So.. what's the back story?
That's a good question. Well, let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Donna, the awkward introvert. At an early age, I noticed something very unique about myself which was that I struggled to articulately put my thoughts into words. People would ask me questions, which I could perfectly answer in my head, but trying to put those thoughts into words... well that's when I sorta got stuck and fumbled for words. Growing up, I was very jealous of people who confidently spoke in a large crowd. I would imagine myself giving an inspiring speech in front of thousand people. Ha! I know I had big dreams.
I convinced myself that maybe I was just slow and not smart enough, so I decided to shut myself down especially in front of other people. Instead of following my passion, I chose a course at university which I thought would prevent me from speaking a lot(accounting). Ugh! I can't wrap my head around how many presentations I avoided in school. I got a job which I hated. It was obvious that I settled in life and wasn't living up to my fullest potential.I hindered myself from following my dreams and kept silence. But hey! at least I had a job right?
Fast forward three years later. On a usual boring Sunday afternoon, I was casually browsing through Facebook when I came across a quote which changed my life forever. The quote said:
"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."
-Pope John XXIII
I'm not kidding you, literally, a light bulb went off in my head! At the age of 24, I decided to eagerly focus on finding my purpose in life. I have always wanted to become an entrepreneur but my fear and lack of self-confidence hid me away. I may never become the best public speaker but what if there was a possibility of helping myself and others who suffer from the same problem? This is when Hey You, Help was born.
What exactly is Hey You, Help?
Wait wait... First, why did you choose the name Hey You, Help?!
Well! I just wanted to come up with a name that sounded friendly, non-intimidating, casual and most importantly welcoming. I want the website to represent a comfortable and a friendly community.
Hey You, Help (HYH) is an online community using video and voice call to connect customers with coaches to develop their public speaking and communication skills in their specific areas.
The official website is www.heyyouhelp.com It will be officially launched in 2 months after enough funding is raised, however, you can still visit the site and follow our social media icons for future updates.
This is our homepage
Hey You, Help is run by two users
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The customer - Can sign up and purchase services from coaches to improve themselves. (Like myself)
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The freelance coach - sign up, post jobs and get paid for their services. They are called freelance coaches because we are looking for self-employed coaches who can flexibly offer their services.
HYH is not just a marketplace!
But it is a community designed for users to network, share ideas and build relationships with each other. The platform offers a forum where users can share information. We offer support to our freelance entrepreneurs through training, we offer freelance contests to inspire our amazing coaches. We also support other users who may not have public speaking anxiety. For example, those whose first language is not English and may need support in a job interview, speeches, school projects etc.
Image above shows examples of some of the jobs freelance coaches can post on the platform
This shows the freelancer's order statistics, jobs completed with ratings and feedbacks from customers.
Example of a video call
This platform isn't built to sell expensive or a typical "how to speak in public" courses to you. However, I have created different categories for you to find specific areas you need help in.
these are the main categories:
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Jobs (You can hire coaches to video practice job interviews, receive constructive criticisms and receive advice and tips on interviews) These will job interviews will be sub categorised in different fields e.g Finance, Law, engineering etc.
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Business support (Hire coaches for starting a business) This may be help in start-up pitches, self-branding or TV Interviews.
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Presentations and Speeches (Hire a coach to video practice or help in preparing for a presentation or a speech.
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Language support For those whose first language is not English and may need support in different areas
How Can This Impact Me & You?
At this point you may say; "well Donna, there are many online coaching lessons people can take" or "there are lots of Youtube videos on this subject". To be honest, if I found an online, easily-accessible, and affordable coach that could focus entirely on my problems, I would have gotten way further in life.
I mean let's face the truth, most online public speaking courses we see are usually very expensive, takes ages to book, a bit intimidating and general. Our mission is for the services to be "friendly", "specific", "affordable", "informal" yet "Intensive".
This platform will offer many different services customers can choose from. Whether they need to practice a quick job interview using our video call services to finding a coach who can help and guide you pitch for a start-up company.
Other Ways You Can Help
I know some people just wouldn't be able to contribute financially which is completely fine! However, it would be super helpful and awesome if you could get the word out and potentially make some noise about my campaign ha!
Last words from me!
I'm very passionate and eager to help both parties (the customers and the freelance coaches) This will help me and other thousands of people who also have the fear of public speaking. I want to create a flexible platform for talented coaches to freely offer their services without any hurdles or restrictions. I want to provide a dream for them to become entrepreneurs and fulfil their client's dreams.
Even if I do not get any funding, It is a relief to know that by sharing my visions and dreams, will bring me a step closer to fulfilling my purpose in life.
Thank you so much for reading,
Regards
Donna