‍Look how far we’ve come

Born from a frustration with the difficulties of accessing healthcare, especially last-minute appointments, WellNow was set up in Christchurch in 2022 by co-founders Niamh Buchanan and Melanie Lynn as a platform connecting people with healthcare providers.

With help from a July 2023 partnership with Physiotherapy New Zealand, the startup now has a network of more than 250 providers in Christchurch that offer ACC and initial private-sector physiotherapy, as well as chiropractic, osteopathy, podiatry, acupuncture, massage, and hand therapy appointments. 

Buchanan and Lynn want to expand WellNow nationally and are currently onboarding more providers. 

At this stage, the company is completely self funded. 

‍

What is something you wish you knew starting out?

‍

NB: It’s a slow process – often a multi-year process. If you look at most marketplaces, it can be six to eight years before they hit that sudden big time, and that’s something we didn’t know at the start. You have to focus on the bigger vision.

We joke a bit and say, ‘We’ll purchase one more ticket for the rollercoaster this week’, because you just have to keep lining up, buying your ticket and rolling with it.

Often we have to stop and say to each other ‘look how far we’ve come’.

‍

What went wrong along the way, and what did you learn from it?

‍

ML: When we first launched in Christchurch, we didn’t have our tech fully sorted.

We were doing these integrations, some of which we had never done before, and every time someone made a booking, I’d have to jump on and ensure that it had actually happened with the clinic.

Often, in the beginning, it wasn’t a match; there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, which is never where you want to be. But we just didn’t have any way of really understanding how that technology would come through until it was out in the wild – then we could find the issues and triage them.

They say you often do things at the start that don’t scale, or you have to fake it until you make it, and that was certainly a case of it not being scalable. But it got us from A to B.

‍

Has there been anyone you’ve worked with that was helpful for your business?

‍

NB: We’ve been in a lot of programmes – Ministry of Awesome, Blackbird and Soda Inc – with startup founders at the same stage or different stages of their journey as us. We found from the very start that they kept us at pace – inspiring us and helping us learn in a strategic context.

We’ve also had a lot of mentors and advisors along the way who have been helpful. Some have been part of those broader programmes, and some have been in specific areas – for instance, financial or strategic pathways.

Often it’s just the two of us and even though we have our skill sets, we’re very close to the situation and don’t always have that objectivity. It’s nice to be pulled back out and challenged to reflect on your business.

‍

‍ML: We found in New Zealand that people are really open and willing to have a conversation.

‍

‍NB: They’ll be honest with you about how it’s gone for them. They’ll tell you their reflections on what they’d watch out for next time, and that’s so powerful from someone who’s gone through it.

‍

‍ML: I come from the US, and Niamh’s from Ireland, and over there it’s not always the case. So it’s refreshing for both of us.

In the early days, we had a list of all the different places we wanted to work with strategically, how to get into the health system and so on. Two years later, we’ve had the conversations and now we have the relationships. Some of our strategic partnerships and bigger plays have just come from those initial chats where we either reached out or were introduced by somebody.

‍

And what was the best piece of advice someone gave you along the way?

‍

NB: Think bigger.

‍

What did they mean by that?

‍

NB: That we had the skill set and the ability to do a lot more than we initially thought. It’s lovely to get that feedback because it means someone believes in you. We took it as a really positive thing, and in the last six months, in particular, we’ve been dialling up.

‍

ML: When you’re in the startup space, you receive a lot of advice. While it can be helpful, it is also important to filter out what’s relevant and what’s not. A big lesson for us was not taking on all advice.

‍

Is there any advice that you would give to a new founder?

‍

NB: Just give it a go and talk to people – you never know unless you try. There are heaps of informal and formal communities that you can get advice from – and a lot of female-focused ones as well.

The second thing is to be sensible and do your groundwork: validate that there is a potential opportunity for you out there.

And third, do be aware that there will be some sacrifice. You may go unpaid for quite some time. It may be quite emotionally taxing. We’ve both got young families, for instance, so there are going to be things to sacrifice. You have to ask yourself, ‘are you willing to constantly see your bigger purpose?’

‍

ML: The thing for me is that nobody will believe in you as much as you believe in yourself. These communities, mentors and advisors are there to be helpful, of course, but it’s not their business, it’s not their passion, it’s not their life’s work.

Really, you have to focus and believe that you can do it because no one else will deliver that to you or for you; it’s not their responsibility.

‍

NB: And our last piece of advice is get a co-founder. We know people who’ve done it solo, and hats off to them; we think they’re amazing. But, it is a rollercoaster and having someone else on the journey is both comforting and inspiring.

Finally, take us back to your first founder endeavours.

‍

NB: When I was about nine or ten, my parents had their own business in Ireland and I used to sell friendship bracelets at their grocery store for 50 pence. People could buy them at the counter or they could place an order for what colours they wanted.

I also used to do the Christmas notifications when I was around the same age. I would tea-dip some paper and calligraphy some Christmas scrolls for the different shops in the local area.

‍

ML: I must have been about four or five, and it was a family garage sale – a big thing in the US.

I quickly realised I would not make a large portion of the proceeds because most of my stuff wasn’t for sale. So I dreamed up a little side gig: I made some artwork and hung it on the wall at the point of sale, the little register.

I don’t know; maybe I made 75 cents from the collective wares of art I was hawking, but it was kind of that first foray into, ‘how can I diversify? And how can I make a bit of cash here on the side?' which was great fun.

Now, I realise everyone was probably just being kind because the art sucked, but there you go.

‍

Founder Feedback is a weekly series asking founders a set of questions to profile their startup journey. If you have a story to share, reach out at mary@caffeinedaily.co

‍