Meet Willow Li | Founder of AyiConnect

We had the good fortune of connecting with Willow Li and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Willow, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balancing work and family life can be a constant challenge, especially when you have young children and are also running a startup. Over time, I’ve learned to prioritize my time in order to maintain a healthy balance between work and family. My principle of excessive prioritization involves focusing on three key things every day: my children’s activities, my work, and quality time with my family. By prioritizing these things, I can better manage my time and ensure that everything gets done, any extra activities can be accommodated if I have some extra time.

To make the most of my limited time, I often delay my hobbies, like cooking, until the weekends when I have more time to spend with my family. I’m constantly amazed by the strength and resilience of other moms who are juggling multiple responsibilities. That’s why our company is planning to feature inspiring “Boss Mama” entrepreneurs on our newsletters, to share their stories and inspire others who may be facing similar challenges. I believe that by supporting and learning from each other, we can all achieve success in our personal and professional lives.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our platform addresses a unique need in the caregiving market that has been neglected by many companies. As an immigrant woman living in the US, I personally struggled to find caregivers who could meet the language and cultural needs of my family. I wanted my children to be fully immersed in my home language and culture, while my father required someone who could care for him and communicate with him in his native language. Unfortunately, finding a caregiver who met these specific requirements was a daunting task that took a lot of time and effort.

It shouldn’t be this way in today’s world, where we can hail a cab from the palm of our hand. We recognized the need for a platform that could bridge the language, technology, and access gap between caregivers and families. That’s why we set out to develop a platform that simplifies the search for the right caregiver and creates a better experience for both caregivers and families.

While building our platform, we discovered a community of non-medical caregivers who were underserved and eager for more job opportunities to share their cultures and languages with other families. These caregivers are mainly immigrants and non-native English speakers, and their job opportunities were previously limited to their local community. To address this, we created training courses that cover topics such as caregiving knowledge, cultural bridge, English lessons, and interview skills to help them upskill themselves. Furthermore, we constantly partner with culturally competent professionals to help caregivers better understand their circumstances, such as tax, insurance, and legal issues. We always welcome those who are willing to contribute their time to support our caregivers.

We take pride in having created a platform that not only connects families with quality caregivers but also creates job opportunities for these underserved caregivers.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to learn and develop the skills necessary to build multiple high-performing teams. These experiences have proven to be invaluable in my current role as we navigated the challenging times brought on by Covid-19. When our team lead passed away due to Covid, it was an emotional and stressful time for everyone. Our team was feeling down and uncertain about the future, but I was determined to help us overcome this setback.

To get our team back on track, we first needed to allow everyone the space they needed to grieve. It was essential to recognize that everyone was going through a difficult time in their own ways and that we needed to support each other. I encouraged open communication and gave everyone the hope and trust that we had a plan to achieve our goals. Accountability was also crucial, and we made sure that everyone understood that we all needed to work together as a team.

One of the most important lessons I learned was that we needed to let go of those who were not contributing and willing to be part of our collaborative culture. After some reorganization of roles and responsibilities, our team is now coming out stronger than before. We are ready to support our users better than ever, and our renewed focus on collaboration and accountability has made us a more effective team.

Overall, the experience has taught me the importance of resilience, empathy, and accountability in leadership. I am grateful to have been part of such a strong and dedicated team, and I know that we will continue to overcome any challenges that come our way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my friends with children were visiting, I would kick off their trip with a visit to the Heard Museum, where they can not only explore the park and enjoy a picnic on the trail, but also learn about the life-size mechanical dinosaurs on display. Other must-visit places include the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, the Dallas Arts District, and the McKinney Downtown and Farmers Market.

To experience authentic cowboy culture in Texas, I would take them to the Fort Worth Stockyards, where we can watch a historic cattle drive, enjoy a rodeo, and feast on delicious Texas barbecue.

For food, I highly recommend Urban Crust restaurant in Downtown Plano for their delicious brick oven pizzas with creative toppings. I would also take them to the Food Court at Legacy, next to Jusco, which offers a wide variety of delicious and affordable Asian cuisine and drinks such as Boba milk team.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who deserve recognition on my journey as an entrepreneur. I want to give a special shoutout to my amazing husband, family, advisors, and friends for their unwavering love and support. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

My husband has been my rock through thick and thin. He has always believed in me and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. He has been my sounding board, my confidant, and my biggest cheerleader, especially during the transition from full-time employment to entrepreneurship. I am incredibly grateful for his constant support and love.

The passing of my dad was the inspiration for me to take this leap of faith and dedicate this business to him. This venture has helped me find meaning and fulfillment by providing care and job opportunities for underserved communities. My mom, in-laws, and close friends have also been a constant source of motivation, supporting me in every decision I make.

I also want to give a special shoutout to my advisors, Nelly and Jack, who have been instrumental in helping me with strategies, tech setup, and providing guidance and mentorship throughout my entrepreneurial journey.

To all of these amazing people, thank you for being part of my journey and for supporting me every step of the way.

Website: ayiconnection.com

Linkedin: Linkedin.com/in/willowli

Image Credits
Credits go to AyiConnect. All rights reserved.