Joel Anaman, an entrepreneur who solves hidden pain points for users, founded Mande to address a problem he encountered while offering career coaching services. He discovered that many of his clients were unable to track their impact with data, which is crucial in demonstrating their value to the organization and securing better compensation and opportunities for promotion.
Joel realized that many employees focused only on their tasks, responsibilities, and other day-to-day activities without paying attention to the results of those tasks. He came up with the idea for Mande, a platform that allows users to log and track their wins in real-time, no matter how small, to help them quantify their impact at work. The platform enables users to record their accomplishments, track their progress, and generate evidence that sets them apart from their colleagues.
Before building the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Joel validated the concept by building a prototype in Jotform. He used the form to collect information from users about their biggest win for 2021. The form took an average of 25 minutes for users to complete, as they had to do some deep reflection. Joel manually worded a summary for their 40+ users and created resume bullets on top of that. He then got on a one-on-one call with each user to discuss their wins. Most users showed excitement and a renewed sense of self-awareness, although they wished the form could be shorter. Joel and his team leveraged the insights gathered to design the MVP.
The landing page for Mande received 500 organic sign-ups within two months of release, prompting the team to build the MVP. They incorporated an analytics tool called Zuko Analytics to gain visibility on where people dropped off. They also introduced triggers to help users remember their wins easily after a day or two, or even a week. The first version of the MVP went live in November 2021, and a second version was released in late January 2022 based on feedback from testing the first version.
Mande began a private beta in December 2021, offering exclusive access to those who joined their waitlist. They plan to gradually invite people from their waitlist to test the product before opening up to the public. Currently, they are testing the product with their first batch of private testers, gathering feedback to improve the product.
Mande has leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify the user experience with new features. Mande Quant is one such feature that helps users assess the business value of their work and present it to their manager during performance reviews. The platform also allows users to create customized resumes and share their wins with potential employers. In addition, Mande provides personalized career coaching services to help users identify their strengths and weaknesses and develop their skills.
Joel’s journey to building Mande exemplifies the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. He encountered a problem while offering career coaching services and realized that it was a common issue that needed a solution. He validated his concept, built a prototype, and launched a landing page to gauge interest in the product. He incorporated feedback from users to improve the MVP and is currently testing the product with private beta users.
Mande is poised to disrupt the career coaching and development industry by providing a platform that allows users to track their impact and showcase their accomplishments. With its AI-powered features and personalized coaching services, Mande is set to help users advance their careers and achieve their goals. Joel’s entrepreneurial journey is a testament to the power of solving hidden pain points for users and building a business around it.
