Mat Kiddie - CEO - Amigo Partnership.

“I crave certainty. But, I understand I will never get it.  And perhaps certainty would be a bit boring anyway?”

Mat, why did you start Amigo Partnership? 

A mix of creating our own identity, freedom and wanting to do things differently.

Is it more about the journey or the destination? 

Both.

We are trying to create a business that is a great place to work, do work that we and our clients are proud of (from a creative and effectiveness POV), and also to create value.

When things get tough, what do you do?

Go forensic.  Operating an independent agency requires an understanding of the spectrum of risk and the need for speculation (or calculated risk-taking).  However, the spectrum needs more attention and narrowing when the markets have been as tough as they have been.  Within tough periods, spend tends to decrease, whilst the length of project sign-offs and delivery tends to increase.  So the agency gets stretched commercially.  So business development (new biz) is critical, whilst maintaining quality creative service and value delivery to existing clients.

Do you crave certainty?

Of course.  But I understand I will never get it.  And perhaps certainty would be a bit boring anyway?

Has founding a business changed you?

Most definitely.  I think the transition has been from being idealistic to being more pragmatic.  And also potentially from being relentless to resilient.

What do you need, now?

Our recent focus has been to pivot our proposition and launch our new brand, so what we need now is to communicate this to the market and deliver the benefits/value of our agency evolution to our clients.  

Jim Brown - Founder and Head Coach - Ground+Air.

“We know we’re better when we lift our heads up, pause, breathe, seek other perspectives, look at what’s over the horizon and then back down at what we already have.”

Jim, why did you start Ground+Air? 

Three factors - luxury, practicality, necessity.

Luxury because I wanted to indulge a lot of passions of mine; Practicality, because I wanted to leverage my experience, use what I’d learned and build on it; Necessity, because I still need to earn. I also had a strong desire to make an impact in a different field, and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t do it.

Before founding Ground+Air, I was running a talent search firm which I’d founded, feeling challenged but not as fulfilled as I had been. I felt I should be leading with more enthusiasm, but was finding that harder to conjure. I had watched too many leaders stay too long in their roles and I was risking doing the same. So, I committed to a new trail.

I wanted to do something around performance, leadership, coaching, psychology, physiology, talent development, building and growing businesses. I wanted to build on the coaching and leadership training I’d already invested in; I wanted to leverage my commercial experience, select my favourite industry connections to keep working with, operate in other markets, learn a chunk of new stuff, become a specialist in a field where my passions lie. I had the funds and the time to indulge myself in a period of reflection, research, and networking. I gave myself the space to steadily build my paid coaching hours. I also dug around various coaching modalities to find the right blend for me, then trained with some genuine experts in different areas of coaching, psychotherapy, emotional intelligence, rest and recovery. 

There was a revolution underway in the worlds of performance and wellbeing. These two areas were seen as being at odds with each other, rather than linked. It struck me that businesses were rarely clear on how they supported their people. We know it makes instinctive and logical sense that if you wrap the right support system around people, to account for the mental, physiological and environmental influences that affect them, they will perform better, more consistently, and for longer. Yet I didn’t know of any firm in the sectors I was in who had addressed the problem with a joined up Performance+Wellbeing approach.

Ground+Air’s core offering delivers this.

Is it more about the journey or the destination? 

The name “Ground and Air” comes from a recognition that we’ve all got some ground to cover, stuff we have to confront, get through, go around or over. We all have a bunch of decisions to make about what routes to take and how to respond. “Ground” is a lot about the reality of the journey. Meanwhile, we know we’re better when we lift our heads up, pause, breathe, seek other perspectives, look at what’s over the horizon and then back down at what we already have. “Air” is about having that lifted perspective. Ultimately, it’s about striking the right blend of realism and aspiration, which is a deeply personal balance.

When things get tough, what do you do?

I haven’t been confronted with any of the big heavy tough stuff yet. On all the smaller challenges, my default position tends to be to think what more can I do to affect my situation. I like being self-reliant and hold a strong belief that it’s down to me to handle what’s in front of me, accept it if I can’t change it, or look to adopt another view towards it if it’s troubling me. A psychologist might label this as my embracing a stoic belief system, and having a strong “locus of control”. 

If I don’t know how to tackle something, I typically flip to: who do I know who does? I’m not shy about asking, but I generally prefer to dish out favours more than ask for them.

Do you crave certainty?

I definitely value a sense of security around the things that are too precious or too personal to question, or too risky to lose. But in work, I generally like a slug of ambiguity, where I need to work things out, make judgement calls that define if we succeeed or fail. That’s the fun bit, when I or the team can assign the credit for things that work out.

Lockdown was interesting in a business sense because planning around the unknown, combined with a greater sense of risk, got me in a really energetic and creative place. As a coach I think you need to be comfortable with uncertainty. A lot of our work at Ground+Air is around helping people to create the conditions that support optimal and peak performance. Science tells us we have to embrace and work with a level of uncertainty, which is just as well because it makes life interesting.

Has founding a business changed you?

I’ve worked for myself for 25 years (most of my adult life) – so it has definitely shaped me. My identity was entangled in my first business, and it is in this one. But I wouldn’t say my work face is much different to my out-of-work one, so there’s no clash there.    

What do you need, now?

I don’t feel I “need” a lot, but I have a few preferences or “handy-to-haves”…which include:

1. A clear, unequivocable answer to whether Ground+Air should secure investment, or continue to bootstrap (like I’ve always operated). The coach in me tells me it depends on the offering, the opportunity, and what I want. The impatient, ambitious child in me tells me it would be a ride. It would be nice to park that itch, without any “what-ifs” either way and crack on.

 2. I’d love to morph into a brilliant presenter, without having to put in the thought and the grind to optimise my capabilities.

 3. A rock-solid mentor. Some wise head who spots my strengths and my blindspots, and has total commitment to my achieving a satisfying, productive career.

Andrea De Luca - Co-Founder & CEO, Flusso.

“Breathe. Relax. And do what needs to be done.”

Andrea, why did you start Flusso? 

In this order:

Impact - I wanted to experience the journey from having an idea to seeing people benefitting from it. Which I have not quite seen yet at the scale I would like, hence why I am still here.

Learning – I was hoping to learn a lot in the process…which I am doing, hence why I am still here.

Money – there is always a money component, whoever says the opposite is lying. But it was more of a hope and definitely not the driving factor given how slim the chances are to make money out of a startup (said the guy who was lucky enough to go through an exit).

Is it more about the journey or the destination? 

Clearly the journey. Also because the destination is always moving for me. When I reach a point I am already thinking about the next one, and so on … there is no final destination as such. There is always something more that can be achieved.

When things get tough, what do you do?

Breathe. Relax. And do what needs to be done.

Do you crave certainty?

Who does not?! But does it really exist? 

Has founding a business changed you?

Probably yes. This is what my wife says. I am not sure how. I probably would have changed anyway somehow even if I was doing something else.

What do you need, now?

The first two things that come to mind are in this order:

A sabbatical year - which is more of a dream actually.

Time - Time to do what needs to be done. Unfortunately, there are no ‘time shops’ though …

Oliver Powe - Co-Founder, Acid Running.

“Certainty would be nice. But, consistency is the only thing I can control.”

Oliver, why did you start Acid Running? 

I think I should split this into two answers - why did I start a clothing brand and why Acid Running?

I’d always seen myself operating a “cult” fashion brand. That may sound counterintuitive when it’s the audience response that dictates whether a brand has a cult following or not, but these brands all share something in common - they tell stories, they capture the imagination, and they mean wildly different things to different people. In the case of some, they may even challenge or trouble you.

I never expected to be working in the running space, as a distinctly below average runner, but I had always been confused by the running industry’s messaging to consumers, and the opportunity to better serve runners was too big to ignore. In short, we wanted to create a brand that reflects the true story of running - that it is primarily a discipline, not a competitive sport, and it is defined by discomfort and suffering rather than by pleasure and runners' highs. 

Contrary to marketing orthodoxy, this gritty truth elevates running, and places runners as authentic heroes in their own story.

Is it more about the journey or the destination? 

They say we look forward to the destination whilst on the journey, yet we look fondly back on the journey when the destination leaves us without clear answers. Perhaps that’s true but without the hunger for the destination I believe the journey would finish quite abruptly.

When things get tough, what do you do?

I run.

Nothing clears my mind better than running. If I’m particularly stressed or overwhelmed, within a few minutes I feel my mind relaxing. By the time I get back from my run I’m either equipped with the solution to the problem, or I feel re-energised to attack the task.

I know it’s not particularly fashionable amongst founders to say this, but I also love a drink at the end of the week. There’s something uniquely refreshing about British pub culture, when everyone shares their week’s war stories over a few drinks and yours is rarely the worst.

Do you crave certainty?

Certainty would be nice but consistency is the only thing I can control. 

An early start in the office, a proper lunch break, and a run or gym session in the afternoon are things I can control which always improve my output and mindset. I’ve found that the longer I’ve been on the journey the less certainty I crave, thanks in part to having the perspective of seeing my own ambitions grow as each milestone is reached.

Has founding a business changed you?

If I was to be self-critical I would say that when I was younger I was a bit intellectually dogmatic. But as a founder, when you are constantly learning and growing in new disciplines, it fosters a humility which you lean into further the more you are rewarded by it. I would say that contrary to my younger self, the integrity that comes from intellectual humility is one of my strengths, and something I look for above all else in colleagues and partnerships.

What do you need, now?

There are lots of things I want right now to push the business along, but everything is moving in the right direction, so there is not a particular need as such.

I’m very fortunate to have a very supportive team, family and girlfriend. We talk a lot about unfair advantages in business but to have that support network is the greatest unfair advantage, and I don’t think that’s mentioned enough.

They say a founders’ journey is lonely but it needn’t be.

Caitlyn Lewis - Founder & CEO, Supplier Day.

“I’d get awfully bored if I knew exactly what the rest of my life looked like. I love being an architect of the way things will work out.”

Caitlyn, why did you start Supplier Day? 

I did my Masters dissertation on how enterprise organisations operate within ecosystems and how the most successful ones are able to architect their own, instead of participating in someone else’s. A big part of this research was around the role of suppliers and supplier ecosystems in building competitive advantage. I realised that there is a major gap in the market for helping organisations communicate effectively with their suppliers, to get them aligned to a long-term vision and, ultimately, committed to helping an organisation achieve their goals.

Is it more about the journey or the destination? 

Oooooh can I say both? I think I am naturally someone who is all about the destination: I’m that person walking as fast as I can to get to the place I want to get to. And I think you have to have a good idea of what success looks like, and what your vision for the future is, when you start a business, otherwise there will be times when you wonder if it’s worth it. However, there is so much beauty in the journey. Adam Grant said “Passions are developed, not just discovered.” and that sums up how I feel about my business and my journey. The more Supplier Day evolves the more passionate I get about what we do, the value we drive for our customers and my role as a leader.

When things get tough, what do you do?

To be honest, I’m the kind of person who leans into a challenge. I like to get things resolved quickly and I don’t like leaving things to linger. So I tend to face challenges head on. But that’s not to say that my confidence doesn’t falter and I don’t have days where it would seem easier to give up. I try to keep perspective: if it’s something that’s hard because it’s new to me, I remind myself that everyone was a beginner at some point. If it’s something that is a genuinely difficult situation I’ve got much better at asking for help and I have a great support network who will give me advice or help. I have found the founder’s journey a lonely one but I think that has meant that I have built relationships with the people around me (mentors, my investors and peers) who I can go to for support, no matter what my ask is.

Do you crave certainty?

Yes and no. Since I started Supplier Day I have also been a digital nomad. I don’t think I’ve spent more than 6 months in one country in the last 3 years. It can get tough when you’re in a new place and don’t know anything about your surroundings. But my love for routine always helps me settle into a new place quickly: wake up at the same time, I go to the gym, have breakfast and I’m at my desk by 09:00 no matter where I am in the world. I think that helps me feel more settled. I am also a control freak so I like to feel like I have a good handle on my day to day life. 

In terms of certainty in relation to the longer term…I don’t think I do crave it. I think I’d get awfully bored if I knew exactly what the rest of my life looked like or if I was in a large organisation that had everything worked out. I love being an architect of the way things will work out.

Has founding a business changed you?

Absolutely. I think it’s made me more sure of myself and given me more confidence. When you work for someone else and have a manager, you rely on them to tell you when you’ve done a good job, done the right thing or done enough. As a Founder, there’s no one there to tell you that. In fact, the majority of the feedback you get will be about the things you haven’t done or could do better! So you learn to rely on your own judgement and think for yourself way more.

What do you need, now?

Certainty… Only joking! We’ve doubled our clients this year and 2024 is set to see the same growth. We’re working with some of the most popular household names out there and designing some amazing event experiences. To keep up with the demand we’re growing our event delivery team. So, if you want to work in event delivery, either on the strategic event design side or event operations, please reach out to people@supplierday.com. 

Xaver Walser - Co-Founder & CEO, PRODUCER - Maker Machina.

“Nothing is certain when building something new. Everyday you are in uncharted territory and certainty is a concept that does not exist in this world or anybody's world.”

Xaver, why did you start PRODUCER? 

I was once asked if there was a way to manage a brand’s media content from within one location. But, there was none…  I always knew there had to be a better way of producing a commercial film and because of the endless pain and not being able to find anything else we simply decided to build it ourselves. The thing is that every company in the world has become a content creation company and Covid forced them all to find a way to keep on communicating. So they all set up shop for in-house content creation but without anyone truly understanding the production process. They worked with 3rd party tools not talking to one another, not designed for content creation needs and with over complicated- and poor design.  

PRODUCER - Maker Machina helps enterprises with a structured production pipeline that keeps you moving forward within the workflow. Saving companies time and money and ultimately the software will improve creativity. This single point of truth pushes your bottom line and brings an element of fun to the corporate creative process. 

Is it more about the journey or the destination? 

If it's about the destination then you will never be happy. It has to be about the journey. You need to love it. Start-ups are full of downs. I have heard more no’s during the past 3 years than ever before. 98% was no.. but there is this 2% that keeps you moving forward.. and you celebrate every victory. You do not wait for the end. You celebrate every small yes. But, the destination remains in the back of your head. You need to know what you are fighting for. I want a Mclaren one day, and although the world may find this ridiculous I know that one day I will drive my Spider, … its the force that gets me up every morning at 4am even if I don’t want to, even if I am too tired. Even if you don’t feel like it, you need to… and you need to love it. 

When things get tough, what do you do?

I do push-ups, and get on my mountain bike and pedal so hard that my legs beg me to stop, so tired that I cannot think of anything but breathing. All thoughts leave my head because it is just about breathing. There is no room for anything else. Then when I strap on my downhill protection I switch to tunnel vision and fly into every turn. There is no room for thinking about work… or you will crash into a tree… and the tree will win every time. So when the going gets tough I clear my head through exercise and this helps me to focus on breathing and just doing one more click. Just one more click and before you know it, you got yourself out of the storm and you are riding again. Tomorrow there may be another disaster waiting for you, but you clear your head, break the problem down into little manageable parts and you get it done.

Do you crave certainty?

As a leader I need to project certainty. Although I have endless doubts in my mind I need to keep the team together and motivated. Nothing is certain when building something new. Especially if there is no clear plan to follow when building something that has never been done before. Everyday you are in uncharted territory and certainty is a concept that does not exist in this world or anybody's world. What I do crave is consistency. To have a routine and do everything as it is between getting up at 4am and my first coffee at 6am in exactly the same order. This gives me some form of certainty for the day to come. Then whatever comes, comes and I will find a way. 

Has founding a business changed you?

I don't think so. I don’t really change. It's still the same person. What I did learn is to trust more. You can not do everything yourself. You need to trust but I have since learnt that you then need to verify.  And then you need to trust again. Without trust you can not build something of substance. You will always just go around in circles. And I know… I have been there. You need to learn, get better, apologize and be true to yourself.

What do you need, now?

I was once told that I need to be more realistic… and I strongly disagree. It's not my job to be realistic. I need to be in my bubble. Dream big and believe anything is possible. Then you need to surround yourself with clever realistic people and listen to them.. truly listen.. but then you follow your intuition. I just need to continue and  not ever give up. If you never give up you can never lose.