INSTEAD OF MAKING M , NOA, 16,
MADE IT RAIN BY LAUNCH G BUSINESS.hen I was little, most of my friends had
busy working parents, so they usually
had a nanny or babysitter to watch them
after school. At birthday parties, I would
play with my friends, but I would talk to
the nannies, too. I’d ask them how they
liked their job and the kids they watched. Even though I was just a kid,
they were surprisingly open. A lot of them would tell me their job was
OK, but that they weren’t super happy.
The more nannies and babysitters
I talked to, the more I realised parents
weren’t always good at finding the
perfect match for their family.
I used my insider knowledge to help my mum’s friends find nannies.
The mums would tell me about their kids and what their needs were and
I’d rack my brain for a nanny I’d talked to who would be a perfect fit.
After a few successful matches, I thought I might be able to make
a whole business out of this.
Knowing where to start was the
hardest part. In the beginning, I really
doubted myself.I was only 13 and didn’t know anything
about business. But the more I looked up the questions I had online,
the more I realised there are so many resources out there – and most of
them are free! Taking the plunge was definitely the hardest part.
The first thing I did was build a website using an easy online platform.
Then, I started interviewing nannies, interviewing parents and matching
em up. Slowly, word got out about my business, which I named
annies by Noa and I started getting more and more clients.
ast year, I was getting so many emails and had so much work to
nnies by Noa was really consuming my life. There was no way
ll while also getting all my schoolwork done and having
out with my friends. I was at a crossroads.Do I give
Or do I bring someone new in to
it over? It was a huge decision.
ter really thinking it over, I decided to hire a CEO, who is now my
ly employee. I’m still always in touch with her, but she handles the
y-to-day tasks and interacts with clients. You only go to high school
ce and I still want to be a normal teen while I still can.
I make about US $300,000 per year with my business. I’m saving it and
ight invest it toward making Nannies by Noa even bigger than it is now.
My friends at school don’t treat me any differently now from how
they did before I started my business.I feel really lucky
to have people in my life who are
really supportive of me.
Even though I’m 16, I definitely consider myself a businesswoman
and I encourage other teens to follow their passion too. My biggest tip is
to be patient.Sometimes it seems like startups
become successful overnight, but in
reality it takes hard work and time.
I’m not sure where my business will take me or what I’m going to
do after high school. But I know that this experience will help me in
anything I do. Following my passion is what got me this far!“I launched my own business when I was 13.”
Y c
high schl ce
dIs LLwt
a rmal t
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whi i c!
AS TOLD TOEMILY LAURENCE