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Ever leave for dinner when you realize you need to feed the dog before you leave and discover you are out of dog food? Thatâs exactly what happened to Leah Busque one night when she and her husband were about to catch a cab for dinner.
That dilemma turned into a market for 60,000 people doing errands and odd jobs for other people called TaskRabbit which was bought by IKEA 9 years after that fateful night.
In this weekâs SOFE newsletter, I share Leahâs story along with:
- 3 storytelling lessons founders can use from Leahâs journey
- The science behind why her story sticks with people
- And a video featuring the lessons she learned along the way
Enjoy this read over dinner and say hi to your dogâŚLG
Founder Story: Leah Busque
One cold Boston evening, Leah Busque and her husband were waiting for a cab to take them to dinner when she realized their dog, Kobe, was out of food. Leah thought to herself, wouldnât it be great if there was someone she could pay to pick up dog food for her while they were out?
Leah searched for a service that could solve this problem but found none. Instead of dismissing the idea, she acted on it. Before heading to dinner, she and her husband purchased the domain name âRunMyErrandâ and, over Mexican food, sketched out a detailed plan for a platform that could connect people in need of help with those willing to assist.
For the next few months, Leah worked nights and weekends on the concept while maintaining her full-time job at IBM. She eventually locked herself in a room for ten weeks to code the first version of the platform.
Determined to bring her vision to life, Leah took the leap, quitting her job, cashing out her pension, and committing to giving herself several months to turn her idea into a viable business.
She spent her early days sharing the concept with anyone who would listen, gathering invaluable feedback that helped her refine the platform.
When the platform launched, RunMyErrand allowed users to post tasks they needed help withâeverything from assembling IKEA furniture to making a beer runâand matched them with local helpers, or \"Runners.\" Within months, the site had over 100 registered Runners who had completed hundreds of tasks.
But Leah knew scaling the business would require funding. Through connections, she met Scott Griffith, then CEO of Zipcar, who became a mentor. Scott provided invaluable guidance, offered her space in Zipcarâs Boston office, and encouraged her to take her idea as far as she could.
Leahâs persistence paid off. She secured initial angel investments, giving her the runway to continue building the business. Later that year, she was accepted into an incubator program in Palo Alto, a transformative experience that provided additional funding and connected her with influential figures.
Among them was Tim Ferriss, who became an advisor and early adopter of the platform. Recognizing that âRunMyErrandâ didnât fully capture the scope of her vision, Leah rebranded the company as TaskRabbit and relocated its headquarters to San Francisco.
TaskRabbitâs timing couldnât have been better. Following the 2008 economic crash, many professionals were seeking alternative sources of income.
TaskRabbit offered a way for people to monetize their skills and become what Leah called âmicro-entrepreneurs.â The platform empowered users to work on their own terms, deciding how much they wanted to work, what they wanted to get paid, and which tasks they wanted to take on.
Early Taskers included professionals like lawyers, pharmacists, and teachers who had been laid off from full-time careers. This underscored the platformâs potential and reinforced Leahâs mission to empower people to take control of their work lives.
TaskRabbit quickly expanded from its initial cities to major metropolitan areas like New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The companyâs growth was fueled by strategic funding rounds and a growing demand for gig economy services.
Within a few years, TaskRabbit had thousands of Taskers completing millions of tasks, generating significant economic activity each month.
Nine years after its launch, TaskRabbit was acquired by IKEA. At the time, the platform had approximately 60,000 Taskers helping customers with tasks such as deliveries, household chores, and furniture assembly.
Under IKEAâs ownership, TaskRabbit has continued to grow and is now estimated to generate over $100 million annually. It operates in more than 70 metropolitan areas across six countries, completing over six million tasks to date.
Storytelling Lessons:
Leah Busqueâs journey from a cold Boston evening to founding a global platform like TaskRabbit offers invaluable storytelling lessons for any founder. Leah turned a simple problem into a life-changing solution, and her ability to share that journey has helped her secure funding, mentors, customers, and press. Here are three key storytelling lessons founders can take away from Leahâs approach to crafting and sharing her story.
- Focus on the Problem-Solution
Leahâs "Dinner & Dog Food" story highlights a problem everyone can relate toâneeding to get something done but not having the time to do it. She seamlessly transitions from identifying the problem to presenting TaskRabbit as the solution. This simple narrative resonates because it reflects a universal pain point, making it easy for audiences to connect with the story. Founders should identify and articulate the specific problem their product or service solves, then craft a narrative that positions their offering as the clear solution. - Share Your Aha Moment
The eureka moment Leah experiencedârealizing the need for a service like TaskRabbitâforms the heart of her story. By capturing that flash of inspiration, she plants a seed in her audience's minds that they wonât forget. The Aha Moment storytelling format is powerful because it brings audiences into the founderâs journey at the exact moment the idea was born. If youâve had a similar epiphany, use it to create a vivid, memorable narrative that captures the essence of your entrepreneurial journey. - Make it Relatable (& Memorable)
Leahâs story is memorable because itâs simple and easy to relate to. Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of juggling too many tasks at once. By sharing her experience in a way that her audience can see themselves in, Leah ensures her story sticks with them long after theyâve heard it. Founders should aim to craft stories that are not only memorable but also audience-centeredâstories that make people feel, âThat could have been me.â
These lessons from Leah Busque show the power of turning an everyday challenge into a transformational story. Founders who lean into these techniques can create narratives that inspire action, build trust, and leave a lasting impression.
Fun Fact:
Leah Busqueâs "Dinner & Dog Food" story sticks with people because of how our brains react to stories. Research from Washington University in St. Louis found that when we hear a story, our brains donât just listenâthey experience it.
In a study, people reading about a boy picking up an object had the same brain areas light up as if they were picking it up themselves.
This is called neural coupling, and it helps explain why Leahâs story felt real to so many. The more a story connects to our own lives, the more we remember it.
Video to Watch: Unshaken Resolve
Watch this video, "Leah Busque Soliva, Fuel Capital - Startup Lessons from TaskRabbit" to see Leah in action breaking down the lessons she learned while building TaskRabbit and transitioning from engineer to entrepreneur.
Through personal stories and thoughtful details, Leah draws you into the origin story and each lesson, showing how storytelling can shape a business, connect with people, and drive success. (Leah starts speaking at 1:30).
Leah Busque Soliva, Fuel Capital - Startup Lessons from TaskRabbit
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SOFE Issue #019 - When Running Out of Dog Food Leads to a $100M Idea
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