being given an opportunity to join Chambers, I realised that there was something missing.
My Journey: From Law Studen A
s a young law student, I had aspirations of becoming a Barrister and felt that my career was just beginning. After successful completion of the Bar exams and
I found myself already starting to think about a number of new business ideas and I wanted to create something that was my own. In 2009, I co-founded a small consultancy firm focused on talent management, whilst I also became a first time Mum. For the next three years I continued to balance being a Mum with supporting the business and found that while the work was interesting, it was difficult to scale.
Having grown up in a family full of entrepreneurs, I guess that I had a built-in understanding of the demands of running my own business. My parents had run their own manufacturing business throughout my childhood, so I was used to them working long hours.
Having a Turkish background where
entrepreneurship is highly regarded also helps, as running your own business is very much the norm over there.
So having already started one business, and with my son growing up quickly the only sensible thing to do was to start another one. This time I was to use the knowledge that I had gained from building my first business coupled with an innovative idea that I knew I could scale and was passionate about.
I had been interested in the concierge industry for a while and noticed that many of the businesses using concierge services were large and tended to have a high ratio of clients to each personal concierge. This started to make me think about the industry in tiers and through further research, I believed that there was a place in the market where deep city based knowledge combined with very high levels of personal service could thrive. Matrix concierge is the realisation of my view of what the ultimate personal concierge service should look like.
Matrix is an Ultra Concierge boutique that retains the high contact, personal touch needed to deliver a world-class service blended with the best breed of technology that will enable us to work efficiently and in line with today’s digital habits. Rather than build a business of scale based on a classic model, Matrix will be a network of city-based hubs where core values are replicated and local expertise is key. This model will have less hierarchy and more opportunities for the city teams to grow and develop the business based on the needs of the local members. This in turn improves local service levels and gives us greater organisational agility. By 2016 we plan to have at least 11 hubs globally.
46 entrepreneurcountry
With just weeks to go until our official launch, we are in the final stages of developing new member experiences and creating the infrastructure that will support the business as it grows. We are also in discussions with several business partners and potential investors.
Mentorship has also been key to the development of the business. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to be selected to join an empowering women’s programme sponsored by the RSA Trust. This enabled me to focus on my idea and move forward with my business plan. As part of the programme, I was given a business coach, life coach and a mentor, each of whom continue to support me as I evolve my thinking and move closer to the launch date. I believe that I was incredibly fortunate to have been selected for this programme given how scarce these opportunities are and I hope that one day I will be able to mentor other young women who find themselves with a great idea and just need the right platform and support to launch it from.
My Top 5 Tips on Starting Up
1. Passion - do what you love. Starting a business takes time, energy and determination, therefore it’s essential you enjoy what you do. 2. Business Plan – short or long, this will help you to think about the fundamentals of your idea and avoid starting a business that will not succeed. 3. Mentorship – will give you direction, guidance and can boost your confidence. Being an entrepreneur is lonely and a mentor can really help you to focus on the key deliverables and support you when the going gets tough. 4. Networking – don’t wait until you have officially launched your business, start networking and make contacts. You can never know too many people. 5. Financials – have an honest financial strategy that you know you can stick to and can fully support the business. The value in an investor comes from what and whom they know as much as from the investment that they provide.
Top Concierge Tip
Be sincere, reliable and polite 100% of the time. Your clients may not remember what you did for them, but they will always remember how you treated them.
To find out more, visit
www.matrixconcierge.com
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