Amadu Bah of MoreWithUs
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Amadu Bah, the co-founder and COO of MoreWithUs, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of MoreWithUs – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
Traditionally, job seekers are looking to apply for a job. MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs gives job seekers the power to market themselves, and also gives employers easy access to qualified candidates. MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs is a jobs and human relations technology company. We specialize in meeting the everyday human resources needs of small/mid-size businesses and people looking for hourly wage, part-time, and entry level jobs, such as high schoolers and college students.
We connect jobseekers with employers, and then let them communicate directly in a time efficient and cost effective way. We do this by providing an easy-to-use platform that functions as a social media candidates’ job board.
MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs is transforming the way we do job search and hiring from one that centers on posting a job, to one that is based on presenting the qualifications of job seekers. This desire for a transformational legacy is rooted in the curiosity and passion for creative ideas of the founders of MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs. Our everyday interactions with high school/college students and local businesses led us to ask two basic questions: What if job seekers can easily present and market themselves? And what if employers can easily reach out to qualified job seekers? In 2017, we founded MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs to transform the jobseeker-employer mode of connecting.
We solve the problems of inefficiency, tediousness, and high cost of job search and hiring for people with high school level education and for small/mid-size businesses. For jobseekers, we save them the tedious task of submitting too many job applications – we present them to employers looking for their skills and let employers directly contact them. For jobseekers, it is free. For small businesses, we save them time and money. We line up ready candidates that fit their needs – they do not have to post a job ad and wait for resumes or pay high costs to promote their job ads. We have the candidates ready for them at all times. They can window shop, and there are no contracts. It is fast, effective, very affordable, and hassle free.
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
For a startup, the biggest hurdle is funding. As entrepreneurs, we often have great ideas that solve real social problems. However, there is a high cost of translating those ideas into technological solutions for society. Also, many entrepreneurs do not have huge savings or come from financially connected backgrounds, so raising startup capital and using it in the most effective way is always a challenge. In the case of MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs, we had to pull from every savings we had, make big sacrifices, and work diligently and effectively to demonstrate our idea and develop the right technology.
We have been successful in translating our novel approach to job search and hiring into a robust website that is gaining traction among college students seeking jobs and small businesses. We have made significant progress in DeKalb, Illinois, and we are now reaching cities in Maryland, Florida, Minnesota, New York, and Philadelphia. We are now working on the app version, which will be released soon. We are also adding new features to give users even better experience. Overall, once we generated the initial capital to demonstrate the concept, thing have been going well. Our next challenge is to raise the necessary capital to scale up we very fast.
What does the future hold for MoreWithUs?
MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs is so right for our time, and the future looks bright. With record unemployment, especially among people with high school level education, MoreWithUs – Everyday Jobs is poised to be a go-to-place for jobseekers and a catalyst for community revival and empowerment. We are lining up a huge pool of ready and able candidates, and we are making it easy for local business to meet their human resources needs as the economy revives. Even more, we are an ideal place for businesses to showcase themselves through our business directory. Businesses will not only have access to a great pool of candidates, but they will also be highlighting their products and services to a vast pool of young people.
The great thing about our approach to job search and hiring is that we focus on people – we showcase and empower people and make it easy for jobseekers and employers. By focusing on people, we will continue to provide valuable and needed service during high and low unemployment period. MoreWithus is poised to see exponential revenue growth and be a wonderful resource for communities, including high schools, colleges, social service organizations, and local businesses. We can work with community organizations to make real impacts. One notable example is our current collaboration with 2ndChances.Life in Texas.
What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in DeKalb?
The local tech startup scene in DeKalb is very favorable, which is wonderful. There is a great public university (Northern Illinois University) with wonderful programs in business, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. DeKalb is also well-connected to the Chicago metropolitan area. There is a great incubator run by the county. Kishwaukee Community College and the Small Business Development Center also provide a very supportive environment. There are also many other nearby colleges, including Wabaunsee Community College, College of DuPage, and Rock Valley College. The DeKalb Public Library is fantastic – it provides vital community resources for entrepreneurs. All of these have helped DeKalb be a great place for tech startup. There are so many young people and wonderful resources hiding in plain sight.
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
For me entrepreneurship is about solving social problems and improving the quality of life of people. It is fired by curiosity and passion for innovation. It is about thinking outside of the box and always having people in mind. For aspiring entrepreneurs, I would say “look around you!”. There are so many problems that we can solve – we just need to identify the problems and be creative. Always believe in yourself, but also listen to people around you and respect everyone you work with. Entrepreneurship is a long journey, so be patient, work hard, strive to do the right thing, and be optimistic. There is no failure in entrepreneurship – even if you gave it your best and did not get the desired outcome, it was still worth it. Remember, it is about problem solving. Enjoy adventure and problem solving. See it as a calling and give back to society.