The Power of Cats
As we approach the end of December, it is time for our annual CatSwoppr recap of the year gone by and a glimpse into the exciting year ahead for our team.
We believe in the power of cats. That's why, over the past year, we have made a strong effort to put cats, cat pawrents and nonprofit cat organizations in the spotlight. Our mission is to help you inspire other cat lovers to give back to cats.
With our Global Cat PR Agency we strive to encourage fellow cat enthusiasts to make a difference in the lives of cats by sharing their heartwarming cat stories.Â
Felines have the unique gift to bring people together. In these challenging times, this is more crucial than ever. For us, there is no greater pleasure than harnessing and amplifying the power of cats.
The First Global Cat PR Agency in the World
In 2023, we have successfully helped 71 new clients to give a voice to their cats and nonprofit cat organizations. Since our start in 2022, we have created over 103 cat stories for our clients.Â
This year, our new clients hailed from various corners of the world, including fascinating countries like Kazakhstan, Spain, Australia, Denmark, and Singapore.
Therefore, in 2023, we started to brand ourselves more as the very first Global Cat PR Agency in the world. We truly are the pioneers in this field. Nowhere else will you find such a PR agency solely dedicated to promoting and celebrating cats on a global scale.
Not only are our clients "Global," but our team members, both past and present, also come from all around the world. They work remotely, connecting from different continents. For instance, as team members on our journey in 2023 we had with us Gyath from the Middle East, Tebogo from Africa, and Asmita from Asia, all contributing their unique perspectives and expertise.
Furthermore, we have introduced an exciting new approach to sharing cat stories via the captivating video recaps of our blogs. It has always been our aspiration to present our cat stories in video format, and now, thanks to the efforts of our former Spanish team member Carla, we have made this dream a reality.
Carla has also gone the extra mile for our team by creating a practical and user-friendly tutorial on how to create these video recaps. This tutorial is included in a new Onboarding Document for our new team members. This document has been recently edited by our former Indonesian HR team member, Dio.
Enhanced Visuals
In addition to the video recaps, we have also gotten a tad prettier visually. Our Turkish graphic designer and visual artist, Ömür, has created some fantastic artwork over the past year. We have added colorful and quirky banners and icons for our Twitter/X , Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and Instagram. It's evident that these visuals are not mere computer-generated images, but rather a labor of love and craftsmanship.
Ömür also designed a beautiful print for a T-shirt, which could be part of our future merchandise. At this moment, we are still experimenting with the fits and our design. We hope to finish perfecting the pawtential merchandise in the coming year.Â
A New CTO, Roman Babenko
In 2023, there were significant changes on the technical front. Early in the year, Indian Canadian Shrey took over as the CTO, replacing the previous Swedish Swiss Technical Advisor Magnus, who had fallen ill but thankfully made a full recovery. However, despite Shrey's role as CTO, we were unable to make any progress on our envisioned product. As a result, we welcomed Ukrainian Swiss Roman Babenko as our new CTO in May 2023.
With Roman on board, we immediately adopted new tools. Notion and Figma replaced Confluence, Jira, and Slack, which were previously used by Magnus. Interestingly, Carla was already familiar with Figma, so it was a smooth transition for her. Additionally, with a smaller team, we temporarily paused our use of Canva and Trello.
Under Roman's guidance, I collaborated on defining the technical requirements for our upcoming app using Notion and Figma. Based on this document, Roman began creating wireframes. We also sought the input of Ömür to ensure the design met the aesthetic standards of our CatSwoppr brand guide.Â
Introducing the CatScanR, Your Ultimate App as Cat Lover!
We've brought the Notion and Figma sketches of our envisioned product to life and created a fantastic prototype. Take a look at the prototype of our CatScanR app here, it's like Google Maps, Linktree, and Whatsapp all rolled into one!
With the CatScanR app, you can scan your immediate surroundings or explore the entire world on a map to connect and communicate with fellow cat pawrents and cat enthusiasts. Whether you're looking for cat sitting, stray cat feeding, or even just a cat walking buddy, this app has got you covered.
When you open the app, you'll instantly see your location on the map and get a glimpse of all the adorable cats in your area. Plus, there's a vibrant community feed where you can browse through all sorts of cat-related posts.
The best part? Creating a detailed personal profile for your cat(s) is completely free! You can showcase your furry friend's breed, age, location, color pattern, social media and you can even highlight your specific cat-themed interests like cat food, cat walking, family lineage, or health care.
Once you've set up your cat's profile, you can easily search for other cats with similar characteristics and interests. It's a purrfect way to find like-minded feline friends and connect with them right within the app.
Our CatScanR is the ultimate tool for cat lovers who want to explore, connect, and share their love for cats. You have the option to join a group chat or engage in a one-on-one conversation with a cat. This unique feature allows you to connect with fellow cat enthusiasts on a deeper level, fostering new friendships, sharing valuable tips and tricks, seeking assistance, or simply having an encouraging chat.
Our CTO, Roman, is currently working on transforming this concept into a functional prototype - a minimum viable product (MVP). We anticipate launching the MVP in either the first or second quarter of 2024.
The core features of the app, including profile creation, cat search, and communication with other cat lovers, will always be free. However, we envision incorporating additional services as part of our business model.
Initially, the first version of the app will not include any paid additional services. We want to ensure that all functions are working seamlessly and make necessary improvements before introducing any paid features.
In the future, we plan to introduce a paid "Urgency Button" that allows you to prioritize your urgent calls or messages, placing them at the top of the community feed for 24 hours. Other additional services we have in mind will be shared later.
2024 the Year Ahead
Above, I gave you a sneak peek into what lies ahead for us in 2024. Let me elaborate further on our plans.Â
First and foremost, we will be launching the MVP that will revolutionize the way cat lovers connect and share their feline experiences. We are committed to constantly improving the MVP and even introducing a paid additional service to enhance the user experience.
We are also determined to expand our audience base of cat enthusiasts through the Global Cat PR Agency. We will spread the love for cats far and wide, alluring the hearts of cat people all around the world.
In addition to these exciting developments, I am thrilled to announce that I will be featured in an interview in the blog section on Fintech platform Enty. They have a blog dedicated to sharing inspiring entrepreneurial journeys, and I am honored to be a part of it. Interestingly, Enty’s blog operates in a similar fashion to our Global Cat PR Agency, using captivating stories to engage their audience and attract customers.
Being on the other side of the table as an interviewee was a refreshing experience for me. It allowed me to gain valuable insights into the tools and technologies used by Enty. They employ professional AI tools for video recording, basic meeting notes, full video transcripts, and even a copywriting help tool.
While technology plays a significant role in our lives, we firmly believe in the power of human touch. That's why our blogs in 2024 will continue to be hand-written by our team of skilled word-smiths of flesh and blood, and meticulously edited by our outstanding Romanian team member and English Language and Literature student Flavia. In my view, this will ensure that our cat stories remain truly unique, fresh, and far from being computer-generated-like.
2023 in Numbers and Facts
We have helped a whopping 71 new clients share their captivating cat stories in 2023, bringing the tally to 103 clients in total since September 2022. Together, we have successfully spread these stories around the world. This has been enhanced as each of our clients has its own unique social media following
We have organically grown our CatSwoppr Instagram account from 1,700 to 2,100 followers
We have welcomed a new CTO, Roman who hails from Ukraine and resides and works in Switzerland
We have successfully created a prototype for our CatScanR app and are currently working on developing the first test version of the MVP
Among our esteemed team members, Aura from Indonesia, Ömür from Turkey, and Flavia from Romania are three dedicated cat lovers who have been with us since 2022
Expressing Our Deep Gratitude to Past and Present Team Members
Finally and most importantly, without the cooperation of past and present team members, our success in 2023 for CatSwoppr could not have been pawsible.Â
Thank you so much for your exceptional contributions in 2023 dear Qian, Vera, Alparslan, Gyath, Napat, Stefene, Tebogo, Ivan, Andreea, Linlin, Shrey, Asmita, Maya, Anastasia, Revel, Luuc, Samer, Manal, Ishrath, Suki Samara, Carla, and Dio. We firmly believe that cats all around the world are grateful to you and the support you have given them.
A lot of appreciation and love also goes out to our present team members Roman, Aura, Ömür, Anne, Eric, and Flavia. Additionally, we warmly welcome Ha Tran from Vietnam, our newest team member, who will be joining our Content Creation Team on the final day of 2023. Together, we will strive to make the world a more beautiful place for cats in 2024.
Once again, we extend our sincerest gratitude and wish everyone a cat-tastic, feline-filled, and purrfect 2024!
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Yours Furrly,
suki
Founder & CEO (Cat Executive Officer) CatSwoppr
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