Not only did Art Shaikh create one company that seeks to alleviate the pain of losing a loved one by offering the ability to to send cards, messages, videos, and other such media to your family and friends at significant ages or life milestones, but he ideated a second company that allows him to provide this service without charging its users. 

A second company that offers a service of equal importance in today’s online world: a digital will for online assets and information. Sitting down with Shaikh was a true pleasure and we hope that hearing today’s entrepreneur story inspires you as much as it inspired us!

What are three things every entrepreneur should know?

“Before starting the business, or once they are in the business?” Art clarified the first question that our managing director, Lance Johnson, always loves to ask and decided to answer it for anyone starting out. 

He began by acknowledging that entrepreneurship is a real challenge. It’s important to recognize that starting a business is not a quick path to wealth, despite everybody and their dog praising it as such on social media. 

Regardless of how simple an idea may seem, it requires significant effort and continued commitment to turn it into a business idea from an imagined reality into a successful enterprise. Many people underestimate the level of dedication, perseverance, and genuine interest needed to build a thriving business.

Art also highlighted that financial resources are essential and building a company often requires more money than anticipated. Many promising founders with great ideas end up failing not because their concepts were flawed, but because they ran out of money. 

When money runs dry, it can lead to the loss of a team and place the burden solely on the entrepreneur’s shoulders. Weathering the storm and seeing it through until funds replenish requires resilience and determination that not everyone has. 

Finally, Art mentioned that external market factors greatly impact the entrepreneurial journey. From inflation to interest rates to increasingly uncertain economic conditions, there are a myriad of external factors that entrepreneurs have to war with for success. Economic downturns, such as the decline in the technology market over the past two years, can lead to a decrease in investment in startups. 

It becomes crucial for entrepreneurs to navigate these external factors and maintain a strong belief in their vision. By staying focused and resilient, you can overcome obstacles and stay committed to your goals, even during challenging times. However, not everyone has this level of resiliency. 

Essentially, a common theme for entrepreneurs among all three of these things is a need for resilience. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, and Art is no stranger to this fact.

What inspired you to become an entrepreneur, what problem does your business solve and who are its customers?

Art has founded two companies, with the second being inspired as a sort of knock-on effect from the first. The first company Art founded, Circlet, was created with the intention of preserving and transferring family history and legacy. Inspired by the loss of his father, Art created an app where users can send cards, messages, and videos to be delivered to loved ones on future dates or milestones. 

This technology allows individuals to ensure that important memories and sentiments are shared with their family and friends in a meaningful way even after their passing. However, Art aims for this service to be provided for free and this required him to devise a way to fund the app without selling client information, bombarding the app with ads, or charging its users. 

As a result of developing Circlet, Art’s customers expressed their desire for a digital will solution. Many people have significant digital assets and accounts that they want to pass on to their loved ones, but the process can be complex and overwhelming. 

In response, Art founded his second company and created the Digital Will technology, which enables users to curate their important accounts, records, personal wishes, and instructions for their loved ones. This eliminates the need for expensive attorney services, simplifies the process of managing and transferring digital assets after one’s passing, and provides Art with a way to bankroll his original company, Circlet.

Art’s business has gained significant traction, with millions of users across the world utilizing the Circlet app and a growing number of users adopting his Digital Will technology. Our own Courtney Botha expressed interest in his Digital Will services, citing the exchange rate as her main objection, and Art divulged that he plans to expand the company’s offerings by introducing country-based pricing through the exploration of partnerships with major tech companies.

If someone had given you a million dollars when you first started your business, what would you have spent it on?

Similarly to other entrepreneurs answering the million dollar question, if Art had received a million-dollar investment when he first started his company, he would have allocated the funds strategically to fuel its growth. Initially, facing challenges with securing significant investments from venture capitalists who demanded a large portion of the company, Art decided to bootstrap the business using his own savings. However, with a million-dollar investment, he would have been able to accelerate the development and expansion of his company in several key areas.

First and foremost, Art would have allocated a substantial portion of the investment towards product development and enhancing the technological capabilities of his solutions. This would include further refining the Circlet app and Digital Will technology, ensuring a seamless user experience, and incorporating advanced features based on market feedback and emerging industry trends.

A significant portion of the investment would have been earmarked for marketing and customer acquisition. Art understands the importance of market validation and believes in the power of others believing in his vision. He would have implemented targeted marketing campaigns with the additional resources to raise awareness about his company’s offerings, attract more users to the Circlet app, and promote the benefits of the Digital Will technology to individuals seeking to manage and transfer their digital assets.

Art would also have used the million dollars to build a strong and talented team that could support the company’s growth. Hiring skilled professionals across various functions such as software development, marketing, customer support, and operations would have been a priority. 

Lastly, a portion of the investment would have been dedicated to infrastructure and operational expenses, including technology infrastructure, office space, equipment, and legal compliance. By investing in robust infrastructure and ensuring operational efficiency, Art would have been able to provide a reliable and secure platform for users while positioning his company for long-term success.

What is your proudest accomplishment as an Entrepreneur?

Art, like many of the entrepreneurs we chat to, could tell you 10 things he needs or wants to change about his business before he could tell you about his proudest accomplishment in running it. However, he still managed to come up with an answer to this tough question.
It’s no surprise that Art’s proudest accomplishment as an entrepreneur lies in the positive impact his services have had on individuals and families facing challenging circumstances. Hearing from users who have found solace in his technology, particularly a mother with limited time left due to a serious illness, using the services to connect with her children during important milestones like birthdays and graduations, fills Art with immense satisfaction and brings him a sense of peace. 

Knowing that his work has made a tangible difference in someone’s life fuels his motivation and dedication to his mission. Even if it were just one person whose life was positively impacted, Art believes it would have been worth the effort as it was his main intention with starting the company to begin with. 

However, the fact that his services now reach hundreds of thousands of people amplifies the significance of his achievement. This deep sense of purpose and the opportunity to improve the lives of others is what drives Art to continue working tirelessly, despite the challenges and sacrifices he faces as an entrepreneur.

What big goals are you looking to achieve?

Art has set his sights on achieving ambitious goals in the future. By the end of this year alone, his aim is to establish his company as the world’s largest online will creation administrator. This aspiration stems from the overwhelming response and feedback he receives from users on a daily basis. With thousands of people visiting his platform and utilizing the services provided, Art is confident in his ability to solve a pressing problem in a remarkable way. 

He finds deep fulfillment in witnessing his vision come to life, from initial design stages to implementation and testing processes. The most rewarding aspect for Art is the ability to have a real global impact, reaching millions of individuals across different corners of the world, all from his base in Chicago. Art envisions his scope of influence growing in the future, as he imagines his ability to impact more and more people increasing year-on-year.

Founding his company entirely on his own dime with a desire to alleviate the pain that many experience when losing a loved one, and creating his second company in response to client’s highlighting a need for a digital will service, Art has truly earned the name of entrepreneur for the people. 

Where does your desire to become an entrepreneur stem from? Let us know that and more by connecting with us today so that we can discuss the ins and outs of your own entrepreneur story!