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Seeking out support, guidance and inspiration
In this video, we will discuss how to find support, guidance, and inspiration.
From the outset, Richard, Adam, and John, the founders, –did business differently. They, they wanted the business to feel like we were more like teammates than colleagues. Who was, there was just an incredible culture that was built across the hundreds of people that I ended up working with across those 14 years. And, and that was largely to do with the attitude of the people that joined the business, and how we all treated each other, and the determination that we all have. Because we genuinely believed in the purpose of the business. And um, the second point I mentioned was products, we we obsessed about products– to make it as good as as possible. And we had big, big visions.
And so, we, our vision changed year on year. The ultimate vision was to be the number one um, juice and smoothie brand in the world, but at the beginning it was to become the number one smoothie brand in, in London. And that felt like a massive, massively big ambition at the beginning. And um, that’s how I, I’ve set things up with BOL. I, I want us to become the number one naturally plant powered food brand on the planet. And even saying those words to most people, they kind of look at you as if you’re mad. And I’m like, well, aim aim for the stars, land on the moon.
I just believe that um it’s really healthy to have big goals, and that experience I had of having those ambitions has has served the business well, served the many people that were there um, I’m confident we can do the same with BOL. I think I’ve always have said you can never know what you don’t know. It sounds like a stupid comment, but actually when you’re starting out, I didn’t know I didn’t know. Sometimes, that’s quite good because you just crack on anyway. Um, so we’re learning all the time, and that’s fine. Um, I think it’s, you’ll have heard this 100 million times, but making mistakes is the best thing for your business because um it makes you better.
I think on a personal level, I have nearly burnt out many times in the process. Because you live and breathe this business, and you never really switch off. And like a colleague, actually, many years ago says, you know Sarah, you can’t pull from an empty cup. And I espouse that all the time. People hear me say it all the time, but it’s really powerful because it actually makes you stop and think, okay, I’m absolutely not full use to my team and um my kids, for that matter– if I’m tired and depleted. So I’ve got much better at um, looking after myself, and finding time out to rest and recuperate, and recharge.
And yeah, I think, I think those would be my main ones. And then I think, well having said all that, I think what the last, what this year has taught me, 2020, is that you can do anything, really, when you put your mind to it. And I think that that the sanitizer initiative we did, I think showed us that we could work so quickly, and really problem solve very, very quickly. And it sort of, I think it, there’s been a real impetus for action um this year that has really taken the business forward. You have to always be um, learning and, and looking for new inspiration.
And I I guess I’m ravenously eat, eating out all the time, and it’s what keeps me sane most of the time. Anyway, but I guess for me, it’s in the earlier stages, something that was quite pivotal um was the encouragement that I got to, to really ensure that if you’re gonna to take the jump off the cliff– and that is what it feels like as soon as you leave the ground. You are off a cliff, and you are falling at high speed, and you have no idea whether you, whether you’re going to hit the ground or whether you’re going to survive.
If you’re going to do that– you’re going to put yourself through that, um it’s really important to make sure it’s something that has the potential to be really, really massive and impactful. Um, but also, to be something that you are going to be truly proud of solving as a problem. Um and that really, for me, what that means is that really um can have a positive impact on our planet, and is, and is hopefully a great contribution to the big project that is humanity and progress.
And so um, so yeah, that kind of brings us back to what you pulled out earlier, which is just taking that time to really make, check in on that, and make sure that you are compelled and convinced. But the thing that I would put alongside that, is you can’t sit there thinking about it for more than um a days worth. You’ve got to start acting on it immediately, because the worst thing I see, and I think, and I think I would have fallen into the trap in the early days as well is– too much pontificating, too much assessing of risk, too much like drawing up SWOT analysis and whatever else you do. You just got to. Right. The planning.
Yeah, you just got to start doing immediately. Start trying to find um, whether you can make the product, whether you can put it in front of people, whether you can learn if they like it. Because only when you start doing that, do you really find out if this is something you want to build as well, and if it’s worth building, and if it’s got potential. And um, it is guaranteed the thing that you start trying to do is not the thing that you’ll end up building as well. So it’s all about action.
In this video, you’ll hear from three founders in the wellness industry talk about how mentorship, previous experience working in other startup businesses, or seeking out advice from others, has been instrumental in their success.
Firstly, Paul Brown, the founder of BOL, a healthy convenience food brand, talks about what he learnt from his time working at Innocent, one of the UK’s leading drinks brands.
This is followed by Sarah Brown, the founder of Pai Skincare, a leading organic skincare company, on what she has learnt and the advice she would give to other entrepreneurs.
Finally, we will hear from Jonathan Petrides, co-founder of Allplants, about his perspective on getting inspired.
This article is from the online course:
Launching and Growing a Business in Wellness
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Launching and Growing a Business in Wellness
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