Founding duo Bertram and Nick have a clear vision for Meisterwerk: "We don't just want to offer Tradesmen a software solution. We want to help them acquire more digital know-how and improve their project management." We'll tell you how the two founders came to this realization in this article.
The founding duo
Meisterwerk founders Bertram and Nick met in a Berlin advertising agency. In the process, they discovered many things in common: Both grew up in the countryside, come from families of Tradesmen, and discovered their passion for digital products and user-centered design in a roundabout way.
First ideas
Colleagues became friends who exchanged ideas and experiences over coffee in the morning (the official version) or over a beer after work in the evening (one or two at the most): "At the building plumber's where I used to work, the neighbor's journeyman tore down the gutters and put new ones on. Yes, he had the wrong address. The neighbor was happy. The boss, not so much." Bertram and Nick experienced many such stories. And even then, they thought about how Tradesmen could be supported digitally. A thought that occupied them along with the desire for self-employment.
Lean Startup Approach
The approach of the lean startup and initial conversations with Tradesmen inspired the two. "No, I can't use an allowance app for the tablet on the ladder." Casual conversations turned into an online survey; from there, individual interviews and these in turn developed into focus group workshops. Participants included a wide variety of trades in the construction industry: plumbing, civil engineering, electricians, plumbers and, of these, foremen, journeymen and secretaries.
Recurring problems with the Tradesmen
The instinct of the two proved to be spot on: as great as the differences between the individual trades were, they struggled with the same three problem areas in their day-to-day work: Organization, coordination and documentation. Some of the Tradesmen had already started testing digital solutions. But none of them were satisfied: too complicated, too impractical, not user-friendly enough.
The need of the Tradesmen
Bertram and Nick have identified a clear need in the market. Tradesmen need a tool that facilitates Job planning, that allows changes to Jobs to be easily and quickly integrated into planning, and that collects all documents, regardless of type, in one central location. And not only that, digital know-how is lacking in the skilled trades industry:
"We don't just want to offer Tradesmen a software solution. We want to help them acquire more digital know-how and improve their project management," Nick explains the vision of the Meisterwerk app.
Bertram and Nick, the founding team, have very clear visions for Meisterwerk. "We want to offer the Tradesmen more than just software solutions: We want to support them in acquiring more digital know-how and help them to improve their project management." The following will tell you how the two founders came to recognize and address the requirements.
The Founding Team
Meisterwerk founders Bertram and Nick met at a Berlin ad agency and discovered that they had a lot in common: Both were raised in the country, come from families of Tradesmen and both took some detours before discovering their passion for digital products and user-centered-design.
First Ideas
The colleagues became friends who exchanged ideas and experiences during their morning coffee break (that is how the official version goes) or while enjoying an after work beer in the evening (one or two at the most). I had a side job at a building plumber's place and the journeyman there ripped down the neighbors' roof gutter and then replaced it with a new one. Well, he had the wrong address. The neighbor was happy, the boss a bit less. "Such and similar stories were experienced by Bertram and Nick numerous times. And already then they thought about how they could offer digital support to the Tradesmen. This thought and the wish to be professionally independent greatly stimulated their plans.
Lean Startup Approach
Both, Bertram and Nick were inspired by the lean-startup approach and initial meetings with different Tradesmen. "Oh no, a measurement app for my tablet is of no use for me when I'm up on the ladder." These and other rather relaxed talks led to an online survey to be followed by individual interviews. And they in turn were developed further into focus group workshops. Represented by their masters, journeymen and personal assistants, many different practices of the construction and craftsman industry were participating: the sanitary industry, general construction and civil engineering, electricians and plumbers.
Recurrent problems experienced by the trade
Their instinct turned out to be dead right: As big as the differences of the individual practices were, they all experienced three major problems in their day-to-day work; organization, coordination and documentation. Some of them had already started testing digital solutions. But none of these satisfied them - too complicated, too impractical. too little user friendliness.
Requirements of the trade
Bertram and Nick identified an obvious requirement in the market place. Tradesmen need a tool that will facilitate Job planning, integrate Job changes easily and quickly into the planning and collect all different types of documents at a central place. And not only that - the trade in general lacks digital know-how.
Explaining their vision of the Meisterwerk App Nick says:
"We want to offer the trade more than just a software solution. We want to support them in acquiring more digital know-how and we want to improve their project management."