Meet GES Delegate: Antonija Horak
Organization: TutoTod
Twitter handle: @tutotod
Country of Origin: Croatia
Website: www.tutotod.com
Brief Description of Organization: TutoTod is an educational app that encourages and develops the creators of future. Inside TutoTod you can find 100+ educational craft tutorials that can all be made using 6 basic supplies. Through this limitation TutoTod explores the endless creative potential of the supplies and the users as well, and cuts the need for special crafting supplies and the time for preparation. In this way, TutoTod wants to turn crafts into an everyday kids’ activity.
What inspired you to start this organization? Before TutoTod I held educational-creative workshops in Zagreb, Croatia, where parents did crafts with their children. It was a big success from the get-go and very soon we had a huge waiting list. The workshop being such a big hit made me realize that most parents don’t know how to spend quality time with their kids at home, by themselves. I couldn’t let this thought go, so I did research to find out the reasons. More than 200 parents told me that they feel they’re not creative enough, they don’t have the time, they lack the supplies, they cannot find ideas.
Very soon I realized this is a global problem that required a global solution. So I sold the workshop and focused on TutoTod – an app that gives all parents simple ideas for spending quality time with their kids that require zero time for preparation and the very basic supplies everyone has at home.
What is the next big step you hope to help your organization reach?Most parents are not aware of the incredible developmental benefits of doing crafts with their children. Crafts develop creativity, imagination, focus, fine motor skills and boost children’ self-confidence. However, they’re still mostly reserved for kindergartens, workshops and really crafty moms.
Our mission is to change that and turn crafts into an everyday activity that all parents and kids do at home. To do that, first we need to raise awareness and change people’s habits. Obviously, this is a long road with very little shortcuts, but the thought of reaching such a meaningful goal keeps me going more persistently, patiently and resiliently than ever.
What has been your biggest obstacle as an entrepreneur? The startup ecosystem in Croatia is still in its beginning and sensitive stage, which can be very challenging, especially for a startup that wants to grow on a global scale. This is partly due to the insufficient support from the national bodies, partly to the fact that there are not enough mentors and/or startups with the experience in the same field that we’re in. Being a female entrepreneur in a country like Croatia, where traditional values are still very prominent, is also a big challenge.
What advice would you give other emerging entrepreneurs? Find a way to see the benefits in the grinding, drowning, difficult phase of starting up and enjoy them too.
