A new social media platform that will help business owners connect, network, grow their businesses and seek advice from their peers has launched.
Boa, which stands for business owners app, has been created by the team behind Australia’s leading members-only community for business owners, Club of United Business (CUB).
CUB and Boa Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hakim said the social media platform was for small and medium business owners across all sectors, including real estate.
“We wanted to create a community where business owners can engage with each other, share knowledge and network in a meaningful way,” he said.
“Businesses need support more than ever with increasingly difficult economic and social times.”
Mr Hakim said he was inspired to launch CUB eight years ago after he noticed business owners overseas had clubs and communities they could belong to.
This progressed to Boa after he noticed membership pick up during COVID-19.
“We started growing faster than ever, so I started asking the new members why they were joining because we weren’t able to serve them like we used to (due to COVID restrictions), it was all digital,” he said.
“They all said the same thing, which was that they wanted to connect with others in the same position to help them navigate this big shared problem we were all experiencing at the time.
“And that’s when it hit me. Business owners don’t actually have a platform to connect with each other on.”
Mr Hakim said traditional social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, were too broad and didn’t provide the right atmosphere for business owners to speak authentically.
Boa allows members to follow specific community threads, such as startups or capital raising, to ensure they are exposed to conversations, members and communities that matter to them and their needs.
Members will be able to connect with other business leaders to seek advice, recommendations and to collaborate with other members.
“The platform is still a young company, so at the moment it’s being used for people to post questions and access instant support and advice and opinions from other business owners,” Mr Hakim said.
“It’s very much being used like a national advisory board.
“However, it’s also very important to us, as our user base grows, to build additional features. For example, our members are already facilitating warm introductions to each other and organising coffee catch ups and meetings.
“So (it’s about) having a more formalised way to actually network on the platform. So we’re releasing the ability to create and host events as well.”
Boa has been funded and built by CUB members, with investors including Yellow Brick Road Executive Chairman Mark Bouris, and founding users such as TRG CEO Gavin Rubinstein, Finder Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Cabral and Equalution Co-founder Amal Wakim.
Mr Rubinstein said Boa had a lot to offer in the real estate space.
“As a real estate professional and business owner, it is beneficial to have a strong set of business skills in addition to real estate skills,” he said.
“Being a part of Boa gives us the ability to grow our network, as Boa is designed to be a social media platform for business owners and entrepreneurs.
“Building a network of like-minded business owners can provide numerous advantages; It allows you to exchange ideas, gain insights, learn from others’ experiences and connect with potential future clients.”
Mr Bouris said Boa was about sharing experiences, knowledge and support.
“For a long time now, I’ve been wondering how to democratise what super successful people have always had access to,” he said.
“How can we give every Australian, who is in business, access to great minds, great ideas and solutions?
“Boa’s primary undertaking is to give all Australian business owners access to what only a few have ever had in the past.
“Our hope is that it will be nation building and will make our business community stand tall among the rest of the world.”
Mr Hakim said he also remembers growing up and seeing his parents struggle with the various challenges building a business poses.
“Being immigrants, they didn’t have a network of like-minded people to turn to for advice,” he said.
“That’s why I’ve created Boa, to give business owners a community to turn to when they need a problem solved.”
Boa is free, but members must be an ABN holder or company director to gain access to the platform.
There is also a premium version for $45 per month, which includes additional features such as account verification, boosted boats, the ability to create communities and events and improved messaging features.
For more information and to download the app visit boa.app.
