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CareCalls provides reminders and check-in calls to vulnerable people to help keep them safe and enable them to maintain their independence.

Ever since Max started working on CareCalls, he’s been constantly learning and trialling different ways of working and is now nearing a million reminders and check-ins for over 2000 individuals. The last 6 months has seen an increase in CareCalls’ customers, and the current Coronavirus crisis has resulted in especially high demand with increased concern over vulnerable and isolated people. 

Recently, Max has made the shift in focus towards the B2B private sector, after realising the challenges involved with carving out commissions from local authorities. The new direction has seen CareCalls focus on private companies who were serving vulnerable individuals and finding a way to white label the service through them in order to gain more traction. 

The role of Yena

Despite describing himself as a ‘primary introvert’, Max finds the Yena meetups anything but daunting, and views them as a unique opportunity to socialise and relax. Max has been a Yena member for many years, taking part in last years’ Morocco retreat and attending many meetups over the years. What Max values most about Yena though, is the personal relationships and connections he gains from being a part of the community. Rebel meetups provide opportunities to meet potential customers and collaborators, whilst Yena founders take the time to ‘understand the people behind the businesses.’ 

Coping with Covid19

CareCalls currently has a big opportunity to help even more people who are isolated and vulnerable. Rather than changing the entire business strategy due to the crisis, Max is instead focusing on making Coronavirus the key message in the delivery of the service. ‘Instead of throwing everything out the window and starting again’, Max has taken the opportunity to enhance the messaging of how CareCalls can help with the current crisis and outline the bigger picture of what the company offers. 

Working from Home

Max finds many benefits to remote working, such as efficiency in having online meetings as opposed to traipsing around the country. However, Max finds that large Zoom calls with about 30 people present and one speaker at a time, can be quite overwhelming – a feeling many of us will be able to empathise with. Adapting to the new, restricted work-from-home climate, that Coronavirus has created, is another challenge that Max and many other startups are currently trying to navigate. 

Although establishing a work-life balance may seem harder whilst working and living in the same environment, Max is making sure he’s still taking time for himself to stay mentally and physically fit, even if that means adaptively using recycling bins as weights in his makeshift gym.

Mostly though, Max is head down as he tries to support as many vulnerable people during this time as possible.

 

If you have a startup story and would like to feature on the blog, feel free to reach out. 

Written by Olivia Brooks