I have been carrying around an idea in my head to create a page like DreamJobSupport.com for some time. I am very, very excited that it is now a reality! I have no idea what the response will be like, but I believe it’s worth a try.
My inspiration for creating this page
My inspiration has been my own life experience. I started a business when I was 19 years old with a head full of illusions and ideals. Although I was always good with numbers, I completely underestimated the initial investment I would have needed to start ExtravaDansa. I appraised a completely unrealistic capital of 50.000 then Slovak Crowns, which was about €1.700. As I have been full of energy since childhood, I worked during my high school studies and had saved up that much. But the first slap came at the very beginning when the real needs soared to a whopping 1 million Slovak Crowns (€33.000).
From the beginning I was building a production house. Even though it was really small at first, it was created in a way that we could keep growing in the future (new type of shows, widening our portfolio of services and repertoire) cost a lot more than I estimated. Same went for each production – to pay specialist choreographer for each show, costumes made of the best materials, high quality promotions … Everytime I saw something or someone perfect like a talented but pricey photographer, swarovski cristals etc. I wanted it and I could not simply settle for a “cost effective solution”.
I, therefore, decided to deal with the situation in a grown-up manner. I went to a bank and applied for a loan. There I was; a 19 year old freshman at university with a request for a huge loan. They downright laughed at me and told me that I can try to apply for a student loan for up to 50.000SK (€ 1.700). They also asked for trillions of documents from school, parents and I do not know whatelse all of which was totally discouraging. So me frustrated began complaining to my friends, explaining my business plan to them and a miracle happened – my friends offered to lend me their savings! I was so touched. My dream could be implemented after all. However the responsibility that came with this was overwhelming. I knew that they entrusted me with their life savings. A scenario where I would not be able to pay them back was out of the question!!! For me it was much more binding than a bank loan or contract.
I would like to replicate this model.
In DreamJobSupport we (it’s just myself for now but I believe that more people will join in soon) offer different forms of assistance to start-ups. The best one, (which was actually a driving force for the development of this platform) is the ANGEL microloan. Although I have solely put down the capital, I created a Committee for selecting suitable candidates because if you select the wrong first couple of applicants, the money will never return and the whole idea of help goes down the plughole…
So, objectively the Committee selects the most viable projects which will help perpetuate the assistance, not kill it. If someone convinces us that we should invest in their business, they can get the money because we believe that their project is so good that it will be profitable and it will return money into circulation. The person won’t feel the pressure of any formal contracts, risk to collateral. He/She will feel the PRESSURE OF THE TRUST of people who want to help him/her.
Maybe I’m naive, but I believe that nobody will just want to cheat us. I believe that we will choose good quality projects. Projects, which once they become super-successful, will contribute to the pool of DreamJobSupport finances more than they got out of it.
So keep your fingers crossed my friends, here we go!
One more request to all – please do share the DreamJobSupport.com website. That way you will help us to find people with the great ideas. One that is their personal dream, thanks to which they will no longer have to work a job they do not like. Any project, big or small, even if it is a one man business, if it makes sense – send it to us. Thank you for your help on behalf of all future successful Dreamjobers.