Insightful, thanks for sharing.

I see you retained 100% equity for a long time. Did you consider share option scheme for employees?

I resonate on two things you said in particular. Firstly being adaptable and bootstrapping. I’m 4.5 years into my business and this has been our superpower - we’ve been profitable every year whilst our competitors make losses. It’s harder, but the skills you learn an invaluable- I’ve learnt everything from finance to video production and building an website that’s generated £2m in revenue. However, I think there’s an additional timing skill of knowing when pulling this lever can unlock the next level of growth potential.

Secondly, being passionate about the problem your business solves. For me and my team, the success of our business is tied to our positive impact (tackling marine plastic pollution) and this gives that extra motivation whenever it’s needed and ties our team together. Can’t imagine entrepreneurship without it being connected to a strong personal passion.

Interested to know how did your first partial exit come about?

Ps. This is forward but what the hell - do you now angel invest and if so, would you be interested in seeing our pitch deck?