Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Watts.
Hi Amanda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Since graduating from business school in 2018, I’ve been a serial entrepreneur. My first company, Sheau, was focused on helping retail businesses generate foot traffic. From that experience, I became intimately familiar with the many challenges brick-and-mortar businesses face today; fast forward to the middle of last year when we were at peak COVID. During the lockdowns, some of the only times I left the house were to go to the grocery store or get coffee. Like many people, I had been taking these simple luxuries for granted. One day my fiance and I were shopping and had the nicest cashier, Alex. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient and made us feel like everything was normal. I wanted to thank her (which I did), but I felt like I needed more. And I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that way about her. She deserved to be recognized and to be shown appreciation. And frankly, her career should benefit. She was such a great cashier; she should be promoted to manager. To be able to say Thank You to people like Alex. This is where the idea for Rito came from.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m not sure being an entrepreneur is ever a “smooth road”! Like most, there are always challenges, there are always little setbacks and some big ones, and then there are (hopefully) some successes. One of our earliest challenges was technology. Our team built an app that has yet to exist. Multiple “experts” told us that Rito couldn’t be done and that the technology we wanted to create wouldn’t work. And while it took some time, we built it. Second, explaining something to your customers that must be created is tricky with many new products. For example, when Starbucks started decades ago, it didn’t have to explain to customers what a cup of coffee was. It already existed. They just did it better than their competitors. But with Rito, it is different. No other app allows you to give reviews to the people who help you. Apps like Yelp or Google Reviews exist, but those only enable you to provide a review for the business. So helping our users understand that Rito can do what Yelp and Google do, plus you can say ‘Thank You’ to the employees who take care of you, is something we are continually iterating on.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Rito?
Rito is the only social network for frontline professionals. Our mobile app allows retail, beauty, and hospitality employees to collect customer testimonials quickly. Rito’s mission is to improve the well-being of hourly workers by helping them get the recognition they deserve. So from the customer perspective, Rito has similarities to Yelp and Google Reviews. But it is much easier to use. Plus, you can provide feedback to the employees who help. From the employee perspective, Rito is their professional network. Linkedin is great – for people with certain jobs. But there are 50 million professionals in retail, beauty, and hospitality. Rito is for them. And finally, for Voyage readers, I would add that we are so excited about launching our tech company in Jacksonville. I’ve spoken with other Jax tech founders who feel the same way. I love that we’re creating Silicon Beach right here in the 904! And I don’t think it will be long before Jacksonville gets the credit and recognition that a place like Miami is getting.
Any big plans?
We’ve got an action-packed 2022 at Rito! We are, of course, continuing to add cool new features to Rito (including creating a free “Employer Portal” for local businesses). We are also in the process of meeting with venture investors to help fund our next phase of growth. On a personal note, I’m excited to get more involved with our local colleges. We have a big opportunity to make Jacksonville a world-class city for technology. I’m currently working with the Taylor Leadership Institute at UNF. And before long, I’d like to work with the administration and local leaders to help provide more education, training, and opportunities in the high-tech fields.
Pricing:
- The Rito app is free for all users! Now and always. And I mentioned our new Employer Portal software that we’re launching to support our community; we are giving this tool away for free to all local businesses here in Jacksonville.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://getrito.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_rito/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetRito
