S2 E42: Creating a village of helpers to prevent burnout
with app developer Toyosi Babalola
Key Takeways
Growing up in Nigeria, I vividly remember having friends, neighbors families stepping into help at the drop of a hat to care for kids and various capacities. And that nostalgic feeling was what I'd hoped to experience when I had my daughter and it was grossly missing. So it was within that period that I started thinking of visualizing what my ideal village will look like in this Western world.
Not only was it mentally and emotionally stressful for me to parent alone, I also have a physical limitation. I have scoliosis, I had back surgery, so it was extremely hard for me to even physically cope. So to survive as a single mom I sought out to build my own tribe, my own village within my neighborhood and amongst friends. But it became awkward always being the one to be asking for help.
So I resorted to doing what most parents do today, which is operating a silo. And of course I burned out. I burned out so much to the point where I couldn't function at work any longer. Eventually I got laid off and it was from then on out that I vowed never to take another nine to five job until I was able to use technology to help families solve this dilemma.
I started interviewing well over 500 parents, And it's interesting that a hundred percent of them actually said that they'd rather barter service, you know, like all these childcare tasks with their friends and neighbors, but quite often they felt awkward. So they actually taught me what to build. Right. So I definitely took a user centered approach, you know, I really wanted to get to the root cause of it.
Abule means village in Yoruba and Abule allows parents to tap into the power of community to facilitate their child's upbringing. So with Abule, you know, parents no longer have to feel awkward in making, you know, asks like for pick up, drop off requests with their friends, neighbors, family, or friends sitting tutoring, or homework help. Ablue is you you're all in one childcare management solution with the exception of healthcare, of course, but the whole concept of a village coming together to raise our children is what Abule is.
The concept of village is also, we are sharing our wisdom. This is another big thing in for me growing up and in other countries where culture is deeply rooted - It's the idea of sharing your wisdom with the community, with kids they'd tell them stories.
It's that whole concept of virtual village that I'd like to bring. The other good thing too, is that for people that are stay home, that choose to be more hands on. That should be fine and accepted. People staying at home, shouldn't be looked down upon. We really need each other. These are the people that actually could pick up more of the tasks. They could have the ability to make extra money because most of them right are lacking in that money department. So they could cash out credits. So really it's a win-win for everyone.
And I really wanted to create that environment where it's affordable, right? If you want, and you're able to give back. Yes, you could give back and you save your money. Otherwise, if you're strapped for time, like a lot of working parents are, you could just buy credits, just buy into it, right. Without being penalized.
So it's definitely really resonated with parents. And as I go out and talk to more parents, moms in particular, the whole concept of raising kids, you know, the village just makes total sense. I think it definitely takes a little bit more education because we're not used to it. So that's where I've been finding. Right. I really literally have to hold their hands to walk them through the process. But it's all good that that's, that's why we're here.
Definitely trust and safety is the biggest barrier. And that's very understandable, especially, given the fact that it's a childcare leader but it isn't any more risky than other childcare platforms that are out there today. Like for example, Care.com, which is like the biggest childcare provider in the US. If anything I'd argue that it's safer. Because you wouldn't go leaving your kid with just anyone, right? You would have a list of trust your tribe, which Abule allows you to keep track of kind of like your friend's list, your tribe.
So you do have parents do have full control over who they allow their kids to interact with, or they themselves interact. So they get to cherry pick members of their tribe. We also do have an identity verification system as well as an optional background check. If I already feel comfortable with my neighbor and my friends, there's no reason for a background check. However, if I'm not able to source them for when I need help. And I need to look, you know, at a broader village for help, I will be looking on people's profiles to see if they have a background check. So Abule allows for that too.
Another barrier, core values is a big thing. So when parents on board we ask them questions about their interests and core values. And, we are matching them with people that have similar core values and recommending people near and far. Could even be things like diet. So, we take a multidimensional approach to pairing people and to recommending and suggesting the kids' activities. So the more we're able to find in common, the easier it becomes to start breaking those walls that we tend to put up. And which in turn leads to being able to trust each other a little bit more.
For me is just to realize that change begins on a cellular level. I know, especially with the pandemic, everyone has been yearning for, you know, changes, but we tend to point fingers. I'd like us to be more introspective, within our own selves within our communities. What can we do? What is one thing who is the one person that could help this week to make that difference? And then it causes a ripple effect.
Bio
Toyosi Babalola is an experienced tech entrepreneur with a penchant for creative design. She is the founder & CEO/CTO of Abulé and Grais design and tech agency. She received her BS in Computer Science from Stony Brook University New York and has an MBA from the University of Maryland.
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Toyosi worked at world-renowned finance, management consulting, and aerospace companies – CITI, Booz Allen Hamilton & Lockheed Martin, where she wore multiple hats in their IT departments and delivered quality work products to clients including the IRS and NASA. Most importantly, she is a single mom to her wonderful 9-year old daughter, Dara Brielle, who is the inspiration behind Abulé. With Abulé, parents can harness the power of community to share routine childcare tasks with family, friends, neighbors, and volunteers without having to make an awkward ask, and it allows them to compensate caregivers with crypto tokens of appreciation. Abulé allows parents to schedule and help one another with pick up/drop-offs, sitting, tutoring, and homework help, and share their wisdom collectively by hosting children’s activities and classes.
Toyosi is an advocate for women in technology and is particularly focused on closing the knowledge and wealth gap in marginalized communities. She aims to utilize technology to breathe new meaning to human connectedness.
Toyosi also mentors and teaches STEM classes to children and was recently appointed as a board advisor for the Women in Technology (WIT) for Global Impact for her home country, Nigeria.
Links to Additional Resources
