Team Y&K's story
When Reid Krebs, Elizabeth Yoon and Richard Yoon formed Y&K for Intuit’s inaugural Social Innovation Challenge, they were prompted to think of a way to support minority business owners and entrepreneurs. “I wanted to experience something new, as I had never done an entrepreneurship activity before,” Reid said. Along with hundreds of students across the nation, the members of Y&K learned Design for Delight, Intuit’s design ethos, which would aid the team in the ideation and execution of their project. When it was time to seek inspiration, Elizabeth and Richard recalled hearing their grandparents talk about their own challenges as first-generation immigrants to the U.S.
As they conducted further customer research and interviews with immigrant and minority business owners, they realized that many lacked the legal expertise to feel confident in navigating the mountain of paperwork that comes with opening a small business. Immigrants who speak English as a second language may not fully understand the documents they’re required to sign, and many are unable to afford lawyers to help them.
Their solution was LawConnections, a website that connects new bilingual lawyers with minority business owners who speak the same language. These startup lawyers would gain experience by assisting the entrepreneurs for a discount, and the entrepreneurs would receive legal expertise from someone whom they felt comfortable and confident communicating with.
Through customer-driven innovation and rapid experimentation, the team members of Y&K were able to conduct multiple interviews and validate that such a service would be valuable to minority business owners. They knew the community impact would be vast; when neighborhood small businesses are supported, especially those created by people with multicultural backgrounds, they contribute to a rich and diverse community from which everyone benefits. “I saw our project making an impact on the community by connecting business owners with the help they needed,” Reid said. “By maintaining contact with our trial customers, we were able to watch that impact grow.”
As a result of the project, the students learned durable skills that they can carry with them into their academic and professional lives. They also learned technical skills and gained industry knowledge. “I developed website design skills which I can use in the future to make a website for my club at school,” Reid said. “I also learned a lot about law in San Diego, which gives me a new perspective about the future.”
Y&K reached the final round, and each student was awarded $500. Wherever its members are headed, it’s safe to say a few more doors have been opened.
