How To Start Up by FF&M

Join Emily Austen, EMERGE & SMARTER, Anant Sharma: Matter Of Form & Eva Alexandridis, 111SKIN to learn their best productivity tips to help you achieve your 2025 goals. 

On 27th January at 12.30pm GMT, Juliet Fallowfield, host of the How To Start Up entrepreneurship podcast, will moderate the panel.

Book via this link. All ticket proceeds will be donated to Cancer Research UK. 

We’ll be hearing how these leading entrepreneurs structure their time to ensure they are productive, how they avoid burn out & overcome challenges presented by entrepreneurship. 

Expect myth busting, frank conversation & an opportunity to ask your questions to the panel. 

The How To Start Up panel:

Emily Austen: Founder & CEO of leading PR agency EMERGE and the author of SMARTER: 10 lessons for a more productive and less-stressed life, published in November. Having founded EMERGE in 2012, Emily has navigated entrepreneurship and discovered a tried and tested formula for avoiding unproductive busyness. 

Anant Sharma: Founder & CEO of Matter Of Form, a leading luxury brand and digital agency based in London. Having founded his company in 2009, Anant and his team work with some of the world’s leading brands including Aman, Belmond & Knight Frank. 

Eva Alexandridis: Co-Founder of leading international skincare brand 111SKIN. Eva has not only built a globally recognised brand since 2012 but has practised the brand values in ensuring she also looks after herself as well as her business. 

About How To Start Up

How To Start Up is the entrepreneur’s ultimate handbook. With experienced entrepreneurs offering valuable advice on what to do now, next or never when starting a company, the podcast regularly features in Apple Podcasts’ entrepreneurial charts and sits within the top 25% of all podcasts globally. Listen to all previous episodes here. 

If you’d like to learn how to produce your own podcast, drop us a line [email protected] 

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We know it’s important to rest, relax & recharge to ensure we’re as productive as possible, but how many founders actually prioritise this & how do we really achieve this? 

Eva Alexandridis is a founder who has achieved that work / life balance. Having co-founded 111SKIN in 2012 with her husband Dr Yannis Alexandrides, Eva has not only built a globally recognised brand but has practised the brand values in ensuring she also looks after herself as well as her business. 

Keep listening to hear Eva’s advice on balancing work & family time plus how you can build a daily routine that works for you. 

Eva’s advice: 

• Be honest at the end of the day as to whether it’s been a good one or not; then, if necessary, you can improve the next day 
• It is possible to be a good mother and an efficient businesswoman; obviously you need trustworthy help when your children are very small, but from the age of five onwards, explain to your children what you do so that they appreciate its value
• Be honest about your work commitments.  Your children will be proud of what you do, when it is explained to them
• Ideally your work challenges will be balanced by your sense of satisfaction/achievement
• Try running first thing in the morning, to clear your mind and energise you
• Make sure that family commitments come before any other social commitment
• Eva finds biking to work refreshing and energising (and she listens to podcasts so she is not thinking about work)
• Keep any exercise sessions sacrosanct - do not allow interruptions 
• If you can, have work conversations out of the office, perhaps during a walk; being in nature will probably relax/inspire you
• Employ people you trust.  Be careful when employing, as both hiring and firing can be very time-consuming
• Eva finds electric cryotherapy energising!
• To avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed, appreciate what you have achieved and applaud yourself
• Get energy from some positive reinforcement from clients
• Keep meetings to 35-40 minutes and always have a break (preferably in the fresh air) between them

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

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

70% of us use phones for our work, yet we all know how much they distract us.  As productivity is crucial for any business I wanted to speak to an expert to help manage this necessary evil.

Dr Kristy Goodwin is a neuro-performance scientist & Australia’s leading expert on peak performance in the digital age. Her book Dear Digital, We Need To Talk enables individuals & organisations to enhance their performance & productivity in the digitally-intense world we live in & conquer tech distractions. 

Keep listening to hear Dr Kristy’s advice on how to use digital tools to help us and not hinder, how to work in tandem with your neurobiology to achieve your goals & why rest really is a super power.

Kristy's advice:

• Know your goals 
• Success must be sustainable
• Listen to your body; you cannot outperform it
• You will have 4 - 6 hours a day of best performance
• Remember that time spent not conspicuously working is often the most valuable productive time
• Focussing our eyes on a small screen or area triggers a stress response
• We are programmed to sigh, or exhale fully, every five minutes; however, staring at screens typically means we are holding our breath
• We are more successful if we can direct our focus and avoid distraction
• Leave margins - ie. blank spaces, unprogrammed gaps 
• It is NOT about the hours you put in - it’s about the outcomes
• Be clear to others about how you wish to be contacted
• Identify when you are at your most productive 
• You can bundle your notifications 
• Have a VIP list and block everyone else
• Sleep is vital; get to know your own sleep pattern and keep it regular
• As a founder, make sure you - and your team - enjoy not just the results of your work but the process itself
• Tech robs us of our time, our energy and our attention; be aware of this and take control
• Live by design, not default

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

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

Amid a proliferation of workplace tech platforms, Unily reports 77% of UK employees consider notifications from digital tools distracting. Despite being valuable in many areas, clearly workplace tech is hindering focus & productivity. 

So, I wanted to hear from an expert on how to stay focused at work. Phil Nayna is the Founder of Absolute Mind + Body: a coaching consultancy supporting businesses to build high-performing teams, resilient teams. Having trained in performance psychology, neuroscience, and a range of mindfulness techniques, Phil works with leaders & their teams to unlock untapped performance potential. 

Keep listening to hear Phil’s advice on how to build sustainable focus, make the transition from busy to effective, and what to do to manage your energy, so you can stay focused for longer.

Phil’s advice:

• To be focussed, you can’t be busy
• Avoid distractions; all your energy and attention need to be directed to one thing
• It takes energy to suppress all the small details and distractions
• If there are things you tend to do every day, automate them so you don’t have to keep making small decisions
• Practise quick 2-3 minute meditations to clear your mind before each important activity
• If your mind is quieter, decisions will be clearer
• Maintain your conviction about the core belief/mission of your business while you are undertaking minor activities - this belief will help you focus on them
• Doing something you care about releases dopamine which brings more motivation and focus
• It’s important that you take care of yourself physically 
• Hours of sleep before midnight are more valuable than those after
• Accept that you won’t be 100% focussed all day every day; a good aim would be 2 x 2-hour sessions a day of really focussed deep work; the more trivial tasks can fill in the rest of the day
• Be disciplined about avoiding distractions during those 2-hour sessions
• Imagine that you only have 3 hours a day to do what matters - this will show you what’s important and what isn’t
• Concentrate only on the revenue-creating tasks
• To avoid procrastination, you must 
  • Believe in what you’re doing 
  • Address the fear which is preventing you doing the task 
  • Be clear in your head about why it needs doing and how to do it

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts. 
Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

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

The UK’s Chartered Management Institute has previously found that 41% of managers believe having direct reports increases their own productivity. So, I wanted to hear from someone who has built a strong team to help them achieve more. 

Anant Sharma is the Founder & CEO of Matter Of Form, a leading luxury brand and digital agency based in London. Having founded his company in 2009, Anant and his team work with some of the world’s leading brands including Aman, Belmond & Knight Frank. 

Keep listening to hear Anant’s advice on discovering your strengths & how to build a team around you to enhance your own productivity.

Anant’s advice

• Your business will evolve as you personally grow and change; you may have to let go of some initial ideas
• Prioritise what is important and what you should be doing; this may mean handing on to others the things you are experienced at
• Concentrate (without guilt!) on reflection / exploring opportunities / less quantifiable “work”
• Celebrate thinking time and allow space for it in your week
• There is no need to keep packing in information which is not always productive
• Be modest about your daily to-do list
• Have belief in where you want to go
• Know yourself and employ accordingly; you may require mirror personalities of yourself, or you may need strong support in those areas where you know yourself to be weak
• Know the value of meditation

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

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

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy found that 96% of UK entrepreneurs admit to ‘bottling up’ the stress of running their business. Many founders are clearly overwhelmed with too much on their shoulders, leading some to feel a sense of unproductive busyness. 

So, I wanted to hear from a founder who has cracked the code of productivity. Emily Austen is the founder of leading PR agency EMERGE and the author of SMARTER: 10 lessons for a more productive and less-stressed life, publishing this autumn. Having founded EMERGE in 2012, Emily has navigated entrepreneurship and discovered a tried and tested formula for avoiding unproductive busyness. 

Keep listening to hear Emily’s advice on how founders can avoid becoming busy yet unproductive and why tracking your energy rather than your time can help unlock your productivity. 

Emily’s advice:

• Set boundaries, which will be different for everyone (soft ones which are ‘crossable’ and hard ones which are not)
• Be vigilant with your time; Emily uses a desk timer to time tasks and she maps out her day in minutes
• Prioritise
• Don’t be performative; it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about your working hours
• Know when to move aside from the top job
• Don’t allow small things to annoy you; take the long view
• Know your own energy cycles and plan work accordingly

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

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

It’s challenging enough to be productive while building one company. However, productively building multiple ventures at once requires incredible focus & purpose. So, I wanted to hear from someone who has achieved this alongside several investor, advisor & board positions all while keeping purpose at the heart of every endeavour. 

Asad Hamir is the Co-Founder of Klyk, the sustainable IT company helping businesses tackle e-waste & reduce their carbon footprint. Alongside Klyk, Asad is also a Co-Founder of Ocushield, a clinician-led eye healthcare company. In addition to both his Co-Founder roles, Asad serves as a Non-Executive Director & investor in several tech & healthcare companies. 

Keep listening to hear Asad’s advice on how to scale without losing productivity or purpose plus how to make your calendar work for you and not the other way round.

Asad’s advice:

• Any previous enterprises will have been valuable experience & will teach you what not to do
• At the start of the week, agree weekly objectives / at the start of the day, define what needs doing
• Allow time each day for checking emails, don’t leave them till the end of the day
• Leave space for you to react to clients’ needs if necessary
• Initially you will be fire-fighting on every front; aim to get to a place where you can look at the big picture as well as the immediate problems
• Celebrate both the big and the small wins - and keep your eye on both
• Try using Calendly - but protect your time
• Set boundaries for yourself and make sure your team understands those boundaries
• Parcel the week up, eg. meetings on Mondays, and maybe a certain day each week to concentrate on something different
• Focus is key; concentrate on one business at a time
• Draw a line at a certain time and finish your day
• Pay attention to your health / fitness / diet and you will be more energised
• Be open with your team and allow them to share your vision and plans
• B.Corp is a big help both guiding people inside the business and attracting people from outside who will want to work with you
• Write your own job description

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

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

CIPD research shows that 67% of UK working women aged between 40 and 60 with menopausal symptoms had experienced a negative impact on their work, with 79% reporting feeling less able to concentrate at work. Clearly, hormones play a large role in the lives of female founders of all ages. 

I wanted to hear from a team with great experience in helping people overcome hormonal imbalances.  Margo Marrone, founder of The Organic Pharmacy and her daughter Roxy are the co-founders of eyeam, the solution-led skincare, supplements and education brand. Inspired by Roxy’s experience with adult acne and hormonal imbalance, the duo are supporting people to overcome debilitating conditions which impact their energy both at work and at home. 

Keep listening to hear Roxy and Margo’s advice on how founders can harness their hormones at work and how they can create a supportive environment for their teams too. 

Margo & Roxy’s advice:

• Never go against what your body is telling you
• The four different hormonal phases are effectively four different sets of skills:
  • Follicular - energised, a good time to schedule and plan
  • Ovulatory - communicative, a good time to set up talks and events
  • Luteal - detail-driven, a good time to tackle paperwork
  • Menstrual - a good time for rest and reflection
• Communication is important; there is no shame attached to your bodily cycle so share how you are feeling.  This is constructive and helpful for your colleagues
• Listen to your needs; you don’t have to push to the limits
• Managing hormones is not just a physical concern, it’s a mental one too.  Understand why you are stressed and self-regulate
• Work smarter not harder; it’s the output that counts, not the time spent.  Ideas which come when in the shower or on a walk can be so useful
• Quick ways to reduce stress can be breathwork (4-7-8 breathing helps) and humming
• Nutrition means not just food but your whole environment: the people around you, the things you read and watch, as well as what you eat
• Stop worrying about the to-do list; simply clear your head and tackle one task at a time

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

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

With Zippia reporting that happy workers are 13% more productive than unhappy workers, clearly it’s crucial to maintain a supportive and welcoming company culture as you grow your business. Not only will this keep your employees motivated, but you’ll also reap the benefits of higher productivity. 

So, I wanted to find out how to grow a productive and happy team. That’s why I spoke with Katharine Pooley, Founder & Executive President of her eponymous luxury interior design studio. As one of the UK’s foremost interior designers, Katharine has grown her team to fifty people and adeptly balanced maintaining a creative environment with ensuring her team gets stuff done. 

Keep listening to hear Katharine’s advice on how to keep your team happy as well as productive as you scale and why thinking about the octopus effect can really help imbue each and every employee on a daily basis. 

Katherine's advice:
Know your limit in terms of number of employees
The happiness of your team is critical and will spring from:

• Enjoyment of the work
• Good collaboration
• Bonuses, salary raises and perks
• Knowing each other well
• Being allowed autonomy and being trusted
• Having a safe work environment
• A pleasant office with a reasonable commute
• Being trained and having the opportunity for meetings and discussions
• Examining a project after it has been delivered and discussing its good and bad points
• If a team is a happy one, productivity will be the result
• A happy team will be a loyal one and the longstanding employees will be so valuable
• Longstanding members can perhaps each manage their own team
• It’s a symbiotic relationship between employer and employed
• You need each other and ideally will stimulate each other

From the employer’s point of view, when interviewing:

• Try to assess the candidate quickly
• Trust the ones who speak with genuine warmth rather than the well-rehearsed speeches
• It’s important to like your employees
• Avoid ones who chatter rather than answering the question
• Those who can communicate and engage with you face to face will be strongest
• As the boss make sure you tackle your emails every single night
• If you have children be up front with them about what you need to do (and then make the most of your time with them)
• Give yourself goals at the start of the year and check up on them in August
• Remember, your enthusiasm will be infectious to your employees
• Be consistent 
• Always be approachable; make yourself available at all times and respond to requests
• Try to deal with problems yourself rather than handing them down
• Be prepared to forgive mistakes

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

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

The Department for Education found in 2022 that 63% of UK adults hold multiple roles, demonstrating the extensiveness of the portfolio career. However, how do you create multiple roles for yourself and, importantly, ensure you deliver across them all? 

To answer this, I wanted to hear from an experienced portfolio career holder who manages several roles at once - as an M&A growth expert, angel investor and advocate for inclusive leaders Nnenna Onuba founded her first business, LBB Skin, in 2018, & has since built a mergers & acquisitions consultancy and the leadership & inclusion advocacy organisation 100 Allies. Nnenna also holds directorships with organisations including the British Beauty Council and the Royal Veterinary College. 

Keep listening to hear Nnenna’s advice on separating your different roles and effectively balancing competing demands on your time.

Nnenna’s advice:

• You need plenty of life experience first
• You must know yourself and what you’re good at, so you can hone in on your strengths
• You need to be the sort of person who enjoys continual learning
• Tackle the tough creative tasks at the beginning of the day when your energy is highest
• When you are relaxed you will be more creative
• Accept that as you age your energy levels may alter, and different times of day will suit you better
• Stay innovative
• If you mentor others you will learn from this
• Attract people with different skills to your own
• Don’t be afraid to delegate important things and trust others
• Additionally, surround yourself with people who inspire you
• If you tackle uncomfortable jobs you will get better at them
• If you are properly self-aware you will be more observant of others
• Try to do even one small thing that makes a difference

FF&M recommends: 

• 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.

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

Let us know how your start up journey is going or if you have any questions you would like us to discuss in future episodes. 

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