From a Great Idea to Your Own App

In an interview with a client: Yeswedo founder Stefan Grützmacher explains why going self-employed was exactly the right move for him, and what it actually involves.

arndtteunissen: What kind of start-up did you found?

Stefan Grützmacher: Last year I founded the Düsseldorf start-up Yeswedo – an app that lets you plan an entire wedding. Couples can use it to find and contact the best wedding service providers in their area, manage all the important tasks that still need to be done, and keep an eye on costs at all times.

How did you come up with the idea?

As a part-time wedding speaker, I often got talking to couples who told me about planning their ceremony. And it was pretty much the same for everyone. You get engaged, you're delighted, you tell your family and friends, and then suddenly you're faced with a very demanding task that you haven't thought about at all until that point. So you have to laboriously gather all the information yourself. I wanted to change that with a technical helper.

Technical? That sounds like a pragmatic, masculine solution …

(laughs) Of course, I was aware from the start that it couldn't be a purely technical solution. A little romance simply had to be part of it. So I sat down to analyse the market and then wrote a detailed concept. I think we've now managed to combine both very well in the design and functions of the app.

And why did you want an agency like ours to support you with the implementation?

I wanted to work with someone who has experience in technology and at the same time a good feel for brands and design. I have to admit, though, that the decision wasn't an easy one. After all, at first I didn't know exactly what I should be looking out for.

How did you eventually find us?

By simply turning things around. I looked at various providers from the wedding industry online and checked the legal notice of the website I liked best. That's how I found out who had been responsible for the development, and I picked up the phone straight away. And I ended up with you.

Was it important to you that the agency is based in the same place as your start-up?

Originally not really, but it turned out to be extremely practical. After I had decided on you and met with great interest, numerous meetings took place straight away. It takes time, after all, to scrutinise a concept, position a brand and develop a lean look and feel designed mainly for digital use.

What else is involved in founding a start-up?

First of all, we had to find the right legal form. From the right contract and opening a business account to the entry in the commercial register and registering the business with the tax office, there were many other things to deal with. That might sound daunting at first, but since you only have to deal with everything bit by bit, it is perfectly manageable. In addition, thanks to the help of external experts, I always kept an overview.

Did you also have emotional support from family and friends?

When it became clear that I could no longer run yeswedo on the side and would have to quit my permanent job at Deutsche Telekom, my parents were somewhat sceptical at first. As is the way with parents, they simply worried. In the meantime, that has settled down and they are happy for me. My girlfriend and friends have been fully behind me from the start. Especially the engaged ones. After all, they can now plan their wedding in a relaxed way with the app (grins).

Did you yourself never have doubts about whether everything would go smoothly?

I think many people secretly hope to take this step one day and see self-employment as a kind of dream. But then fears and doubts often outweigh it. For me it was somehow different. Of course I had my worries too, but the dream of building something of my own was simply much stronger from the beginning!

How long did it take from the first idea to the final implementation?

It took a little over a year until the Yeswedo app finally landed in the Play Store and App Store. You need a bit of patience for that. But it has been on the market since 14 February 2017.

And how is it being received?

Brilliantly! Within a very short time it rose to become the most popular wedding planner app in the App Store, and the numbers are growing daily – through new users as well as new service providers who want to present themselves with us. It also came second in a competition for start-ups! Thanks to the positive feedback, I finally have the confirmation that the yeswedo idea, with all its functions and its aesthetic design, is exactly the right mix of technology, function and romance. So it's something for men and women alike.

Do you have a tip you can pass on to others founding a start-up?

Talk to as many people as possible. Don't just ask your friends, but look further afield. There are so many ways to get a taste of the start-up world. At events and seminars you will find not only the advice you need, but also a certain sense of security.

And you found all of that in Düsseldorf?

Exactly. When I started looking into self-employment, I realised how many points of contact there actually are here and everything the city already has to offer start-ups. The range is truly huge. That reminds me: I don't think there is a start-up planning app yet … (grins and begins to ponder)