Erlin Kakkanad has over 12+ years of experience working as a Business Process Transformation consultant within the Banking and Financial Services industry. She started her career in India and later traveled to Canada and now is based in the US. Erlin is passionate about women entrepreneurship and innovation. In 2020, from her own experience in searching for a childcare, She founded Kids Care Share – a one-stop shop to make the search for childcare easy and quick.
She regularly speaks at various events including Lean conferences, Creative Problem-solving forums, and women entrepreneurship groups. She also frequently gives guest lectures on topics related to problem-solving, Inclusion, and women in finance at various leading universities and events.
In 2020, Kids Care Share was created as an online portal to provide quick access for parents looking for daycare. The website has a listing of all registered childcare places. Parents can search for “childcares near me” and the list will show up within the proximity of the desired location, with reviews, pricing, availability, Timing, waiting list, and more.
I believe the decision to select a childcare should be easy. Easy decisions can only happen when you have all the information at your fingertips.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you started your company?
A few years ago, while I was dealing with a high-risk pregnancy, I found myself stressed out as I was not finding a daycare, little did I know that daycares are full and there is a waiting list for babies.
I came to find out that many daycare providers were reluctant to share their pricing on the phone. I made several trips to many daycares to narrow down my list. I was juggling these appointments with a full-time job and doctors’ appointments. I was frustrated and I heard myself say, “I wish they had made their information available online and easy for me. I needed to see some reviews, pricing information, and availability.” Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything out there – so I decided to build an online web portal that lists all the information for parents.
What was the biggest problem you encountered with your business and how did you overcome it?
In the beginning, I lacked confidence, mainly because I had no prior experience in early childhood education and care. Not knowing about the childcare business made me doubt my choices. I was determined to turn this into a learning opportunity. I started to learn about it. At the same time, I was studying my PhD, I made the wellbeing of working mothers my area of focus and I researched the pain points of working mothers as it relates to childcare. I networked with many Childcare providers who were thrilled to help me learn their business. The road was steep but not impossible.
Educating myself and networking with experts helped me overcome my fears and build my entrepreneurial confidence.
What are your plans, how do you plan to grow this company?
Childcare needs have only quadrupled in the pandemic. This has a disproportionate impact on women and single Mothers. Kids Care Share was founded in 2020 and the vision was to implement this in the state of Iowa. I thought if no one wants it – no worries at least I can use it and save time in my day.
During the first phase, I started getting requests on social media from family daycare owners in Chicago and Kansas City, and the east coast requesting to list them on our portal. Because we have been seeing interest from providers from other states, we are working to expand and we’re planning to launch nationally in 2021.
Childcare help is the biggest gap and tops the unpaid work women do every single day at home. This experience and learning from the experience of other working parents gave me the impetus for creating an online service that lists the daycare providers around the community to help parents to have a stress-free search and decision-making experience.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business, and what did you learn from it?
The biggest challenge I faced was during the pandemic. I was in the middle of my product research to understand the needs of parents and providers.
The pandemic shut many providers and were later opened with restrictions. I felt like there was no way I can do this, and I let time pass. I thought the pandemic was going to be over in a few months. Unfortunately, it didn’t. I pivoted online, and I created new social media channels to reach out to my audience to get feedback and I was able to complete the needs assessment. The lesson I learned was to pivot as soon as you see a roadblock.
What were the top mistakes you made starting your business and what did you learn from them?
I had many ideas and wanted to do it all in a day. I lost track of the core and it took me many learnings to re-center my strategy and goals. We learned very quickly about how to vet ideas, how to fire fast, and keep the focus and momentum with the team.
If you only had 1000 dollars to start a new startup, knowing everything you know now, how would you spend it?
I would read a few books and take a trip to a place where I can look at the problem from a different lens. I would spend the money on anything that will sharpen and refresh my creativity into seeing every problem as an opportunity.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
You can do anything. Ask yourself if not you then who? If you already have an idea, you need to research your market extensively. Focus on how your idea of the product or service can transform someone’s life. If it does not transform someone’s life then that idea is not worth pursuing, and you may end up burning up money with no fulfillment.
What is your favorite quote?
Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.
Steve Jobs
How can readers get in touch with you?
You can find me on my company’s website kidscareshare.com, and through our various social pages on – Twitter – @EKakkanad, I’m active daily on LinkedIn and Instagram – @erlin_kidscareshare, where you can DM me and ask me anything about the company or just connect with me.
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