fbpx
Connect with us

Business

Work Hard and Parent Happy with Mirza

Published

on

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.

Chris Blondell is a Philadelphia-based writer and social media strategist with a current focus on tech industry news. He has written about startups and entrepreneurs based in Denver, Seattle, Chicago, New Haven, and more. He has also written content for a true-crime blog, Sword and Scale, and developed social media content for a local spice shop. An occasional comedian, Chris Blondell also spends his time writing humorous content and performing stand-up for local audiences.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Fast Turnaround

Published

on

Best Graphic Design Service for Fast Turnaround

TL;DR: Penji offers the fastest professional design turnarounds at 24-48 hours with unlimited revisions. Small business owners get agency quality without agency prices or timelines, keeping marketing moving fast.

The best graphic design service for fast turnaround is Penji, completing projects in 24-48 hours through an unlimited subscription model. Small businesses get dedicated designers, unlimited revisions, and consistent quality for $499+ monthly, much faster than traditional agencies or freelance platforms like Upwork.

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Fast Turnaround?

Your to-do list doesn’t shrink just because your designer is slow. Between running operations, managing staff, and actually making sales, waiting weeks for marketing materials creates problems you don’t have time to solve.

Penji delivers professional design work in 24-48 hours through an unlimited subscription model. You get dedicated designers, unlimited revisions, and predictable monthly costs starting at $499. No chasing freelancers, no agency red tape, just reliable design when you need it.

The Hidden Cost of Design Delays

Every day your promotion sits in a designer’s queue is potential revenue walking out the door. That seasonal sale you planned? The event driving traffic to your store? The website refresh that’s been “almost done” for months? Delays add up.

Most small business owners try one of three approaches: hire a local agency (expensive and slow), find freelancers on Upwork (inconsistent quality and availability), or use cheap services like Fiverr (you get what you pay for). None solve the real problem of getting quality work done quickly.

Why Penji Works for Growing Businesses

Penji operates on a simple premise: businesses need ongoing design support, not occasional big projects. Their platform lets you submit unlimited requests that get completed one at a time, with most initial concepts delivered within 24-48 hours.

The subscription model changes the economics completely. Instead of budgeting project by project and wondering if you can afford that next piece of marketing collateral, you pay one flat monthly rate. Submit as much work as you need without invoice anxiety.

Your dedicated design team learns your business over time. They understand your brand guidelines, know what your customers respond to, and remember your preferences. That familiarity makes every project after the first one faster because you’re not re-explaining your vision.

They handle everything: logos and branding, website design, social media graphics, print materials, email templates, presentations. Whatever your marketing needs, it’s covered under one subscription.

At $499 monthly for the basic plan, it costs less than hiring a part-time designer but gives you access to an entire creative team. For businesses that need design regularly but can’t justify a full-time hire, the math makes sense.

Upwork: Managing Freelancers Takes Time

Upwork connects you with thousands of freelancers globally. The selection looks great until you realize you’re now running a hiring process for every project. Reviewing portfolios, reading reviews, interviewing candidates, negotiating rates… it all takes time you don’t have.

Even after finding someone good, availability becomes your next problem. Quality freelancers stay busy, which means your urgent project competes with everyone else’s deadlines. You might wait days or weeks depending on their schedule.

Then there’s the management work. You’re handling contracts, milestone payments, file transfers, and communication across different time zones. Penji takes care of all that so you can focus on running your business.

Fiverr: False Economy

Fiverr advertises cheap design work, which sounds good when you’re watching every dollar. The reality disappoints more often than not. Decent designers charge $100+ per project and take 3-5 days minimum. Want revisions? That costs extra. Need something more than basic? Quality rarely matches the low prices.

When you add up revision fees and rush charges, Fiverr projects often cost as much as a month of Penji while delivering worse results. Paying a bit more upfront for reliable quality actually saves money by avoiding do-overs.

Making the Right Investment

Your marketing either drives growth or wastes money. Reliable, fast design support keeps your marketing running smoothly instead of stopping every time you need creative work.

Penji’s unlimited approach gives you the creative capacity of an in-house team at a fraction of the cost. Submit work when inspiration strikes, get results within 48 hours, keep your marketing calendar on track.

Test Drive Professional Design

See how much faster your marketing moves with reliable design support. Try Penji and stop letting design delays hold your business back.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my designer is working on someone else’s project?

Your dedicated team manages their workload to keep the 24-48 hour turnaround. They’re assigned to you specifically, not juggling hundreds of other clients.

Can I pause my subscription during slow months?

Check with Penji about their current pause policies. Many businesses find they use it more than expected once they have it.

How do revisions work if I need them fast too?

Revisions follow the same 24-48 hour turnaround. Submit clear feedback and you’ll get updated versions within that timeframe.

Continue Reading

Business

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Brochures & Flyers?

Published

on

TLDR: For speed and affordabilities Penji is the best scalable design service that matches agency-quality results. Alternative niche options can be Kimp, LogoCent, and Design Spinners.

Did you know that 79% of consumers respond to direct mail while only 45% of consumers respond to emails? In a digital world, physical brochures and flyers reign supreme. But such creations take a learned talent. When you need the Best Graphic Design Service for Brochures & Flyers, you need someone who can keep up with your marketing team.

Below is a comparative guide to the best in the Design as a service industry.

Penji

Penji: Graphic design services

Need some stunning brochures and flyers to create a beautiful vision? Penji is the artistic mind for you. Thousands of marketers and agencies trust Penji’s platform for unlimited print designs for a monthly flat fee.

Features:

  • Unlimited Brochures & Flyer Designs: As many as you want, whenever you want
  • Fast Turnaround: Your first draft brochure or flyer could be in your hands in as little as 24 hours.
  • Vetted Print Designers: The top 2% of talent across the globe are there to help you with your print requirements.
  • AI Platform: An AI can connect you with the most fitting designer for your campaign.

Benefits:

There’s no need to hire an agency and pay agency fees. Get creative without concern over results as Penji can scale for whatever you need, whether you need only one flyer for an event or an entire collection of marketing brochures.

Kimp

Graphic design services

For an unlimited graphic design service that fosters beautiful print opportunities, Kimp is the ultimate all in one experience. Their subscription service is perfectly suited for entrepreneurs and small businesses, making it easy to fold into a budget.

Features:

  • Dedicated Teams: You will be placed with a dedicated team to ensure your branding efforts remain consistent.
  • Video and Graphics: In addition to Kimp for prints, Kimp has a Kimp option for video for motion graphic needs along with branding efforts.
  • Source Files: You own all source files acquired through the process.

Benefits:

You don’t have to worry about your branding efforts being funneled through multiple freelancers – Kimp is an all-in-one solution for motion graphics and print assets like brochures for company cohesion without the stress of managing multiple freelancers.

LogoCent

Don’t let the name fool you; LogoCent makes more than just logos but high quality design pieces and more! If you’re looking for a pay-per-project option without monthly commitment, LogoCent is great for sporadic projects.

Features:

  • Custom Packages: Pricing that matches your necessary project.
  • Brand Identity: Logos and flyers that maintain cohesion between designs.
  • Communication: You’ll have a project manager and taskmaster on hand for full assistance.

Benefits:

You won’t have to create contracts with anyone else monthly, just pay per project with LogoCent when your business needs a one-off flyer for a specific event or an annual brochure type.

Design Spinners

Design spinners: Graphic design services

Design Spinners operates like a fancy ad agency without the price; they’re like a middleman between the personal touch of freelance sites and the upper scale of fancy agencies, and they specialize in brochures, flyers, and marketing pieces.

Features:

  • Specialty Offers: Pitch decks, trade show materials and more!
  • Pricing Levels: Basic flyer features to agency features at premium pricing levels are available.
  • Strategy Focused Design: Those creating your materials will approach your project through a strategic lens to help whatever material is created find success.

Benefits:

It’s more than just a design – whatever project you seek with Design Spinners will provide you with facilitated guidance and tiered levels of service depending on what you’re looking to get most out of it.

Credit for Cover Image: Ron Lach on Pexels

Continue Reading

Business

What’s the Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics Today?

Published

on

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

Infographics are an effective tool for explaining complex ideas and making them easier to understand. Thus, many businesses use them in their content marketing efforts. If you need to incorporate this powerful tool into your business, here are the five best graphic design services for infographics:

Penji

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

For fast, high-quality infographics, Penji is your best bet. It offers unlimited graphic design services for fixed monthly fees. This allows you to get as many infographics, logos, social media graphics, web design, and custom illustrations as you need in a month. Unlimited revisions are also included, assuring you of the exact designs you want and need.

Visme

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

Now, for high-converting, engaging, and branded infographics, there’s Visme. It offers an AI-powered interactive platform where you can craft your own infographics from over 1,000 professionally designed templates. Its drag-and-drop tools let you publish your designs in minutes.

Kimp

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

Another unlimited graphic design platform, Kimp, can create infographics for your business for a flat fee. Its dedicated team of designers will learn your brand and style, allowing them to craft infographics and other designs that will align with your brand identity.

Canva

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

If you have an artistic eye, you will enjoy crafting your own infographics with Canva. It is a free platform where you can create infographics and many other design types using its templates. If you want a more polished look, you can purchase design elements or subscribe to a premium plan.

Flocksy

Best Graphic Design Service for Infographics

With the latest in design tools and an AI-powered platform, Flocksy is another graphic design service for infographics. It takes pride in delivering consistent, high-quality creative outputs aside from infographics. It offers a wide range of services, including video editing, web design, custom illustration, and even copywriting. Its simple, flat-rate pricing makes it a cost-effective design solution.

Continue Reading

Trending