In 2000, while tearing up the slopes in the snowy mountains of Colorado state, United States, New Zealanders Lisa Rutledge and Rachel Ogg conquered their entrepreneurial fears and resolved to join forces to start their own childcare business. In 2001, the pair headed to London, and, inspired by the market they saw for a young, friendly company to place Australasian nannies in the United Kingdom, founded KiwiOz Nannies.
The timing proved advantageous for their business, because as the economy struggled after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, market difficulties in London led to many staff cuts among international companies – with nannies often being the first to go. This gave Lisa and Rachel's niche business a unique opportunity. As other companies downsized, KiwiOz Nannies grew.
In order to fund their start-up, Lisa and Rachel continued to work as childcare providers part-time – putting in additional hours to organize and establish the business. Their hard work paid off, and after four years developing KiwiOz in London, Lisa returned to the South Pacific to expand KiwiOz, setting up offices in Auckland, New Zealand (2005) and Sydney, Australia (2010).
In 2011, with combined global turnover approaching US$1 million, Lisa co-runs the business from Auckland and Rachel from Sydney.
Lisa Rutledge
Rachel Ogg
Expat Women's Interview with Lisa and Rachel
Expat Women:Lisa and Rachel, how did you meet and why did you decide to start a business together?
Lisa and Rachel: We met while we were both studying at Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1998. We developed a strong friendship, which led to us deciding to travel together after university, first to the United States, then on to the United Kingdom.
We recognized early on that we shared many similar goals, aspirations, and strong work ethics, and we also came from similar backgrounds. When we decided to start a business together we went into it with full confidence in each other's ability to work hard, use initiative and commit to the challenge ahead.
Expat Women:Please tell us more about your inspiration to start a nanny recruitment agency – in particular an agency that hires nannies from Australasia?
Lisa and Rachel: The idea to start the business came up when we were in Colorado working as babysitters at a ski resort. When we arrived in London and went through the experience of registering with nanny agencies to find work, we revisited the idea and decided to do some further research.
We were aware our business idea was not a new one and that competition in the market was tough. We therefore decided to enter the market with a strong, unique selling point, promoting ourselves as having predominantly Australasian nannies. This worked for us on a number of levels, as we were Kiwis ourselves with a lot of young, Australasian contacts and knew we could attract good candidates. We also thought that in time it would work well for us on a personal basis to establish a global business, allowing us to take advantage of the larger U.K. market but live and work in New Zealand/Australia.
Expat Women:What were some of the obstacles you faced in creating KiwiOz Nannies and how did you overcome them?
Lisa and Rachel: We were just 22 years old when we first started the business; we had limited resources to inject into a start-up and were new arrivals to London where we had no support network. At the time we did not see these things as major hurdles. We certainly were not confident of success but we also were not scared of failure and we had a true "knuckle down, give it a go and see what happens" attitude.
We worked very hard, with at least two jobs each to support us in the beginning. We also worked as a team, sharing our income so at least one of us was able to work on essential business development and still have survival income.
Like most business owners, at times we have struggled with motivation for the business, especially when things have not gone as well as we wanted them to or we have felt a lack of direction. But what worked really well for us to combat this was an online coaching program. The program helped us recognize how much our personal values and goals were aligned with and reflected in our business. Once we realized this we were able to create a compelling vision for the future of our business – that has inspired both of us ever since.
Expat Women:Do you have any fun stories or anecdotes to share from establishing your business?
Lisa and Rachel: During the first year or so after starting our business, we were unsure at what point we needed an accountant, and as we were in London we did not have any connections at that stage. Rachel set up our bookkeeping system, which, in true Rachel-style, was meticulous.
Finally, after about ten months, we contacted a business advisory office and made an appointment to see someone about finding an accountant. It was one of our first formal meetings so were both very nervous; we often worried that we appeared young, especially with our foreign accents.
During the meeting we showed the advisor our workbook of accounts, and he asked a few questions about our categories, among other things. It was at this point that in all the nerves, Rachel had been sitting in her chair with an ink pen rested against her chin, so she had ink all over herself. I (Lisa) did not have the heart to tell her in the middle of the meeting, so I had to sit tight and try not to make eye contact with her, for fear that I would burst out laughing.
Somehow the advisor kept things serious while looking at Rachel as she answered the finance questions. He told us, "Yes, we should have looked at hiring an accountant probably six months ago, because now this business is all up and running". We left the meeting very pleased with ourselves and once outside I was able to tell Rachel about her chin and her not-so-professional look!
Expat Women:How easy or difficult was it to expand your business to other global locations?
Lisa and Rachel: The hardest thing about launching in Australasia has been the feeling of starting again from scratch after working so hard to become established in the U.K. On the flip side of that, having an established business overseas gives your new branch immediate credibility, and our larger network has meant more choice for our customers, which is great.
Expat Women:What top five tips do you have for women considering starting a business abroad?
Lisa and Rachel:
1.
Double the time you assume that you will need to get your business off the ground.
2.
Gaining experience in the field you are entering is a huge head start.
3.
Surround yourself with more experienced people.
4.
Double-check what you are told, if it does not feel right. Laws do differ from country to country, but so does advice from professional to professional.
5.
Build a clear, concise website (especially for an international business).
Expat Women: Do you have further expansion plans for KiwiOz?
Lisa and Rachel: KiwiOz is constantly evolving and our business is now at the stage when there are lots of possible directions. We plan to expand KiwiOz throughout New Zealand, Australia and the U.K., and we have a number of new support products and services that we are excited to be offering in the future.
Expat Women:Lisa and Rachel, we congratulate you on your success and we wish you and KiwiOz Nannies all the very best!
