Oliver’s Advice

Oliver Emberton is the founder of Silktide. Here is his advice for would-be entrepreneurs:

11 years ago I was an impoverished student about to graduate with £14 k in debt. I did what any sensible person would do in this situation, and started my own business.

I co-founded with someone who proved to be less than ideal when he punched me in the face during our second board meeting. He owned 49% of my company. Our first annual profit – £200 – was barely enough to buy one iPod touch.

A decade later I’m almost embarrassingly happy and successful, but the road there was long and winding. Here’s some of what I learned:

On you as a founder

• Firstly, do it.
  Every single person – from my family to my closest friends – ultimately doubted that this was a good idea. (Many started being supportive, and changed their minds when times got harder). If you feel compelled to do it, don’t let anyone stop you, and don’t expect anyone to support you either. Read more of this post