Founders HUB BLOG

Do you have what it takes to come up with the latest intergalactic fashion? With a shortage for upcoming moon missions, NASA recently invited private businesses to tender for spacesuits. There’s a new business model for you right there – and we have plenty more ideas for the taking! Here’s the thing, being a successful […]

• by Rob Harlow
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• January 12, 2022

We’re really excited to launch the latest new feature in the Founders Hub portal. Partly because we enjoy adding new gadgets to our Swiss Army Knife of business resources, and partly because it’s a solution to a problem that Sopro, and countless other businesses, have wrestled with for years. The issue was raised again by […]

• by Rob Harlow
• 
• January 7, 2022

The second in our series of Member Spotlights, this time we welcome life and business coach Judy Hersch from Evolution Solutions. Judy tells her inspiring story about the life moments that gave her the push to start her own business and how she continually works on herself in order to help her clients.    Tell […]

• by Rob Harlow
• 
• January 5, 2022

Change. It’s the one constant guarantee in business. Even if you have no plans to shake anything and keep to business as usual, trust us, change will come knocking on your door.  Businesses that constantly adapt to the market’s needs tend to thrive, while those who stay the same struggle to survive.  So with that […]

• by Rob Harlow
• 
• December 21, 2021

We’re delighted to launch a new blog series – ‘Member Spotlight’ where we get to know Founders Hub members through a monthly Q&A. This month we’re welcoming Graham Davies from Addition Finance. Graham tells us about the work he does on behalf of SMEs, their innovative app and the best piece of advice he’s been […]

• by Rob Harlow
• 
• December 15, 2021

Why every startup entrepreneur should plan for the possibility of failure and have a timeline for when to cut your losses. “One year into Airbnb, we didn’t have any traction. We had launched three times, and yet it seemed nobody noticed. And of those that did, many didn’t like the idea.”  – Brian Chesky, Airbnb […]

• by Rob Harlow
• 
• November 28, 2021

To succeed as an entrepreneur you need to harness a little bit of crazy – or hire it in! “Entrepreneurs are all a little crazy. There is a fine line between an entrepreneur and a crazy person.” These are the first words Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop wrote in her 2000 autobiography, […]

• by Ryan Welmans
• 
• November 15, 2021

A trio of lads were selling smoothies at a music festival. A sign above their humble stall reads: Should we give up our jobs to make these smoothies? Festival-goers could answer the question by throwing their empties into two bins: one marked YES, the other marked NO. By the day’s end, the YES bin was […]

• by Rob Harlow
• 
• November 1, 2021

To create a blueprint for success, founders must first of all map out some of the largest planning and financing elephant traps that may lay in front of them. By avoiding these hidden traps, the path ahead to success is much clearer. 1. Underestimating your operating costs  Founders tend to be optimistic by nature – […]

• by Matt Freeman
• 
• October 19, 2021

Founders wear many hats but the HR hat often sits uncomfortably. In fact, for many founders, the HR aspect of their role is seen as more of a ‘gut’ decision than one that comes from the head. And it’s not just the recruitment hat that gets worn at a jaunty angle: onboarding and effective management […]

• by Matt Ansell
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• September 6, 2021

Let’s take a look at the basics of financial planning and analysis and why it is critical founders understand its principles and its uses. We’ll start with a definition and move on to look at some guiding principles behind the best FP&A. What is financial planning and analysis? Financial planning and analysis (FP&A) is how […]

• by Matt Freeman
• 
• August 17, 2021

Starting a business is tough. And then it gets tougher. Founders face a huge challenge as their leadership role evolves with their company’s growing success. And more often than not these challenges come from within the growing team rather than from a hostile, indifferent or inflexible market. How open is your vision, your blueprint and […]

• by Ryan Welmans
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• July 29, 2021

We’ve all read the stories about entrepreneurs who work 16 hours a day and don’t take a day off for months on end. But I personally believe that balance is key to success. Working hard is necessary, but so is rest. I’ve learnt from experience that spending time away from work to refresh will only […]

• by Rob Harlow
• 
• June 8, 2021

With our focus so heavily on business development it can be easy for founders to overlook self-development activities. And yet, we invest so much of ourselves into our businesses that the link between our own personal and professional growth and that of our business success shouldn’t be too hard to grasp. There is, after all, […]

• by Ryan Welmans
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• May 13, 2021