The Back Yourself Show with Tom Fairey

The Back Yourself show is all about giving would-be founders the insight they need to take the plunge into the start up world. On today’s episode of the show, we are answering questions that our audience have put to us on start ups, growing a business, and what it takes to be a founder.  If you’re interested in the infancy and launch stage of a business or want to know how to nurture a culture of success, this episode is for you!

This week’s episode of the show features our youngest guest yet, Suhit Amin. Founder of Saulderson media, an influencer agency representing prominent gaming and YouTube content creators, Suhit founded the company at just 16. In this episode, Suhit talks about building a successful business after battling a life threatening illness, how and why he started entrepreneurship at such a young age, and gives insight into the influencer marketing industry. On next week’s podcast, our host Tom will be answering any start up questions you may have, so send them in via the comments on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

On this week's episode of the Back Yourself Show, we were live at the 2022 Sifted Summit in London.  The panel of guests include Lottie Unwin, Founder of The Copy Club, David Foreman, Co-Founder of Prateura Ventures, Molly Johnson-Jones, Founder of Flexa and Patrick Ryan, Founder of Odin.  In this show the panel will be discussing a range of topics like why raising capital is like going on a first date, what VC’s are easiest to work with USA vs Europe, why not to say “these numbers are conservative” to an investor, and why you should post selfies on LinkedIn.  For tips on how to navigate the VC ecosystem, how to hire the right people and what not to say to Investors you’ve come to the right place! Sit back, relax and enjoy the Back Yourself Show Live!

My guest this week is former jockey turned founder Andy Bartlett. His Roam local app allows people to access an array of local knowledge of food, drink and things to do across the world. He knows a thing or two about being quick out of the blocks and dealing with hurdles in both his horseracing days and now as a business owner. In this episode, Andy speaks about how his childhood shaped his self-awareness and ability to be authentic when marketing his product. How the network he built whilst in the racing industry has helped him to generate 3 million hits in its first week. If you’re looking for practical tips on how to build and market an app. Utilising your network to raise money and drive downloads, you’re in the right place!

My guest this week is George Kruis, former England and Saracens rugby star turned founder of FourFive. In this episode, George shares insight into how being a professional Rugby player taught him the invaluable skills he needed to become a founder and business owner. He also shared secrets into how he networked and built a team of employees, as well as why he ventured into the science focussed pharmaceutical side of the CBD industry despite having no experience in the field. 00:00 Introduction 00:55 At what point in your career did you start looking into starting a business? 03:40 Was being second row (a position most prone to injuries) what made you get into the CBD/recovery industry? 7:20 What were the first steps you took into the pharmaceutical industry despite no real experience in it? 10:10 What was the hardest thing you had to come up against whilst starting a business? 16:40 How does the pace of being a founder compare with that of an athlete? 20:10 How did you use marketing to differentiate your product? 28:00 Where do you want the business to be in future? 33:30 The Barbarians backheel conversion kick story 36:20 What advice would you give to other athletes looking to make the transition into business? 45:00 Start up Sin Bin

This week we're revisiting Philip O'Reilly's episode, a principal at Draper Esprit.   In this episode, he shares all of the secrets that investors don't want founders to know about how to get Series A&B investment, what happens behind the scenes in an investment committee, what he looks for besides the numbers and where the next hot investment is coming from. If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘about growth and development with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/ 

This week we're revisiting Matthew Stafford's episode. He's the founder of the global founder network 9others and the impressive Angel Syndicate.  In this episode, he shares his non-linear story of becoming a champion of founders and a successful investor. If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com #startup #businesstips #founder   If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!       This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘about growth and development with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.       Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we're revisiting Emma Davidson's episode, former Citibank trader and now Hedge Fund Director.   In this episode, she shares her entrepreneurial journey,  secrets to early success in her career, the importance of getting stuck in and not letting pride get in the way and truly understanding what success looks like to her.  If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com     #startup #businesstips #founder  If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!     This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.     Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we're revisiting Eamonn Carey's episode, he's the former MD of TechStars.  In this episode, he shares his entrepreneurial journey, the secrets of what early-stage investors (like himself) look for in founders and how to build a company for success.  If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com   #startup #businesstips #founder  If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!   This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.  Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we're revisiting Anthony Rose's epsidoe, he's the former head of BBC iPlayer and the founder of SeedLegals.  In this episode, he gives game-changing tips on product development, how to raise early-stage investment effectively and why the stats suggest having military grade focus is key to startup success. If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we're revisiting Samantha Hornsby and Mae Yip's episode, the founders of Eric.  Today, you will hear how two best friends took very different paths, but ultimately knew they needed to solve a problem in the world. So they gave up successful careers to go it alone, together. Now they run ERIC, the largest creative careers festival in the UK and are pivoting to create market-changing tech.  If you're looking for inspiring advice on how anyone can make it and why your background means nothing, look no further!  If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we are revisiting Brie Read and Tom Martin's episode,  the Founders of Snag Tights. They took an embarrassing event and used empathy and relentless experimentation to create a Startup that within two years takes over 3000 orders and £2m in revenue a month. If you're looking for practical tips on how to start an online clothing business, how to use Facebook advertising effectively and how to speak to your customers, you're in the right place.  If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we’re dusting off the cobwebs on some of our first-ever podcasts and revisiting them so we can reshare some of their untapped wisdom. Today, we start with Alex Dunsdon’s episode. He’s a founder, investor and part-time philosopher, and in this episode, he shared his vast knowledge of all things entrepreneurship and investing. If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we are collecting together all of series 4's amazing marketing tips and compiling them into one bite-size episode. In this episode, we are going over: How to listen to your customers effectively, how to hire an amazing head of marketing, how to ask your customer's open-ended questions and how to use influencer marketing to grow your business.  If you're looking for practical tips on how to market your product effectively and grow your business, you're in the right place.  The episode's mentioned:  Why You Should Be Proud to Steal Marketing Strategies with Lottie Unwin  How to Build an Iconic Brand with Hugo Cornejo  Scaling the Unscalable with Disruptive Marketing Tips with Eric Fulwiler  How to Make Your Product Easy to Sell with Dana Publicover  The Power of Influencer Marketing with Jennifer Quigley-Jones  If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Alice Ursini the founder of UMA In this episode, Alice shares how she started a company with her friend in a sector she knew nothing about, but that fact worked to her advantage as to how having an outsider look at things made the company a success.  She shares all of her secrets on how to talk to your customer when they are children and what are the biggest mistakes a founder can make when building a company for children. Alice also shares how got onto TechStars and how to effectively network. This episode is packed filled with so much information make sure you check it out. 0:00 Introduction 6:00 Why she started her business How to start a business when you're not trained in it 17:30 How to get on TechStars 19:15 speaking to customers when they are children 26:00 What is it like starting a business with a friend 30:00 How to network effectively 35:00 Startup Hack If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Dana Publicover the founder of Publicover & Co.  In this episode, Dana shares everything about how to sell your product, from how to simplify your product or service, how to prepare for a sales pitch, to how to effectively speak to your customer and use the data to sell them your product.   Dana also shares the secrets of how she landed herself massive clients like Nassa, Google and McKinsey.  If you’re looking to find out about everything to do with how to sell your product, you're in the right place.    0:00 Introduction  1:14 How to make you’re sh*t easier to sell   4:00 How to simplify your service or product to sell  6:00 How Dana landed huge clients like Google, Nasa and McKinsey  9:00 What is the first thing I should do when preparing for a sales pitch   10:00 How to ask your customer open ending questions  13:45 How to use the customer's language to market your product   18:30 What is the work difference between the US and German   22:30 Startup Hack   If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder   If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!   This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.  Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Jennifer Quigley-Jones the CEO & founder of Digital Voices.  In this episode,  Jennifer shares everything about influencer marketing, why startups should use influencers, how influencers can grow your business, and how it’s great to gain trust and credibility in early-stage startups.  Jennifer also dives into what should startups look for in an influencer to promote their brand and the biggest question of them all - should startups invest in small or huge influencers. If you’re looking to find out about everything to do with influencer marketing, you're in the right place.   0:00 Introduction  1:10 What is influencer marketing?  4:40 What should a startup be looking for with an influencer?  9:00 How should startups reach out to influencers?  12:00 How to do brief an influence on what you want  16:20 Who are the best types of companies that should be doing influencer marketing?  19:00 How do you monetize your audience?  26:00 What is the key to learning from working with big brands?  28:30 How do you grow a platform?  32:00 Startup Hack  If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com   #startup #businesstips #founder  If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!   This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.   Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Hugo Cornejo, co-founder at Packfleet, and former VP of Design at Monzo.  In this episode, you will hear from the very man who came up with the iconic hot coral Monzo card. Hugo shares how Monzo was founded, how he came up with the design for the card, and what startups can do to stand out from their competitors.    He dives deep into all of the learning he has taken from Monzo to start his own business Packfleet a zero-emissions delivery company. This episode is packed full of amazing insight and practical advice.    If you’re looking to find out more about how to stand out against your competitors, put customer feedback into action, and create an inclusive company culture, you're in the right place.    0:00 Introduction  1:30 Hugo's entrepreneurial journey   3:15 The origin story of Monzo   7:00 How to create a bank on the side of the customer   11:00 How Hugo came up with the famous hot coral card  15:20 How to create your own Categorie  24:00 Hack - Recording interviews with customers and listening to them while doing work  28:00 Why it was important for Hugo to have a carbon zero company  32:00 How Hugo is creating an inclusive company culture   34:00 Startup Hack  If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder  If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!  This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.   Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Lottie Unwin, founder of The Copy Club. In this episode, Lottie details the origins of her startup; how her original idea was never intended to become a business, but how after seeing her community continue to grow, she took the plunge and invested all of her time into The Copy Club. Lottie explains the ideas behind cross-pollination marketing and how it can grow your business, all while explaining how you can jump on the latest trends with the help of some fantastic anecdotes from around the startup world. If you’re looking for the inside scoop on all things startup marketing, you’re in the right place! 0:00 Introduction 0:45 Lotties entrepreneurial story 4:00 How Lottie’s business was successfully growing when she was in Deli 6:15 Why Lottie created Copy Club 12:50 How the Church and Crossfit are great examples of community 15:40 How to create an amazing community 17:15 Why is cross-pollination marketing important? 19:50 Is Thursday’s offline marketing good? 23:30 Is offline marketing worth the time and effort? 24:40 LittleMoons amazing startup campaign 29:00 The power of consistency 35:30 Startup Hack If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Rob Brockington, the CEO of Claro money. In this episode, you will hear how Rob was brought on as the CEO of Claro Money. Even before he had his foot in the door he knew he wanted to pivot the business. He shares why he wanted to pivot, how he validated the new idea and how to pitch it back to investors. He did all of this just as covid hit but still succeed. If you’re looking to learn more about validating new ideas, how to ask customers actionable questions and how to pitch to pivot and idea to investors, you're in the right place. 0:00 Introduction 0:45 How Rob came to the decision to pivot the company 2:30 How to validate pivoting an idea 5:00 How to speak to customers without persuading their answers 7:20 How to ask customers action based questions 11:00 66% of the population who are not in debt but they can’t afford a financial advisor 15:00 What to put in a pitch deck to pitch pivoting an idea 17:00 How money affects people's mental health 20:10 Startup Hack - Hiring your friends 21:15 Startup SinBin If you have a question that you would like answered, email them over to our podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

This week we spoke to Fryderyk Szydlowski, founder of Embargo. In this episode, you will hear the rollercoaster journey that is Fryderyk’s startup story; from losing investment due to Brexit to the pandemic destroying his customer base. Fryderyk shares tips and tricks on overcoming uncontrollable obstacles and how a founder can pick themselves up when everything is falling apart.  Additionally, he shares how being a former Pro Basketball player taught him about resilience and coping with failure. If you’re looking for tips on keeping a positive mindset when everything is going wrong, you’re in the right place!   Structure:   0:00 Introduction   1:00 Fryderyk's athletic background   7:30 How the athlete lifestyle is similar to a founder   9:15 You're Idols became your rivals  14:30 Where founders should be spending their time   17:30 How you have survived threw 2 economic downsides  25:00 How founders can help their employees when things are going bad  29:00 What is your startup hack   33:00 Startup Sinbin   If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder  If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!   This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.  Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Will Koning founder of SaaSLead.io.  In this episode, you will hear the rollercoaster journey that is will's startup story, from dropping out of university to losing all of his clients overnight to being trapped in Barcelona in lockdown. Threw out the obstacles put in Wills's way he still came out on top and in the last 18 months has bootstrapped his business from 0 to 2.3 million.  If you’re looking to learn more about how to bootstrap a business, how to build a product being a non-technical founder and how to recruit new graduate talent, you're in the right place.  Structure:  0:00 Introduction  1:00 Wills Crazy entrepreneurial journey   5:00 The Big Problem   12:00 How to convince Graduates to work for you?   16:00 How did you make revenue?   16:45 The value of Linkedin   19:55 How to optimise to be lucky   21:45 What are the best lessons you learnt around culture   26:45 How to build a product when you're not a tech founder   29:00 How to bootstrap your business from 0 to 2.8 million  30:00 Advice for university dropouts   32:00 Startup Hack   33:45 Startup Sin Bin Books mentioned:  What you do is who you are by Ben Horowitz     Follow us on all of our socials here for more content! Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/back.yourself.show/   TikTok  - https://www.tiktok.com/@back.yourself.show   Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-back-yourself-show/ If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com #startup #businesstips #founder  If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!  This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.   Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guests this week we speak to Eric Fulwiler the founder & CEO of Rival.  In this episode,  he shares his amazing wisdom on all things marketing, digging into what you should look for in a Head of Marketing, how to create content that speaks to your customer, and how to create disruptive campaigns. Additionally, he shares key lessons he learned from being one of the first-15 employees and MD of EMEA for VaynerMedia.  If you’re looking to learn more about everything to do with marketing, you’re in the right place.   Structure:  0:00 Introduction   0:50 Why is marketing important?  3:00 How to measure the impact of a brand?  5:00 What should you look for when hiring a Head of Marketing?  10:30 How do you test what is good marketing talent?  12:15 How to bring the voice of the customer into the business?  15:49 All growth comes from unlocking new or differentiated value in a market   16:40 You don't buy a product you buy the solution the product brings you  18:15 How important is a personal brand?   21:20 What is a disruptive marketing campaign?   24:10 Big companies waste money   24:45 The pufferfish challenger  28:30 Startup SinBin   31:20 Entrepreneurship is a spectrum  33:31 How Tom raised £1M in 4 hours  34:45 How to create a personal CRM    Links Competing Against Luck By Clayton M. Christensen - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Competing-Against-Luck-Innovation-Customer/dp/0062565230/ref=asc_df_0062565230/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=311040647414&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5285619064828713714&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006495&hvtargid=pla-454317071719&psc=1&th=1&psc=1   Duolingo’s TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@duolingo?lang=en If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website!  This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that.   Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Johnathan Sun, founder of Horizan VC. In this episode, he’ll break down the first stages that every founder should not only do to get their business off the ground but validate it properly. He explains how founders can use prototyping to validate their idea quickly and cheaply; how to calculate the right time to raise money and the biggest mistake when it comes to traction. If you’re looking to learn more about validating your idea, when to raise money and how to avoid the biggest startup killer, you’re in the right place. Structure: 0:40 Introduction 0:55 How can you validate your idea? 1:44 How Pretotyping can validate your business idea quickly 3:30 Example of how Johnathan used Pretotyping to validate an idea 5:15 How to find customers 6:00 Why you shouldn’t use Facebook Ads 8:00 In an early-stage startup what counts as a good level of traction 9:33 Mistakes Founders can avoid 15:57 What too early to get money 19:00 Startup Sin Bin 23:40 Startup Hack If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guests this week are Thomas Rogers and Llewellyn Kinch, founders of Switchd/ MakeMyHouseGreen. In this episode, they share how speaking to customers changed their business for the better, diving into who they spoke to and what type of questions they asked to get honest feedback. This not only improved their business but gained more customers as well. Additionally, they share how they have built a company culture of feedback and how they have invested in the growth of their employees. And lastly, they share how they have used operational automation to improve the day to day running of their business, cutting out wasteful tasks that more time for important projects. If you’re looking to learn more about speaking to customers, using their feedback, building a feedback-driven company culture and using operational automation to grow your company faster, you’re in the right place. Structure: 0:50 How they started with 2:30 How listening to customers changed their business for the better. 3:41 When speaking to customers, who to talk to and what to ask 6:00 How to use experiential questions when talking to customers 8:10  Investing in your team 9:20 How to build a feedback-driven company culture 12:45 How not giving feedback can affect your business 14:00 What is operational automation and how it can help your business 15:50 How to use operations in your business 21:00 How being more efficient can help you grow faster 21:50 How do you win customers 23:00 Knowing what your customers want 23:30 Sin Bin - Glossed over 25:30 How to be successful with SBC 26:00 Startup Sin Bin - People lying about how quickly they have created a successful startup If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Tessa Clarke, CEO of Olio. In this episode, Tessa tells the story of how she grew an unassuming WhatsApp group into a community of over five million people. She also delves into how growing a volunteer base of 50,000 has both helped to grow her business, as well as improve her users’ experience. And, she gives tips on how her fellow female founders can level the playing field and stand out when looking for investment! If you’re looking to learn more about growing a community, how to use and implement customer feedback on your product and tips for winning over investors, you’re in the right place. Structure: 1:00 Introduction 1:30 How did Tessa go from 0 to a community of 5 million people. 2:30 How they used a survey to validate their idea 6:00 How they tested their idea through a Whatsapp group 7:30 Feedback from their WhatsApp group experiment 8:45 How they had a budget of £10 to reach people 9:45 How they used their customer feedback to build Olio 12:00 Startup book recommendations 12:44 How Tessa built her community from 0 to 5 million 14:30 How they built a community of volunteers 18:23 How they expanded their volunteering community to 50 thousand 19:35  Understanding that you might have to fire a volunteer 21:00 Tessa practical advice for female founders 26:00 Sin Bin Books mentioned: The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Link to Dana Kanze - https://www.ted.com/talks/dana_kanze_the_real_reason_female_entrepreneurs_get_less_funding?language=en If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder If you want to join us on the show, then fill in the “Pitch to Us” form on the Back Yourself Show website! This is your chance to get your interesting and innovative business in front of a global audience, where you can talk ‘growth and development’ with Tom Fairey: a founder who has been there and done that. Website - http://backyourself.show/

My guest this week is Anthony Collias, CEO of Treepoints.  In this episode, he shares his tips and tricks on sales automation and hidden HR costs that could be costing your business thousands. Additionally, Anthony and Tom will be debating about if unlimited holiday makes employees take less. If you’re looking to learn more about sales automation, hidden HR costs, and company culture, you’re in the right place. Structure: 0:45 Introduction 0:48 What is sales automation? 4:00 How to optimize your sales Automation? 7:35 How Tom raised 1 million dollars through GMass 8:50 How to make sure your sales automation doesn’t get reported as spam 10:00 What copy should you put in your Sales emails? 13:00 3 key things that should be in every email 14:45 How to get sales through LinkedIn 17:47 Key tools you need to analyse your sales data and success 19:25 The hidden cost of HR that could be costing your business thousands of dollars 25:00 How you should apply an Athletes mindset to your business 27:00 Importance of sleep on your productivity 28:00 Anthony and Toms debate about unlimited holiday 32:00 Startup Sin Bin. If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week on BYS #SHORTS, we're diving into three key lessons Paulina Tenner taught us in her episode. In this Shorts episode, we’re covering how you can implement transparent financials in your company to create an open and flexible environment. These tips all came from the most recent episode of The Back Yourself Show, so go check that out! If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com #startup #businesstips #femalefounder #companyculture 

My guest this week is Paulina Tenner, Founder of Grant Tree. She’ll be sharing her mission to inspire other business owners with her radical and fresh perspectives on transforming the workplace. Partially why founders should implement transparent financials. Plus, we’ll dig into what Paulina learnt about business while she was a burlesque dancer. If you’re looking for practical tips to help create a more open company culture, you’re in the right place. In this episode, you will hear: 0:00 Introduction 2:30  How do you cultivate the environment 4:30 Can you trust people to work when they want 7:00 Key things to give people empowerment 9:20 Why Paulina introduced Transparent Financials 17:30 How to invest in your employees 20:00 How much uncertainty should the founder feel 22:00 Why she wanted to write her book 26:30 Being self-aware as a founder Links:  Ricardo Semler - https://www.ted.com/talks/ricardo_semler_how_to_run_a_company_with_almost_no_rules?language=en Paulina’s Ted Talk - Entrepreneurship & BDSM by Paulina  Paulina’s Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laid-Bare-Business-Leader-Stripper/dp/1789045797/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Laid%20Bare%3A%20What%20the%20Business%20Leader%20Learnt%20From%20the%20Stripper&qid=1632322090&qsid=257-4816063-6008819&s=books&sr=1-1&sres=1789045797&srpt=ABIS_BOOK

This week on BYS #SHORTS, we're diving into three key lessons Georgia Austin taught us in her episode. In this Shorts episode, we’re covering the incredible story of how Georgia went from redundancy in her corporate New York job to making 100K a month on Fiverr. She didn’t stop there though – she then started her own company, Wizard of Content, and grew that into a team of 65 freelance employees!   These tips all came from the most recent episode of The Back Yourself Show, so go check that out!  If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #femalefounder #Fiverr

My guest this week is Georgia Austin, Founder of Wizard of Content.  She’ll be sharing practical and actionable advice on how to get valuable eyes on your content, how to land at the top of Google, how to reach your customers and what tools to use to help create and distribute content. Plus, we’ll dig into common content mistakes businesses make and how you can avoid them.   If you’re looking to grow your business through content marketing, you’re in the right place. In this episode, you will hear: 0:00 Introduction  1:00 What is Content Marketing  2:00 What is good content  3:45 What can you do to improve SEO  6:20 How to figure out the balance of quality over the quality of content  7:50 How do I encourage an audience  9:15 How Georgia went from freelancing on the side to growing to 65 people  15:00 Tips to help stand out on Fiver  16:00 How she grew her team to 65 people  18:30 What are the 3 key lessons you’ve learnt from running your business  20:15 How to work out a tone of voice  24:00 3 tips for Content marking

This week on BYS #SHORTS, we're diving into three key lessons Naïma Camara taught us in her episode.  In this episode, you will hear: 3 things your Co-Founder need to bring to the table  3 questions founders should ask potential Co-founders  Why it’s essential to have a co-founder trial period.  These tips all came from the most recent episode of The Back Yourself Show, so go check that out!  If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

My guest this week is Naïma Camara, CEO of Ownership. And she’s here to share her tips and tricks to finding the perfect Co-Founder. We’ll be digging into what platforms are the best to find a co-founder, how to test if you and your co-founder are compatible and how to figure out how much equity you should offer. If you’re a solo founder and are looking to expand your network and team, make sure to check out this episode! Highlights: 0:45 What should you look for in a Co-Founder 2:30 How do you have a discussion about becoming a Co-Founder 5:00 Is it a good idea to start a business with a friend? 8:00 Where to find a co-founder 12:00 How to figure out the equity 15:20 3 questions founders should ask potential Co-founders 18:30 How employees should approach the equity discussion 20:45 Startup Sin Bin If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week on BYS #SHORTS, we're diving into three key lessons David Foreman taught us in his episode. In this episode, you will hear:  How to work out what type of VC you want to work with   3 reasons why the VC’s/Founder relationship can break down   Why you should stop telling investors that you’re going to be a unicorn These tips all came from the most recent episode of The Back Yourself Show, so go check that out!   If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

My guest this week is David Foreman, Managing Director at Praetura Ventures. And he’s here to pull the curtain back on VCs. We’ll be digging into how founders need to find a VC that fits them, how VCs can provide more than just money and how David coaches founders from managing a team of 10 to leading as CEO of 100. He’s also here to share some hard-hitting facts: How a lack of honesty on both sides causes the VC/Founder relationship to break down Why investors shouldn’t give founders detailed feedback Why founders need to stop saying they’re going to be a Unicorn If you’re looking for honest, raw and unfiltered advice straight from a VC you’re in the right place. Highlights: 1:20 The importance of founders finding VC’s that fits them 1:57  How Ask VC’s how 5:52 3 reasons why VC and Founders relation can breakdown 10:30 How VCs can add value 14:00 How to coach founders to go from a team of 10 to 100 18:36 The power of Mentorship 23:18 Bring investment to the North 27:20 Startup myths 33:05 Toxic Startup Behaviors Quotes: 2:11  “Ask to speak to founders they’ve already backed, and not just the 3 or 4 founders that are doing the best, who are clearly flavour of the month” 23:00 “ Get a mentor who’s not financially motivated by the outcome” 25:30 “The best founders are definitely talent magnets. Who gets really insanely talented people to work with them on building their vision of the business and also very self-aware” 27:43 “There is no monopoly on talent in the UK” 33:24 “As a founder, you don’t have to tell the VC that you’re going to be a unicorn.” Links: https://www.praeturaventures.com/team/ If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week refecting on our 5 best pieces of founder wisdom from the show so far. The podcast mentioned: Matthew Stafford - 9others and Dot Matrix Group "Running a startup is a contact sport" - Max Kelly  How should you define success? - Emma Davidson  "Don't build anything until you know your customers want it" - Anthony Rose  More than an investor, he's a philosopher - Alex Dunsdon  If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week refecting on our 5 top pieces of actionable advice from the show so far.  The podcast mentioned: Offsetting a gigaton of carbon with the help of groundbreaking startups  Habits to Woaw top investors - Hannah Redgewell  You need Empathy and Two Laptops to make £2 Million a month  Learning to switch off and avoid burnout  Megan Reynolds Investor at Crane Venture Partners  If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week we’re looking at Tom’s Top Three Tests that you can use to ensure you hire the best people for your team, digging into three key tests :  The Teachers Test The Research Test The Feedback Test Link to Tom's Medium article If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week we’re focusing on 5 practical tips that you can use to start building a successful startup.  We will dig into:  What to put in a business plan How to build your network How to grow your network with social media and cold emailing  How to keep ahead of technology  How to avoid burnout.  Links to Podcast Epsidoes:  Rob Kniaz Partner at Hoxton Ventures Megan Reynolds Investor at Crane Venture Partners  How should you define success? - Emma Davidson of Staude Capital Learning to switch off and avoid burnout - Hector Hughes Co-Founder of Unplugged If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week we’re breaking down how to Motivate Yourself When Everything is Falling Apart. Podcast: Believing in "Post Traumatic Sucess" - Sarah Porter, Founder & CEO of Inspired Minds  Article: How to Motivate Yourself When Everything is Falling Apart  If you have a question that you would like answered, then email them over to my podcast producer Rosie at Rosie@stakester.com  #startup #businesstips #founder

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week we bring you an extra special episode of the Back Yourself Show.

This week we bring you an extra festive episode of the Back Yourself Show.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode where we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week this is an extra special episode were we revisit Tom Fairey's top tips from the past 3 series.

This week on Founder FAQ we are talking about How do you get your first customer, tips for hiring people and how do you grow your team.

This week on Founder FAQ we are focusing on more investor and startup questions.

This week on Founder FAQ we are focusing on the harder questions from how to avoid bankruptcy to how to fire a difficult employee.

This week on Founder FAQ we are focusing on investment. How to get it, how it works and what happens next.

This week we speak to Tom Barber Co-Founder & CEO of PreWarp.

This week we speak to Craig Fenton, Director, Strategy & Operations at Google and founder of Big Community Records and Big Community Productions.

This week we speak with Peet Denny, the founding partner at Potential Climate Ventures.

This week we speak to Nick Telson, Exited Founder DesignMyNight.

This week we speak to Hector Hughes Co-Founder of Unplugged.

This week we speak to Ren Yi Hooi, Founder of Lightning Social Ventures.

This week we speak to Felix Atkin, Founder & CEO of Sharesy.

This we speak to Lauren Track, founder of Invigorate.

This week we speak to David Mark, Founder & Managing Director of Brokit.

This week we speak to Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder at Flexa Careers.

This week we speak to Joe Binder, founder of WOAW.

This week we speak to Leah Hutcheon, Founder & CEO at Appointedd.

This week we speak to Hannah Philp, CEO & Co-Founder at ARC.

This week we speak to Jens Lapinski, CEO of Angel Invest and the previous Managing Director of TechStars.

This week we speak to Rebecca Saunders, Founder, and CEO of Seekology.

This week we spoke to Ben Jaconelli CEO & creator of fully charged.

This week we spoke to Diana Biggs, CEO of Valour.

This week we speak to Will Billingsley Co-Founder of ApTap.

This week we speak to Sara Simeone, CEO & Co-Founder of Digital Oracles.

This week we speak to Rav Dhaliwal, Investor and Venture Partner at Crane Venture Partners.

This week we speak to Sarah Porter, Founder & CEO of Inspired Minds.

This week we speak to Dan Murray-Serter,  Co-Founder at Heights and host of the Secret Leaders podcast and your Heights Podcast.

This week we speak to Hannah Redgewell, an Investment Principal at Channel 4 Ventures.

In this week’s episode, my guest is Alexander Fahie, Founder of Ethical Angel.

This week we are going to giving you a sneak peek of series 2.

This week we are counting down our top 5 pieces of advice from our most listened to episodes.

This week you hear 5 amazing stories about why people left their jobs to start their own company, and why maybe you should do the same.

This week we are counting down the top 5 pieces of advice of things you should completely avoid when starting a company or pitching to an investor.

This week we speak to Ben Legg CEO & Co-founder of The Portfolio Collective.

This week we speak to Rob Kniaz a partner at Hoxton Ventures, this episode will explore how he has three Unicorn's under his belt that are Babylon Health, Darktrace and Deliveroo.

This week we speak to Patrick Ryan, Co-Founder of Odin.

This week we speak to Nick Braund Founder at Words + Pixels PR.

This week we speak to James McKinney, Founder of The Startup Story podcast & Grindology.

This week we spoke to Edward Upton, CEO & Founder of Little Data.

This week we speak to Megan Reynolds Investor at Crane Venture Partners.

This week we spoke to Hamish Blythe found of Trilo and company providing 'the simplest way to pay'.

This week we have on Adam Gordon Founder & CEO of Candidate.ID®

This week we have on Lydia Jones Founder and CEO of Housemates.

Websites, products and investments, what do you think investors are looking for? And how do you grab not only their attention but their investment in you?

Everyone knows that careers aren’t always smooth sailing, you think you are progressing in one area, but it isn’t for you. Sometimes taking a step back and reevaluating the situation and your personal needs are more important.

Lending in the property space is famously outdated and slow. This week's guest, Guy Harrington, wasn't ok with this, so he decided to fix the problem and take a new approach.

Some people are fighting the good fight in VC, and Paul Miller is one of these. Listen to how he was inspired to make a positive change in the world and how he continues to do so.

Tadas grew up in Lithuania and started his first entrepreneurial venture aged 13, now he's now launched a tech startup, Prodsight, that helps companies understand customer feedback.

Sean Seton-Rogers is the Managing Partner of PROFounders Capital. An early stage fund based in London. He has funded someone of the coolest businesses from MADE.com to the recently listed Unity. He shares his view on the VC market, the secrets of how they make money and the best advice for entrepreneurs.

On this episode of The Back Yourself Show, Tom sits down with Sam O’Connor, founder and CEO of Coconut, an accounting and tax tool service that “makes self-employment easier than being employed.”

David Fogel: Understanding How Investing Works for Startups David is the co-founder of Alma Angels, ADV, and Israel Tech Parliament. He’s super passionate about working with innovative and brilliant people while helping them build their ideas into successful businesses that have a global impact. In this episode, he shares the story of how he joined the startup world and the impact he has made in the sector while working in different countries. He explains in detail what makes a good startup and founder in determining long-term success.

Chris Smith, Managing Partner of Playfair Capital, joins Tom Fairey on this week's episode and shares his views on who you should hire, his route to success and what annoys him in pitches!

"Don't let anyone tell you order you need to live your life" Matthew Stafford, the founder of the global founder network 9others and the impressive Angel Syndicate - Dot Matrix Group, shares non-linear story to becoming a champion of founders and an successful investor.

Philip O'Reilly, Head of Deal Execution at Draper Esprit is a specialist in funding startups at Series A&B and setting those companies on a trajectory to major exits. He shares his wisdom on what happens behind the scenes in an investment committee, what he looks for beside the numbers and where the next hot investment is coming from.

Finding the best advice as a startup is impossibly hard. Luckily, there are people like John Stamler around. John is a mentor at Techstars and personally involved with over 100 active startups. In this episode he shares his story of saving some of the world's biggest companies from bankruptcy, surviving open heart surgery and helping startups find the right questions, rather than giving the right answers.

Anthony Rose is the former head of BBC iPlayer and the founder of SeedLegals. In this episode he gives game-changing tips on product development, how to raise early stage investment effectively and why the stats suggest having military grade focus is key to startup success.

Sam Hornsby and Mae Yip, the Co-Founders of ERIC Festival share their Startup journey. Some people are naturals, and they don’t even know it. That’s the case for these two. Best friends that took very different paths, but ultimately knew they needed to solve a problem in the world. So they gave up successful careers to go it alone, together. Now they run ERIC, the largest creative careers festival in the UK and are pivoting to create market changing tech. What’s beautiful about Mae and Sam is that without even knowing it, every time they play their hand, they land on best practice. In this episode they share their personal journeys, inspiring advice on how anyone can make it and why your background means nothing, it's about who you are and the difference you can make. These superheroes of entrepreneurship don’t wear MBAs and VC money, they wear capes hewn of humility and passion.

In this episode, Max Kelly, SVP of Techstars, talks about the best ways to get noticed by VCs and Accelerators, the reality of taking funding and why you may be more likely to make $20m without VC money.

Tom Rogers and Llewellyn Kinch, the Co-Founders of Switchd, a UK startup that's on a mission to save everyone money on their utility bills join Tom Fairey to discuss their incredible strategy for building an absolute MVP and what it's like picking a fight with competitors a thousand times your size.

Brie Read and Tom Martin, the founders of Snag Tights turned an embarrassment into a business that turns over £2m a month in under two years! In this episode you'll learn about the best practices for social ads, the power of empathy with your customers and the importance of working on your terms.

Eamonn Carey - MD of Techstars, serial entrepreneur, hugely successful early stage investor and startup oracle, shares his story, how to build a company for success and where the next best companies will be spending their time.

On this episode psychologist Kristina Barger talks about the critical issues with how companies are creating HealthTech, the importance of confidence when making quick decision and how miscommunication will break your business.

Tech Startup, Digital Clipboard, talk about what it truly means to be product and customer focused, your sole responsibility as a founder and accepting the fact that your product is wrong.

Lessons on stability from the man who ran deal-flow at Microsoft and launched his own Venture Fund. In this episode Kevin Monserrat, CEO of Consiliance Ventures discusses the pillars every startup needs to ensure they succeed, why he's changing the world of VC and why being a firefighter made him successful in business. 09:45-13:50 Why being a firefighter prepares you for running a VC 14:50 - 18:32 - What was the first thing he did when he started a VC? 20:26 - 25:32 - How do you get credible advice as a startup? 27:10 - 30:21 - What does it feel like to leave a giant like Microsoft and risk it all to do something that has never been done before? 29:55 - 33:10 - What are the three things every startup should focus on? 33:10 - 36:21 - Why founders should not to be fooled by access to capital. 38:15 - 39:07 - What is the greatest indication of success? -------------

Alex Dundson; SaatchInvest Partner, Bakery Co-Founder and LinkedIn Megastar talks why you shouldn't be getting venture funding and being the architect of your own life.

Emma Davidson - Hedge fund director and Citibank trading floor legend talks about how to define success, achieve it and having conversations with your eighty year old self.

Warwick HIll, former CEO of Microsoft for Start-ups, serial founder and market leading strategist shares his wisdom. How do you sell to enterprises and make your company attractive for acquisition, and what's the secret to being a great founder?

James Hawkins - Pro Cyclist turned Startup Founder talks about his journey from professional cyclist to building a product and winning a customer in just one month.