Interviewees: Sara Gamay & Victoria Otamiri, Co-Founders of Savy Wellness, a vitamin brand with the mission to help moms thrive by positively impacting their health through simple and effective supplements.
Every day, we speak with parents who are plagued with issues when it comes to childcare – it isn’t flexible enough, it’s unreliable, it’s too expensive. The reality is that for many parents, finding and organising childcare feels like a mammoth task. This becomes even more complicated when you add running a business to the mix, and what was already a major challenge, suddenly becomes borderline impossible. With long hours, irregular schedules and travel for pitches and meetings, the lack of routine that comes from entrepreneurship can make finding childcare even more complex.
We spoke with two female entrepreneurs (who just so happen to be Bubble fans!) about the difficulties they’ve experienced, and how Bubble has supported them in their journey to success.
For Victoria Otamiri, co-founder of supplement brand, Savy Wellness, Bubble has become a vital part of her life as a working mum. Although she had a regular childcare arrangement for her family, Bubble has been a sturdy anchor in last-minute situations; “When our nanny left us, Bubble helped me do our first trade show, The Stylist Live, for the business. I was able to find a trusted sitter quickly who helped look after my two boys on a Friday from midday to late evening. Had it not been for Bubble, I certainly would not have been able to do the event, which was a great success for our business”.
Co-founder Sara Gamay was also one of Bubble’s early adopters, having discovered the app six years ago when her son was born. Before using Bubble, Sara found herself struggling to find babysitters through her friend network “I was inefficiently scrambling to find childcare and I was always on the verge of cancelling plans”. When she heard about Bubble, she quickly realised that it enabled her to streamline the entire process and find a solution that worked for her; “Bubble gave us much more freedom to pursue our lives – our family, professional and social lives. It was truly a godsend”.
Sara shared that at first, her friends were skeptical about using an app for childcare, but after seeing how well the app worked, they quickly became converts “When I started using Bubble my friends could not believe that I could trust an app to verify and schedule sitters, but then when I showed the app to them and explained the smart reviews and verifications systems in place, they came around. Now, all of my friends are avid Bubble users, and many cannot get through a week without Bubble!”
Sara and Victoria are just two of many parents who have struggled with the complexity and expense of organising childcare. Research by Bubble in October last year showed that two-thirds of parents have turned down work opportunities due to a lack of childcare, while alarmingly, 67% of parents have considered leaving their jobs for the same reason. When it comes to the challenges facing working parents, both Sara and Victoria agreed that finding reliable and trustworthy childcare is a massive obstacle; “Finding reliable people to leave your children with is the greatest challenge for all parents”.
Operating in a space with minimal innovation, we’re acutely aware of how the childcare industry isn’t set up for modern life, and see first-hand the stigma that is directed towards women for their childcare choices. Aggravating this further, knee-jerk apprehension towards change is backing parents further into a corner as they struggle to keep up with the demands of working while having a family. This is especially true for parents who don’t work 9-5 or need care outside of school hours: “Many schools and nurseries end the school day early, leaving parents with a huge gap to fill in the afternoons while finding an ‘afternoon nanny’ that will accept limited hours is challenging. Not to mention business trips and other obligations that leave parents struggling.”
Victoria and Sara both feel passionate about making parents’ lives easier, which is why they have put their heads together in vitamin brand, Savy Wellness. Using their backgrounds in pharmacology and product development, they teamed up with leading scientists to create a simpler and stronger supplement specifically designed to target the needs of busy mums. Savy Wellness’s mission is to help women thrive by positively impacting their health through simple and effective supplements. The company’s flagship product, Daily Hero, is an all-in-one, high-strength supplement drink powder with 21 natural vitamins, collagen, and adaptogens that support women’s overall health while boosting energy, skin, and immunity; “Our goal with Daily Hero is for mothers to feel like they are in top form so that they can focus on what matters most.”
Being a female entrepreneur and a mother is not an easy task, but it’s certainly achievable with the right support system. The women who have shared their experiences in this post have demonstrated the importance of being resourceful, persistent, and open-minded in finding the right childcare solutions that work for them and their families. Whether it’s a nanny, a nursery, or a combination of different options, the key is to find what works best for your family’s unique needs. With the right support system in place, female entrepreneurs can thrive in their businesses and enjoy the joys of motherhood without feeling like they have to sacrifice one for the other.
For more information, please visit www.savywellness.com. For the Bubble community, enjoy 20% off with code BUBBLE
Savy Wellness – Daily Hero: The all-in-one beauty & wellness supplement drink for busy moms
Benefits: Boosts Energy & Focus, Promotes Skin Health, Strengthens Hair & Nails, Supports Immunity, Improves Sleep Quality, Enhances Mood
5 products in one: High Strength Multivitamin, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, 7g Marine Collagen and KSM-66 Ashwagandha® Adaptogen blend
