Headroom Assistance Profile
Last Updated: By TRUiC Team
Headroom Assistance is a SaaS startup that offers executive assistant services remotely.
Founder(s): Kristel Kuit
Founded In: 2012
Industry: Software (SaaS)
Location: Europe and United States
Website: https://www.headroomassistance.com
Interview With Kristel Kuit
Describe your product or service & the problem it's solving:
“Headroom offers remote executive assistance services to C-suites and founders through its proprietary software platform. We educate and employ hundreds of assistants globally to solve skilled labor shortages and meet demand for premium, tech-powered EAs [executive assistants].”
How did you come up with and validate your startup idea? Tell us the story!
“I founded the company from my own background as an EA and started working full-time after high school. I saw that there is always a shortage of good talent, and at the same time, I recognized that a traditionally trained in-house EA doesn't fit with the future generation of C-suites and founders anymore. As the Future of Work movement has proved, education and flexibility are becoming increasingly important for both companies and the workforce. Headroom helps with that. We offer an online Academy for Assistants with 25 learning journeys, improving their life standards while offering the flexibility to work wherever you want, how much you want.”
How are you funded? I.e. type of funding, number of funding rounds, total funding amount.
“Bootstrapped with a 500,000 convertible.”
How big is your team?
“50 people throughout Europe and the US.”
Who is your target market? How did you determine this?
“C-suites and tech ‘aristocrats’ of fast-growing startups. They want to work with the best of the best while having optimal flexibility to move as fast as possible together.”
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What's your primary marketing strategy?
“Thought leadership/expertise and a pull strategy.”
How did you acquire your first 100 customers?
“Word of mouth and a very targeted outreach through LinkedIn and Twitter.”
What are the key customer metrics / unit economics / KPIs you pay attention to to monitor the health of your business?
“Capacity of our EA team to make sure the workload is right to support a good work-life balance. Customer satisfaction scores, churn, and attrition.”
What was the biggest obstacle you encountered while launching your company? How did you overcome it?
“Bootstrapping allows for a very efficient proof of product-Market fit, but it also limits growth and scalability. We needed software and automation, but we were able to do this after proving 1M ARR. With that milestone, we were able to afford to build our own software and academy to allow for scale while maintaining service levels.”
What is something that surprised you about entrepreneurship?
“Everything needs to ‘fit’/be aligned with each other, then magic happens.”
What is your #1 piece of advice for startup founders?
“Nothing to it but to do it! Even if it is a very small action item you take on a daily basis, it can feel like you are moving forward.”
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