Interview with Sarah Agboola, Founder @ mtime
This month we are highlighting Inspiring Young Founders so asked Sarah Agboola, Founder of mtime about her experience as a young founder…
Can you tell us about yourself and your startup?
My name is Sarah Agboola and I am the CEO & Founder of mtime. mtime gives busy parents their time back by matching them with family assistants we train to provide a flexible mix of housekeeping and nannying tasks. I started working full time at mtime when I was 23 and am still at it 5 years later.
Can you tell us about your Founder journey and how mtime came to be?
I started mtime to solve a personal problem. When I was a teenager my dad passed away very suddenly. I have two younger sisters and our closest relatives live all the way in Nigeria. So when my dad died, my mum was tasked with taking care of a household, three children and full time work by herself when what she really needed was someone to take care of her while she recovered from her own grief. I was inspired by this to create a community of carers to help parents just like my mum.
What is your experience as a young founder? What are some of the challenges and/or benefits you have experienced building a startup at a young age?
The biggest challenge was not having the same networks or experience that older founders would have to help them along their journey. If you've been in the workforce for a while, you can turn to past experience to guide you through tough experiences or how to lead - you don't have that as a younger founder. In saying that, one of the biggest benefits is that you're at your peak energy wise so it's easier to keep pushing through long days, and in my case - I had very few obligations. Though this may not be true of all young founders, I didn't have a career I was giving up, fixed expenses, or dependents when I started my business so it felt like I had less to "lose" and everything to gain.
What advice would you give to other young founders?
The hardest part is starting, take the first step toward that and the rest will flow as the momentum builds.
Back yourself, you may not be as experienced as others but nobody will ever know your business as well as you do.
Don't be afraid to not know the answer. it's more important to be willing to ask questions.