INNOVATORS VS COVID 19

Kevin N. Hedges, the CEO at NannyPod, Tells us How the Startup is Maintaining Its Business During COVID-19

Published

3 years ago

09/22/2020

Kokou Adzo

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

Kevin N. Hedges: We are working hard to maintain our business during COVID-19. Despite the decrease in volume, we decided to build an online store using Shopify. We specifically target Moms, Dads, and Children with safe accessories for families.

Check it out here: www.NannyPodShop.com

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded NannyPod

Kevin N. Hedges: I originally started my career in Finance, working at AXA, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch. I decided I wanted to build a company that could really scale across multiple countries and that serve a wide general need. I knew a few babysitters and nannies and decided to build NannyPod into a national brand.

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Kevin N. Hedges: There are always difficult choices. The biggest is how much to re-invest back into the business. I opted for 100%, after paying all living expenses and operating costs. If you are the co-founder of a company, what is the point if you are not 100% committed to its success?

How do you deal with stress and anxiety? How do you project yourself and NannyPod in the future?

Kevin N. Hedges: Stress is a part of everyday life, whether you work on your own business or for someone else. I spend 2 hours per day working out, running, swimming or kitesurfing. I usually finish the day with a martini and dinner to fully decompress, putting away all devices until the next day. I also love to travel and take a full week from time to time to change scenery.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Kevin N. Hedges: Our competitors are mainly care.com, UrbanSitter, SitterCity, and Bambino. We are the smallest of them all. Hence, we have a clear vision to take some of the market share. Unfortunately, that is confidential information that we cannot share via an interview.

Your final thoughts

Kevin N. Hedges: My personal final thoughts are that everything goes in cycles. Businesses. Economies. Pandemics. Relationships (both business and personal). The key to success is reminding yourself frequently that your things will always get better again, but at the same time, to never become complacent. Stay ahead of the curve as much as you can, and do your best to see around corners.