I had the chance to talk with Tamara Vrooman Lucas recently — founder of My Panda, a community-based personal assistant app that connects busy households with trusted, hyperlocal help. She launched the app in September 2019, right before COVID. She's a solo founder and she's currently operating across Metro Atlanta and Charlottesville, with Chattanooga opening soon.
I asked Tamara what made her decide to build My Panda.
"I needed it. My family is 500 miles away, so I didn't have a support system around me."
The idea came from a conversation with a friend who was working as a dog walker.
"She was just saying how many people needed so much more than just dog walks and that she wished she could just find a way to tell them that she would clean up the kitchen for 20 bucks. And I was like, gosh, that's what I need."
"The idea of just having people all around us in our communities who have a little extra time, have a desire to help — they're out there. So, it's really a way for us to bring the community together and get people the help that they need."
We talked about what running the company looks like now.
In the beginning, she was doing a lot of the jobs herself. Now her time goes to networking, business development, and getting in front of people. Her core team is a couple of part-time tech people and three of her best providers — VIP Pandas, she calls them — who help with daily operations, answer questions, and keep things running smoothly.
I asked what's the hardest part been about leading and growing the company.
"It's always time, being strapped for time. The learning curve has been very steep. Just trying to stay ahead so I can understand what's happening and what we need to do in order to get my vision into the world."
We talked about what still takes more of her time than she expected.
"I don't have a full marketing team, so I end up doing a lot of it myself. Things that someone else could do in 15, 20 minutes — it's like a two-hour process for me."
I asked how she works through things outside her wheelhouse.
"It's finding people in your network you can lean on. I'm all about leaning on your community. That's basically what a company is about. It's my personal ethos too."
I asked what she most wants to delegate.
"Probably marketing. I want to be doing more business development, speaking engagements, networking, getting to know leaders and organizations."
My Panda recently shifted from a purely B2C model to also offering services as an employee benefit through My Panda for Business. That's a different sales cycle, and a big part of locking it in is Tamara getting out there and building the brand.
We talked about the vision for growth.
"We've found that it definitely helps to go into areas that have a real strong sense of community." She's targeting second and third tier cities — Atlanta first, then Charlottesville, Chattanooga next, and at least one more market before the end of the year.
Her advice for founders:
"Make sure you want to do it. There are a lot of challenges. A lot of benefits, though. It's so important to find your tribe of people you can rely on. Your regular friends and family who aren't founders are not going to understand a lot of the things."
"You've got to have a strong sense of your purpose and be able to get in touch with that intuition within you, so you can weather all the things that are going to happen."
Are you a busy professional, working parent, or business owner ready to experience liberation through delegation? Connect with Tamara Vrooman Lucas and check out My Panda.