In March, Kontji Anthony wrote a letter to Action News 5, informing the local news station that she wouldn’t be renewing her contract. She dated it, then had to change that date three times — because she couldn’t bring herself to submit the letter.
Anthony desired to leave her position as an anchor and pour all her time into her Memphis-based startup, Youdle. But the thought of doing so was scary. She had been in journalism for almost 30 years, and had worked hard to build a successful career. She was living comfortably, and couldn’t help but wonder if she was doing the right thing — if she should leave what she knew, to do what she loved.
So, Anthony took time to mull over her decision. She prayed. She considered what she might say to herself, if she looked back on the moment a decade from now. She thought of her late father, John Anthony, who had run his own business for 53 years.
And she knew what she had to do.
“I felt that if I didn’t do this when my contract came up,” she said, “I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
Three weeks after writing the letter, Anthony turned it in to the network, taking a risk and plunging deep into the world of entrepreneurship.
Flash-forward to the present, and it’s a risk that seems to be paying off.
Spurred by a pandemic
The idea for Youdle stems from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking for a way to help people find products amid shortages, Anthony started the Facebook group Product Sightings, where people could let others know when they saw hard-to-find items.
The group — which still exists and has almost 34,000 members — quickly became a hit, serving as a lifeline for locals in times of need. And its enduring popularity and utility led Anthony to realize its wide-reaching potential. So, she took the concept and created Youdle in May 2021, which she runs with her two sisters, Johnita Anthony and Aurora Anthony; and her friend Taiwo Stanback — a Yale graduate who’s worked in Silicon Valley.
The startup’s goal is to help shoppers quickly find products they need in stores, while also providing a boon for brick-and-mortar businesses; helping them efficiently source inventory; and lure customers to their locations.
“Our tag line is, ‘Making it easy to locate hard-to-find products near you,’’’ Anthony said.
Youdle initially offered an app, but it’s pulled this from the App store, and is instead pivoting to focus on a mobile-friendly web platform, accessible on both phones and computers.
Its release is expected to come in two phases. In phase one, shoppers will be able to select their location, and use a search bar to find the products they’re looking for. Then, in phase two, retailers will be able to create profiles and post photos of items they’re selling.
In this phase, consumers will also be able to create profiles, which they can use to both find products and post photos of items they’ve seen in stores — letting others know where things are available, just as they do in the Product Sightings group on Facebook.
“The platform allows this interface between shoppers and retailers, and they’re all talking to one another to find a product faster,” Anthony said. “Our key function … is to help you find a product.”
In the coming weeks, Youdle will open the platform up to 600 beta testers, before releasing phase one of it to the public this fall. It's expected to be free for shoppers — though they can pay for additional perks, like ad-free service — and while national in scope, the initial focus will be on Memphis, a key area for the organization.
“It’s such a big leap, because I’m also having faith that Memphians will need this the way I think they will; what happens here is going to set the stage for the rest of the nation,” Anthony said. “It’s almost like creating a song, but you don’t know … that people will listen to it.”
The life of an entrepreneur
Though Anthony can’t be certain that people will flock to Youdle’s platform, the success of Product Sightings gives her confidence in its prospects.
“The fact that 34,000 people all joined this organically, with no advertising, and are using it every day, tells me that it’s needed,” she said.
Anthony and her team are also taking other steps.
She's been in the Columbia Business School Executive Education program since January, and is now certified in Google Analytics and Google Ads Search. They've joined the Greater Memphis Chamber, and won the Tennessee Small Business Center's 2022 Rising Star award. They’re working with the nonprofit Start Small Think — which provides resources to high-potential small businesses — to get through the patent process. They’ve raised $15,500 of a $50,000 round on the crowdfunding service Wefunder, and have secured $275,000 in total funds, getting them closer to their goal of $1.8 million.
The startup is staying busy. And as they work, the Anthony sisters are keeping their father close to their heart.
Pursuing a dream
When Anthony officially left Action News 5, her sisters flew down from New York State, where they live, to support her. And as the siblings spent time together, they reflected on the life of their father, John.
Their family had lived in New Rochelle, New York; and he ran Consolidated Appliance Services, a commercial kitchen repair business, which had clients throughout the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Regularly, John would leave for work at 3 a.m., and not return until 8 p.m. the next day. He was at work more than his home, laboring tirelessly so his daughters could get through college debt-free.
His efforts aren’t lost on them. And amid her career change, Kontji Anthony hopes her father would be proud.
“I have to see this through, for myself and for my family legacy,” she said. “My dad would want me to follow my dream.”
