Hiwot came to Britain and has invested time, money and effort into charities, voluntary organisations, and foreign aid projects in the UK and Africa. Self-proclaimed Tech-Expert and all round hard worker, Hiwot has never let someone saying ‘no’ get in the way.
Outline your business and entrepreneurial skills, including your relative achievements to date in running a business:
Good Nannies is the first business that I have funded. However I have always worked in businesses and projects that have provided me with transferable skills that I can use to run Good Nannies efficiently.
One of the biggest problems in business is that most business do not understand their customers. However Good Nannies was developed through my own and others’ experiences, which means that I am targeting parents like me and understand what is missing in many Nanny Recruitment Agencies and what services would benefit both parent and child. I am very passionate about helping parents and know that my service will add value to my clients and make their lives easier.
With a Tech marketing and PR background, I am using these skills to communicate The Good Nannies message to the relevant customer. I have also been able to write and design the content for my website and I understand the place technology has and will have in building a competitive and exceptional Nanny Recruitment Service.
I am a naturally creative person who in many brainstorming sessions has offered new and forward thinking ideas which is so vital in order to keep your business relevant.With a Business Finance degree behind me, I am able to budget wisely and also monitor my cash flow.
Outside of work, I am a member of JCI London which is a voluntary organisation. Through that I have been part of a team that set up a project to raise money to buy 1,000 bed nets and to take them to Ghana, which was delivered this April. The team now has over 15 unpaid volunteers dedicating their own time and money to save lives. Through this project I have learnt how to create and lead a team, run several fundraising events and manage a project.
Why do you have the ability to be an inspiring role model? Provide examples to illustrate:
I believe I have the ability to be an inspiring role model because I have never given up or stopped working hard. I aim to have a full balanced life and set a good example for my son. I believe regardless of where you start you can always turn the tables around.
After leaving care at 16, I neglected my education but did enough to be accepted to a university. During the university induction I found out that I was pregnant and then got married at 19, but continued to study. My labour lasted four days followed by an emergency C section, however I sat my exams two weeks later and finally graduated with a 2.1 in a Business Finance BA.
After graduation I struggled to my career off the ground so I volunteered in the day time with a local estate agent and worked in a local bar at night. Several job and internship applications later I eventually got an internship at a top PR firm, followed by four other internships at big PR firms until I secured my first role.
Despite my attempts to balance work, motherhood and marriage, it was very demanding and unfortunately my marriage suffered and collapsed. However my experience has taught me that many other women experience the same demands on time and struggle to achieve work/life balance, so Good Nannies was born as a result!
In trying to set a good example for others I volunteered to teach kids the importance of goal setting and began co-organising London’s Youth Conference with UCL AISAC. I also began working with the JCI charity and set up The JCI London to Tamale project that is raising funds to buy mosquito nets to send to Ghana.
What is your business / idea and what would you use the £5,000 towards if you were to win
My business will provide a Nanny Recruitment and management service. I aim to provide parents with nannies that are 21st century ready nannies, which means that they are trained to keep children safe online and are technology aware to deal with various tasks using project management tools.
The management service plans to deliver parents with a formal report that will update them with their child’s activities, pictures, videos and issues. It will also aims to tailor the programme with the child in focus, you work with parents and nannies to set them goals and make sure that they are taking the steps they need to achieve their goals. The aim is also to make sure that parents don’t feel like getting help from a nanny like another work they have to do as there are lots of issues that is involved in when managing a nanny. Often parents have to follow up on tasks they set and send reminder to ensure things for their children are done when they need to be. The management service plans to take the stress out.
As well as developing a software that is project management tool/social media site, which I plan to also sell to other agencies. The aim of the software is to allow parent to login in and see what their children are doing, assign tasks to nannies and effectively manage their children’s development. It allows working parents to be there, when they are now! I will also target working /middle class parents, as other agencies don’t, but I have found a way that I can help them through ofsted registered nannies. When parents work full time the relationship with your children suffers and by providing part time nannies and giving parent two to three days a week where they can enjoy their time with their family is essential.
The financial help will be used purely for developing the software. Based on my research the software will cost £3,000 to £5,000 to deliver.
