We recently connected with Christine Imoukhuede and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Picture this: the summer of 2021, and I’m caught up in a crazy wedding scene. Three close friends in Dallas are all set to get hitched in Nigeria, mixing tradition and modern stuff in their ceremonies. The tricky part? They’re dealing with weddings happening in different parts of the world, and there’s no guarantee the payments are safe. That’s when I thought, “Okay, I need to sort this out,” and Ahavaplan was born.

I did a bunch of research to see what’s out there and how other solutions fell short. The name had to resonate with my vision – a fusion of “Love” and “Planning.” With a touch of wordplay and inspiration from a tattoo etched a decade ago, the name “Ahavaplan” materialized, a harmonious blend of “Ahava” (Hebrew for Love) and “Plan” – pronounced as “I Have A Plan.”

Armed with a decade of co-planning events on the side and a wealth of technical product experience from fortune 100 companies, I set out to sculpt Ahavaplan as a stress-buster for the tumultuous world of wedding planning. Enlisting the expertise of a UI/UX designer, I began to breathe life into the idea. February 2022 marked a pivotal moment as we committed ourselves to crafting the perfect wireframe, a facelift that prioritized the needs of wedding planners over just couples. With unwavering dedication to perfection, the design phase concluded in July 2022, paving the way for the development of the MVP application by a dedicated 3rd party company.

The following months became a challenging balancing act, as I navigated my responsibilities as a Senior Program Manager at Apple while simultaneously steering the development of Ahavaplan. In a daring move, I decided to part ways with my ten-year-long corporate career in January 2023, a decision fueled by a mix of apprehension, fear, and an unwavering confidence in the success of Ahavaplan. Fortunately, having a network of knowledgeable and skilled individuals made the process of assembling my dream team of remarkably smooth. I enlisted the help of my friends and family to take roles as CMO, CTO, Head of Partnerships and Head of People.

By March 2023, we faced our first major disappointment as a company – realizing that the company we hired to build our MVP were as inexperienced as they come. We suffered a huge loss of funds, time and morale and there were times I felt like giving up. This was when my true learning began – learning to push forward in the face of failure and adversity. I quickly assembled a new team and successfully launched Ahavaplan into the App Store and Play Stores on July 15th, 2023.

Finally launching the product allowed us to continue making iterations based on feedback from actual users. In all of this, I have had to figure out how to be an amazing manager and an even better worker. There is so much research, effort and dedication that comes with executing an idea and I must say that it has been a very challenging but worthwhile journey.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Christine Imoukhuede, the force behind Ahavaplan. At 20, armed with a degree in accounting, I found myself in the familiar millennial struggle—a job that left me unfulfilled. Seeking a challenge and driven by a newfound passion, I dove back into academia for a master’s degree in business analytics. Finally, I was in my element—immersed in data, solving problems, and soaking up knowledge.

Over the past decade, I’ve been fortunate to navigate the corporate landscapes of UPS, Lockheed Martin, and Apple. In every role, my heart found joy in solving problems through innovative products and automation. A highlight was at Lockheed Martin, where a product I created earned me the opportunity to present to military leaders, engineers, and even the Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, and her senior VP staff—a monumental achievement.

At 26, the entrepreneurial bug bit me, leading to the birth of Ahavaplan. By the age of 28, I proudly launched my first self-funded product.

Ahavaplan isn’t just an app; it’s my brainchild, transforming the wedding planning experience. This mobile marvel streamlines processes, ensures secure transactions through escrow accounts, and fosters connections between businesses and clients. It’s the all-in-one solution, making wedding planning—from checklists to guest lists—a smooth and enjoyable journey.

What sets Ahavaplan apart is its deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by couples planning weddings with cultural and international dimensions. From Cultural Sensitivity to a personalized touch, Ahavaplan eases coordination for couples and vendors alike. My goal is clear—to lead the wedding planning market, transcending cultural boundaries and spanning diverse locations.

In my hands, Ahavaplan is more than a solution; it’s a testament to my relentless pursuit of excellence and a commitment to revolutionizing the way we celebrate love worldwide.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The primary source of new clients for us has been attending wedding expos. Surprisingly, many people are unaware that these expos take place globally, offering engaged couples a platform to meet and hire vendors for their weddings. In November 2022, we participated in our first wedding expo in Dallas, TX, even before launching our product. This event allowed us to introduce our concept and conduct interviews with potential customers. To sweeten the deal, we distributed 100 free pilates class vouchers through a partnership with Club Pilates.

By our second expo in Houston on July 15th, 2023, we had officially launched our product and acquired over 100 new users in a single day.

In September 2023, we attended a wedding expo in Dubai as part of our preparation for expansion into this new market.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Steve Job’s Stanford Commencement speech has been the most impactful video in my journey thus far as an entrepreneur. I live by his quote “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. ”

Every twist and turn in my journey—choosing my major, hopping workplaces, or doing the grand exit from my 9-to-5 gig—has been a whimsical dance with destiny. It’s like I’ve been following this invisible guide that only I can see, and most times, it led me down paths that seemed to make zero sense in the moment. But hey, I’ve got this unshakable faith in my personal North Star—that I will succeed in everything I do.

Looking back, all I can do is laugh! Who would’ve thought that my snooze-worthy accounting degree that I thought was a waste of time would turn into my superhero cape for handling business taxes? And remember those Pilates classes during the pandemic? Little did I know they’d be the backstage pass to snagging support for my first wedding exhibition! Trusting my destiny is like having a cheat code for success, and guess what? It hasn’t let me down yet, and it sure won’t pull a disappearing act now!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ahavaplan.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahavaplan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087080960820
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cimoukhuede/
• Other: Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c_imoukhuede/