Timothy Murenzi of Indema
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Timothy Murenzi (founder and Director of People) of Indema, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of Indema – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
As a designer myself for a little over 13 years, I have always had my process by hand and manually. That is until about year 11 in my career when I started exploring tech. At the time, I was using about 5 different tools to manage everything. I was using Square for invoicing. DocuSign for contracts. Asana for task management, and the list goes on. Then, roughly a year and a half ago, I was trying to find that “ah ha!” moment of how I can combine ALL of those tools I was using. Yeah, sure there are *some*, but not any that were related to interior design. The existing tools out there (even today!) boast on their sites that they are all-in-one tools ,but that’s far from the reality. So, I cleared my own path to be the industry’s FIRST all-in-one in the true sense of it. From finances, to project management, and now, social media, we are literally changing the way interior designers see technology today!
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
Right now, I truly feel like the industry is a bit premature for our solution. But, this is also an amazing thing because we are super early to the market with what we offer and what we do. Interior design, as an industry, is the slowest to adopt to digital technology. Designers, for some unknown reason, are not really into tech. But, now in 2022, we are seeing a huge shift into technology because designers want to work smarter. They don’t want to have to have 6 platforms to manage everything. It’s bad enough they have to build their firm, let alone struggle to have their whole team on one page.
What does the future hold for Indema?
Lots! With the launch of our social media management module, and email automation module, this opens us up for endless possibilities on additional modules that our users can enjoy! In the future, we plan on connecting general contractors AND architects through our solution so that all of the home renovation trades have one centralized place to communicate. This will allow projects to run smoother, and for homeowners to have less trouble being the facilitator between the trades they hire.
What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Ontario?
Ontario is a small town for sure. I don’t think I have seen many “tech” startups in Ontario, but maybe it’s because I haven’t looked? I can say that Ontario is absolutely up and coming, so I am excited to see what the city brings in regards to growth! I’m sure just the growth alone will bring more companies to the Ontario area!
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Just go for it. Even if there is a risk of failing. Failure is a good lesson to learn, and you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. You should embrace it, and learn from it. One other piece of advice I have is to not listen to anyone but your customer. If someone tells you that your idea is dumb, or not going to be successful, go for it even more. Prove that person wrong, and show them your passion for your idea. You could be the next Steve Jobs! Who knows? 🙂