How it Started: The idea for HerHelp started with Lexy's own personal struggles she faced within a range of different aspects of growing up and never felt like she had a place to turn to.
She realised she wasn't the only person experiencing this lost feeling and decided she was going to create a safe space online for people to turn to feel encouraged, guided and supported through any and all life challenges thrown at them.
In her final year of high school at 17, she launched an app called HerHelp after teaching herself how to make it. Lexy had no coding skills at the time and started by YouTubing "How to make an app" and realising it was a lot harder than that.
2019
The App She Launched by Herself in 2019
Although basic, Lexy at 17 was able to create a platform with over 10,000 users
& it took her to some pretty amazing places...
2019
The Australian 2021, Youth that Need to be Taken Seriously
Launch Day
19th July 2019
2021
Marie Claire Feature 2021
August 2019
November 2019
December 2019
Lexy was proud of the app she made and the impact it had on thousands BUT she knew it could be better...
For a few months Lexy sat down and created a new app design screen by screen button by button
She sent her fully designed prototype to an app development company in Perth WA who quoted
$2.2 Million AUS Dollars for the app she wanted
WTF
MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY
MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY
Making it Happen: "As a 17 year old being told your dream & future is going to set you back 2.2 Million AUS Dollars is honestly soul crushing". However Lexy isn't a quitter she reached out to tech students (who still wanted $800,000 AUD for the app dev), Universities, investors, grants, crowd funding organisations, you name it Lexy did everything she could and everything within her power to back this happen.
"As an 18-19 year old trying to navigate the world of business and having people in their 50s offering you crazy 6 digit numbers to invest in your business and turning down amounts of money you couldn't even dream of is really scary". But she knew what the goal was and she stuck with it.
After turning down investors to keep HerHelp 100% hers and companies who once promised money pulling out as funds got tight due to COVID 19, Lexy spent A LOT of time writing grant applications at the end of 2020 to 2021.
After what felt like her hundredth grant application knock back (because getting money as an 18 year old business owner is REALLY HARD), her step dad Geoff pulled her aside and said, "I can't keep watching how upset you get every-time a grant application falls through, now I can't promise anything BUT I did make a wool testing machine 20 years ago, so I understand code, if you want me to give it a try?"... Now Lexy was super hesitant to jump into this as she knew Geoff didn't even have a Facebook account... But they decided to give it a go...
and a trip around Australia thrown in...
2020 - 2021- 2022
and after a year of development... we presented to you our labour of love
HerHelp 2.0!!
