Congratulations. How have you been able market and promote the app?
We have used social media and an aggressive public relations campaign to market On Second Thought. We have also forged strategic partnerships with other apps that have over 2.5 million monthly users to promote our app. Additionally, we used my relationships in Hollywood to secure product placement deals for On Second Thought to be integrated into film and television shows.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, how did you finance the business?
In the beginning days of On Second Thought, my partners, phenomenal parents and I bootstrapped. Then we took in some money in our friends and family round at the end of last year. We are currently raising our seed round from institutional and private investors.
What steps did you take to even create an app?
My background is in marketing and public relations, and I can write code to build a rudimentary website. I definitely did not have the technical chops to build an app as complex as On Second Thought. In my case, I knew I needed a partner with a technical background who could lead the development of the app. I realized my good friend, Stewart Voit, had a technical background and I asked him to join On Second Thought as our Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer.
Before we wrap up, you’re doing remarkable things in the world of tech—a field where black women are significantly outnumbered. What drew your interest to tech, and how do you think we market it to be attractive to more girls and women of color?
I was drawn to tech because I had a solution to fix common mistakes in messaging. We’ve sent messages we needed to get back. I saw a problem and a void in the market, and then IÂ thought of and developed a solution.
Girls and women of color will be more attracted to the tech industry if they see women of color succeeding. My hope has always been that people will hear my story and think, “If Maci did it, I know I can too.”
Download On Second Thought here, and peep the easy instructional video below.