#awinewith Janet Moeller
MEET Janet Moeller, Founder of Jannic Education Solutions
You can find them here:
Transcript
Danielle Lewis (00:00):
You are listening to Spark tv, where we bring you daily interviews with real women in business at all stages. I'm your host, Danielle Lewis, and I am so grateful to have you here. So good. Janet, welcome to Spark tv. I'm so happy to have you here.
Janet Moeller (00:15):
No thanks. Great to be here. Really
Danielle Lewis (00:18):
Amazing. Let's start out by telling everyone who you are and what you do.
Janet Moeller (00:23):
Sure. I'm Janet Moeller, I'm the founder of Janet Education Solutions. I am on a new business journey that, well, the thoughts of it started about 30 years ago, but the business itself only started 18 months ago, so still pretty new in the space. But yeah, excited to talk about it.
Danielle Lewis (00:40):
Awesome. So can you fill us in? What is it?
Janet Moeller (00:44):
Well, lemme take you on a journey first. It's a journey that started, it'll be short though. 30 years ago to six years ago to 18 months to now, I've spent 30 years at education and there's always been something in the back of my mind. I wish there was something that would, or I wish there was a person that could. And as that was rolling around in my mind, in my first teaching position, which was regional USA, I wish there was someone I could collaborate with. And in 1993 we didn't have Google and we couldn't really collaborate and you were really off on your own. So then I went to a suburban data-driven school and I had plenty to collaborate with, but I wish there was someone who could take the data, get the data for me on student learning, input the data, put it into a way that I could use it, but there was no one to do that either.
(01:37):
And it added a lot of work to my load. But I love data. I started seeing it burnout out teachers, my mom being one of them. So that became really personal and that she could have had an extra 10 years teaching children to read. But because of the extra hours she spent doing data, she just said, I can volunteer. So she got out of the profession. So I went to an international school and I had a personal assistant that could do all the records, the attendance, the ordering of materials, the checking of emails from parents and drafting responses and all the things that you would dream about. So you just focus on teaching. But then my question in my mind was, well, why isn't that available to parents and teachers who aren't in schools where parents are paying 40,000 a year per child? Why isn't that available to everybody else? So then I came to Australia and not only was the admin the same as it was back when I was in Oregon, but you had risk assessments. Now you have paperwork to do school funding, and I wish that there was a way to take that burden off teachers and it's not about the planning and teaching, it's about the admin work that goes along with it.
(02:48):
So yeah, statistically teachers work between 49 and 51 hours a week, which isn't sustainable. And then a school leader to watch that was heart wrenching
(02:59):
And not being able to do anything about it. So six years ago, I wish there was turned into, wait a minute, there is. So my husband, who is my co-founder, was working on bot technology for multinationals and banks and technology companies, and I'm listening in the background thinking if we could adopt that bot to do this, it would save teachers hours. If we could adapt this, we could save teachers hours, we could keep some of the burnout from happening. He looked at me and he said, it's way too expensive. It takes millions of dollars. This was six years ago. He said, it might be there someday, but it's not there yet. 18 months ago, it's ready. We start seeing language models and we have the ability now to create bots that adapt to people that not only speak, but they can take on full workflows, they can make appointments for you. They could do amazing things. And it's an opportunity, I guess for me to go back to the I wish we could now we could. How can we democratize personal assistance and technology? So it's not just for the rich, but it's for those teachers that we really love. So my business, that's a long way of saying my business is building personal virtual assistants for teachers. I'm hoping to mitigate teacher burnout by giving them their evenings and their weekends back.
Danielle Lewis (04:32):
This is absolutely incredible. I can't believe you had the idea 30 years ago and it's just finally technology is catching up so that you can actually create a solution in kind of a timely slash cost efficient manner.
Janet Moeller (04:54):
Yeah, it's there now and as I'm having fun watching the technology develop, and every time I see something new it can do, I think, okay, so what does that mean for teachers? What does that mean for the classroom? Between 40 and 50% of teachers in Australia will leave the profession within five years. It's alarming.
Danielle Lewis (05:12):
Wow, really?
Janet Moeller (05:13):
Yeah. So those beautiful people that you had your children off to in the morning could secretly or not, so secretly be thinking about what's my next career move? And they're the people we want to keep in the profession. So what can we do now to help mitigate some of that burnout?
Danielle Lewis (05:30):
Wow. I mean AI and bots is a really interesting conversation in education, isn't it? I know. I've not heard anyone talk about using it to empower teachers. All you really hear about is how teachers are having to deal with students using AI for exams and assignments and those types of things. It's almost like we've focused on the negative, what might happen and not focused on how can we leverage this technology to actually make the learning experience better and teachers job satisfaction,
Janet Moeller (06:08):
Wouldn't that be great? And the other space is how can AI replace teachers? Which really is that what you want?
Danielle Lewis (06:17):
Oh my God. And it's just like I think we get so caught up in the negative and what could happen, but I mean it's hilarious. Google's now integrated with their own, I think it's Gemini AI or something, and literally every time I do a Google search now it brings up this weird AI answer that I know is wrong. I know what I'm looking for, and then I just go to their regular old links that they have and I'm like, it is not there. AI is so not, it's great for some things. I leverage it in my business for administration processes trying to get my head out of a blank page state. But when it comes to facts and teaching, I like, you can't replace teachers. Holy crap. Oh my God,
Janet Moeller (07:05):
You can't look. You can create some educational specific language models, which eventually is what I'd like to do so that it does know education, it knows it well, and I know it's not just going out into the ether and collecting whatever it wants to collect. But yeah, that's one of the down the line vision.
Danielle Lewis (07:22):
Wow, that is absolutely incredible. So then how do you go about having this idea, the technology is now ready. How do you go about bringing this into life and creating a business around it that process been like for you?
Janet Moeller (07:38):
Well, there are two things that I've been thinking about when creating it. I don't know how many of listeners, I'm guessing quite a few have either been on the teetering on burnout or been in full blown burnout at some point. And the thing about burnout is that it's personal and it's contextual. And if we're really going to do something about burnout, we need to think not just about productivity and how we can be faster machines, but how we can let the machines help us be human again.
Danielle Lewis (08:08):
Oh my God, I love that. I have not heard anyone talk about it like that. That is just, yeah, you just hit a nerve there. I think so many people think about AI replacing things, but I love that how it empowers us to be more human.
Janet Moeller (08:23):
It can. So part of what I did going about it, there are plenty of people trying to just make boxes where you make notes into AI and it spits out something. But I've been thinking about from the productivity side of things like we've talked about, but also the wellbeing. When we talk about trying to give teachers their evenings and weekends back, we have all the documentation that they're doing in lesson planning, but we also, you'd be surprised how many weekends are spent grieving over the phone call that you had to make for mandatory reporting and possible child abuse.
Danielle Lewis (09:01):
Oh my god.
Janet Moeller (09:03):
The times where I was talking to a teacher the other week, I might get emotional talking about this, sorry. It was telling me, look, she's put her heart and soul into this child for months now. She went to a meeting and after the meeting, a colleague and a parent both emailed her to tell her about all the other things she should be doing.
Danielle Lewis (09:23):
Oh my god.
Janet Moeller (09:23):
And she just felt leaving like, I'm not doing enough. And it's that emotional. Yeah, it's the emotional toll that it takes. So what I'm trying to do as a point of difference is to create, it's actually just a chat bot. It looks like you're talking to a friend on technology. It's not a big screen of tabs. I plugged in that to the current minimal viable product that we have. And the agent came back and said, I'm so sorry to hear that you're dealing with that. You're making such a difference in the lives of students. Would you like me to take those emails and draft a professional response for you and you can come back and look at it later?
Danielle Lewis (10:02):
Oh my god, can I please have this in my life? And
Janet Moeller (10:06):
I thought, that's exactly what we want. Yes, I had to plugging it into some other types of bots and seeing what came back. And yeah, I was pretty happy with the response that it got, but how do I build that? I actually don't build the technology. I have learned some prompt engineering. I have my co-founder that's dangerous enough with technology to be able to navigate that and get the right people involved in it. But yeah, we're really at early stages at this point. We have a minimal viable product out there that teachers are starting to use, give us some feedback, building it as we go.
Danielle Lewis (10:42):
So cool. And I love that, getting it into the hands of the real users and getting that feedback. What has been the most surprising thing as you have launched a business?
Janet Moeller (10:56):
Look, as a school principal, I took care of finance and marketing and HR and all of that, but I never had to start it from scratch.
(11:05):
So even things juggling all the balls, which is not unusual for anybody, but there are certain things that I feel like I never get right. Branding for one, I've got people helping me, but how do I tell this story? And I feel like I keep redoing that. The financials, I know what I want to build and I know how much that's going to cost. But what about the periphery things and the people? And then you've got grants and contemplating investments and marketing and there's just so much to it. You get one or two things done a day and anticipate one or two things to not go, and then you go home and you Yeah, you try to do it again.
Danielle Lewis (11:48):
Do it all again. Yeah, do it all again the next day. Oh my. It is so interesting. I mean a lot of people when they start businesses, they come with a skillset. So they're coming from a corporate career or an education in something specific and they go into business and then they're like, oh my god, I've got to wear all of these hats. But so interesting that you've worn all of the hats, but it's still completely different once you get into a business
Janet Moeller (12:15):
And it's a whole different language. So if I'm starting to speak technology, I remember the first time someone looked at me and they said, well, you need a full stack development. And the last time I heard the word stack and development and they said, I think I was an adolescent, said, I knew it had nothing to do with that. Okay, so what is full stack development and why do I need it? Or I would read up on different technologies like FinTech and I thought, well why do the Finnish get all the good tech when it turns out that no, that's financial tech. Oh
Danielle Lewis (12:45):
My god, that is classic. I love that.
Janet Moeller (12:48):
Yeah. So what I've learned is when I talk to investors, it needs to be in CAGR and it needs to be in dollars. And if I am going for an award, somebody told me, you have to think a judge. I don't know how to think a judge, I think like an educator and somewhere grant submissions are somewhere between the finances and the judging and all of that. So speaking different languages for different audiences has been surprising to navigate, to say the least.
Danielle Lewis (13:15):
Yeah, I dunno. I gave up at one point. I remember, so my other business scrunch, we raised capital. So speaking to investors, I went for grants, we went for a lot of grants. We did not get, I gave up on grants. I was like, I just can't speak that. I don't know what you want from me. So that was really interesting. But you're So right now as I reflect on it, it was trying to learn the language and fit into this ecosystem and fit into multiple ecosystems. I found it really frustrating to be honest, because I just felt like I could never get there. I could never understand investors. I was like a sales person, so I can talk to anyone, I can build relationships, talk to anyone. But when it came to investors, I was like, I don't understand what you want and why you're saying yes or why you're saying no. It would blow my mind. And that's why I love what I'm doing with Spark, because it's a little bit out of the startup ecosystem and more into the media landscape, which is probably more my bread and butter, but you're just so right as a business owner, it's not only the skills, but it is the languages of the places we want to operate as well.
Janet Moeller (14:37):
It is very much so
Danielle Lewis (14:39):
Insane. What do you think has been the biggest challenge for you so far?
Janet Moeller (14:45):
Speaking the language. I think time is always a challenge, but I think it's just learning to speak the language and navigating, yeah, a lot of that's being a 50-year-old woman in technology. There are some advantages that I've had because I've had some life experiences. But yeah, I think learning to speak the language I have my husband translate into tech, which translates to people. But whenever you use a translator, it never quite comes out the same because a picture in my mind is different than theirs, and at the end of the day, I speak education, and so they don't get me either in the way that I talk about things.
Danielle Lewis (15:23):
It's really interesting. So you spoke about burnout for teachers and touched on the fact that there's probably 50% of our audience that's currently has experienced is currently experiencing or is completely burned out. How do you manage that now as both a career person and also a business owner? How do you navigate not getting burnt out?
Janet Moeller (15:51):
There are a couple of things. I work beside my dog. He's right over there.
Danielle Lewis (15:54):
Love that. I mean, puppies make all the difference. They do. That's therapy in and of itself. I love it.
Janet Moeller (16:02):
Now look, I do very intentionally look back every week. I've got my weekly diary of who I've talked to and what we've said in meetings and things, looking back at where I've come, how far I've come, not where I have to go. As soon as I look a year into the future, two years in the future to problems that I don't even know exist yet, but I keep hearing about. I need to just keep looking at the progress so far and knowing, okay, I've overcome this obstacle. So the next one's going to be all right there.
(16:34):
I also spend a lot of time, as much as I can, interacting with the Melbourne startup ecosystem. There's a really good one here. So I'm part of a group that's a pre-accelerator program called Press Play, and it's trying to promote women starting up businesses in technology and in other ways, and being able to rub elbows with people that have been on the journey or going on the journey. Journey. When you watch LinkedIn and you see everybody's success, you think, what's wrong with me? Am I ever going to get there? But it's nice to have a coffee or a drink with someone that says, yep, it's effing hard, and just know that that's part of it.
Danielle Lewis (17:19):
Yeah. Oh my God, it's so true about social media, isn't it? It's such that, I mean, I'm not going to lie. So I was lying in bed trying to wake up this morning and I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw someone's post and it was really triggering around milestones and success, and I was like, wow, it's not even 7:00 AM and I already feel bad about myself and the progress I've made, but you're so right. I think that's why actually speaking to people, actually having those conversations is so therapeutic because it doesn't matter. You'll talk to the most successful entrepreneur on the planet and they will tell you it's still hard. The people who we think have made it whatever our version of success is, they are still in the trenches no matter where they're at. So I love that you said that sometimes you do just need to have a drink with someone and be a bit more real.
Janet Moeller (18:18):
Yeah, it is. And I'm so grateful. Look, I practice gratitude for all the people that have helped me, the person that sits down with coffee with me to talk about data security, which is huge in the industry. Somebody gave me an article opportunity to write, which gave me some exposure, warm introduction, someone who can sit with me for a pitch deck review, doesn't tell the story that others need to hear. Forecasting templates. I got one of those the other day and just so grateful. So yeah, gratitude for and for you for having me here.
Danielle Lewis (18:50):
Oh my God, of course. I'll have you here anytime we said this before we hit record, we're going to have you back in 12 months. I want to hear how it all is all going, but you're so right. It's really interesting. I think entrepreneurship and starting a business, it is really hard and the pathway is not clear, and there's so many different ways to get where you're going, but I'm always blown away at how many people are willing to help, whether it's having a coffee, whether it's sharing a template, whether it's giving you feedback, offering a bit of therapy.
Janet Moeller (19:24):
Yes.
Danielle Lewis (19:25):
Yeah, that is absolutely incredible. I love that. Oh, this is so awesome. It's just really interesting what you're building, and I love that you've got this education background and have gone into tech and it's like, of course that's hard and difficult and scary, but the problem you're trying to solve is obviously so important and very close to your heart. So congratulations.
Janet Moeller (19:48):
Thank you. And the learning's fascinating. It really is fun to learn in spaces that I've never been before.
Danielle Lewis (19:54):
I love that. I love it. Now, I always love to wrap up these podcasts with one last piece of advice. So reflecting on your time in business and perhaps your career as well, what would be a piece of advice that you would give to another woman on her business journey?
Janet Moeller (20:17):
Be able to laugh at yourself at some point. Yeah, it'll all be funny, but it won't be right now. Look, I think about what starting a journey like this, thinking about things in terms of 10 days, 10 months, 10 years, if I don't do something, don't start my business. If I don't take the next step, how am I going to feel 10 days from now, probably relieved 10 months from now, guilty, 10 years from now, probably regret that I didn't do it. At the same time, if I do take that step 10 days from now, I'm going to feel scared and 10 months overwhelmed, and that's okay. But 10 years from now, there's that chance that it could really have been rewarding. And so which of those do I want to take and how do I anticipate the hardship no matter which decision I make, and then find joy in the now?
Danielle Lewis (21:21):
Oh my God, you're incredible. It's so interesting. It reminds me of, it's probably an Instagram meme, but it's like the time's going to pass anyway. So no matter what choice you make, you are going to get to 10 years and you're going to be a human, and you're going to be looking back on your life and the decisions you've made. So why not make one now that maybe it's a little scary, maybe it's a little intimidating, overwhelming, but maybe your future self might Thank you for it.
Janet Moeller (21:49):
Letters from the future self, I'd forgotten about that. I should probably do that.
Danielle Lewis (21:54):
So powerful. You are absolutely incredible. Janet. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your wisdom with the Spark community. So many gorgeous nuggets of wisdom in there. So I'm grateful for you today.
Janet Moeller (22:08):
Well, thank you very much and I look forward to getting to the next step and sharing the journey.
Danielle Lewis (22:13):
Absolutely. And we'll have you back in 12 months. I want to hear all about it.
Janet Moeller (22:17):
Alright. Hopefully it's what I want it to be.
Danielle Lewis (22:19):
That wraps another episode of Spark tv. Shout out to Spark TV sponsor IP Australia for their amazing support of the Spark Podcast and women in business. And if no one tells you today you've got this, I.
✨ Thank you to IP Australia for supporting the SPARK podcast and women in business ✨
