Raeesa entered the working world at a very young age and never really imagined herself being anything other than working for someone in a corporate environment as an employee. She has experienced a lot of so-called lucky moments in her career, being in the right place at the right time and learning critical skills exposing her to varying industries and avenues in her tenure. Today though, she finds herself in a very different reality, having founded a venture that is helping those who mirror her former life: employees.
Her Founder story begins with her very own experience. Having proudly just paid up her car, and well on her way to responsibly laying down the foundation to long term financial freedom, she was hit with a stroke of bad luck - her car got stolen. This was a big setback for Raeesa, and despite being part of an organisation that was in fact world renowned for employee experience, they were unable to find a way to assist her in accessing funds (owed to her) as they were essentially ‘locked in the system’. She embarked on an investigation into what solutions were available to people finding themselves in a similar situation to herself. Little did she realise that she would build a business solving this very issue: a game changing salary linked to financial benefits solution that reduces the systemic burden placed on millions of employees.
“I felt like this was something I could be very passionate about, something that I could invest my time in, because I am not only building a solution for myself, but for my domestic worker, my former colleagues, and so many more employees.”
Raeesa was afforded the opportunity to build out her MVP. Being a hands on Founder, she soaked up the experience to engage with many employees and remained very close to the problem she was solving for. What followed was a much needed pivot for the business, from financial management to employee benefits, with her smart use of insights gained to strategically lead new business direction. Raeesa’s vision is clear: to do as much good as she can for employees, bringing human-ness and empathy back into the workplace.
She talks of the move from a corporate to a Founder environment as quite the leap and believes the difficulty lies in having to re-build networks. Trying to build up an entrepreneurial community that can draw on one another for help and the opening of doors, can be one of the toughest and most crucial factors determining success for a Founder. Raeesa has worked hard to create her own community that does just that, and is an advocate for co-creation because we ‘simply cannot do everything on our own’.
“I knew this journey wouldn’t be easy. It's almost like going into battle. You need to be mentally and emotionally prepared for that. You need to build resilience and remain realistic with your expectations. It's not only about staying true to your cause, but also having the ability to see what's not working as quickly as possible and find ways to create and re-create really innovative and relevant solutions”.
Raeesa reminds us to be prepared, honest and true to ourselves as we embark on the entrepreneurial journey. With all the pressure we as Founders face from investors, partners, even from our consumers, we need to be sure we are being kind to ourselves in the process. Raeesa has a strong team that both ground and uplift her and considers herself privileged for her solid support system both within and outside of her business. As if that wasn't enough to keep inspiration high, this Founder is one who continually pushes herself out of her comfort zone by going on an annual retreat with a group of complete strangers. Somehow getting out of her known world and into the unknown, ultimately brings her back to herself with a newfound sense of clarity and renewal. We love how Raeesa tackles entrepreneurship with a sense of adventure, empathy and community. Let this be a reminder to us all to not forget to embrace the adventure that is entrepreneurship!
“Solving niche challenges Founders face”.
Illustrator: Lisa Williams (Instagram: @artist_llw)