Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Matt Moss, Founder of Locket, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Locket is a photo-sharing widget that makes your favorite people the center of your phone. Through the platform, we are elevating the home screen as a space for personalization that acts as a natural extension of close relationships with individuals, such as a significant other, or with small groups, like tight-knit friends, teams, and extracurricular club members. By purposely limiting the number of friends you can be connected with at any given time to 20, Locket prioritizes connection with your people over the traditional 'friend-them-all' model that has plagued social media over the past decade and a half.

Tell us about yourself

I'm Matt Moss, a 23-year-old recent graduate of UC Santa Barbara, former Apple Worldwide Developer Conference student scholarship winner and founder of Locket. I initially built Locket as a birthday present for my girlfriend, Ava, last summer, as she was heading back to school and we were preparing to go a long distance. I wanted to find a way to reduce the distance between us, but none of the existing social platforms felt right, appearing too impersonal, high friction, or boring.

Out of this need for a more personalized connection, Locket was conceived and built over a few short weeks. It felt like magic to get updates from her throughout the day, right on my home screen. Over the last 6-months, we've used the app extensively and have sent over 1,500 pictures to each other! Friends soon asked to try the app and noted the significant usage and enjoyment they were getting out of Locket daily.

This experience uncovered that the phone's home screen could be much more than just a launchpad for apps. I have always had a deep interest in iOS app development, dating back to my freshman year of high school. To this day, I continue to hone my skills alongside some of the industry's best to further push the boundaries of what the Locket team and I are capable of.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner so far would be the overwhelmingly positive response to Locket. When Locket officially launched in January of 2022, it quickly rose to #1 on the App Store in 30 countries worldwide. It garnered over 25 million views on TikTok, something I would never have expected when first building the app for my girlfriend. Recently, we hit the milestone of over 1 billion photos shared, which is an amazing testament to our strong desire as a society to strengthen our connections with friends and family in more immediate and intimate ways.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest, and sometimes the most fun, part of being a business owner is the need to always learn and evolve, especially as a first-time founder. Locket went from a small project I built personally for limited use to a company servicing individuals the world over incredibly quickly. This means I've constantly had to learn about everything it takes to run a business at a swift pace, from hiring to fundraising to managing a quickly growing team. This is incredibly exciting at times but does require a lot of persistence when things aren't going so smoothly.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Just get started: The most important thing is to just get started, even if it's just a small project. There are an unquantifiable amount of ideas out there whose greatest roadblock to success stems from people never following through with bringing their concepts to life.
  2. Embrace the challenges: There are always going to be ups and downs to running a business, which can be demoralizing at times. However, overcoming these challenges can be one of the most rewarding parts of the process in the long run, even though it may be a difficult process when in the moment.
  3. Keep going: If you play a long enough game and keep working to improve, things will work out in the long run.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

The team is working towards a future where smartphone home screens are the central hub for staying in touch with friends and family. We are looking to welcome the best and brightest to help continue expanding Locket to achieve its full potential. You can find more details here on our hiring page.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1600525061
Twitter: https://twitter.com/locketcamera
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-m-b7a95485/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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