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/

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