How To Start Up by FF&M

Joe talks to Juliet about what founders should really look for when hiring, where traditional recruitment falls short and how to use AI without losing the human judgement that helps you spot exceptional people. If you're making your first hires, struggling to spot real potential or wondering how AI should fit into your recruitment process, this episode is for you.

Joe Woodward is co-founder of Vizzy, a hiring platform reimagining the CV for the next generation of talent. Four years in, Vizzy has raised around £7 million in backing, built a talent pool of 120,000 people and works with major clients including Burberry, Virgin and the LVMH group.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Why the traditional CV could be costing you the best candidates
00:06:00 The hiring signal that can matter more than qualifications or experience
00:09:00 The biggest hiring mistakes founders make
00:10:30 When growing your team could actually be the wrong decision
00:23:00 How to use AI in recruitment without losing what only a human can spot

Find out more:
Vizzy: https://home.vizzy.com/
Joe Woodward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-woodward13/
FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
https://www.fallowfieldmason.com

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.
Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on Instagram @fallowfieldmason.
MUSIC CREDIT: Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail
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One of the biggest pieces of advice you'll hear as a founder is to find a gap in the market. But what if the real opportunity isn't finding a gap at all, it's solving a problem you've experienced yourself?
After more than a decade in the wine industry, Bethan Higson became frustrated by the alcohol-free options available during her first pregnancy. Rather than trying to recreate wine or spirits, she wanted to create something entirely different: a drink that delivered the same complexity, ritual and sense of occasion. Two years of experimenting at her kitchen table led to Mother Root, a fiery non-alcoholic aperitif made using ginger and apple cider vinegar. 
Today, Mother Root is the UK's fastest-growing drinks brand and has rapidly expanded from a direct-to-consumer start-up into major retailers, while scaling even faster in the US than in its home market. 
In this episode, Bethan shares what it was really like appearing on Dragons' Den, how she secured investment offers from three Dragons, why she ultimately chose Steven Bartlett, and why the deal never completed. We also explore category creation, hiring exceptional people, building momentum with retailers, preparing for explosive growth, and why saying no is one of the most important skills any founder can develop.
Bethan's Advice:
Build your business around solving a genuine customer problem, rather than chasing a growing market.
Adopt a test-and-learn mindset to make faster decisions and reduce the pressure of getting everything right first time.
Prepare for success as much as failure by building the systems and team you'll need to handle growth.
Hire people whose strengths complement your own, and don't hesitate when you find exceptional talent.
Prioritisation is fundamental, stay focused on the opportunities that genuinely move the needle.
Learn to say no to those opportunities which won’t further your business in the long term - but do it respectfully.
Chapters
(00:00) Why finding a gap isn't enough
(01:10) Meet Bethan Higson & Mother Root
(02:00) Building a business around a real customer problem
(05:00) Convincing retailers to back a new category
(07:15) Turning a kitchen-table idea into a business
(10:00) Founder fears, boundaries & obsession
(14:00) Behind the scenes of Dragons' Den
(19:15) Choosing Steven Bartlett as an investor
(22:00) Preparing your business for explosive growth
(26:00) Scaling Mother Root in the UK & US
(28:00) Why every founder should "test and learn"
(29:30) Hiring exceptional people
(30:30) Why saying no is a founder's superpower
(32:00) Finding the right COO & business partner
(34:00) Bethan's question for the next guest
FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
https://www.fallowfieldmason.com

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.
Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on Instagram @fallowfieldmason.
MUSIC CREDIT: Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.
Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail
Support the show

Before Kate Halfpenny designed wedding dresses, she dressed Kate Moss, Rihanna and Cate Blanchett for a living.
That client list didn't just shape her design eye, it built her a reputation before she'd designed a single dress for the public. When a commission for actress Emilia Fox in 2005 became the foundation of Halfpenny London, Kate already understood something most founders take years to learn: proximity to the right person, at the right moment, is one of the most powerful and least controllable forms of PR there is.
Kate's Advice: 
Build a reputation through consistently exceptional work, not just advertising
Paid marketing creates visibility, but trust has to be earned
Word of mouth can't be controlled. Focus on creating work people genuinely want to recommend
Choose collaborators because they're the right fit, not because they're famous
Audiences can feel the difference between genuine love for a brand and being paid to wear it
Be crystal clear about who your brand is for. It protects you from the wrong partnerships
One great PR moment opens the door, but consistency is what keeps people coming back
Never compromise the integrity of your product simply to gain attention
Bring experienced external leadership into your business sooner than you think
Treat mistakes as part of building a business. They're lessons, not failures
Protect time for your personal life before your business takes all of it
Don't compare your journey to everyone else's, especially on social media
Chapters

(00:00) Why reputation beats advertising
(01:25) Meet Kate Halfpenny
(02:00) Building a brand through reputation
(05:00) How Emilia Fox launched Halfpenny London
(08:15) Why authentic celebrity PR is priceless
(10:05) Choosing the right influencers
(13:00) Celebrity marketing mistakes founders make
(15:00) Turning one PR moment into a 20-year brand
(18:00) PR, social media and luxury branding
(20:30) Founder storytelling and personal brands
(23:00) Growing Halfpenny internationally
(24:30) The leadership mistake Kate would change
(28:00) Work-life balance as a founder
(29:30) Kate's question for the next guest
FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
https://www.fallowfieldmason.com

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.
Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on Instagram @fallowfieldmason.
MUSIC CREDIT: Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.
Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail
Support the show

Every guest on this podcast talks about looking after yourself and your sleep when starting a business so I was keen to speak to someone who has first hand experience in losing it, how to get it back & making a business from it too. 
Hayley Dawes spent years designing beautiful, calming homes for other people. She couldn't find a moment of that calm for herself.  A mother of four and a long-time entrepreneur, Hayley battled chronic insomnia that began to affect every part of her life. The thing that finally shifted it was broad-spectrum CBD and plant actives, used properly and consistently. That personal discovery became Dreem Distillery, a science-led luxury sleep brand now known for its award-winning Night Drops Sleep Oil and, this year, a new magnesium body butter, Dreem Melt.
This is a story about building a business out of a problem you genuinely couldn't solve any other way, and what happens when your professional skill and your personal life are pulling in completely opposite directions. 
Hayley's advice:
Protect your sleep as fiercely as you protect your business
Working harder works... until suddenly it doesn't
Small daily habits ("micro moments") can have a huge impact on your nervous system
Don't underestimate the power of a daily walk, movement and natural daylight to regulate your nervous system
Build a business around solving a genuine problem
Work with experts when you're entering an unfamiliar industry
Never compromise on quality – from your product to your branding and packaging
Building a business teaches resilience
Prioritising yourself allows you to perform better in every area of your life
FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.
Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on Instagram @fallowfieldmason.
MUSIC CREDIT: Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.
Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail
Support the show

Laura Butler-Madden is an award-winning interior designer with 14 years of expertise restoring and transforming period properties. Laura hasn't left her design career. She's simply added a second one.  
For anyone starting a business, this may feel like a lot given how many hats you’re already wearing, so I was keen to chat to her about why and how she decided to do this.
Keep listening to hear a practical guide on how to build a second career alongside your first.
Laura's advice:
Just because you can do something well doesn’t mean you should be doing it
Go for what makes you happy and contented
And simultaneously look for a gap in the market
When you are in control of a business, you can shed the extra processes
As long as you have the basics - like understanding spreadsheets - you can manage
You don’t need a big team - but it also means you have no support group
So you do need to be resilient to do everything yourself
Patience and resilience are vital - just keep going!
At first, there may be more lows than highs
The big plus is the freedom
Make sure you relax sometimes
And acknowledge how far you’ve come
FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2024 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 
MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link &  Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail
Support the show