Having started and managed several businesses from landscaping to real estate, Lindsey Lieb is an entrepreneur through and through.
However, it was during her journey in therapy that she developed the idea for Happego, an app she hopes will change lives for the better. After learning about cognitive behavioral therapy and techniques for rewiring the brain, she wondered, what if we could apply these methods to the phones already in our pockets and improve people’s moods, relationships, and empathy?
Lindsey connected with social scientists to learn about psychological priming, a sensory experience that unconsciously influences the user’s attitude and/or behavior in a certain way.
“As I watched and went through my day and realized how many times I touched my phone,” Lindsey says, “it just made sense to me that if I could be primed each time, it would make a big difference in my neurological processing.”
She reached out to freelance communities online to see if a program like this was even possible. She met a contractor in India who was willing to work with her, and together they created Happego, which can help users achieve goals by priming their subconscious with images whenever their phones wake. Lindsey comes up with the designs and ideas, and her partner handles the programming to make it all happen.
One of the biggest challenges Lindsey has faced in developing Happego is learning the tech industry, a market that is wholly unlike anything else she has done before. Whereas other businesses she has run were “pretty straightforward,” developing and marketing an app introduces a whole new world of accelerators, investment companies, revenue sources, and more.
“Learning the players involved and the different roles everyone plays, it has all been very eye-opening,” she says.
Happego is based here in Knoxville, but the tech team, designers, and freelance contributors span the globe, from California to India to Egypt. Even so, through involvement with the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, Lindsey learned that there is a thriving e-commerce industry right here in Knoxville. She encourages others to take the leap into the tech world, especially women, who are underrepresented in the industry.
“Just keep going,” Lindsey advises fellow entrepreneurs. “If you believe in your idea, go for it. Fear is the enemy.”