4 March 2021|Latest Posts, Meet the Successful Founder
Oa Hackett is an experienced Founding Charity Director with a varied and demonstrated history of working in the Third Sector. Skilled and passionate about fundraising, strategic planning, community development, volunteer management, and anything to do with charities. Strong entrepreneurial skills combined with a drive to support as many women as possible facing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer across NHS partnerships in East Anglia. Oa is such a dedicated, hardworking and kind-hearted individual. She has a close bond with many of the charity’s beneficiaries and she offers such incredible peer support to these women having been through cancer herself. In fact, she has an excellent relationship with everyone she works with, including all of the hospitals she supports and local businesses.
She has an infectious passion and energy, and is loved by everyone she meets. She’s always on the other end of the phone working tirelessly to expand her charity, drive the momentum she’s created, and support more women. During Covid-19 she’s taken all her fundraising online yet still continues to deliver littlelifts boxes to the hospitals throughout.
What would you love to share to encourage other women to start their own business?
“Setting up littlelifts has been the most stimulating and rewarding challenge I have ever undertaken. A real rollercoaster of a ride – far more ups than downs, the experience has been life changing. I have learned (and still learning!) so much, met so many amazing people and each day I have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the world. This is what drives me every day and acts as a reminder on the tougher days.
littlelifts began at my kitchen table, 18 months later we grew into an office and have a small team of staff. There were, and still are, hard days, but I have learned to ask for help and lean on people for support. I feel lucky to have found something I love doing each and every day.”
What are your top 5 tips for entrepreneurial success?
- Start your day doing something kind or good for you – something that is non-negotiable. It could be a nice walk, a cup of tea in bed, a workout.
- Get a mentor or a coach
- Give yourself thinking and planning time
- Seek advice and learn, be open to new ways of working
- Have a note book to get thoughts down on paper when they spontaneously pop into your head, like in the middle of the night!
Who are the 5 women who inspire you the most?
- Kris Hallenga – Founder of Coppafeel!
- Sylvia Earle – Marine Biologist (Mission Blue)
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – US congresswomen
- Malala Yousafzai – Activist
- Dorothy Stowe – Co-founder of Greenpeace
What is your favourite saying/inspirational quote?
‘No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted’
Website & Socials
https://www.littlelifts.org.uk
