I built the job I wished existed — then made it available to everyone.

I arrived at uni with a spade and a plan

Before I started at Otago I'd spent years doing gardening work. Not as a hobby — as a proper job. I knew how to work, I knew what I was doing, and when I arrived in Dunedin I figured I'd put that to use. I started taking on gardening jobs around the city, word spread, and before long I had more work than I could handle on my own.

The business took off. I was earning good money, building genuine relationships with people in the community, and doing something I was actually proud of. For the first time as a student, I felt like I was living sustainably — not just scraping by between lectures.

But running it was a job in itself

The thing nobody tells you about working for yourself is how much of your time disappears into everything except the actual work. Chasing enquiries. Writing quotes. Following up on payments. Updating a website. Posting on social media to stay visible. By the time I'd done all of that, the part I actually loved — being outside, doing the work, talking to people — was sandwiched between hours of admin.

I wasn't in a position to grow into a full business. I was still at university. And I knew I wasn't the only student who could do this kind of work — I was just one of the few who'd figured out how to find it.

What if I could share the good parts?

The best things about what I'd built weren't about me specifically. They were about the model: local people who needed genuine help connecting with a student who could give it, at a price that worked for both of them. The connections I made. The sense of purpose. The money that made student life feel more stable and sustainable. Those things shouldn't require you to run a whole business to access.

So I built Helpers. A platform that takes the admin, the marketing, the payment logistics, and the trust-building off students' plates — and makes the actual work the whole job. Students show up, do what they're good at, and get paid. Locals get someone reliable, verified, and affordable. No one has to scroll Facebook groups or chase invoices.

The best of both worlds

For students: flexible income that fits around your degree, genuine community connections, and the kind of purposeful work that makes university feel worthwhile — without the overhead of running your own operation.

For locals: trusted, affordable help from someone you can actually read reviews on, with secure payment and no awkward cash exchanges. The kind of help that used to require knowing the right person.

That's what I wanted to create. And honestly — it's still what gets me up in the morning.

— Keltan, founder of Helpers