For you to process, understand, and heal.
We are privileged to have Antoinette Patterson, the Founder and CEO of Safe Space, to share her heartfelt brand story and what motivated her to start sowing the seeds of Safe Space in 2017.
Her foresight to have a digital transformation during the early stages of Safe Space allows her to overcome the effects of COVID-19, and provide timely support to those in need.
Tell us more about your brand story.
Safe Space was first created to solve a personal need. I personally experienced burnout and wanted to speak to a therapist to find a way to overcome it.
However, you really are not in the best frame of mind to make decisions as you’re having anxiety and you would be feeling extremely overwhelmed by the options in an online search.
After trying US-based mental health apps and searching for therapists online, I realised I wished there was a person or a platform to help me answer these questions:
- Which therapist would be the best suited for me?
- Are they available to see me now?
- How near are they to my location?
- Are they within my budget?
It was only after my own experience did I see a gap in this sector that this was not solved and if there was a company doing it, it was a 24-48 hour wait time.
Since I was already in the startup space, managing other apps, I roped in a few friends and decided to create a working prototype and Safe Space is now what it is today.
(image credits: Safe Space)
Please share the most memorable challenge when you first started.
COVID-19 and the lockdown saw the world be forced into digital transformation and adoption.
How did you overcome it?
Lucky for us, we created the Safe Space platform to be a digital-first business. We have always worked remotely so we were not impacted by the lockdown. Our education efforts during COVID-19 was a success.
We had great positive feedback from both therapists and the attendees of our mental health webinars that they found it useful and it gave our therapists the opportunity to showcase their skills as a thought leader in their respective field.
What motivated you to create a website / online store?
I wanted everyone to have fast access to quality mental healthcare. The fastest and most affordable way to do this was to create an online marketplace to connect clinical therapists and potential clients.
How digital innovation helps your business ?
COVID-19 has caused a 64% increase in users on our digital platform. The top concerns were an increase in stress and anxiety as reported by our clients in our ongoing 2020 Impact Measurement Analysis Report.
Due to the surge in clients, we pivoted multiple times to cater to their needs – from providing video calls to replace face-to-face counseling, to also focusing on B2B and adapting our business model to freemium.
For any corporates interested in providing a free mental health employee benefit to their team, they can register for our Corporate Partner Program.
> Checkout More About SafeSpace.sg
You have experienced the fruit of your startup business. Please share a few encouraging words to aspiring entrepreneurs.
Ask yourself – “How badly do you want your idea to succeed?”. Once you know the answer, you’ll find every way to make it happen. However, do also know when to stop.
Please share your positive experience with Exabytes.
Ease of use, great discounts to keep Safe Space’s website running.
Thank you, Antoinette, for sharing your inspiring startup story. It is a timely reminder that we are not alone in our struggles, and we have professionals like your team to help us go through dark periods of our lives.
We will continue to support you in your pursuit of helping others by being your digital solutions provider 24×7.
Wondering how we can help you with your startup and digital transformation journey? Approach to our Exabytes consultant.
