The brainchild of a company dedicated to weaving teams closer together, Loom provides the answer to an all-too-common question: How do we communicate better?
The quick video platform is innovating fresh ways to bring back the human side of remote teams; a space where a conversation’s meaning can easily get lost in translation. And they’re killing it! With over 100,000 users in under a year, Loom has worked hard to build their user base, while filling the communication void that modern teams face.
SimpleKeep has been more than proud to work alongside the team, since the beginning, to make sure bookkeeping and taxes don’t get in the way of that. With a bright future ahead of them, Loom is definitely one to watch in the world of quick videos.
Building a Business
Loom is dedicated to patching the gaping hole in team communication with their innovative video collaboration platform. While email, video conferencing, and instant messaging are helpful, sometimes information is not relayed in the best way with any of those formats. This is where Loom steps in. Quick videos, as Loom calls them, are helping teams communicate in a more efficient and more effective way.
“A lot of times, when you’re typing up a really long email, there are miscommunications around what the tone of the conversation is,” says founder Joe Thomas. “There are a lot of gaps in regards to really communicating with another human being, that we felt could be solved.”
Loom launched their solution by introducing quick videos, which allow you to leave personalized videos that integrate the perfect marriage of screen sharing and audio. Future goals for the company include launching team accounts in the next few months, and continuing to build and perfect the current quick videos platform, as a whole. “What we’re really looking to do is make quick videos ubiquitous in this space—as in, it’s a standard communication tool for all individuals,” said Joe. “So if you’re communicating with a team that doesn’t share the same walls as you, you’ll have Loom as one of your tools for communicating.”
Over the past 10 months, Loom has used the financial expertise of SimpleKeep to keep their finances on track, and take bookkeeping off their mind. Why SimpleKeep?
Joe explains that his mentor once told him, when starting a company or working with other companies, you always want to make sure you’re working alongside someone you want to work with. He goes on to explain how this especially applies when you’re working with an outsourced team member, like a bookkeeper.
“When we’ve talked to anybody on the SimpleKeep team, it always felt like this was somebody I wanted to work with for a very long time.”
Partnering for Success
As a team of builders, finances aren’t exactly the forte of anyone on the Loom team. Joe remembers taking a poll at one point, asking who liked doing taxes and wanted to take over handling the company’s books. Nobody on the team volunteered. “I think that was one of the biggest challenges that we’ve faced as a company because we all dreaded handling our personal taxes, so who was going to handle the company taxes?”
Luckily, SimpleKeep was more than ready to help. While it may have felt like they were flapping in the wind, SimpleKeep helped take away the pressure and stress of not wanting, or really knowing how, to do their bookkeeping, says Joe. And since putting people first is at the top of their to-do list, the team at Loom was more than ready to get back to that, by bringing in financial help.
Joe says that especially as a founder working directly with the internal bookkeeping, he appreciates having someone on his side who understands the ins and outs of business finances. “I have to assume that it’s at least 10 hours a month [I would spend handling bookkeeping and taxes], and especially during tax season. I would have to set aside an entire week to do everything on our end,” Joe estimates.
Communication is key and when it comes down to the value that SimpleKeep brings, Joe and his team are thankful for the consistent communication that’s always been there when they’ve needed it.
“Usually SimpleKeep keeps everything as lightweight as possible in terms of bookkeeping. They go above and beyond, even with things like typing up 12 point instructions—which doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it really is for the person who has to do all of those things on my end.”
Financial Peace-of-Mind
Lately, the team at Loom has been focused on balancing product building, customer support, and fundraising. Having one less thing to think about, with finances outsourced, has been a huge weight off their shoulders. As CEO, Joe’s day-to-day schedule varies, but he tries to make sure each day focuses on people, products, and profits (in that order).
“I try to make sure the team is in a good place, and that we’re all aligned. There are always quite a few dependencies that I need to either roadmap for, or even work out the granule details of writing the copy. From there, that puts more money in the bank for us, for the next round of fundraising.”
And when he’s not working? Joe, like many entrepreneurs, is a dreamer. He likes to pseudo-plan travel adventures and vacations to places such as his new favorite city, New Orleans. He’s excited for a couple of years out, when he’ll be able to travel more.
In the meantime, SimpleKeep is there to keep the business moving in the right direction, financially, and Joe is happy to have the support in this vital growth stage of their business.
“There’s never been a strain with SimpleKeep, it’s always just been, ‘Here’s what we need to get done, and here’s how we’re going to do it.’ And getting everything done in a timely fashion, is top-notch.”
Take a look at how Loom is rocking the quick video world by following them on Twitter or Facebook, or see what their fans are saying by checking them out on Product Hunt. Looking for financial help? Shoot us an email at yourfriends@simplekeep.co or give us a call at (415) 601-2440
Emilee Morehouse 