When Alexandra Eleftheriou first started her business, she just created a Facebook page so that she could keep in contact with all the amazing women she had worked with in her parent support business and within an hour, she had 700+ followers! Word of mouth spread quickly in Qatar where she was living and before she knew it, she was inundated with questions and work.
Alexandra Eleftheriou // Nanny Alex // Parent Support // England // 20s
What motivated & inspired you to start your business?
I was working in Qatar when I decided to start my business. I worked with a lot of parents who struggled with not being able to speak to professionals or even having people to speak to. Also a lot of parents were looking for British Sleep Trainers as moving to Qatar would mess up their little ones’ sleep routines and I could only visit a certain amount of parents whilst I was there so I came up with the idea of my own Online Sleep Support Service and Online Support and Guidance for parents.
What steps did you take to get things going in the beginning?
First it was our Facebook page, then I swiftly moved on to our website so people could read what we were all about. For me this took time as I’m not an IT genius but it was so rewarding when the parents I had worked for started saying “I love your website” etc. and to know I had created it myself was a rush! I started to believe I could do it – I just had to think smart!
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
It was word of mouth that helped grow my business as many expat parents move back and forth. One family I worked for in Qatar moved back to Jordan and I started getting interest from Jordanians. This also happened with Dubai and London. We were actually an international business. Every time I spoke to parents about our Online Sleep Support Packages, I had to check which country they resided in which made me realise how far my work was spreading! HOW AMAZING! I also had my story published with Expat’s Biz. This really raised my confidence when I saw others taking me seriously!
What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?
I have faced a lot of obstacles starting my business. My main obstacle is actually convincing family and friends that I’m not completely nuts! A lot of people around me only see “risk” and they don’t like it, whereas I believe you have to take “risk” to build your empire – it’s healthy to step outside of your comfort zone.
Can you tell us about any habits you have/things you do that set you up for success every day?
One of my addictions is getting a bit of “Carrie Inspiration” on a daily basis – this sets me up with a positive attitude knowing I have an amazing community of like-minded ladies on Facebook!
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Every time someone says NO, just think in your head that NO stands for Next Opportunity. This is how I overcome a lot of rejections. I just think, “That’s fine. I will come back to conquer you, but first let me move on.”
When I face a big challenge, I…
get a huge cup of TEA (English Breakfast).
The most courageous thing I’ve ever done as an entrepreneur is…
put my story out there.
If I could go back in time to when I started my business I would tell myself…
stop listening to other people. You know what you want!
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…
don’t aim for normal.
My favourite business tool/resource/book/podcast is…
the Female Entrepreneur Association (Obvs!!!)
My favourite quote is…
NO = Next Opportunity
