Today’s Notable Young Entrepreneurs are Mallorie Brodie and Lauren Hasegawa, who launched Bridgit to offer innovation communication tools for the construction industry. Here’s what inspired their business and where they see themselves in five years…
Elevator Pitch: Describe your job in a nutshell.
We are the Co-Founders of Bridgit, a communication platform for the construction industry.
Why did you start working at your company? What was the inspiration for this career route?
Prior to Bridgit I (Lauren) was working for a contractor and noticed the inefficiencies and lack of technology on-site. Mallorie and I came together and realized that there was an opportunity to build mobile technology for the industry and started to dig deeper to figure out what in particular we could do to add value. We had both dreamed of having our own business; being able to do that and watch our vision grow has been the inspiration to keep pushing forward.
What is the best part of what you do on a day-to-day basis? The most challenging part?
We love working with our team. We’re so fortunate at Bridgit to have a tight-knit team of motivated people and working with them every day is always a blast.
The most challenging part is being able to adapt and change focuses quickly. Ever yday we are learning new things about our customers and our business, and we need to be adaptable in order to stay on course.
What is one sign that you’ve seen over the years to suggest that your work/life balance is off?
Running a start-up is all-encompassing and the lines of work and life are very much blurred into one. That being said, we can still tell that once we stop taking time for ourselves and people/activities outside of our Bridgit life, we become de-energized and have a harder time focusing. Running a company is a marathon and enjoying life outside of the business is a way for us to pace ourselves..
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In five years we hope to still be growing Bridgit.
What is one major challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career? How did you overcome it?
Neither of us come from a software background, so proving to potential investors that we were the team to pull this product off was sometimes a challenge in the early days of Bridgit. However, our solid understanding of the industry, and the solution we were providing, prevailed. Today, we have been able to build an amazing software development team and our product is just where we want it to be.
What does success look like to you? Does Money = Happiness?
Success to us is about building something of value. We have been driven by our customers and how much they love our product, and in turn seeing Bridgit grow. It’s not about the money, it’s about being able to see the impact that Bridgit has made on people and on an industry that will define success.
What is the most memorable milestone in your career?
Meeting our biz partners for life! (Each other, of course).
Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Everything comes down to people – figure out what makes others tick. Recognizing the strengths and needs of others around you will be the most important factor, no matter the situation.
Where is your favourite place to wine/ dine in your city and why?
M: Khao San Road – l would happily eat Thai food every day for the rest of my life.
L: Bhima’s Warung in Waterloo.
When you’re not working how do you love to spend your “Me” time?
M: I’ll be honest, I watch a lot of Netflix.
L: Exercise! I can’t go a day without it, and especially when running a startup it’s so important for stress relief. I find it’s the only way to clear my head from everything else and set goals that aren’t work-related. I’ve competed in triathlons and endurance events for several years and most recently have gotten into Crossfit and track cycling.
Where is your favourite place to travel? Why?
M: Boston. I love seafood!
L: Hawaii. Some of the best hiking and always great weather!
If you had to choose a theme song, what would it be?
Ellie Goulding, Anything Can Happen.
If you weren’t doing what you’re doing, what would you be doing?
Wishing we were at Bridgit!
Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is that important to you?
M: I support youth entrepreneurship programs. I wish I had been exposed to the world of entrepreneurship earlier in life, so I am always trying to help build awareness to encourage more young people to consider entrepreneurship as a career path.
L: I support women in engineering groups. I have been fortunate to have many role models in my life and want to make sure I give back to girls who may be considering engineering.
What to you is notable?
Our team’s ability to roll with the punches and laugh it off.
Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Other?
M: iPhone.
L: iPhone.
#NOTABLE
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