Stocking supermarkets, building as a solo founder, and creating joy, with Ellie Webb

   This episode, we are joined by the founders of Future Kind Collective, Alicia Grimes and Natalie Pierce. Having initially met when Natalie interviewed Alicia for a job, the two found themselves working in the same company on strategy and service design projects focused on culture change. What started as a working relationship soon blossomed into a friendship and the two bonded on a shared feeling that something wasn't quite right about traditional culture consulting and that a change was needed. Alicia and Natalie thought that a more holistic approach was called for, with a focus on a genuine care for the people behind the business, prioritising people over profit, with as much focus on employees as customers. These ideas paved the way for the Future Kind Collective to be born, where a team was built that focuses on turning around the Culture of companies to create a better environment for all involved, or helping startups create great cultures from day 1!

In this episode we discuss:

• How Alicia and Natalie met and the birth of Future Kind Collective
• Imposter syndrome
• The definition of Culture
• How founders can use values to make decisions about what they do and don’t do
• The importance of saying no as founders

Link to the Future Kind Collective Website:

• https://www.thefuturekind.co/

In this episode we’re joined by James Roycroft-Davis. 

James is a Serial Founder, Angel Investor and Host of the UK’s #1 Founder and Investor Mental Health Podcast - Vulnerable.

He’s previously started businesses around weightless and dog training, but hadn’t yet found his purpose and the business he wanted to build for the next 10 years, until in March 2023 he was diagnosed with Type 2 Bipolar Affective Disorder. When he started sharing about his diagnosis on his social media he was flooded with messages saying “there’s no support for me or my support networks”.It’s what led him to co-found Baseline, as he puts it:The first company building technology, content, and community in the Bipolar space, to help people on the bipolar spectrum and their support networks to live better. 

In this episode we dive into: 

- Why first time founders need to stop giving investors god like status

- The shocking correlation between founders and the Bipolar spectrum

- How getting his diagnosis led to Baseline

- Building your first product on a shoestring with AI

- The importance of building for mental health sustainability as a founder

- The need for founders to nail content creation and personal branding

- And much more!

James’ Business Baseline:

• https://www.joinbaseline.co/

James’ Podcast, Vulnerable:

• https://open.spotify.com/show/1K0x3TuxwlV8lhRhMJzcSD?si=3b8cb3208ce34ca2

This episode, we're joined by Tim Deeson, serial founder and angel investor with over 20 years of experience building companies. He started his first company Deeson, which grew to be a multi-million pound digital agency, at age just 20. 

Tim successfully exited Deeson to co-found GreenShoot Labs, an innovative conversational AI consulting and product development studio. After exiting that, Tim became an Angel Investor and took up a role at LSE as an entrepreneur in residence, giving advice to students, alumni and staff on their start up ideas and business. 

Alongside all this work, Tim started to feel the founder itch again, and so it was really lucky that when we met he ignored Hattie's initial attempts to tell him he could not be her co founder, because they were increasingly sharing the same mission of how to make access to the startup ecosystem fairer. Ultimately this led to the beginning of IfWeRaise, a company that Tim and Hattie co-founded in 2022

In this episode we discuss:

• Tim’s journey into entrepreneurship and the surprising difference between selling to bigger and smaller organisations
• Why and how to successfully exit a business that you founded
• Co-founder relationships
• Becoming an Angel Investor 
• The importance of focusing on a customer market rather than investor market
• How Hattie and Tim met and the development of IfWeRaise

Tim’s Businesses:

Deeson:

• https://www.deeson.co.uk/

OpenDialog.ai:

• https://opendialog.ai/

If We Raise:

• https://www.ifweraise.com/

In this episode we’re joined by Amardeep Parmar, Co-founder of The Bae HQ which is the number one community for British Asian Entrepreneurs; curator of the Tedx Chigwell programme, and host of the Entrepreneurs Handbook. 

As if that wasn't enough, having written and edited hundreds of Articles around the subject of entrepreneurship, Amar is also an Angel Investor.

Before lockdown, Amar was a technology consultant, having graduated with an economics degree. However, when covid hit, Amar decided to invest his time into more creative interests and began writing articles online. He became the second-fastest growing writer on medium.com, second to Barack Obama. This paved the way for a new career whereby he was able to become a fulltime creator in 2021.

In this episode we discuss:

• The pressures of being and calling yourself a “creator” in the entrepreneurial world
• The importance of making and putting out content in order to learn
• Treating people like people, not putting them on pedestals
• Social intelligence
• Lessons learned from podcasting
• Angel Investing and advice for first time raisers

Checkout more of Amar’s content:

The Bae HQ:

• https://www.thebaehq.com/

The Entrepreneurs Handbook

• https://open.spotify.com/show/5nceulxUsr8jrJ2TdSEVOK?si=14ab888833a4470f

Mentioned Resources

• https://seedlegals.com/
• https://hatchenterprise.org/
• https://www.antler.co/

Today I’m joined by Alberta Asafo-Asamoah, a social entrepreneur and educationalist, and co-founder of Liquify, an invoice marketplace that enables SMEs in emerging markets to get quick access to affordable cash.

Having started her career building deep expertise in the financial world, Alberta left banking in 2018 to pursue a career in impact investing because she wanted to combine her knowledge and experience in financing, with her passion for social issues and social change. 

This led Alberta to founding Algebra In The City (AITC), an educational tuition and consultancy business. Having spent some time as a tutor, Alberta had seen a disparity between students that went to private schools and students who went to state schools, including differences in the way students had been taught to process information and problem solve. This led Alberta to wanting to make education more equitable for young people by making tuition much cheaper in order to increase accessibility.

However, one of the things we dive into in this episode is Alberta’s desire to build something at scale- and once she realised this wasn’t the business she wanted to be building for the next 10 years, it was time for a pivot to build something more VC backable… one that ultimately led her to liquify.

In this episode we talk about:

• Internships and the importance of taking a step back when you’re starting something new
• Mistakes you make when starting a new business
• The importance of deciding whether you want your business to be scaelable
• What VCs want
• The importance of finding the right co founder
• Prioritising your personal life whilst running a business
• And so much more

Check out Alberta’s company Liquify:

• https://liquify.digital/

Check out Algebra in the City:

• https://www.algebrainthecity.com/about-us/

WMassive thank you to this episode’s sponsor ShipShape. If you want to tailor your search for VCs, check them out at www.shipshape.vc 

This episode is a little bit special. We're doing our second fundraising compilation, taking different tips and hard won lessons from our founders we've interviewed before. In this episode, we're going to focus on five founders:

1. Jay Richards: At the time of interview, Jay's company Imagen had 25, 000 community  members across 111 countries, having raised just 400k. Incredible growth. Here Jay talks about how some founders have a grit that means they can just go further with less. Curious about Imagen? Learn more here: https://imageninsights.com/

2. Valentina Milanova: Valentina has raised several rounds of funding for her femtech company Daye, including a 10 million series A. In this episode she talks about her experiences fundraising as a female founder as well as some of the things she did but maybe wouldn't do again. Checkout Daye’s website:  https://www.yourdaye.com/

3. Lottie Unwin: Lottie is a proud bootstrapper who grew her business to over a million in revenue without fundraising. In this episode she shares her perspective and why she chose a different path. Since recording Lottie’s company have rebranded from CopyClub to Upworld. See more of what they’re up to at https://up-world.co/ 

4. Joyeeta Daas: Joyeeta is a serial founder who created five startups and successfully exited three. Since the episode aired, she's fundraised again for her most recent venture, Samudra Oceans: https://www.samudraoceans.com/

5. Eliot Brooks: Eliot grew health tech startup Thriva to over 100,000 customers and more than 130 staff before he decided it was time for his next startup adventure. Before he left, Thriva had raised 11 million pounds in funding based on 100 percent year on year growth rates: Thriva | Home Blood Testing & Health Checks

Together they cover a huge range of business models and industries. From B2B SaaS to HealthTech and FemTech, Community plays, DeepTech and ClimateTech.

Want to dive in deeper- checkout each of the guests’ full episodes:

Jay Richards: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4o0lQfU69vC8HEYzdfs4wb?si=de2a9f708a864d2b

Valentina Milanova: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jfFTiaD2hRyiuCHUaproV?si=2c4584b088ce47d3

Lottie Unwin: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iRxjMLNUXviNhpVPJXmiE?si=293d0b1e872140b4

Joyeeta Daas: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NV8fCzOUKaGSU0xeUQwMJ?si=8d3a33cf63334748

Eliot Brooks: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bfYSOaUSL9Fxf9xP6IxIZ?si=2df55b95df004a1e

Finally, a massive thank you to this episode’s sponsor ShipShape. If you want to tailor your search for VCs, check them out at www.shipshape.vc

Today I’m joined by Jasmin Thomas, Serial Founder & Angel Investor.

After a successful career building the first teams of unicorns like Deliveroo, Algemy, Improbable and Dark Trace, Jasmin turned her hand to her own business.

Having been diagnosed with MS, Jasmin had experienced the benefits of CBD oil first hand, from relieving period cramps to flare ups she was having.

From this, she was inspired to start her own efficacious skincare company, Ohana Health. However, as she soon found out, having a CBD based product brings even more challenges than your regular startup. And once she realised it wasn't a VC backable business, she made an even bolder move to shut the company down.

Now, she uses the valuable insights she gained through that experience, along with a deep passion for supporting women in various capacities, particularly early stage founders and those in the tech industry, to fuel this next phase of her career.

Her dedication is channeled through her work with angel community Alexandria Angels, where she focuses on investing in exceptional deal flow at the early stages, aiming to diversify cap tables, as well as acting as a venture partner and scout for VCs and as a consultant, collaborating with pre Series A startups.

She's also committed to supporting the development of gender diverse tech teams, bridging the gap for women in tech and STEM fields with tech recruitment agency Xena.

In case you couldn't already tell, she's a rather remarkable leader in the community and has even been highlighted by Richard Branson as an entrepreneur to watch for her exceptional drive and vision.

In this episode we discuss:

• Thinking out of the box as a core founder skill
• Asking VCs the right questions while you raise
• The secret value recruiters bring to the table
• How intention and self-awareness lead to success
• Unearthing hidden hurdles in your industry, early
• And so much more!

Links:

• Check out Alexandria Angels - https://alexandriaangels.persona.co/
• Learn about Angel Investing from Andy Ayim - https://andyayim.com
• Check out We Are Xena - https://wearexena.com
• Listen to our episode with Alexia Baron - spoti.fi/3EhjhXh
• Listen to our episode with Jacqui -
• Check out our new sponsor shipshape.vc - https://bit.ly/43Kq99N

Today I’m joined by Jacqui Patton, Founder of Ink Blot Creative.

After training as an actress, Jacqui’s life took some twists and turns, including an eye-watering stint as the lady behind the number dishing out hair removal emergency advice at Veet, before finding her way into the world of marketing.

A truly natural and masterful communicator, it’s no surprise that a simple (yet radically candid) conversation with the new CEO accidentally landed her the role of Head of Comms at RBS International.

There she honed her craft and when life radically shook up her perspective, she decided to take on a new challenge and left the corporate world to forge her own path by starting Ink Blot Creative.

Having been a client of agencies for many years, she spent quite a while trying to do what everyone else was doing in the same way that they were doing it.

But she soon realised the clients she and her team got most excited about, were the ones a little bit like them (and us)! People that are building a growing business and want a helping hand to make it the best it can possibly be.

In this episode we discuss:

• How to avoid the content loop procrastination trap
• Remembering what you actually do, and why
• Getting obsessed with your customers, not your competitors
• Finding inspiration from other industries
• Connecting with your legacy
• And so much more!

Links:

• Checkout Ink Blot Creative - https://www.inkblotcreative.co.uk
• Attend Jacqui’s Greenhouse Event - https://greenhouse.je
• Follow the IfWeRaise Founder Roadmap - https://www.ifweraise.com/#roadmap
• Listen to Business Anchors with Dan & Lloyd Knowlton - https://open.spotify.com/show/1IyamqopNDm8tYhhCsiiUk?si=7fa2d250e19b4dcc
• Listen to our episode with Sophie Meislin Baron - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4i5DfzfIAW7niBQToRn4Ly
• Listen to our episode with Abi Foster - spoti.fi/44lJJK7
• Checkout our new sponsor shipshape.vc - https://bit.ly/43Kq99N

Today I’m joined by Abi Foster, Founder of Elent.

After becoming a qualified ACA Chartered Accountant, Abi began her professional career in the luxury magazine sector at Condé Nast, before moving on to Hearst Publishing's finance department.

She enjoyed spending time outside of work supporting colleagues and friends to better understand their own personal finances, though through this experience Abi noticed that many people, specifically women and young people, had low financial literacy and had received little to no financial education in school or at university.

From this realisation, Elent was born.

With the mission to help eradicate inequalities in our society by making financial education accessible to all from a young age, Abi founded Elent in October 2021 and has since partnered with 24 schools, educating over 20,000 students and counting.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why you never want to be a finished product
• Growing from 3,000 to 60,000 followers in a month
• Finding the right combination of people to build your dream team
• Calling out acronyms as a key life lesson
• Accepting growth in all aspects of your life as a founder, not just business

And so much more!

Links:

• Checkout Elent - https://elent.com/
• Follow Abi on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-elent-finance-education/
• Follow Elent Finance on Instagram for finance tips - @elent_finance
• Checkout our new sponsor shipshape.vc - https://bit.ly/43Kq99N

Today I’m joined by Martha Silcott, Founder of FabLittleBag.

Martha invented FabLittleBag after she was forced to smuggle her used tampon from the bathroom to her handbag at a friends dinner party when faced without a bin in their downstairs loo. The experience was so awful that she decided to do something about it and the more she looked into it, the more she was horrified at the impact of flushing tampons and pads down the toilet.

Determined to bring her invention to market she left the corporate world behind and set out to change the world, one FabLittleBag at a time, with her now patented disposal bag.

FabLittleBag exists to protect rivers, oceans and beaches from the pollution caused by flushed period products. With the UK alone flushing 2.5m tampons and 1.4m pads down the toilet each day, it’s a big issue. FabLittleBags are also made of plants (which means they are carbon reducing) and recycled plastics, supporting the circular economy of waste.

With FabLittleBag, Martha is on a mission to educate and convert flushers into being binners and help people who menstruate by making an often awkward and uncomfortable experience become one that enables them to feel good, hygienic, and confident.

In this episode we discuss:

• Asking the right person the right question at the right time
• Naming your business, under pressure
• Why perfectionism is the enemy of progress
• Creating empathy
• The costs of fund raising
• And much more!

Links:

• Checkout FabLittleBag - https://fablittlebag.com
• Surfers Against Sewage - https://www.sas.org.uk
• Marine Conservation Society - https://www.mcsuk.org
• Here We Flo - https://www.hereweflo.co
• Listen to our episode with Lottie Unwin - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iRxjMLNUXviNhpVPJXmiE?si=50ycebb2SKy3CuYJcYeVZA
• Listen to our episode with Devin Hunt - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JYwEzyipbroKM59ISB805?si=vAPKNVclS9iiurMKA0oaHw