Liana Grigory, Grigoryan Capital Group | Business Stories Magazine

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

Liana Grigory — U.S. Army Sergeant veteran, software engineer, and founder/CEO of Grigoryan Capital Group in Los Angeles. Through GCG I've designed and built four companies solo over six years: Tegula Stone, The Care Royal, Unified Savers, and DNL Bureau. I'm Armenian-American, based in LA. I hold an MBA in Management from the University of Hertfordshire and a BA in Psychology from American Military University.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now.

Los Angeles is full of opportunities, but unfortunately not as business-friendly as I wished.

Tell us a little more about what your company does and how it started. How does it help your customers?

Grigoryan Capital Group is a holding company where we design and build software companies. Under it currently sit four businesses, and every app we have built so far is free to use. Tegula Stone is a marketplace where we connect independent contractors to homeowners and vice versa. It's free for homeowners and free for contractors — no job fees or cuts, in comparison to other similar applications. The Care Royal is a home-care marketplace and agency software connecting caregivers and independent service professionals to families and vice versa, completely free to post jobs and find jobs. Unified Savers is a nonprofit: a free connector that hooks people up with lawyers, insurance guidance, and help they didn't know existed.

In early 2021, my home-care company needed software, and U.S. developers quoted $350,000 to over $1 million. I had an option: either independently build the software myself or give up on my vision. Nights and weekends, on top of military service and a full-time senior manager job. Eighteen months later the agency ran on software I wrote.

Everything since came from the same place: I noticed people getting squeezed by billion-dollar companies. I saw my father, a tiling contractor, losing a cut of every job to platforms charging per lead, per message, per text, without a guaranteed return on investment, and I noticed the need for an app that isn't focused on profit but instead on making our community a better place. So I built Tegula Stone, free for anyone to post and get leads, with tools to manage their small business.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

If you see a need in the market and you can provide the solution to meet the gap, do it, and most importantly, do not give up. If you can see the next step, take it; the rest takes care of itself. As long as you remain on the same route and in the same industry, working daily for the same goal, even small improvements go a long way. It's only a matter of time until you succeed if you just continue working and do not give up.

Business is like a stock: you can lose the funds, and that's why you hold and wait for it to go up, but the moment you give up and sell, your loss is locked in with no chance to recover.

What is one piece of feedback from a happy customer or client that you won't forget?

A pro on Tegula Stone, John T., left a five-star App Store review I won't forget. He wrote that other software options 'require expensive subscriptions for basic features' and called Tegula Stone 'an absolute game-changer' because the booking system, calendar, and business page are built in and easy to use, even for older generations. That's the entire reason I build the way I do — the tools should be free, and the business owner should keep their money. Hearing it back from someone actually running his business on it is the feedback that stays with me.

Where do you see your company in the future?

Grigoryan Capital Group keeps doing what it does — building software in exchange for equity or rev share with a select few US-based businesses that face the same challenges as me: they need software or an app to increase their revenue, but it's too expensive. That's where I come in and take care of it, from development to launch to maintenance and management, as a partner and investor. I see Tegula Stone and The Care Royal continuing to grow as free marketplaces. And for me personally, the goals are making the world a better place within my powers and retiring by 35.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

That contractors should pay to text customers and pay per lead regardless of whether they get the job. Million-dollar companies charge per message and per lead with no refund and no guarantee, while the working class trying to provide for their families gets squeezed. That's not fair — homeowners should post for free and choose who to message, and contractors should quote unlimited leads for free. The same goes for people who need jobs: they must be able to find jobs for free, and families shouldn't pay extra to find the care they need.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business, and how did you deal with it?

Burnout. I took long breaks many times, sometimes months, but I don't believe in quitting unless it's about toxic and bad habits. When I felt exhausted I took a break, then found the balance to finish the daily work I had scheduled ahead of time. In the military we have a quote: don't think, just do it — and always do the right thing morally, ethically and socially, regardless of what the cost will be. And I kept getting calls and emails from people who needed and relied on me — I created something that helps people, regardless of my feelings. My daily motivation is knowing I am not selling software but helping my community and other businesses grow and succeed.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

I didn't have any music artists or athletes, but if I have to choose one, I will choose Dostoevsky as a writer and Tchaikovsky as a composer.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

God, who gave me the vision of what I can do — I trusted Him when I had no one. Everything I build is for the people I love most: my family, and my dogs.