Not My First Guess

This episode we are joined by Felicity Halstead, founder of the company GoodWork. GoodWork is a not-for-profit that works with employers to create employment opportunities for young people from marginalised communities. Having had experience in youth programmes, as well as working with social mobility organisations and supporting entry-level recruitment in her job, Felicity saw first hand that a young person’s results on paper are not an accurate representation of how that person would apply themselves in the workplace. So often organisations would focus on past performance rather than potential. This led to the creation of GoodWork as Felicity hopes to breakdown systemic barriers to create more opportunities for young people.In this episode, we discuss:Preconceptions around what talent looks like and how to identify potentialTransitioning from only working in the public sector to the private sectorThe importance of finding your communityFundraising in the charity sectorThe community interest company (CIC) routeBeing a LinkedIn topvoiceThe impact of having an ADHD and Autism diagnosisLink to the GoodWork website:https://www.goodwork.org.uk/

This episode, we are joined by Robert Hayward, founder of GoodFX, an international payments B Corp that turns currency conversion into social good, using the profits they make every time their customers trade FX, to support charities and create meaningful job opportunities for refugees. For anyone who doesn’t know, The foreign exchange market, commonly referred to as the Forex or FX, is the global marketplace for trading currencies. Having spent 10 years in the city working in banking, Rob had started to wonder how he could put his skills to use and make a difference in the world. After initially rejecting an opportunity to work in FX, he realised that there could be a way to use some of the money the industry was making in lockdown to make a difference. This birthed GoodFX.In this episode we discuss:Rob’s journey into entrepreneurship and how he used his skills learned in the corporate world to get thereThe intoxicating nature of working with a “big fish” companyUsing a business model as a vehicle for social changeRaising money as a B Corp, and the value of B Corp applicationsThe importance of having self value as a fundraiserThe necessity of bootstrapping when making an impact businessLink to the GoodFX website:https://www.goodfx.co.uk/

   This episode, we are joined by the founders of Future Kind Collective, Alicia Grimes and Natalie Pierce. Having initially met when Natalie interviewed Alicia for a job, the two found themselves working in the same company on strategy and service design projects focused on culture change. What started as a working relationship soon blossomed into a friendship and the two bonded on a shared feeling that something wasn't quite right about traditional culture consulting and that a change was needed. Alicia and Natalie thought that a more holistic approach was called for, with a focus on a genuine care for the people behind the business, prioritising people over profit, with as much focus on employees as customers. These ideas paved the way for the Future Kind Collective to be born, where a team was built that focuses on turning around the Culture of companies to create a better environment for all involved, or helping startups create great cultures from day 1!In this episode we discuss:How Alicia and Natalie met and the birth of Future Kind CollectiveImposter syndromeThe definition of CultureHow founders can use values to make decisions about what they do and don’t doThe importance of saying no as foundersLink to the Future Kind Collective Website:https://www.thefuturekind.co/

In this episode we’re joined by James Roycroft-Davis. James is a Serial Founder, Angel Investor and Host of the UK’s #1 Founder and Investor Mental Health Podcast - Vulnerable.He’s previously started businesses around weightless and dog training, but hadn’t yet found his purpose and the business he wanted to build for the next 10 years, until in March 2023 he was diagnosed with Type 2 Bipolar Affective Disorder. When he started sharing about his diagnosis on his social media he was flooded with messages saying “there’s no support for me or my support networks”.It’s what led him to co-found Baseline, as he puts it:The first company building technology, content, and community in the Bipolar space, to help people on the bipolar spectrum and their support networks to live better. In this episode we dive into: - Why first time founders need to stop giving investors god like status- The shocking correlation between founders and the Bipolar spectrum- How getting his diagnosis led to Baseline- Building your first product on a shoestring with AI- The importance of building for mental health sustainability as a founder- The need for founders to nail content creation and personal branding- And much more!James’ Business Baseline:https://www.joinbaseline.co/James’ Podcast, Vulnerable:https://open.spotify.com/show/1K0x3TuxwlV8lhRhMJzcSD?si=3b8cb3208ce34ca2

This episode, we're joined by Tim Deeson, serial founder and angel investor with over 20 years of experience building companies. He started his first company Deeson, which grew to be a multi-million pound digital agency, at age just 20. Tim successfully exited Deeson to co-found GreenShoot Labs, an innovative conversational AI consulting and product development studio. After exiting that, Tim became an Angel Investor and took up a role at LSE as an entrepreneur in residence, giving advice to students, alumni and staff on their start up ideas and business. Alongside all this work, Tim started to feel the founder itch again, and so it was really lucky that when we met he ignored Hattie's initial attempts to tell him he could not be her co founder, because they were increasingly sharing the same mission of how to make access to the startup ecosystem fairer. Ultimately this led to the beginning of IfWeRaise, a company that Tim and Hattie co-founded in 2022In this episode we discuss:Tim’s journey into entrepreneurship and the surprising difference between selling to bigger and smaller organisationsWhy and how to successfully exit a business that you foundedCo-founder relationshipsBecoming an Angel Investor The importance of focusing on a customer market rather than investor marketHow Hattie and Tim met and the development of IfWeRaiseTim’s Businesses:Deeson:https://www.deeson.co.uk/OpenDialog.ai:https://opendialog.ai/If We Raise:https://www.ifweraise.com/

The podcast features the journey of Amardeep Parmar from tech consultant to full-time creator. They discuss the pressures of being a creator, tips on content creation, angel investing advice, and the importance of treating people as equals. Topics also include navigating investor interactions, challenges of podcasting, prioritizing tasks, and embracing vulnerability in entrepreneurship.

Today I’m joined by Alberta Asafo-Asamoah, a social entrepreneur and educationalist, and co-founder of Liquify, an invoice marketplace that enables SMEs in emerging markets to get quick access to affordable cash.Having started her career building deep expertise in the financial world, Alberta left banking in 2018 to pursue a career in impact investing because she wanted to combine her knowledge and experience in financing, with her passion for social issues and social change. This led Alberta to founding Algebra In The City (AITC), an educational tuition and consultancy business. Having spent some time as a tutor, Alberta had seen a disparity between students that went to private schools and students who went to state schools, including differences in the way students had been taught to process information and problem solve. This led Alberta to wanting to make education more equitable for young people by making tuition much cheaper in order to increase accessibility.However, one of the things we dive into in this episode is Alberta’s desire to build something at scale- and once she realised this wasn’t the business she wanted to be building for the next 10 years, it was time for a pivot to build something more VC backable… one that ultimately led her to liquify.In this episode we talk about:Internships and the importance of taking a step back when you’re starting something newMistakes you make when starting a new businessThe importance of deciding whether you want your business to be scaelableWhat VCs wantThe importance of finding the right co founderPrioritising your personal life whilst running a businessAnd so much moreCheck out Alberta’s company Liquify:https://liquify.digital/Check out Algebra in the City:https://www.algebrainthecity.com/about-us/WMassive thank you to this episode’s sponsor ShipShape. If you want to tailor your search for VCs, check them out at www.shipshape.vc 

This episode is a little bit special. We're doing our second fundraising compilation, taking different tips and hard won lessons from our founders we've interviewed before. In this episode, we're going to focus on five founders:1. Jay Richards: At the time of interview, Jay's company Imagen had 25, 000 community  members across 111 countries, having raised just 400k. Incredible growth. Here Jay talks about how some founders have a grit that means they can just go further with less. Curious about Imagen? Learn more here: https://imageninsights.com/2. Valentina Milanova: Valentina has raised several rounds of funding for her femtech company Daye, including a 10 million series A. In this episode she talks about her experiences fundraising as a female founder as well as some of the things she did but maybe wouldn't do again. Checkout Daye’s website:  https://www.yourdaye.com/3. Lottie Unwin: Lottie is a proud bootstrapper who grew her business to over a million in revenue without fundraising. In this episode she shares her perspective and why she chose a different path. Since recording Lottie’s company have rebranded from CopyClub to Upworld. See more of what they’re up to at https://up-world.co/ 4. Joyeeta Daas: Joyeeta is a serial founder who created five startups and successfully exited three. Since the episode aired, she's fundraised again for her most recent venture, Samudra Oceans: https://www.samudraoceans.com/5. Eliot Brooks: Eliot grew health tech startup Thriva to over 100,000 customers and more than 130 staff before he decided it was time for his next startup adventure. Before he left, Thriva had raised 11 million pounds in funding based on 100 percent year on year growth rates: Thriva | Home Blood Testing & Health ChecksTogether they cover a huge range of business models and industries. From B2B SaaS to HealthTech and FemTech, Community plays, DeepTech and ClimateTech.Want to dive in deeper- checkout each of the guests’ full episodes:Jay Richards: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4o0lQfU69vC8HEYzdfs4wb?si=de2a9f708a864d2bValentina Milanova: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jfFTiaD2hRyiuCHUaproV?si=2c4584b088ce47d3Lottie Unwin: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iRxjMLNUXviNhpVPJXmiE?si=293d0b1e872140b4Joyeeta Daas: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NV8fCzOUKaGSU0xeUQwMJ?si=8d3a33cf63334748Eliot Brooks: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bfYSOaUSL9Fxf9xP6IxIZ?si=2df55b95df004a1eFinally, a massive thank you to this episode’s sponsor ShipShape. If you want to tailor your search for VCs, check them out at www.shipshape.vc

Today I’m joined by Jasmin Thomas, Serial Founder & Angel Investor.After a successful career building the first teams of unicorns like Deliveroo, Algemy, Improbable and Dark Trace, Jasmin turned her hand to her own business.Having been diagnosed with MS, Jasmin had experienced the benefits of CBD oil first hand, from relieving period cramps to flare ups she was having.From this, she was inspired to start her own efficacious skincare company, Ohana Health. However, as she soon found out, having a CBD based product brings even more challenges than your regular startup. And once she realised it wasn't a VC backable business, she made an even bolder move to shut the company down.Now, she uses the valuable insights she gained through that experience, along with a deep passion for supporting women in various capacities, particularly early stage founders and those in the tech industry, to fuel this next phase of her career.Her dedication is channeled through her work with angel community Alexandria Angels, where she focuses on investing in exceptional deal flow at the early stages, aiming to diversify cap tables, as well as acting as a venture partner and scout for VCs and as a consultant, collaborating with pre Series A startups.She's also committed to supporting the development of gender diverse tech teams, bridging the gap for women in tech and STEM fields with tech recruitment agency Xena.In case you couldn't already tell, she's a rather remarkable leader in the community and has even been highlighted by Richard Branson as an entrepreneur to watch for her exceptional drive and vision.In this episode we discuss:Thinking out of the box as a core founder skillAsking VCs the right questions while you raiseThe secret value recruiters bring to the tableHow intention and self-awareness lead to successUnearthing hidden hurdles in your industry, earlyAnd so much more!Links:Check out Alexandria Angels - https://alexandriaangels.persona.co/Learn about Angel Investing from Andy Ayim - https://andyayim.comCheck out We Are Xena - https://wearexena.comListen to our episode with Alexia Baron - spoti.fi/3EhjhXhListen to our episode with Jacqui -Check out our new sponsor shipshape.vc - https://bit.ly/43Kq99N

Today I’m joined by Jacqui Patton, Founder of Ink Blot Creative.After training as an actress, Jacqui’s life took some twists and turns, including an eye-watering stint as the lady behind the number dishing out hair removal emergency advice at Veet, before finding her way into the world of marketing.A truly natural and masterful communicator, it’s no surprise that a simple (yet radically candid) conversation with the new CEO accidentally landed her the role of Head of Comms at RBS International.There she honed her craft and when life radically shook up her perspective, she decided to take on a new challenge and left the corporate world to forge her own path by starting Ink Blot Creative.Having been a client of agencies for many years, she spent quite a while trying to do what everyone else was doing in the same way that they were doing it.But she soon realised the clients she and her team got most excited about, were the ones a little bit like them (and us)! People that are building a growing business and want a helping hand to make it the best it can possibly be.In this episode we discuss:How to avoid the content loop procrastination trapRemembering what you actually do, and whyGetting obsessed with your customers, not your competitorsFinding inspiration from other industriesConnecting with your legacyAnd so much more!Links:Checkout Ink Blot Creative - https://www.inkblotcreative.co.ukAttend Jacqui’s Greenhouse Event - https://greenhouse.jeFollow the IfWeRaise Founder Roadmap - https://www.ifweraise.com/#roadmapListen to Business Anchors with Dan & Lloyd Knowlton - https://open.spotify.com/show/1IyamqopNDm8tYhhCsiiUk?si=7fa2d250e19b4dccListen to our episode with Sophie Meislin Baron - https://open.spotify.com/episode/4i5DfzfIAW7niBQToRn4LyListen to our episode with Abi Foster - spoti.fi/44lJJK7Checkout our new sponsor shipshape.vc - https://bit.ly/43Kq99N