For most of us, relationships drive our worlds. Today – in an age of social distancing – people are finding new and innovative ways to stay connected. It is apparent now more than ever just how central human interaction is to our personal and professional wellbeing – but what about those for whom connection is a conundrum? That was the question Juliana Fetherman asked herself each time she looked at her younger brother, Michael. Diagnosed with both autism and ADHD, Michael Fetherman struggles with the interpersonal skills necessary for forming friendships, holding conversations and navigating unfamiliar situations. Though just two years older, Fetherman learned early on just how different the world was for her and her brother.
Tania DaSilva, a Child, Youth and Family Therapist and the Clinical Director at Behaviour Matters explains, “most [Autism Spectrum Disorder] children and adults have a strong desire to interact with others, but do not know how to engage friends, question why they are not successful and/or get overwhelmed by the idea of new experiences.” Inspired by her brother, Fetherman sought to make a change. Juliana Fetherman is the Founder and CEO of Making Authentic Friendships (MAF), an interactive web-based application that enables individuals (ages 13+) with special needs to make friends based on age, diagnosis, common interests and geographic location. MAF takes its name from Michael’s initials as a tribute, but the vision is much larger. Fetherman’s app helps spread her mission of disability awareness and autism advocacy across the globe, seeking to end loneliness and isolation within these communities.
MAF is currently serving the special needs community in 30 states, 12 countries and 5 continents, an inspiring feat for a 23-year-old with no prior entrepreneurship experience.
Like many fledgling entrepreneurs, Fetherman was out of her depth at the onset of her journey. She had no idea how to create, let alone fund and launch a successful app. Nevertheless, she persisted. Here, she shares with me six pieces of advice on how to find success when swimming in unchartered waters:
Develop A Strong Why
Every successful entrepreneur needs a solid ‘why’ – the larger reason behind the company mission. Your ‘why’ is what grounds you and keeps you focused when you inevitably hit roadblocks. For Fetherman, that ‘why’ was Michael and his community. According to the World Health Organization, about 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability, of whom 2-4% experience significant difficulties in functioning.
For people with autism, those difficulties make it extremely hard to form relationships. DaSilva shares, “when children struggle to make friends, they naturally are not getting many opportunities to strengthen social skills. The inability to naturally pick these skills up and the lack of opportunities to practice becomes a bigger problem and really impacts their social lives as children and into adulthood if they do not get the training and help they need.” Recognizing the severity of this need strengthened Fetherman’s resolve. Through setbacks and periods of confusion, she remains closely tethered to her “why” as motivation to keep going.
Start Before You’re Ready
A lot of entrepreneurship is the willingness to take risks – to feel the fear and do it anyway. Fetherman recalls one such occasion where she was asked to speak on a panel. “It was one of my first big opportunities and I was a panelist alongside 3 other people, and they were all men double my age,” shares Fetherman. Despite being intimated, Fetherman summoned the courage to carry on. “I tell myself all the time, I’m here because I deserve to be here. [I] went out there, did my thing, talked about my business…I told my story [and] I got a standing ovation in the middle of this thing, which is unheard of. We walked off and then one of the panelists [said], ‘you know, we were wrong about you. You’re the one to watch.’”
Fetherman’s experience showed her the importance of starting before she felt ready. Her advice to female entrepreneurs? Start now. See the value in your life experiences and use it to position yourself as an authority.
Get Proof Of Concept And Generate Buzz
Many entrepreneurs worry about the financial aspect before they even know if their idea has legs. Fetherman says, “[the] most important thing was proof of concept. I mean, I didn’t want to put hundreds of thousands of dollars into something that [only] my family thought was a great idea. I needed to make sure that other special needs families would also think it was a great idea.” To get proof of concept for her web-app, Fetherman turned to her local community and social media. “I built a social media community around my idea and the business that I wanted…at this point, I wasn’t incorporated. It was just an idea. But I put it out there on Instagram and I started just following people…I kept growing that community and [got] all these positive responses for months. I was like, okay, I have to have something here.”
Fetherman played the long game. “I worked really hard for two years to build that community, and that was before we even had [a] product. So, once my product actually came out, I had all these people waiting for it…which I think was really important.” By cultivating an engaged following, Fetherman proved that her business model was viable, secured an email list and had earned herself 100 users within one week of launching.
Pitch To Media
Fetherman attributes much of her success to exposure on platforms like ABC, Cheddar, FOX and Lifetime. While some press will come organically, pitching is a crucial entrepreneurial skill. Her advice for pitching is simple: believe in yourself, be human, and tell your story. While many think business is about facts and figures, it’s mostly about people. Every time, it’s the passion she has for her brother that sells the pitch.
Learn To Pivot
Fetherman shares, “I wrote a 25-page business plan and was set for years on how my app would work…until one day, someone launched something similar…I changed my whole business plan for the app to work like a game with avatars, a cartoon style map and [the] ability to earn coins. This is how the app exists today and [it] is much better than my initial business plan, another blessing in disguise.” When obstacles arise, the ability to pivot is key. Remain flexible and solution-oriented.
Use Your Resources
Fetherman partnered with iFundWomen, a crowdfunding platform for female entrepreneurs that she was already familiar with. A small platform at the time, she formed a relationship with the iFundWomen CEO, who happened to have a son with special needs. By doing her research and utilizing her network, Fetherman was able to find an organization to fund her app that aligned with her brand mission of serving others.
“I loved what ifundwomen did because, of course, one, it was inspiring other women, which is one of my important things that I go for all the time with my business. And also, it uses a pay it forward model…part of the money they take actually gets donated back to another woman entrepreneur.” When it comes to funding, do your research and partner with investors who believe in your mission.
Making Authentic Friendships is still in its beta phase and growing daily. Fetherman predicts to launch an Android and iOS-compatible version within the next few months, expanding features to include video-chats and in-person meetups for a variety of disabled communities worldwide. In honor of Autism Awareness Month this April, visit the MAF site for more information.
Article Credit: forbes