Munich Startup: What made you Founding of Mymary motivated?
Jennifer Roscher: My experience as a childcare provider! I've looked after many families and quickly recognized the need. I always tried to support the families every free minute I had. Until at some point, it became clear to me that I could professionally place childcare staff and wanted to expand that further.
Never 'self and constantly'?
Munich Startup: Did you have any role models when you started your business?
Jennifer Roscher: No, because back then, I wasn't really aware of starting my first business. I just knew: I never wanted to be self-employed. And during my training and studies, I had already started a business without even realizing it!
Munich Startup: Is the startup industry lacking female role models?
Jennifer Roscher: Yes! At the same time, there are already some great role models, like Verena Pausder, Lea-Sophie Cramer, Laura Malina Seiler, and others. However, we need more success stories of women who can step up and be heard and have their voices heard.
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Jennifer Roscher: At night, alone. And when I've had enough sleep and everything around me is quiet.
Jennifer Roscher: “My greatest talent is organization”
Munich Startup: Your greatest talent?
Jennifer Roscher: My greatest talent is organization. I'm not good at singing, dancing, painting, or anything else... But if there's anything I can do, it's organizing!
Munich Startup: The biggest mistake you have ever made?
Jennifer Roscher: That thinking big is always and exclusively the right thing to do. No matter how visionary your thinking is, you'll always be brought back down to earth by many different hurdles. Because there are many other factors that also have to play a role.
Munich Startup: How do you set priorities? And which ones?
Jennifer Roscher: That's a good question! My priorities are: completing my to-dos for the day, week, and month, and achieving my medium- and long-term goals!
“Dare, be brave!”
Munich Startup: Does this seem like a good time to start a business? Why?
Jennifer Roscher: It depends on the person, the product, and the service. But it also depends on the network you have, the experience, the know-how you bring, etc. I don't think there's a general answer. But I can only say to every woman: Be brave, be courageous! We women can achieve anything if we really want it!
Munich Startup: Do you support other founders?
Jennifer Roscher: I always try to be supportive and let others benefit from my experiences. Even though my schedule is getting increasingly hectic, I still try to make time for it. This ranges from bachelor's or master's thesis surveys for students to networking or network building to company exchanges.
Munich Startup: The three worst prejudices you encountered when starting a business?
Jennifer Roscher: For me, there were four prejudices, namely:
- You are not enough
- You don't have enough
- You can not get enough
- Your company is not good enough
“Only together can we get through the crisis”
Munich Startup: What’s on top of your desk right now?
Jennifer Roscher: Our B2B acquisition for Mymary, because especially during this time of coronavirus, it's important to support families. That's why we're currently reaching out to companies in the hope of providing support for employees with families. We can only get through the crisis together! Not by leaving our employees to fend for themselves, working from home and homeschooling at the same time.
Furthermore, the tax benefits of emergency childcare and childcare placement are so beneficial for companies that it only makes sense for companies to offer support! That's why we want to advocate for this so that work-life balance and family-friendliness no longer play a role in companies or are no longer a topic that needs to be discussed.
Munich Startup: What makes you happy?
Jennifer Roscher: My little puppy, long walks, and a healthy work-life balance. Of course, the latter isn't always easy to achieve as a founder!
