Bucquistador Isn’t Your Typical Social Network

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Credit: Bucquistador (FB)

Local woman TJ Schallot never really cared for following rules. As a child, she was scolded so much people grew tired of yelling her full name and decided to just use her initials to save time. That disruptive attitude has stuck with Schallot and may help explain her latest endeavor.

Although the Internet is chock-full of failed ventures and boring social media websites, Schallot was not deterred from entering the field and creating something unique and inspiring. The result? She launched Bucquistador, a bucket list-centered social networking website. The name is an amalgamation of “bucket list and conquistador.”

Through Bucquistador users can create a listing of their personal goals while engaging with other users. They can even schedule events around their bucket items and raise funds through crowdfunding supported software.

I recently spoke with Shallot about her growing business:

Holy City Sinner: How has the response to Bucquistador been so far?

TJ Schallot: The response had been really good – lots of people love the concept. We actually tripled the amount of users we had in just the first week after the press release.

HCS: What led to the site’s creation?

TJS: I traveled all over the world when I was a manufacturing auditor and I always took advantage of the location and activities in every country or city that I was in. I am the person that goes skydiving, scuba diving, bull riding, ziplining, etc. After every expedition, I would post pictures of my exploits on Facebook and half of the comments I got back were my friends complaining that they didn’t get to go. So, I decided (with the support of my husband) to create my own website.

HCS: What are your goals for the site? What do you hope it will be?

TJS: I don’t really have a set number of users in mind or anything like that. I don’t really care how many users we have, I just want the users we have to have a great experience on the website.

My goal for the next few months will be to continue to streamline the website and incorporate user feedback into the design and functionality. This website was created to address my needs, but I really want to focus on ensuring that it continues to address other users’ needs when completing their life goals.

HCS: Tell me about the crowd-funding portion of the site, how does it work?

TJS: It allows you to create a bucket list item, like a Vegas vacation, and collect payments to help you reach that goal. So, instead of you having to pay $2,000 for a Las Vegas vacation house and hoping that your friends all pay you back, you can use the Bucquistador website to tell all of your friends to chip in until you reach the goal.

HCS: What are some of the more unique goals you’ve seen listed?

TJS: There have been a lot of really creative life goals posted to the website like: learn to barrel race, own real estate in another country, see a building be professionally demolished with explosives, build a Habitat for Humanity house, donate time to a charity, put a desk in an elevator and ask people if they have an appointment when they attempt to get on, or ride an air mattress down the stairs.