Lyn Siawe is helping tech professionals monetize their skills.
Siawe is a Nigerian native who moved to the U.S. when she was 16 years old. She immediately enrolled in college, having already completed <a href="https://learnearningfun.com/5-low-dopamine-habits-for-high-focus-freelancing-5/” title=”5 Low Dopamine Habits for High Focus Freelancing”>high school in Nigeria, and studied economics and finance at the University of Houston. She later transferred to complete her degree at Southern New Hampshire University, which paved the way for a nearly 20-year career in finance and tech.
Today she is a tech founder. Her first company, Ziva’s World — a children’s educational and entertainment platform that explored social issues — was launched 11 years ago. The company went on to create a children’s book and children’s perfume using the platform’s IP, eventually landing a partnership with Walmart, according to information shared with AFRTOECH™.
Her most recent venture, Your Work Buddy, was shaped by her time spent as a tech consultant at Accenture.
“I remember I had a situation where I had to create a custom report,” Siawe explained to AFROTECH™. “No one asked me, so I volunteered to do it because what I realized is that in the tech world, you have to reinvent yourself to be an asset, to be valuable. I wanted to learn how to build reports, so I took on that task, and I remember that there was literally no information online, nobody I could directly reach out to for help.”
That struggle of having limited assistance informed the creation of Your Work Buddy, a talent marketplace built for people in tech roles such as design, coding, sales, writing, engineering, and marketing, according to a press release.
The primary goal of the platform is to turn “tech expertise into ownership,” Siawe explained.
Through the platform, companies can book freelancers for their services, which is convenient for time-sensitive deliverables. Your Work Buddy uses a matching system that connects hiring managers with freelancers whose skillsets align with those required for the task.
“Your knowledge will become your portfolio … and your knowledge will become your assets,” she explained.
Freelancers can create a profile and upload their IDs and work history. Onboarding only takes a few minutes. The platform verifies freelancers’ identities and keeps records to help resolve disputes, trace payments, and issue refunds when necessary.
Clients are required to pay for the service immediately upon booking, and those funds will be placed in the freelancer’s holding account. When a freelancer is booked for a service, they will be charged a fee by Your Work Buddy.
Your Work Buddy members can choose from a free or paid tier. Under the free tier, freelancers can initiate five conversations or “waves” with clients and are paid biweekly. Upgrading to the $19.99 monthly package gives them access to unlimited waves, the ability to withdraw earnings at any time, and the ability to upload and sell digital content such as templates, toolkits, guides, and courses. For hiring companies, the paid tier allows them to initiate unlimited conversations with clients, according to information shared with AFROTECH™.
“You know your worth. You know how [many] years you’ve put into building all of these special skills and expertise. So, as long as you understand that your knowledge becomes your asset, you own your space. You’re able to put a price on your skill,” Siawe said.
Your Work Buddy is fully bootstrapped, but is seeking investment and grants.
The platform is available on a mobile web app and on both iOS and Android devices.
