Recently I have started to throw out the following question on Twitter: Who is working on a #startup today? I would love to hear about it!. It’s awesome – people search for the #startup and so I get some pretty cool responses from people all over the world who are working on the ‘next big thing’. So, I decided to write a blog about the one’s that particularly catch my attention.
First up we have, payumi.com. It’s amazingly simple, this is a website for people who need to collect money from groups of people. I remember at Uni, in a shared house and whenever the time came to pay the bills it was always a pain to get money off housemates as individuals wrestled to keep as much beer money as possible! Of course the same situation occurs with the likes of mother groups, children’s activities like dance or football, holidays, for example. The list is endless.
All you have to do is set up an account, send payment reminders and the money will come straight into your paypal account.
I think it is an absolutely genius idea and has heaps of potential. The only question swirling through my mind is what the difference is between this site and simply using your paypal account in order to make a payment request? If there is absolutely no difference it almost makes the site redundant. I cannot even begin to describe how much I want there to be a massive difference. I will ask the payumi team directly on their twitter account @payumicom and let you know what they say. I will post an update as soon as I have one!
Watch this very powerful talk by Steve Jobs on ‘How to live before you die’ – this is an incredibly powerful piece of footage. Get inspired.
As many of you know I am all giveaway crazy at the moment because of the launch of my new start up Big American Giveaway. Whilst researching today I came across a couple who are giving away an ipad in order to help raise money to adopt a child. The ipad bit is irrelevant, but the story, the journey and the passion is quite exciting.
The Tucker family, a white, middle-class, Christian all American family have launched a website Subtracting by Adding in order to raise money to help adopt a child from Taiwan. The introduction that I have just given could sound quite negative, the Tucker family already have two biological children and it could easily sound like ‘White middle class Christian super-hero couple save the day’. But, you know what, that is exactly what it is and I would love to see more couples think about adoption.
One of the comments that the family have put on their website is a comment that I wholeheartedly believe in – they have two biological children and, there are heaps of children around the world without a family so why not provide a loving family for one of them. What a great sentiment!
I have seen, first hand, the sadness of children living without families in orphanages. Many orphanages do an incredible job and fair play to them. Nevertheless, children were built to be loved, to have the loving support of a family and they were created to bloom in such an environment. I will never forget time that I have spent in Kenya. I was in a boys orphanage talking to the children about how they are unique, they are individual, they exist for a very special purpose and, even without natural families they are very much loved. As I ended my talk the children came forward, they wanted to be hugged! As a small 5 year old boy wrapped his arms around my legs, he would not let go. This little boy could not speak a word of English and I have never been fluent in Swahili, but, nevertheless, we had shared an incredible moment. Not only was this orphaned boy loved, but, so was I. Needless to say, I was in tears!
The Tuckers’ goal of adopting a child, ‘Cambell’ from Taiwan is a powerful example of how many other couples could reach out and change lives of young children around the world. I remember reading a book on the work of Tearfund, a Christian organisation and one of the titles of the chapters seriously stood out, “They can’t eat prayer”.
Whether we are of a religious background or not, the sentiment is the same. We can look on in despair at those who are less fortunate, who need help, who struggle to survive or who need a little bit of love and we wish them all the best, “they can’t eat wishes”.
Well done and congratulations to the Tucker family, we are right behind you. May your example be a shining one, to many.