Keep your vision clear as you grow

Behind every startup there is a story.

For Hanx, Farah and her co-founder Sarah looked into their own experiences to create their own marketing campaigns. The two best friends, turned founders, were a part of their own target market, wanting vegan condoms that were more sustainably sourced without harsh, unnecessary chemicals.

They took their personal frustrations and turned it into action, creating a solution for themselves alongside many others.

“We were the target market so felt we could translate it,” Farah explained,  “Being real and relatable are the principles we’ve used. We didn’t come from marketing backgrounds, we just kept coming back to the vision and trying to translate across.”

Obviously, they spoke to others who shared the same values and their community grew with their consumer-led style.

Knowing your audience is crucial as founders so you know what problem you are ultimately trying to solve with your business, and how best to approach it.

If you aren’t your own target market, do your research and get feedback to find out how you can promote your message to the ones you want to listen.

Finding your co-founder connection 

Team work makes the dream work and sometimes having the right co-founder is the key to success.

Having a partner can help you tackle dilemmas with a new perspective that you may not have considered on your own. A founding team can have the ability to  be incredibly honest when you need it and work well together through complementary skill sets.

But one thing that Farah highlighted most was trust.

With a co-founder you always have someone to turn to, bounce ideas off and know that they will have your back. 

Farah and her co-founder Sarah went to school together, university and kept a strong friendship that turned out to be the foundation of their future.

Being a solo founder can be a lonely journey, so consider if there is anyone you could share your startup adventure with who has the same goals as you.

Every challenge you face makes you stronger

Starting up can be intimidating, especially when it comes to funding.

Farah admitted that she thought it would be “a doddle”  to raise investment after having a finance background.

She quickly found out that it’s a bit more challenging once you start, but it doesn't mean you should give up. And look at Hanx now!

One tip Farah mentioned was to make sure you grow connections with people along the way, ask for support and look to others for advice. It may sound scary, but more times than not, talking to new people can help you in the long run.

Ask for help and tune into the experiences of others to find resources that work for you. You never know who or what can help you move forward personally and professionally.

These events are only made possible thanks to the support from Virgin Money.

Thank you to our friends at Dream Factory for the venue, Farah for her insights and our host Natalie for facilitating such a brilliant talk. Watch our behind the scenes set up here.