Help Me To Help Others

The Eyja platform directly connects disabled or elderly people with care workers all across the UK. I call this project a miracle but nonetheless, to be or not to be, that is the question it has eventually come to. Please read my short story and my pledge below. Thank you for your time and attention!

My name is Giedre. I started working as a private full-time live-in carer in 2015. I soon recognised certain issues faced by disabled people and their families.

A couple of years later, a wrist injury meant I was unable to carry on with my new PA role and had to find another job quickly. It was very frustrating as it seemed there were no effective ways for carers and clients to find each other directly, except for browsing random job sites or signing up with an agency which was expensive and time-consuming - that said, something which did not live up to today’s standards of speed, quality and technology.

So I mustered up the courage and embarked on another adventure: I built a website dedicated specifically for private carers and those who need care and assistance. My goal was also to build a service that is genuinely focused on (often vulnerable) people and their needs. This means it’s affordable, has no automatic renewals, doesn’t hide user statistics and aims for a user-friendly interface.

I started off with zero knowledge and with the budget that came only from my wage as a carer - I invested the total of my one-year's salary. Since I was still working as a full-time carer, I was working on this project mainly during my short respite breaks. It was a truly extreme time but here is the result - a functioning platform that serves its purpose: to help people to connect.

The Eyja platform has been operational for over three years. By now, I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to keep it ‘nice and small’ and profitable at the same time. This means that I need to look for investment. However, the platform has some urgent needs that I am unable to cover from my own funds anymore. Negotiations with investors can take months, so it is now a matter of either closing down or finding a solution that would help to bridge the gap.

Today is the first time I am asking for help. With few resources I feel like I have achieved unimaginable results. I have determination to persist and grow. I see the people who sign up to the platform, and their faces in the profile photos or their encouraging messages I receive is a huge motivator. It goes without saying that I have a strategic growth plan and a required budget calculated for the next few years. But before this stage there are these urgent expenses which I am not able to cover from my own funds. It would be really sad to give up right here after putting in so much effort and investment. I sincerely hope and believe that this stumbling block will turn into a stepping stone.

The funds I am asking for will be used as follows:

• to cover some urgent mandatory business and accountancy fees - £1000
• to do urgent amendments to the platform to comply with new regulations - £1500
• to cover necessary marketing expenses - £1500
• to reduce my work hours to be able to dedicate proper time for the search of investors - £2000 (4 months x £500), optional.

Total: £6000

I will be grateful for any contribution, no matter how small, and the budget will be edited and adjusted accordingly. All invoices will be available upon request. Currently the platform income only covers the basic marketing expenses. I do not currently draw a salary from the platform.

Although the service I provide is rather specific I still have some ideas about what I can offer in return. If you’d like to sign up to Eyja platform or know somebody who might benefit from it, I will be happy to grant a free one-year subscription. If you would like to be featured on Eyja website (your business etc.), I will be happy to do that too! To claim your subscription or to discuss other opportunities, please contact me via the Go Fund Me or directly.

I will be very grateful if you decide to participate in my social mission and enable me to continue helping others!

https://eyja.co.uk/