Enterprise Nation

Haoming Yau discovered how easy it was to create a website so decided to ‘give it a go.’ The result is promiseaid.com; a site that helps people make and keep positive lifestyle promises and a business that he runs in his spare time from home.

How did you come up with the idea for Promiseaid.com?

I discovered how easy it was for anyone to create a website so I thought I’d have a go. There was no eureka moment that comes with many start-ups - I just had a goal that I wanted to create something special so came up with a number of ideas that I kept developing.  The concept for Promiseaid was born after doing a lot of research, setting aside time to be creative and trying to learn as much as possible about web startups. 

What does the site do?

Promise Aid is an online portal that helps you make and keep positive lifestyle promises. Promises like giving up smoking, losing weight, learning something new or getting out of debt. The website lets users make a commitment to action, track their progress, connect with fellow promisers, watch inspiring videos, get related news and share useful resources. It’s all about promising to be a better me.

How do you earn money?

It's early days yet so the website doesn't make any revenue however the costs to keep it running are not high. The only fixed cost I have at the moment is the hosting of the website. All other costs are associated with improving the website and getting more visitors. All features of the website are free. The website has the potential to make revenue through online advertising in a variety of forms such as Google Adsense, affiliates, advertising partnerships and newsletter sponsorships. Promise Aid will be able to offer targeted marketing opportunities as promises such as quit smoking, losing weight and being more green can be matched with very relevant products and services. As with other websites who have a business model based on advertising, revenue success will be largely dependent on the number of visitors to the site.

My priority though is to focus on creating something that brings value to users. I see Promise Aid as a social enterprise and would like it to be something that genuinely helps people. If I do a good job of this, I believe this will open up new opportunities such as being able to demonstrate my capabilities or a partnership with a larger organisation.   

Do you plan to build the business so you can leave your job and work on it full time?

I'm working full time at the moment as an administration manager. I would love to have more control over my working day and work on something I started myself. I hate getting up early in the morning and having to do the dreaded London commute, so yes it’s a goal of mine to leave my job. I did work part-time to spend more time on Promise Aid for a few months, however I learnt that having a full-time job lets me save the money I need to invest in the business.

What are your plans for the next 6 months?

During the next six months, there are plans to improve the user friendliness of the website, search engine optimisation and to add more features. Users will soon have the ability to display promises on other websites. I’m also working on adding more resources, videos and other relevant content so that Promise Aid will become a useful and inspiring place to visit.
I have a promotional campaign planned once this has been achieved. This will include running prize competitions, creating a viral video, approaching relevant partners, using online communities, and involvement with charities.

I see the next six months as being very exciting and very busy!

• Promiseaid