Business

Work Hard and Parent Happy with Mirza

Published

4 years ago

November 3, 2021

Being a parent can be immeasurably rewarding. Who doesn’t love watching their child grow into a fun, productive member of society? Parenting doesn’t happen in a vacuum, however. It takes a lot of time and hard work. Parenting is a full-time, unpaid gig. Rewarding? Sure. Mortgage paying? Nope. Few people understand this as intimately as Siran Cao, CEO and co-founder of Mirza.

“I’m an immigrant and raised by a single mom. My mom was one of the many women whose career took a backseat when I arrived, so when my dad left, I grew up watching my mom rebuild entirely in a new country.

“That’s shaped my worldview and what matters to me most–women’s economic empowerment and independence.”

Whether we like it or not, parenting most often falls to the women. That isn’t exactly fair, but it’s what usually ends up happening. Some of that is due to how we’ve evolved as a species, but it has lingered due to unfair gender roles and expectations. So, when it comes to deciding who has to leave work to parent the children, it most often falls to women.

Women In The Workplace

Women were on track to match, even overtake, men in the workplace. In 2019, women made up 47% of the workforce. Since the onset of the pandemic, more than 2.3 million women have left the workforce, making women’s participation in the workforce the lowest it has been since 1988.

Though they couldn’t have known the pandemic was about to exacerbate the gender pay gap, Siran Cao and Mel Faxon, COO, founded Mirza as a means to correct that gap for good.

Choosing between work and parenting shouldn’t be a difficult choice. In a perfect world, a parent should be able to do both. That takes a lot of meticulous planning and budgeting that can be incredibly intimidating.

I’ll let Siran and Mel do most of the talking here:

How Mirza Works

“The lion’s share of the wage gap is driven by the “motherhood penalty,” and the critical element here is childcare. With families spending a third of their incomes on childcare, it forces this trade-off of one person’s salary against cost of care.

“That person, usually mom, due to a whole slew of reasons from no paid leave, to gender norms onwards. But just one year out of the workforce means losing 39% of lifetime earnings due to the missed acceleration (promotions, being mommy tracked, etc.) and lost compounding retirement savings.

“So how Mirza works, we tackle that acute pain point. Our tech reframes that decision for parents and aspiring parents in larger family goals and financial health view, to anticipate upcoming costs and understand tradeoffs, and be better equipped to make fully informed decisions.

“We then layer in funding for childcare so we can fundamentally change that math of income vs cost of care. At the core, we want to make sure parents (women!) have true CHOICE.”

The Math of Parenting

Mel Faxon, COO and co-founder, adds insight:

“For us, tackling childcare as one of the core contributors to the motherhood penalty/gender pay gap isn’t just about helping people afford the (often exorbitant) cost of childcare, but changing how they do the math around it.

“The visibility our product provides into the long-term implications of taking unpaid leave, of having one parent drop out of the workforce entirely for a few years – it’s not a frame through which we normally think about having kids.

“It’s much easier/more instinctual to think right now, present day, we’d “save” money if one of us stays home rather than pay for childcare – and we’re here to show you why that’s not really the case.

“We’re currently in a milestone situation politically, where programs like paid family and medical leave and universal childcare are being seriously considered as part of national policy moving forward.”

A New Type Of Working Parent

Mel Faxon continues:

“It could not be more apparent that single-income breadwinner families are no longer the norm. Families need and want dual incomes – and we need to structure work to support that. Care – childcare, eldercare – is something that we all have to do at one point or another, and our workplaces need to acknowledge that.

“While our product is geared towards the individual, it’s always been fundamental that we work with employers to see that childcare is healthcare, childcare is wellness, it is financial health, and it is the future of work.”

It has unfortunately been drilled into the minds of managers and higher-level executives that in order to be a good worker you need to be 100% dedicated to the company at all times with no question. Your home life, your health, your family’s happiness is secondary to the wellbeing of the business.

That, we now know, is nonsense. “A happy worker is a productive worker” is a bit of a cliche, but it’s true. If an employee has access to healthcare, a comfortably livable wage, and a happy home life, the more productive they will be. It’s a long-term investment.

In a world obsessed with short-term gains, it can be tough to sell long-term investments. But we need to make that sale, or else this will all crumble.

What Do Parents Think Of Mirza?

Mel Faxon shares some of the feedback Mirza has received since the launch of their beta on October 22:

“You’ve really nailed the fundamentals of what we’ve already been thinking about financially when preparing for kids”

“As soon as I signed up and filled in stuff about me, I saw good content right off the bat. I felt like I was being heard!”

“We haven’t really thought about loss in terms of paid time off, I [had] no idea, so it’s great that it’s included in the planning process.”

Things are still early, but the impact is already being felt. Mel shares one particular feedback:

“A really impactful comment we got the other day from one of our users, was not only that she wished she’d had this when she was family planning, but that Mirza has made her realize that she no longer has to just accept the way the world is.

We can actually change the way things work for parents and for women, and she feels like we’re providing the information and ways for that to happen.”

What’s Next For Mirza?

Siran shares where she anticipates Mirza will move in the next 5-10 years.

“We’re tackling the childcare crisis, so that means unlocking affordability for parents first, then we’ve designed our next steps for our financial product to be able to support providers!

“We think of an end-to-end solution to work across the childcare ecosystem: funding care for parents and helping them navigate the available support, providing the platform for providers to access funding resources and increasing earnings ourselves, innovating in care delivery itself.”

Mirza is just getting started. If you’re a new parent or are about to be one, you can create an account right here.

The pandemic stripped away a lot of critical progress. It’s time we work to gain it back and then some. Our children deserve it.

Business

What’s the Best Design Agency in Austin for Businesses in 2026?

Published

1 day ago

December 24, 2025

Margaret Zander

Famous for its vibrant food scene, booming tech hub, and live music, Austin, Texas, also holds some of the best design agencies in the nation. For the coming year, you might want to work with the following agencies to boost your business:

Penji

Known for its unlimited graphic design services, Penji tops this list of the best agencies in Austin. Its key services include branding visuals, infographics, social media graphics, custom illustrations, UI and UX design, and more. You can send requests for more than 120 design categories, all for a flat monthly rate. And the best part is its unlimited revisions feature, allowing you to get the exact designs you need without paying extra.

Pushstart Creative

A multidisciplinary design agency, Pushstart Creative specializes in product and industrial design, user experience, research, and strategy. It has worked across various industries, most notably consumer and commercial IoT, consumer electronics, sports, and health and fitness.

Frank & Victor

Reflecting Austin’s creative spirit, Frank & Victor helps businesses resonate more deeply with their audiences. It promises to create branding and identity systems, strategic logo designs, UI/UX designs, and more, with premium quality designs and attention to detail.

Big Gorilla

With a focus on branding and identity design, web design and development, and marketing strategy, Big Gorilla is a highly recommended creative design agency for businesses in Austin. It also offers photography, video, art direction, packaging design, and a wide range of marketing and communications services.

Fahrenheit Marketing

Founded in 2008, Fahrenheit Marketing is a full-service agency that offers both creative design and marketing strategy. Proudly based in Austin, Texas, it offers web development, UX/UI design, SEO, PPC, and ecommerce services. In addition to these, they sell products from Offline Order Importer, HubSpot, Klaviyo, SharpSpring, and many others.

Business

Top 10 Video Marketing Agencies You Must Check Out in 2026

Published

6 days ago

December 19, 2025

Amaya Maravilla

If you’ve been following the latest marketing trends, you would know that video marketing is popular. Factors like lower costs, the availability of video platforms, and the rise of social media influencers helped change how consumers interact with video content. Read on to learn the best video marketing agency to help you leverage the power of video.

1. Vireo Video

If you need an expert in Youtube marketing, be sure to check the features of Vireo Video. The platform specializes in Youtube marketing and offers various video-related services, such as Youtube content strategy, SEO, and advertising.

Vireo Video is trusted by brands and influencers like bestselling author Eckhart Tolle. Vireo assisted in the optimization of his videos and helped grow his YouTube channel. As a result, his channel has 250 million views and 1.6 million new subscribers.

Key Services:

Influencer marketing
Video optimization
Targeted YouTube advertising placements
Strategy development

2. NinjaPromo

Video marketing is one of the many services offered by the digital marketing agency NinjaPromo. If you’re looking for a perfect partner to assist you in reaching your desired audience quickly, NinjaPromo is one of the best agencies to work with. The company can help you create creative, engaging, and practical videos to promote your brand and increase your online presence.

Key Services:

Video Production
Consultation
SEO optimization
Explainer videos
Event and product videos
Tutorials

3. Moburst

Moburst is a mobile and digital marketing agency that specializes in helping businesses grow their mobile apps. They offer different services to enable enterprises to improve their mobile app performance and increase user engagement. One of its clients is Samsung, which Moburst helped achieve +1,400% growth from downloads to social.

Key Services:

App Store Optimization
Video production
Mobile User Acquisition
Mobile App Analytics
Mobile App Design and Development
Mobile App Retargeting

4. Voy Media

Trusted by big brands like Lacoste, Voy Media is a full-service agency offering various marketing and creative services. Their services are designed to help businesses grow their brand. Likewise, the agency helps them generate leads and increase conversions through social media platforms. Voy Media also ensures its clients receive the necessary support by assigning a dedicated account manager.

Key Services:

Video editing and production
Product and lifestyle photography
Graphic design and illustration
Full studio production with talent and script

5. Pop Video

Pop Video was established in 2010 in Houston, Texas. They describe themselves as a business-first solution for a video-first world. Pop Video has a team of visual content creators with a specialization in video production and visual content marketing.

The agency has worked with various clients across different industries, including healthcare, technology, retail, and finance. Some of its notable clients include Microsoft, Adidas, and Coca-Cola.

In addition to its core video production services, Pop Video provides consulting and training services to help businesses develop their video marketing strategies and produce their video content in-house.

Key Services:

Video Marketing
Video production
Animation
Content creation
Social media optimization

6. Epipheo

If you need help with educational videos, explore the services of Epipheo. Epipheo is a video marketing agency that creates animated explainer videos and other visual content to assist companies, organizations, and individuals in connecting with their audience effectively.

Key Services:

Social video ads
Storytelling testimonial videos
Animated explainer videos
Live action videos
Strategy and consulting

7. Early Light Media

Early Light Video is a full-service video production company that creates high-quality video content for businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. The agency is known for delivering top-notch video content that meets its clients’ needs. It was founded in 2013 by a team of Emmy Award-winning creative directors, with offices in Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Key Services:

Video production
Post-production
Animation
Voice-over casting
Music Licensing

8. Indigo Productions

Indigo Productions is a full-service video production company based in New York City. They specialize in creating high-quality videos for corporate clients, advertising agencies, and individuals. Their team of scriptwriters, directors, producers, hair and make-up artists, and location scouts will handle all the logistics.

Key Services:

Promo videos
Web commercials
Music videos
Movie trailers
Documentaries

9. LAI Video

LAI Video is a Washington, DC-based boutique video production company specializing in creating visual stories that inspire and engage audiences. The company was established in 2013 and has become a leading video production agency in the DC metro area.

LAI Video has worked with various clients, including National Geographic, The World Bank, Georgetown University, and The Smithsonian Institution. Their skilled team of filmmakers, animators, editors, and producers works closely with clients to ensure that each video project meets their specific goals and objectives.

Key Services:

Corporate videos and commercials
Video communication campaigns
Branding
Video animation
Marketing storytelling

10. SparkHouse

SparkHouse is a video production company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializing in creating high-quality video content for businesses and organizations. The company was founded in 2013 by filmmakers and storytellers passionate about creating visually stunning and emotionally compelling videos.

SparkHouse has worked with various clients, including Target, 3M, Best Buy, and General Mills. Their talented filmmakers, animators, writers, and producers work closely with clients to ensure each video project is customized to their unique needs and objectives.

Key Services:

Brand Videos
Corporate Videos
Animation
Event Videos
Social Media Videos
Documentary Films

Which Types of Videos Do You Get from a Video Marketing Agency?

A video marketing agency typically provides various video types, each with a specific purpose and target audience. Below are the common types of videos you can request from a video marketing agency.

Brand videos
Explainer videos
Corporate videos
Testimonial videos
Social media videos
Live stream videos
Case studies
Reviews
Tutorials

Conclusion

Video marketing is essential for businesses looking to engage their audience, build brand awareness, and drive conversions. That said, the competition will only continue to grow, making working with a reliable video marketing agency more critical than ever.

Featured Image Credit: Photo by fauxels from Pexels

Business

What’s the Best Design Agency in Los Angeles?

Published

1 week ago

December 18, 2025

Scarlett Holiday

TLDR: Penji is unlimited graphic design for a flat fee; Colab is digital transformation focused on brand storytelling; Jacob Tyler is a full-service brand strategy powerhouse; Micro1 is AI-powered engineering and tech design.

Did you know that California’s creative economy is worth more than $500 billion to the state’s economy? That’s a lot of creative minds at work!

The search for the best design agency in Los Angeles can be quite daunting. After all, 1 in 6 people in L.A. work in a creative field. It’s no surprise there are thousands of candidates that would be an ideal extension of your dream team.

If your business requires a rebrand or continuous graphic design efforts you can rely upon day in and day out, then finding the right design agency will help your business thrive. You need more than just a creator, you need someone to bring your vision to life.

To ease your research, here are the top four contenders as the best graphic design agency in Los Angeles.

1. Penji

The future of design has arrived. Seeking a design service upon demand? Penji is your new graphic design service that acts as an extension of your team.

No hidden costs, no missed deadlines and For a monthly flat-fee subscription service, you will have access to the top 2% of designers in the world with little more than a submission request for us to take it from there!

This is perfect for marketers or agencies seeking cohesive quality over hiring needs.

Pros:

Unlimited Revisions: We keep refining until you are 100% happy.
Flat Monthly Rate: No surprise fees or hourly billing.
Fast Turnaround: Most drafts are delivered within 24-48 hours.
Vetted Talent: We hire the top 2% of designers, so you don’t have to vet freelancers.

Cons:

Subscription-based: This model is best for those with ongoing design needs rather than one-off projects.

2. Colab

When it comes to a design as a service partner with digital transformation as its focus, Colab is the place to be.

A location-based agency that takes a data-led transformational, story-driven approach to seamless UX, Colab is where brands/agencies should go when seeking to merge strategy creation/implementation through execution from start to finish—especially with websites that merge look/functionality with success.

Pros:

Strategic Focus: They rely heavily on data to drive design decisions.
Local Expertise: A deep understanding of the LA market.
Full-Service: They handle everything from the backend code to the frontend visuals.

Cons:

Higher Cost: As a traditional agency, their project fees will be significantly higher than a subscription model.
Timeline: Large-scale digital transformation projects can take months to complete.

3. Jacob Tyler

For nearly 20 years, Jacob Tyler has existed in the California Brand Design Agency game as a powerhouse. This full-service digital communications agency will trim the fat from your ultimate brand strategy to hone in on what you truly need moving forward.

If you’re looking for a major professional facelift with omni-channel marketing and integrated deep brand strategy, Jacob Tyler is a heavyweight brand—literally!—who’s worked with everyone from startups to credit unions!

Pros:

Experience: Over 20 years of experience in the industry.
Comprehensive: They can handle your entire marketing funnel, not just the design.
Award-Winning: A strong portfolio of successful, high-profile campaigns.

Cons:

Project Minimums: They typically work with project budgets starting at $10k+, which may price out smaller startups.
Complexity: Their comprehensive approach might be overkill if you just need graphic design execution.

4. Micro1

Micro1 takes creative human design efforts and merges them with AI functionality. As a critical graphic design agency, they use artificial intelligence for beauty and brains on websites/apps like never seen before!

Micro1 builds engineering teams behind major apps (think Tinder, Uber…) so if you’re a tech-based startup in need of cutting edge product development based on extraordinary UX/UI look no further!

Pros:

Tech-Forward: Ideal for SaaS and app-based companies.
AI Integration: Uses AI to enhance efficiency and speed.
Scalable: Great for ambitious startups looking to grow their engineering and design capabilities simultaneously.

Cons:

Niche Focus: They are heavily focused on product and app development, rather than general marketing graphics.
Development Heavy: If you don’t need coding or software engineering, their full suite of services might not apply to you.

Credit for Cover image: Photo by Mikael Blomkvist on Pexels