Meet Innovator of The Week
Laura Hunter
Co-Founder of TestNotice
Tell us about yourself and your company.
TestNotice provides phone and text message notifications to people who are required to do court ordered mandatory random drug testing. Never miss a random drug testing appointment because you didn’t know about it.
Who or what was your best resource for starting your company?
When I decided to make the leap to co-founding a new company, it was important to me to be in a supportive entrepreneurial community. Within a month of starting TestNotice, I was able to take part in the networking events at the Alpha Loft, as well as participate in the NH Startup Challenge. Certainly these 2 resources have been essential for my company’s growth and increased awareness in NH.
I have been really impressed by the state’s support for entrepreneurs, especially the numerous events where Governor Hassan has come to speak. Clearly NH is on the forefront of attracting top entrepreneurial talent, as well as creating a fantastic environment for job creation.
What was your biggest obstacle in starting your company and how did you overcome it?
When starting a new company, it is important to have a strong brand presence, and make sure to get the word out about who you are, and what your company is doing. By participating in the NH Startup Challenge, TestNotice was featured numerous times in the Union Leader, The Hippo, as well as many online articles. I would strongly recommend any young company to consider applying to be a part of the NH Startup Challenge in 2016. Even if your company does not win, there are many benefits from the networking, pitch experience, and community exposure along the way.
What’s the best advice you have received?
Listen to what your customers want. In many cases in sales and business development, there is an emphasis on pitching, selling, and doing all of the talking. Sometimes the best sales tool you can use is listening to what your customer needs.
What about the NH lifestyle appeals to you?
I was raised in NH and then spent the last 10 years split between Boston, NYC, and San Francisco. Now that I am back in NH, I realize that everything you need is within a short drive: ocean, mountains, lake, great food, and a major city (Boston).
What does the future look like for your company?
The future looks very bright for TestNotice. We have been expanding nationwide with our notification service, and there have been several partnership opportunities with privately owned drug testing centers, lab companies, and hopefully soon some of the district courts and municipalities.
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Connect with Laura on LinkedIn!
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