As an entrepreneur, you create something that reflects your vision of the world.
It was so great being able to speak with Alex, who is our first female entrepreneur in the Founder Stories series! She brought a refreshing perspective to the table. It was amazing to she launched her business while being a caring wife and mother of a family. To this day, she’s still able to maintain a work-life balance, which I find incredible.
It was fascinating to hear how she used her previous career experiences to forge a solution that would generate ten times the impact. Alex started as a family physician working within the care system. Over time, she got impatient of the slow pace of change. She was only able to take small leaps forward to her goal of reforming and transforming healthcare.
While working with patients, she noticed one particular repeating pain point: family stress. Her solution? myBestHelper.
DR. ALEXANDRA T GREENHILL: CO-FOUNDER & CEO OF MYBESTHELPER
myBestHelper is a tech company that helps people live life well. We invent tech that supports families who are increasingly disconnected, struggling to care for kids and elders which leads to stresses that reduce happiness and productivity and impact health.
We are 4G: GOOD (solve real problems), GREAT (in execution), GLOBAL (in application) and GIVING (for profit with a mission).
A few key takeaways from our conversation…
Be willing to say “I don’t know.” Then go find out what it is that you need to know.
Assemble an all-star team. As a leader, your job is to create the right conditions so your team can excel. You will never know all the answers. Find people who are experts in areas that you are not an expert in, and trust them. No entrepreneur succeeds on their own. People are your best asset.
There will always be people who aren’t going to like your product or find it valuable. Don’t take it personally.
Alex was pitching to four VCs and was told that no one would ever use her product. Like any rejection, this was demoralizing. But as she was leaving, their assistant who was in the room followed her out to the elevator. She told her that she loved her product and that there was definitely a need for it. She begged her to turn it into reality.
So always keep your end users in mind. These are the people who will be using your product and be feeling the impact of your innovation.
Before you start a new venture, it’s important to have a conversation with the people you are close to in your life.
Figure out how you’re going to build your own support system.
I think this is a really great point that Alex brought up. For me, this was something I never even considered. We hear so often that being an entrepreneur shakes up your world. “Don’t expect to have a social life.” “You’re going to have sleepless nights.” And the list goes on.
But it also affects the lives of the people around you, like your family, spouse and close friends. This most definitely shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your startup dream. If you can have an honest conversation and plan out beforehand how you want to overcome any potential relationships challenges you may face, it can help a great deal in the long run when things get tough.
Want to know more about myBestHelper? Check out their website here.
Hey I’m Celine, Content Creator for Launch Academy and a 3rd year marketing student at the Sauder School of Business of the University of British Columbia. Here I dive into the startup stories of local entrepreneurs who are making their mark in the world.
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