Web Host GoDaddy Help Budding Entrepreneurs Take New Ideas to the Next Level

Say what you will about web hosting giant GoDaddy, they certainly understand how to market themselves. Eschewing an approach adopted by many of their competitors which focusses on price and performance, Blake Irving’s company have instead looked to position themselves as a catch-all service provider for budding business owners, placing a much greater emphasis on their range of webhosting tools designed to make both development and long-term management of an online presence a breeze.

So far, it’s an approach that has paid dividends for the Scottsdale, Arizona organisation. In May 2016, the company announced a sizeable 15.3 increase in revenues, the result of attracting more customers and generating more revenue from existing users than in year’s previous.

Recognising a winning strategy when they see one, GoDaddy have gone one step further in catering for the small business crowd with the launch of their new app.

Announced on May 26th, just weeks after the unveiling of their latest revenue figures, Godaddy Flare invites those of an entrepreneurial bent to share their latest potential business ideas, and solicit feedback from fellow users.

Taking Ideas Further

In a statement released to mark the launch of the app, GoDaddy’s Vice President of Emerging Products told the media that Flare came about following a recent survey carried out by the web hosting brand.

According to the results of that survey, whilst a huge 67% of respondents claimed to have developed an idea for a business or new product, only 15% ever took their ideas any further, with over 50% regretting their decision not to pursue their new business venture.

The survey also reported that the two biggest reasons for not starting a business were not knowing where to start, and fear or self-doubt about their chances of success, both of which GoDaddy now hopes to help potential business owners overcome.

In the same media statement, Mr. Reinsberg said that Flare was created after seeing a need for “a community where individuals can come together and receive impartial feedback and make connections with others to help them turn their ideas into something meaningful.”

How it Works

At time of writing, the Flare app was only available for Apple iOs devices via the iTunes store, though a planned Android version was reported to be in the works with a launch date some time in June 2016.

Having downloaded the app, users sign up and can share their new business ideas or leave feedback on those posted via other users, initially by swiping their phone way to give the thumbs up to an idea, and the other way to dismiss it as something they don’t think has potential.

Ideas that gain enough ground initially can then be open to more in-depth feedback sessions, with those who originally posted them being able to ask more specific questions to help them develop their concepts further.

As someone giving feedback, if an idea you’ve “loved” proves especially popular, you’ll be invited to contribute as an “advisor” offering advice and suggestions to guide budding startup owners in the right direction to getting their new business off the ground.

First Impressions

Though Flare may still be in its early stages, when we signed up ourselves, we were impressed by not just the volume, but the quality of ideas already up for feedback. Everything from an “Instagram for Music” to personal financial advisory services were gaining traction, and we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t easy to get quickly addicted to leaving feedback.

Elsewhere, posting your own idea is simple; just create a headline, name something that’s unique about your potential business, and upload a picture, and post.

The app itself is very well designed, doesn’t take more than a few moments to get used to, and in our opinion based on a trial run, should prove popular both with would-be business owners and those looking to help bring great ideas to life.