Have you ever just needed an extra hand – and fast? This is a rhetorical question, of course – all Moms can use an extra hand sometime, and the busiest life moments seem to happen with little notice! That’s why we LOVE QuadJobs, a company founded by two Greenwich Moms, Andra Newman and Betsy O’Reilly. They have five children between them, ranging in ages from 8 to 17 – so they know busy!
In just a few short years, they’ve grown QuadJobs, which pairs college students with employers, exponentially, and most recently launched their new app (App Store | Google Play), making the whole process even more seamless. To date, they have over 100,000 students and 25,000 employers using their service to make life run smoother. To learn more, we spoke to Andra and Betsy.
Can you please share housekeeping details of you and your family (where you live, names/ages of kids, etc.)? Why did you choose your neighborhood and what do you love about it?
Andra Newman: My husband Elliot and I have 3 children. Will (15), Winnie (12) Mary (8). We live in Central Greenwich, I grew up in town, and knew that I wanted to live close to family. I love my proximity to downtown—we are in a geographically desirable location for carpools!
Betsy O’Reilly: My husband Ed and I have two children, Magnus (17) and Will (15). We also live in Central Greenwich. When we moved here from London, we knew we wanted to be close to town. Now that we’ve been here for more than ten years, I love my neighborhood more than ever – it’s wonderful to be close to everything and I have amazing neighbors.
For anyone who hasn’t yet had the opportunity to try Quad Jobs, what exactly is it and how does it work?
Betsy: QuadJobs is an app that connects college students with employers looking to hire for jobs ranging from tutoring to babysitting, event help, yard work, moving and organizing, retail and restaurants, office work and so much more. The range of jobs we see on the app is astounding – surpassed only by students’ enthusiasm for working them!
What separates Quad Jobs from any other jobs site out there?
Andra: QuadJobs is an app focused on employers looking to hire college students. On the student side, it is a place for college kids can find the pre professional jobs that they are looking for that fit their schedule. The concept of QuadJobs is not new or original, hiring a college student from down the street to move a couch has been done for decades—we just digitized the process to make it fast and easy.
What was the “aha” moment when you thought, we should launch this?
Betsy: I’m not sure if there was just one moment. Sometimes I think company founders, and female founders in particular, have a habit of waiting for that “perfect moment” to start something. In reality, I think our launch was a process of small steps and hurdle jumping which, when you stick with it for long enough and jump over enough hurdles, results in a launch. I think we knew the idea made sense, but then we had to do market research, run the numbers (again and again), talk to potential investors and potential users, develop marketing strategies and so much more. As that all started to come together, we developed the momentum and the confidence that we needed to take those final steps and hit go.
How many students are using the site currently? And employers? How have you sustained such amazing growth?
Betsy: We have over 100,000 students and nearly 25,000 employers registered on the site. Our growth has been driven by many things but one of the biggest has been word of mouth. When a student works for a great family or business and earns money to help defray their expenses, they will be keen to spread the word to their friends and classmates. Similarly, we all know how much we love being the first of our friends to find a great new product or service and to then spread the word. Our employers have been terrific when it comes to sharing the QuadJobs story.
How did you pivot/grow during the pandemic?
Andra: The pandemic was a hard period for so many people, and college students were really stuck in the middle in many ways. Many students returned to their childhood homes to find their parents and siblings all working and learning at home. They still had the crushing student debt but no clear way to earn an income. QuadJobs was an amazing outlet for many college students who turned to us to find virtual or remote jobs. Tutoring and pod teaching jobs exploded. Additionally, colleges and universities approached us in droves as they were looking for new and innovative ways to support their students. The pandemic also provided the perfect back drop for us to listen to feedback from both students and employers and invest in our technology.
How do you balance life as a working mom – any strategies or mantras you use?
Andra: The book “Essentialism” by Greg Mckeown has had a major impact on my life. Each day I strive to determine what is essential, and what is important right now. It helps me stay present and focused and not worry (too much!) about things in the future.
What is the best thing you’ve ever heard from a client?
Andra: “I just hired the best student off QuadJobs to ……fill in the blank.”
Betsy: “The student who worked for me impressed me so much I helped them find a job after graduation!”
Can you tell us about the partnership with Greenwich High School – how did it come about and what does it entail?
Betsy: Greenwich High approached us about 18 months ago when the company that ran their student employment portal announced they would no longer be supporting it. They needed a new way for students to find after school and part-time jobs. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to help. The Town of Greenwich has been incredibly supportive of QuadJobs from day one and we were delighted to be able to give back. Plus, we knew Greenwich High students would be fantastic, hardworking QuadJobbers – and we were right!
Anything else you want to share – news, initiatives, etc.?
Andra: We are so excited about the new QuadJobs app (App Store | Google Play). Students have begged us for years to move to an app platform and our employers are thrilled with some of our new features such as direct chat messaging through the app and payment through the app.
Betsy: We continue to expand throughout the country. If you have friends and relatives in other cities, tell them about QuadJobs – odds are high there are QuadJobs college students near them looking for opportunities!
