10 Years of Movemeon: lessons learned building a disruptor

This year marks a decade since Nick, my co-founder, and I welcomed our first paying customer (hiring for their strategy team) to movemeon.com.

Since then, I’ve gotten married, had 3 kids and moved house 4 times. With the support of a fantastic team, we’ve grown Movemeon globally (supporting hiring in 100+ countries), started and exited another people-tech startup and benefited from the support of some amazing mentors and customers advocating for our different approach.

I’ve also made countless mistakes. So now felt like the right time to share what I’ve learned - often the hard way.

I’ve split my lessons into a rough chronological order from the early days through to today. I hope you find them helpful - whatever scale and type of organisation you work in.

Thank you for your support - of me and of Movemeon - and for taking the time to read. Very best,

- Rich (more about me here on LinkedIn)

Getting started

1. Tell your story (people buy from people)
   Our story is simple.
   
   As "candidates" we found headhunter cold calls and trawling through job boards incredibly frustrating. Our colleagues felt the same. We all "switched off" to those channels.
   
   At the same time, we were looking for career inspiration that was 100% relevant to current / former consultants. And we struggled to find the insights we needed.
   
   We spoke to 50 HR and hiring managers about their experiences hiring - almost all complained about the high cost, slow speed and unconvincing reach of traditional headhunters / recruitment agencies.
   
   So we set out on a mission to solve all those problems.
   
   That's our story. And it still resonates with many people today. But as movemeon grew, our story became hidden.
   
   The most important USP you have - as a business and as a professional - is you and your story. Tell it authentically and remember that people buy based on feelings first (pain, frustration etc). Logical reasons (e.g, how the product works) come a distant second.
   
   
2. It’s all about action
   There’s a common myth that one day the perfect idea (that nobody else has ever done before) will come along and smack you in the face. It won’t! Starting a business - or doing anything new for that matter - is about deciding to take action. The idea will evolve and become clear, only after you start doing.
   
   Don’t forget - there are loads of huge businesses that weren’t based on a new idea. Rather they copied a business that was already successful and applied it to a new industry or country. Nothing wrong with that!
   
   
3. Keep it simple
   I promise that the first version of your business / product / service that you picture in your head, won’t be simple enough. v1 of Movemeon was so complicated. We got carried away and created loads of stuff that nobody ended up using!
   
   
4. Speak to your customers
   In order to keep it simple, go chat with your target market before building anything. What’s the real pain point (rather than the one you think it is)? How much are they willing to pay? This is the best way to build a true MVP. And what’s more, you have a group of people willing to test your solution, give you feedback and (hopefully) become your first paying customers.
   
   As you grow, constantly ask your customers for feedback.

Building momentum

1. Be a giver
   We all know someone who is only ever in touch when they need something. Don’t be that person! Instead, help people out. Say yes. Surprise people with how much you care - personally and as a business. When you're scheduling that call, it will feel like time you should be spending elsewhere. But being interested and giving with no strings attached, doesn’t go unnoticed. And I've never had a conversation that I haven't learned something from.
   
2. Ask for help
   “Don’t ask, don’t get.” It’s rare that people will volunteer to help you out of the blue. But it’s equally rare that people won’t help you, if you ask them to (especially if you’ve taken time to build that relationship authentically - see “be a giver”). This applies to everything from asking for advice (from friends / colleagues / mentors) to asking for referrals (from happy customers). Ask mindfully. Ask at the right time. But do ask.
   
3. Focus, focus, focus
   It’s so easy to try and add more bells and whistles to your product / service, before you’ve truly mastered the very first thing you set out to do. Less is more. Do things in sequence. 1 KPI is better than 5 (and if you don't measure it, it won't happen).
   
   Being focused is hard. Taking away takes a lot more discipline and time than adding. As Mark Twain famously put it “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
   
   
4. Be mindful about fundraising
   Don’t be distracted by media hype about how much X company / founder has raised. There’s a graveyard of startups who shouted about their fundraising and never made any money. Don’t get me wrong, there are many benefits of raising money for equity. But there are also many benefits in bootstrapping and considering debt funding too. Consider all your options and do what’s best for you and your business. Just be mindful and clear about the “why”.

Staying the course

1. Customers don’t retain themselves
   This sounds so obvious. But it’s easy to forget! Particularly in B2B businesses, there are many innocent reasons why you might lose a customer, despite having done a great job (the most common being that your contact leaves without telling you or making an introduction to a colleague). Nailing the actions and commercial models - like Movemeon's annual fixed-fee partnerships for unlimited hiring - that lead to retention, means you spend more time next year growing new business rather than replacing business you already had.
   
2. Keep stepping back
   When you start your business / business unit or launch your new product line, your vision will be so clear. But as you grow, the nitty gritty will become overwhelming. It’s so easy to get consumed in the day-to-day and forget to step back. My top tip is to do this every 6 months and go somewhere else for it (i.e, not the office, not your home). 
   
3. Find your resilience
   Life is full of ups and downs. Starting, growing and running a business is no different. Building a career in any environment is a constant challenge. I’m grateful for having a co-Founder, supportive team and great friends and family. I also highly recommend finding and spending time with a group of peers (tech Founders for me) who are going through similar experiences and can help you out / buy you a drink / listen to you whinge.
   
4. Don’t let life pass you by
   Yes, some businesses get born, grown and sold almost overnight. Some people are so successful in their careers, that they retire at 40. But these businesses and people are extremely rare. For most of us, it’s going to be a multi-decade marathon. So I’ve learned to truly enjoy the journey and not let business take over my life. Whenever I’ve let time with my family, friends or interests slip away, I’ve simply become less effective at work. 

I hope you've enjoyed reading this article. Thank you for taking the time and also for your support over the last 10 years.

I share my thoughts more regularly on LinkedIn where 35,000 people now follow me (I am a little baffled by that, I must admit). If you'd like to join in, here's a link to my profile where you can click follow.

Keep in touch,

Rich