A recent SFU graduate is hoping to match semi-retired professionals with part-time work through a new startup.
Lauren Watkins, along with co-partners Jamie Crocker and Nikita Zhitkevich, launched Excellara on June 1. The website allows those currently living out their Golden Years - who perhaps want to work a few hours every week - to connect with businesses looking to hire for positions related to accounting, HR or law.
“If I had a problem, I would always ask my dad. There’s just so much knowledge to be shared that younger people don’t have,” Watkins told the NOW. “That’s also a huge opportunity for young business people like myself, who might not have the funds to hire somebody with that much experience, but who could gain so much from that.”
Watkins and her Ontario colleagues met through the The Next 36 program, which aims to connect and help some of Canada’s best young entrepreneurs by offering mentorship and financial support. The trio came up with the online concept earlier this year after talking to more than 200 retirees, aged 55 to 69, about how they could best serve Canada’s seniors.
“We saw a huge market with the baby boomer population and found that many are bored and still have the energy and desire to work part-time,” she added. “Those are areas where experience matters the most. In areas such as marketing, companies would probably prefer somebody who’s younger.”
The initiative hits close to home for Watkins because her father, Jim, a “workaholic” who used to own a janitorial company for 35 years, struggled with his own retirement.
“He couldn’t wait because he never travelled, never had a vacation, because he was glued to his phone. As soon as it happened, he didn’t really know what to do with himself. He just played video games all day; it drove my mom crazy. He kind of got depressed, really bored and felt almost a loss of identity,” she explained.
Since its launch earlier this month, Excellara has attracted 14 potential employees and three businesses so far. Watkins’s goal is to have 600 retired professionals, 97 jobs and 32 matches by the end of August.
Excellara started with initial seed funding of $5,000 from the investment group tied to The Next 36 program, with another $5,000 received this month.
“We are running on a very lean model, and so far, have been able to keep our costs low,” said Watkins, adding the group plans to apply for small business and government grants in the future.
Getting Excellara off the ground was no easy task, though. The Surrey resident said she had to juggle working full time, communicating with her co-partners through Skype and reaching out to retirees and local businesses to assess interest.
Asked about the name and how it was decided upon, Watkins answered the following: “We wanted a name that didn't make the retired professionals feel old and also conveyed a sense of quality to companies. Our brand represents a generation of people who are extremely knowledgeable - hence the Excel part of Excellara. We also just liked the sound of it.”
To sign up (free of charge), either as an employer or potential employee, visit www.excellara.com. Users looking for work will be asked to list their experience and outline their skills.
