How To Start Up by FF&M

In this episode we hear from Nick Bridle, who having retired from the military, founded Belstone Dart International, a risk management consultancy in 2017.  Nick explains the importance of getting a client to pay for your product or service as soon as possible, as you need to qualify the concept commercially... because until that happens, it doesn’t really matter how pretty your logo is.  He also talks about how being new to the playing field can mean you’re a target for bullying tactics from the more established players, but that is ok as it means you’re a genuine threat. 

Belstone Dart is a consultancy specialising in providing advice and support for those entering or operating in challenging markets. [email protected] 

Nick's advice:

• Be aware of your communication and leadership skills when it comes to stakeholders 
• Know which strengths you can take from your previous roles and where you may need to improve certain skills
• Always do what you say you’re going to do
• Always be reliable and responsive when you’re a start up; get back to your clients straight away and make it easy for them to hire you 
• In the beginning, ask people for advice and garner opinions on your business idea 
• Write a business plan to get you in the right mindset
• Look at your financial projections and costs, know that you’ll reduce the former and increase the latter
• You just need to start doing it and the rest will follow
• At the start, get a paying client to see if your idea is viable. Someone paying you is essential to prove your concept works in reality - it almost doesn’t matter how much, you just need an actual transaction to start with
• Accept that things take longer than you might expect and map that into your plan; it can take months to win business 
• You’ll work a lot harder when self-employed but you’ll have flexibility as well
• With pricing, work out what your costs actually are and what margin is fair.  By pricing yourself fairly within the market and being able to justify your pricing clearly, you’ll win more business in the long run
• If you don’t have to take on a business partner, don’t.  If you do, be really sure you trust that person absolutely.  Question the ratio of ownership as 50/50 can lead to a stalemate if things go wrong 
• Accept even small clients as you never know where they might lead
• Growth through word of mouth is the most effective way to grow your business quickly 

Links

• LastPass the password keeping site that syncs between devices.  Affiliate link here .
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory 
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets.

Thank you for listening.  I’d love to hear your own startup stories and please do let me know if you have any questions for future guests as well: [email protected]

I would also be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020.  Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. 

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link &

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In this episode we hear from Georgina Coke who founded By Georgie in 2015.  George explains how, having been made redundant, she took a step she would never have anticipated.  Prompted by friends she took the plunge to set up on her own and six years later she has no regrets, saying redundancy was the best thing that could have happened to her.  She is the 100% owner of a company which connects luxury travel companies to a select group of destination management companies.

By Georgie represents a select few destination management companies and boutique lodges in the UK and European market.  You can contact George on [email protected]

Georgina is also a founding member of The Conscious Travel Foundation, a social enterprise established to unite and educate owner-operated travel businesses and promote travel as a force for good, raising funds for grass-roots charity projects around the world.

George’s advice includes: 

• Redundancy is an opportunity; once you’re over the shock that is
• Practical first steps include registering your company, set up the business bank account and find an accountant
• Speak to a range of people you trust, both for practical advice and for emotional support
• Delegate to experts: don’t try to do it all yourself, but allow those more experienced to do the jobs you dislike as you’ll get a better return
• Make sure you take time off, break up the day and ensure you take holiday
• Plan your day so nothing gets forgotten; two meetings a day is enough
• Observe your work/life balance consistently in order to get it right
• Relish your autonomy and the flexibility it gives you 

Links

• Amanda McKenna's Ted Talk
• The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship
• LastPass offer a free of charge service which I've been using. This post is unpaid however there is an affiliate link you can use here should you want to support the podcast. 
• I use Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory to create this podcast series as well as their super simple hosting platform . Their support team is second to none.
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets.

Thank you for listening.  I’d love to hear your own startup stories too and please do let me know if you have any questions for future guests as well: [email protected]

I would also be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020. Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. 

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.

MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

In this episode we hear from Uwern Jong, Experientialist in Chief and co-founder of OutThere magazine.  He talks about why being on your own clock enables a whole new autonomy in how you work, why adopting the slow road may be more rewarding in the end, and why taking time away from work can have a big impact. 
Uwern can be contacted at: [email protected]

For those who have not yet discovered it, OutThere is an award-winning luxury and experiential travel inspiration journal rooted in diversity, discovery and discernment.  OutThere specialises in curating opinion-leading content, from in-depth, first person essays on the world’s most amazing experiences – taking our readers on journeys that extend beyond the mainstream – to celebrating global cultural expressions and the people responsible for making the OutThere world so unique.

Uwern’s advice includes:

• Learn to appreciate slow travel
• Why the full, possibly long and quite hard journey you take is worth every step in your learning
• Networking is essential especially at the start: don’t forget to tell people what you're up to, get the word out and don’t be shy
• Do ask friends for help, as they may have the experience to point you in a quicker/better direction  
• Enjoy being on your own clock 
• If you find your income is irregular, try to take the long view 
• You can do more than you think you can and you will surprise yourself
• Make sure you find a balance outside work, you need to have things to talk about that are not work related. Learn to switch off
• Trust yourself at the beginning, don’t waste time worrying about things, just solve them and have confidence in yourself   
• Remember brand development is as important as the day to day business
• Big picture thinking is key, focus on: 
  • Creativity. Innovation. Stewardship. Resilience
• Identify what people need, even if it’s only a small group of people 

Links

• LastPass offer a free of charge service which I've been using. This post is unpaid however there is an affiliate link you can use here should you want to support the podcast. 
• I use Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory to create this podcast series as well as their super simple hosting platform . Their support team is second to none.
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets.

Thank you for listening.  I’d love to hear your own startup stories too and please do let me know if you have any questions for future guests as well: [email protected]

I would also be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020. Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. 

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

In this episode I speak with Will Davies, Co-founder and Director of HBD Partners. He shares invaluable advice on the importance of legally protecting your business from the start, also how to manage the pressures and responsibilities of being a new business owner and what steps you can take to look after your teams remotely.

HBD Partners is a specialist recruitment consultancy operating within the Hospitality, Leisure and Travel sectors. We focus on middle to senior management positions and work in partnership with our clients in a consultative manner and with the highest integrity. Will can be contacted here: [email protected]

Will’s advice:

• Have confidence in your brand and believe in what you do
• Map out a topline business plan and include the company ethos and culture you’d like to aim for
• Reevaluate and update it continually as your business grows
• If you are a partnership, draft a shareholders’ agreement as soon as possible, to protect the business in case of unforeseen disagreements or disasters in the future
• Partner with a good accountant who will help you run the business efficiently
• Be prepared to diversify your business offering should the market require it
• Leave a healthy percentage of cash in the business at all times
• Make sure your employees are fully engaged and feel valued at all times
• Set a clear direction and framework for your teams in order to deliver back to the business 
• Always thoroughly research suppliers before committing to any long term business
• Do not be fearful of the unknown 

Will’s recommended accountant is Vince Dalaimo Tax Assist Southwark Bridge Road and web marketing company: MBJ London.

Links

• LastPass the password keeping site that syncs between devices. They offer a free of charge service which I've been using. This post is unpaid however there is an affiliate link you can use here should you want to support the podcast. 
• I use Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory to create this podcast series as well as their super simple hosting platform . Their support team is second to none too.
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.

Thank you for listening.  I’d love to hear your own startup stories and please do let me know if you have any questions for future guests as well: [email protected]
I would also be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020. 

Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. 

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

In this episode we hear from Hugo Chance, founder of Chance Capital.  He shares his recommendation about asking advice from your nearest and dearest is not always the best strategy, and maintains that sticking to your pricing structure and building your support network from the start is paramount. 

Chance Capital is a corporate advisory firm that assists early stage private companies with business planning, pitch preparation, legal services and more specifically their capital raising requirements. With an experienced team of advisors, the team at Chance Capital are well positioned to connect growing private businesses with their strategic network of HNW, Family Office, institutional equity and debt financing investors. Chance Capital always seeks to co-invest on each transaction. Contact [email protected] also hear at Talk VC

Hugo’s advice includes:

• Learn what you’re personally, not just professionally, wanting to achieve by running your own business. 
• Success isn’t just about the bottom financial line. It can be freedom and independence too. Learn what you really value in being self employed.
• Mapping out what you’re aiming for at the end will really help plan the journey in order to get there.
• Put as much preparation into your business as you can; this includes talking to as many people as possible, including other entrepreneurs, to get advice (& they don’t have to be from the same industry either). 
• When updating your records with new contacts, note a distinctive aspect of the meeting to ensure you remember where you met and what you talked about.
• Know you’ll have to be flexible when it comes to time and task management.
• Don’t be a busy fool. Ensure you’re efficiently busy, given you’ll be spinning so many plates.
• Every meeting or call should be necessary, beneficial and have a clear delineated follow up. 
• Learn from every mistake.
• Be resolute in what you charge and know why you’re worth it.
• Late payments can be frustrating. Protect yourself contractually and ensure payments are transparent. This applies to you too.  
• Continue to talk to people in your industry, as often as you can, in order to keep motivated and in touch with your market.  

Thank you for listening, I welcome your feedback at [email protected] 
I would be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020.

Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory, Fallow, Field & Mason, the How To Start Up podcast hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track.

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link & License

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

In this episode I speak with Quintin Clover about how he started up Kanallan.  Founded six years ago, Kanallan facilitates tailored independent humanitarian projects for clients to help the most impoverished and neglected people and communities around the world. Using Kanallan’s established and trusted global network, they ensure direct giving with 100% transparency.  Please do get in touch with Quintin if you’d like to find out more about the charity sector or how you could support via Just Giving. 

Quintin can be reached at: [email protected] as well as via Instagram. 

Quintin’s advice includes:

• How to ask for money and fund-raise significantly
• Always be open to new experiences 
• You never know where communicating with everyone, at any event, may lead 
• Trusting your gut feeling about what direction to go in 
• How sometimes it comes from facing the hardest areas of life to show you your purpose 
• What it feels like to effect change 
• How to structure your day and find balance
• How to structure your business to make it simple for your stakeholders
• Why going above and beyond for clients builds trust for the long term 
• Why managing tight budgets actually delivers far more in the long run 
• Why sitting at your laptop doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily working efficiently

Thank you for listening, I welcome your feedback at [email protected]
I would be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020.

Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory, Fallow, Field & Mason, the How To Start Up podcast hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track.

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. 
Link & License

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

In this episode we hear from Steve Johnson, founder of Forager Funds.  Having been self-employed for over twenty years Steve shares advice on how to manage working with a business partner who is first and foremost a friend, why your stakeholders aren't just your clients and that it is critical to learn about how to do recruitment really well in order to be successful. 

About Forager:  With approximately $315 million of funds under management and a focus on long-term investing, Forager Funds is a unique Australian funds management company.  Now with a ten-year track record, Forager is a sustainable business but remains nimble enough to invest in smaller listed companies not accessible to many investment managers.  The company is majority owned by staff and Forager’s external shareholders support the desire to place performance before revenue. That means capping the size of funds before too much money becomes an impediment.  We use our small size, long experience and long-term investment approach to generate our investors above market returns.

[email protected] 
Twitter: @ForagerSteve

Steve’s advice includes:

• You don’t need a full plan in place in order to start a company. 
• Know your core values and what makes you happy in terms of working out what your business could be.
• Be flexible and open to opportunities. 
• When starting a business with a friend you’ll need to know from the start what the balance and priority is between friendship and the business.  
• Why it’s just as important to envisage how success - as well as failure - could have a bearing on your future.
• Regularly re-evaluate the structure of your business in order to ensure that you’re all getting what you want out of it.
• It’s not just your clients who are the stakeholders - it’s your staff and your shareholders as well as yourself.
• Learn what you are good at.  Be honest at what you’re not good at.  Then work out a way to compensate for those areas as that’s more efficient than trying to change yourself. 
• Always be truthful with clients as it’ll help manage long term expectations.  Work out who is the best person to run the company at its different stages; this may not always be you.
• Take the time to learn about recruitment.  Then make good recruitment decisions.  Or bring in an expert to support you on this.  

Thank you for listening.  Please do share your feedback, as well as your own start up stories, to [email protected]   

I would be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020. 

Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. Feedback welcome: [email protected]

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & License

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

In this episode we hear from Anna Fernandez, founder of IZAPA Beauty. She talks through the hows and whys of her ambition to start up her own brand after leaving her marketing director role with CHANEL.  She shares why being a small fish isn’t always the worst thing to be, how moving to a new country has been a major source of inspiration and says her approach of being ‘always on’ actually gives her far more freedom than a salaried job. 

Anna Fernandez, Founder of IZAPA Beauty
[email protected]
https://www.instagram.com/izapaofficial/ 

At the heart of the brand are unique fine fragrances that give life to IZAPA’s range for the hands, body, and home. These fragrances take the customer on a sensorial journey, inspired by the stories and landscapes that evoke Anna’s encounters in Mexico.

Anna’s advice includes:

• Take time to absorb your surroundings, formulate your story and found your brand in something real and authentic 
• Execution is key, but storytelling is paramount in order to succeed 
• Get to know people in your environment, as you’ll be inspired, as well as finding potential collaborators and a local support network 
• Time can be a true luxury and enable you to achieve the work/life balance you’re after
• Be prepared to do the follow up with third parties and don’t be disheartened by the chase
• Leaving a big brand behind you doesn’t mean you’ll lose your real identity 
• If you’re ready to launch earlier than you think, be ok to let your company out in the world; just go for it 
• Success isn’t just about the bottom financial line. Celebrate each and every win as you go and do look back on what you’ve already achieved as it’ll encourage you to keep going forward 
• Learn what areas you’re strong in and what you might eventually have to delegate  

Thank you for listening.  Please do share your feedback, as well as your own start up stories, to [email protected]   

I would be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020. 

Links

• LastPass the password keeping site that syncs between phone & desktop. They offer a free of charge service which I've been using. This post is unpaid however there is an affiliate link you can use here should you want to support the podcast. 

Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. Feedback welcome: [email protected]

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & License

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

Today I speak to Tom Fallowfield, founder of Ugli Web Design.  As my brother, he was one of the first people I spoke to about my redundancy. His comment, ‘If you work that hard for other people, why don’t you work that hard for yourself?’ was enough for me to head to Companies House registration page. Here he shares tried & tested experience on pricing, proposals & passwords. 

Ugli assists SME clients in adopting internet & e-commerce technologies to find the opportunities in this weird new world which we’ve all suddenly landed in: [email protected] 

Tom’s advice:

• There is nothing to be afraid of when becoming self employed
• Your work ethic can be far stronger for yourself than when working for others
• Know your pricing and don’t be too cheap 
• Always put yourself in the customer’s shoes, price yourself by value. Think about what value it has to them rather than the cost to you 
• Always know why you’re different to the competition & price yourself accordingly 
• Don’t win the work at all costs: you’ll be on the back foot, the client will treat you accordingly & it will become hard to earn your workload well
• Always ask for feedback, especially on the declined proposals
• The proposal just needs to satisfy the task at hand, it is to win the business & get the client to the next stage, nothing more
• Draft your website content before briefing a web designer - it’ll save you time & money. Live with it for a little while before contracting it out
• Why password security is so important given how many people are trying to hack sites all the time. Do not use dictionary words
• Why SEO is important to get right to win new business. Inbound links to your content will get promoted
• Website text (not just images) is vital for SEO, but don’t overdo the keywords. "Keyword stuffing" will get you penalised
• Google/Facebook Ads (PPC) is an alternative to SEO: rapid results but can be expensive
• Delegating is important, delegate anything you don't love doing
• Hiring people dramatically changes your business immediately. Making these decisions upfront and quickly needn't be scary either and you (probably) won’t regret it 

Links

• LastPass the password keeping site that syncs between phone & desktop. They offer a free of charge service which I've been using. This post is unpaid however there is an affiliate link you can use here should you want to support the podcast. 
• Ali Reid is still running Turtle Media in HK 
• The cheesy American consulting book Tom mentioned is available here

Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. Feedback welcome: [email protected]

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in September 2020.
MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & License

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

In this episode we hear from Harry Anscombe, founder of Beagle Media, who create TV documentary series for the likes of BBC2 and Discovery channels and who are celebrating ten years this year. He shares advice on how important it is to get a mentor from the start, why people and processes are as important as the product and generally just how to behave.

Harry Anscombe, CEO, Beagle: An independent production company making leading TV documentaries and comms content. [email protected] 

Harry’s advice includes: 

• Get a mentor from day one.  Meet someone you click with, enable them to invest in the business too so there is a commitment from both sides, and be ok with constructive criticism - you will absolutely need to hear what you’re doing wrong. 
• The best advice he was ever given was to work hard and don’t be a dick.  You can turn people down in a gracious way.
• Be prepared to be ‘always on’, know that you’ll have to be ok with the fact that what you’re doing will never feel enough. 
• Ensure you create some discipline around work boundaries.
• You need to have real passion for what you do.  You really need that belief in what you do to do well. 
• If possible, have a financial buffer to start with to help with the initial hurdles in starting a company.
• The hardest thing about running a company is around people; ensure you seek the right advice when it comes to managing difficult situations and conversations with clients and colleagues.
• Learn how to delegate, empower your team to do a great job and free yourself up to grow the business.
• Surround yourself with people who are better than you.
• Success is more than just the bottom line, it can come from developing teams and having a balanced life too, but ultimately you do need to create an income.  
• When you run your own business, you get to know yourself really well so recognise when you’re most efficient and structure your days accordingly.
• The relationships with people plus the process are more important than the end product you’re producing. Long term relationships and trust are what really matter. 
• When it comes to pricing, a triangle of budget v. how nice a client is v. how long term the relationship could be helps to make an informed decision. Always aim for two out of three.

Thank you for listening, I welcome your feedback at [email protected]   
I would be delighted if you could rate, review and share this podcast with anyone else who may be starting a company in 2020. 

Hosted by Juliet Fallowfield, founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason, How To Start Up hopes to bring you confidence, encouragement and reassurance that you’re on the right track. 

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield in October 2020. 

MUSIC CREDIT  Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3787-funk-game-loop  License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show