Hiring, Equity & Happiness: The Founder Conversation No One Has

Episode guide

About this episode

In this episode of Built Not Born In Business, Chris and Helen Butler reflect on the lessons that stayed with them after their conversation with Andrew Hulbert, founder of Pareto FM. Rather than simply revisiting Andrew's story, they focus on four ideas that have prompted them to question how they approach their own businesses: the power of long form video, hiring people rather than CVs, sharing success with the team and remembering what all the hard work is ultimately for.

The first lesson is about long form video and why Chris believes businesses are still underestimating its value. A podcast or other long form conversation can create far more than one piece of content. From a single recording, a business can produce the full video and audio episode, short social clips, photographs, blog posts, carousels and downloadable resources. Chris and Helen explain how they are using this approach themselves with Built Not Born In Business, turning each guest conversation into enough material to support their marketing for around two weeks. For businesses that constantly struggle to find time to create content, their argument is that the answer may not be to create more individual pieces, but to create one substantial piece and use it intelligently.

Andrew's approach to recruitment also made a significant impression on them. Rather than placing too much emphasis on a polished CV or a rehearsed interview, he talked about getting to know the human being behind the application. Chris and Helen discuss the difference between a conventional interview, where candidates naturally arrive prepared with their best answers, and spending time with somebody in a more relaxed environment where their personality and values have a better chance to emerge. They also reflect on their own recruitment process and why practical tasks, honest conversations about strengths and weaknesses and cultural fit can tell an employer things a CV simply cannot.

That leads into another idea from Andrew's experience at Pareto FM: giving key people a meaningful share in the success they help create. Chris and Helen discuss Andrew's use of a sweet equity pot for members of his senior team and why the principle resonates with them. They are careful not to present this as financial advice or suggest one structure is right for every company. Instead, they explore the broader question of whether people who make a fundamental contribution to building the value of a business should have an opportunity to benefit beyond their salary when that value is eventually realised. For Chris and Helen, it is an idea they want to investigate more seriously with professional advice.

The final lesson becomes much more personal. Andrew had previously described a conversation in which he was asked to picture his "island": what life would actually look like after years of swimming towards a business exit. Chris and Helen use that metaphor to explore something founders can easily overlook. It is possible to become so focused on the next turnover target, customer, milestone or eventual sale that you never stop to decide what you actually want all of that effort to create.

That discussion leads them into happiness, gratitude and the danger of constantly telling yourself that you will be happy when the next thing happens. Helen reflects on how easy it is to reach one goal and immediately replace it with another without properly recognising what has already been achieved. They talk about family, health, relationships and the things people can take for granted while concentrating on building more. Andrew's reflections on wishing he had spent more time with family particularly reinforce the idea that financial success does not automatically answer the bigger questions about what makes a life successful.

The practical challenge Chris and Helen leave listeners with is therefore bigger than another business tactic. Use long form content more intelligently. Look again at whether your recruitment process reveals the real person. Consider how the people creating significant value in your company might share in its success. But also stop occasionally and ask what your own island looks like. Building a successful business matters, but so does understanding what you want that business to make possible.