Daniela Sawyer

Daniela Sawyer is the Founder & Business Development Strategist at FindPeopleFast. A Saas product that helps in pulling out detailed information about any person, including their social media profiles, public records, address, pictures, and property holdings. In simpler words, it is a people search website that requires minimal data about an individual to deliver their accurate profile.

Where did the idea for FindPeopleFast come from?

There are many search platforms available today, and I was a regular user of such services. People’s search could be convenient and beneficial, from researching a person before hiring to finding old friends and family members. However, I always found that accuracy was missing on existing websites, and the process would take more than needed time. Find People Fast is an advanced people search platform developed after studying the flaws of these services and lets the users pull up detailed profiles of individuals at a low cost.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

My typical day looks like that of any entrepreneur. It’s busy! I start with setting goals for the day, connect with teams, plan different strategies, attend meetings, etc. For me, what works for maximum productivity is getting sufficient time to relax and starting afresh. I make sure that my daily schedule includes enough breaks to take power naps in-between, interact with people around and eat meals properly. The fresher I feel, the more I can concentrate on work and finish tasks before deadlines.

How do you bring ideas to life?

An idea is only an image unless it’s coupled with feasibility, practicality, and marketability. To bring ideas to life, I indulge in intense research, study market movements, and discuss them with my team members seeking improvement and honest opinions. It’s turned into a project only when I’m assured that the idea is of real value.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The shift of businesses to the digital medium fascinates me. Right after the pandemic hit the world, companies started going remote, and what began as a necessity has proved to be beneficial for many small businesses. Going digital initially was costly but witnessing the increased productivity of employees and ease of operations, I believe that remote work culture has a long way to go, even after the pandemic situation goes away.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I have allotted specific days for team meetings and never taken up any sessions on other days unless the situation demands urgency. This helps me in saving time and dedicating it to other tasks that require my attention. Employees can also focus more on their duties and responsibilities since they do not constantly have to prepare answers for team meetings.

What advice would you give your younger self?

To be professional and maintain contacts. I have met some of the most distinguished personalities and learned important lessons from them but failed to keep in touch, which I regret now. Business, especially entrepreneurship, requires extensive connection building, which forms the fundamental stones of a business. I have also been involved in “comfort working,” thus, not allowing myself a professional environment. Such professional experience at the preliminary phase proves to be extremely helpful in later careers.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

That entrepreneurship could be taken up at any stage of one’s career. There’s a prevailing misconception that an entrepreneurial venture would only succeed when the person behind such an endeavor is experienced enough. I believe that it is the practicality and feasibility of an idea that leads to success. The person definitely should know the market and refer to experts, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t lead a startup due to a lack of experience.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Seek opinion. I always seek the opinion of experienced employees. I agree that not everyone’s judgment matters, but trusting the experience and knowledge of good wishers does not go to waste; in fact, you learn a lot, and they might help you devise expert strategies. I always conduct thorough research over ideas and do not hesitate to put them in front of people.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Consider one section of customers at a time. When starting as an entrepreneur, one should be clear about their target audience. Spending endlessly on marketing campaigns without considering potential consumers’ needs and demands will be redundant and futile. An entrepreneur should first aim to build a distinct identity in their particular niche and then proceed further. As a bootstrapped company, acquiring capital has always been an issue for us. So, I always directed our marketing campaigns to a particular set of audiences to establish a strong foothold in the market, earn their trust and ensure a continuous flow of income. Now, these consumers recommend our service to their friends and family members and act as our brand advocates.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Well, in my opinion, every downfall is an opportunity to learn. I like to acknowledge the mistakes I have committed in the past and learn from them. One misstep I saved was proceeding with the idea that wasn’t ideal for the prevailing market circumstances. When our efforts did not lead to visible success, I immediately consulted our expert team members and converted it to a feasible campaign. Since the transformed step was curated following present customer needs, it saved us from incurring losses.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

The educational industry has a lot of scope for development. It’s the need of the hour that we diverge a little from the conventional schooling system and provide our progeny with platforms where they can explore the unexplored. An app or facility that allows students to learn about technologies apart from traditional education has great potential. Connecting young minds with successful inventors and providing them with opportunities to pursue their dreams and get equipped with relative knowledge will shape their future and save them from the hassle of wandering and searching for their purpose at a later career stage.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I spent the best $100 recently on a digital communication platform. Teams must communicate freely in remote work culture, and the platform also allows us to conduct online meetings and bond-building activities. It has simplified our employee onboarding processes and strengthened teamwork in our organization.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Note-making apps. I often come up with ideas at unexpected places, and a note-making app helps record the same. A handy note-taking app that helps record original thoughts and relevant quirks correctly is beneficial. It’s like a notebook with digital functionality where I can share the same with my coworkers and gather their comments.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey is a book I always refer to when in doubt. It teaches the art of being different from existing competitors and emphasizes harnessing an unprecedented idea. I always read the tips enumerated in the book, and it encourages me to revisit my decisions from the past and make necessary changes in upcoming projects. It teaches entrepreneurs how to look internally and change their mindsets. I recommend it to everyone.

What is your favorite quote?

In all circumstances, the quote that kept me motivated was, “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” Napoleon Hill. What makes an idea great? It’s not the interpretation or potential of an idea but its feasibility. We need to understand that It’s not always about trying to create a revolution, but the focus should be on improving our ways and expanding the scope of betterment for ourselves in the future.

Key Learnings:

• Give yourself enough time to relax and try to start afresh for maximum productivity.
• Every failure is an opportunity for betterment. Reflecting on past mistakes is extremely important.
• Revisiting decisions and brainstorming over them can improve future judgments.