Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a professional expert in a particular field walking your life journey with you and providing support and advice along the way? Well, entrepreneur Eldari Visser knows the value of having such experts at hand, and her unique company, Picketfence Life, is providing access to information, advice and a powerful network of such experts.
LoA found out more about this interesting and highly niche business this month.
What does your company do?
At Picketfence Life, we act as the Middle man - a complete ‘go-to’, one stop place for the consumer to find a Professional Expert that can help them with various serious issues. We focus mostly on easy blogs written by financial coaches, lawyers, accountants and tax practitioners, life and business coaches, and even psychologists. We give practical tips and help. We are the expert on your side of the fence.
What inspired you to start your company?
I had a very long and successful corporate career, spanning over many training, lecturing and financial areas. One day I embarked on the usual route of becoming a Financial Advisor. I had amazing clients and was on my way. Then life hit me like a freight train on the 30th of October 2014. It was Breast Cancer Month, on the very last day of that month, and my life and career as I knew it stopped. With fear and worries milling in my mind I started thinking about my life. I asked myself questions such as “What have I accomplished,” “will I leave a legacy?” “Have a changed ONE person's life for the better?” “What will I leave behind for the future generations?” I realised I knew so much,but the challenge was how to get the word to them? Maybe a book, seminars, webinars? I decided that day that I would begin to inform, empower, stand in the gap, uplift and do everything possible to bring the consumer the true facts about themselves, dreaming, goal setting, understanding their money habits, medical insurance and insurance in general. It soon branched out because people asked me to refer them to divorce lawyers, labour lawyers, social workers and psychologists, and tax consultants. I realised that there is a very real and desperate need for people to be correctly informed about their rights, products and their options. They need expert advice from experts that will understand my mission and my reason for helping people. I soon realised that I tend to think like a real consumer activist - but lets rather state advocate!
I want people to experience that Picketfence life again. To dream again. To stop feeling hopeless, stop living in fear but also to teach them how to get to that wonderful life. I want to use their success stories and publish this information and advice for the generations to come. My generation lost valuable advice. It will not happen again.
"At Picketfence Life, we act as the Middle man - a complete ‘go-to’, one stop place for the consumer to find a Professional Expert that can help them with various serious issues."
Why should anyone use your service or product?
My direct client - the consumer - will get hands-on programs and information with practical steps on HOW TO ... 7 step programs towards creating a better life. This program is free, and it’s jam-packed with vision boards, goal and objective setting exercises, personality tests and budget and debt exercises. At that time trust has been established and I can ask the client after analysing their full needs if I can refer them to an expert that will walk the rest of their lives with them, by their sides, so that they will be able to reach those dreams. An expert or even experts that will see to it that the next generation is healed and successful. We will revisit and then hopefully use their wisdom nuggets for our book.
Tell us a little about your team
At the moment it is myself and my Web designer in a JV together and a wonderful young lady doing her Masters degree in gaming doing the artzy stuff.. yeah... then I have 3 other JV partners and we are busy designing a new company together but our respective companies will enhance one another's individual companies with cross-information, assistance and help. Think Food, Mind and Wallet!
"I want people to experience that Picketfence life again. To dream again. To stop feeling hopeless, stop living in fear but also to teach them how to get to that wonderful life."
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My journey Is not that long yet but I quickly realised that it is hard work, and without support it is extremely lonely - resilience must be part of your daily make-up and it is essential to keep on knocking on doors. My grandfather was a great entrepreneur and had many shops but unfortunately he died taking with him his wealth of knowledge, and the current schooling or tertiary system did not give us any guidance that I think each and every individual should know. For me the biggest lesson was also that it might be the people closest to you that will turn their backs on you and that If you do not believe in yourself and in your dream nobody else will. Many years ago when I was a little girl a well-know singer wrote on the back of his autograph picture "never give up on your dream - just remember it is your’s and not someone else’s."
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
I am busy upskilling myself in every thing possible pertaining to this new venture - marketing, business, social media, the future of business, and networking with as many like-minded people as I can. I am building a support system that will really work. Collaborations are the great new invention and we can all be successful if we harness the power of collaboration. I want to have access to the mass markets and reach as many people as possible via our wonderful social platforms and technology. Then I want to get as many awesome experts on my panel to do regular blogs so that we will be able to use our collective knowledge to change people's lives. I want an Expert in all the sectors and available to all regions of this country, as well as up in Africa. My firstobjective is Ghana.
"Many years ago when I was a little girl a well-know singer wrote on the back of his autograph picture "never give up on your dream - just remember it is your’s and not someone else’s."
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
What gives me the most satisfaction is when I get an email from a client saying thank you - and knowing that my help made a difference. Also, that I can be free to give attention to my own health, to my loved ones, and can be involved in worthy causes to make a difference. In the corporate world, I would never have been able to do that.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Start as soon as possible - work on that dream. Never ever doubt yourself or listen to negative people. Don't let a bad economy stop you, but always keep your heart open for your customerw. Without them you have nothing.
Contact or follow Picketfence Life
WEBSITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | EMAIL eldari@picketfence.life
Why LoA loves it….
At some point in our lives, whether in business or on the personal front, there are those times when we need professional advice and support from experts who are there to guide us through a particular challenge or problem. However, finding those experts can be difficult. Entrepreneur Eldari Visser and her company Picketfence Life have the solution to make that process a whole lot easier, creating a genuine one-stop place for people to find the experts they need. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa