In this episode we are joined by Whitney Bromberg Hawkings, Co-Founder & CEO of FLOWERBX and one of the UK’s most innovative entrepreneurs. Following a career of almost 20 years working for designer Tom Ford, Whitney then identified a market gap within the luxury sector that she set out to fill. She established FLOWERBX in London in 2015 and today Whitney’s company is the leading luxury flower service, having had clients such as Dior and Louis Vuitton, and is currently expanding across the United States. 

Having just announced an £8 million series A round of investment, Whitney shares advice on how to scale at pace but also why you should wait to find the right people to support your business. 

Whitney’s advice: 

• Surround yourself with a good team of supportive people who share your vision
• Know what you’re good at, and what you’re not
• Remember your responsibility to your shareholders
• Stay true to your vision and to the brand
• Accept you’ll make mistakes and move on
• “Fail fast” - if something, or someone, is not right then give up and move on, don’t waste time trying to make it work
• Don’t accept money from people you don’t feel are right - you will regret it
• A chairperson must share your vision, and be able to bring valuable experience
• Sustainability means no waste - set up rigorous standards at the outset.  Keep these at the centre of your business, even though it means taking the more difficult route
• Keep the people you employ motivated, and always invest in them
• You may be responsible for the failures in your business, but you can also relish the successes
• Brace yourself!  Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint-hearted

If you'd like to contact Whitney you can via Instagram.

Head over to Speakpipe to leave your voice note for future guests too.

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.
• For contracts check out Law Depot.

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2021 founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason. MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & Licence

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