155. How I built GoHenry from an Idea to a £125M business, with Louise Hill, Co-founder and CEO

Truth, Lies, and Work is an award-winning psychology podcast brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, hosted by Chartered Occupational Psychologist Leanne Elliott and business owner Al Elliott.

This week’s Thursday episode features Louise Hill, co-founder and CEO of GoHenry, a fintech company empowering kids and families with financial literacy through their prepaid debit card and educational app.

🗓️ Episode Overview:

Louise Hill shares her journey from starting GoHenry in 2012 to leading the company’s growth to over 6 million members across five countries. With a mission to make every child smart with money, Louise discusses how GoHenry is transforming financial education, navigating rapid growth, and maintaining a strong workplace culture across multiple countries.

🎧 Key Topics Covered:

The Inspiration Behind GoHenry

• Louise explains how her kids’ spending habits on iTunes inspired her to create a tool that helps children understand the value of money in an increasingly digital world.

How GoHenry Works

• Features like pocket money tracking, savings goals, tasks and chores, and even micro-donations empower kids aged 6–18 to learn practical money skills.

Maintaining Culture During Growth

• The “Little Red Book of GoHenry” captures the company’s core values, ensuring the culture remains strong as the team expands rapidly across countries.

Challenges of Scaling

• Louise shares how she addressed bottlenecks caused by single points of failure in the business and fostered open communication within her team.

Female Entrepreneurship and Fundraising

• Louise reflects on the challenges of being a female founder in a male-dominated industry and how she successfully raised $125 million in funding through multiple rounds, including record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns.

Financial Literacy and Social Mobility

• Research shows that financial education can improve lifetime earnings, promote entrepreneurship, and enhance savings, making it a critical tool for social mobility.

The Importance of Culture in Business

• Louise discusses why embedding values like collaboration, embracing change, and daring to fail is essential for building a resilient and adaptable company.

Find Out More

Connect with Louise on LinkedIn

Check Out GoHenry and win £500!

🎧 What’s Next:

Join us on Christmas Eve for the unedited interview with Rory Sutherland, and tune in New Year’s Eve for the full conversation with organizational psychology legend Professor John Amaechi, OBE.

General Support with Mental Health and Well-being

If you have been affected by any of the themes in this episode, or are currently struggling with your mental health, the following resources may be useful.

Mind website: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

If you are feeling in distress or despair, including feelings of suicide, please do consider calling the Samaritans for free on 116 123 (UK) or email jo@samaritans.org (Rest of World)

Connect with Al and Leanne

Join the Conversation on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/truthlieswork/

Connect with Al on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thisisalelliott/

Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meetleanne

Email: Hello@truthliesandwork.com

Book a Call with Al & Leanne: https://savvycal.com/meetleanne/chat