-way relationships. You never know when somebody might be able to help you so help them and keep talking and exchanging new ideas. Fundamentally remember that most people don’t ask, so ask. There’s no harm in asking and as young entrepreneurs just starting out, you would be surprised at the calibre of people willing to help.
S: Obviously, JumpIn is an app so other than building an audience and promoting it , what else do you get up to for JumpIn?
BW– We travel the UK a lot! We are always attending large networking events, particularly in London which always helps us understand the industry a lot better. We are always learning and taking great advice from everyone we meet. Our network of people around us has helped us build up a strong base for our business.
Investors always show some interest in us, so discussing our business financials and updating our business plan is a common occurrence. We are also at the stage of employing city managers in new locations so flicking through applications is a new one on the list of things to do!
S: What’s next for JumpIn? We are predicting big things!Â
SR– We hope you’re right in predicting big things! JumpIn
HQ has got some pretty big plans and we hope to announce some pretty cool stuff over the next couple of months. Right now, our focus remains building a UK wide coverage network so all UK university students can become part of the JumpIn community.
Scriptoeris has no doubt that these three will achieve exactly that! Here are the following links in order to download this exciting app:
iOS -Â https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/jumpin/id634528193?mt=8
Android -Â play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.forefront.taxis.android&hl=en_GB
Not only this but if you are wanting to jump on board (why wouldn’t you?) Barney and Sam are seeking bright city managers to join their team. They can both be reached at barney@jumpinstudent.co.uk
What are you waiting for?