He believes that the future belongs to companies and organisations with a sense of purpose, a strong culture, engaged and happy employees and loyal customers. And that if you can get all these things right you can change the world in your own little way. Meet Laurence McCahill, the man who’s inspiring a new breed of entrepreneur…
1. How are you doing what you love?
We’re all trying to find the right balance between what we love, what we’re good at and what we can earn a living from. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% there (is anyone?), but I feel pretty lucky to wake up every morning working on something I believe in and where I can make a real difference with a great team of people that feel the same. I’m driven by a desire to make people’s lives better – whether that be through designing a meaningful experience or helping entrepreneurs to realise their vision. I get a buzz from making other people happy, and if I can improve someone’s life in some small way then I’m happy to
2. What’s your background?
After a childhood spent moving around London pubs (my parents were publicans!) I studied Economics at University, then went travelling for 18 months. Following this (and in need of cash) I spent a year working in the City. It was horrendous. The company I was with had a poisonous culture; no-one would say hello in the morning and you’d get nasty looks if you left for home before 7pm. I never worked in a full-time job again!
Although a future in the money markets wasn’t for me I realised I had a passion for creativity and design. I taught myself HTML and for five years worked as a freelance web designer for numerous companies and agencies across London. I blagged my way into design roles even with no experience and luckily didn’t get found out! I experienced all sorts of working environments and cultures and I learnt a great deal.
After hooking up with an old school friend, Carlos, we decided we’d both had enough of London agency life and all the nonsense around it, and set up Spook Studio with a vision to create a company that put people and product before profits – at the time a new notion for the agency world! We wanted to cut out the middle men, and get to work with key decision makers to build the best solutions we could. Our motto was ‘no suits or minions!’. We wanted a flat, democratic structure that brought the best from the people we worked with. This ethos continues to this day and this year Spook was one of only 41 companies worldwide to appear on the prestigious WorldBlu list of the world’s most democratic companies. We’re not big on awards, but it was a great seal of approval for the way we do business. We believe freedom at work is key to creativity and innovation, so are proud to be part of WorldBlu’s mission.
Laurence (R) and Carlos (L) set up Spook Studio in 2004
3. What inspired you to set up The Happy Startup School and why are you so passionate about it?
It was a few things. We’d been frustrated with the startup world and how everything was revolving around building the next billion dollar company, when most would crash and burn before they get close. We’d seen a great deal of unhappiness in the workplace, with a large proportion of people feeling unfilled in the work they do. As a result, many companies had poor cultures and, not surprisingly, delivered poor customer experience. Also, the business world itself was getting a bad wrap with TV shows like the Apprentice and Dragon’s Den painting it as as the enemy, with poor role models where only the ruthless survive. We hoped to address these issues by inspiring and supporting people who want to do business differently. Ultimately we aim to create a new breed of entrepreneur who wants to make a positive dent in the world, and not just focus on making money.
The Happy Startup School helps people do business differently
4. What’s the ethos behind the company?
Our purpose is to help people and companies flourish, to be the best they can be. And this doesn’t mean blindly following a passion or conversely just chasing the money. We’re helping people and organisations to find the balance between having a higher purpose that drives them and generating profits that give them fuel for their mission. It’s a healthy tension but studies show that purpose-driven businesses tend to be more successful in the long run.
5. What services, products and experiences does The Happy Startup School offer to help budding entrepreneurs take their idea from lightbulb to launch?
Right now we put on transformational workshops and events that bring people together, and inspire and empower those attending. We also run sessions and mentor at startup programs in the UK and overseas. We’re currently working on our first mobile app to help people cultivate their ideas whilst on the move, plus an online learning platform that will allow us to help people around the globe create their own happy startup. We’ve also got plans to develop our HQ in Brighton into a startup lab where we’ll experiment on new ideas both online and offline. Watch this space!
Inspiring talks for budding entrepreneurs
We also give away as much as we can: we’ve got a free e-book and startup toolkit to help anyone develop their idea further; we have a popular blog where we share startup stories and practical tips; we put on free workshops for University students; and we now host Open Studios at our new Brighton hub. Later this year we’ll also be taking part in Meaning Conference.
6. Can you tell us about the summercamp you’re running in September; where is it, what can people expect, why should they come along and how can you get a ticket?
Well we’re bringing together an outstanding lineup of thinkers, do-ers and makers to inspire and help you to live a better life, get more from your work or business and make the most of your time on this planet. Life is short and we’re interested (some would say obsessed!) in seeing how we can live happy and balanced lives, whilst being successful. Of course that’s easier said than done, and this weekend is all about figuring out how to do it!
It’ll take place on the 19-21 September when 75 like-minded souls will gather in Sussex (1 hr from London), embrace the great outdoors, camp under the stars (or ‘glamp’ in one of the luxury bell tents!) and enjoy three days of learning, inspiration and fun. We’re working around the clock to make sure this is an experience you won’t forget in a hurry.
Camp or glamp… this year’s stunning summer camp location is set in 300 acres of unspoilt Sussex countryside
While the web is a very powerful medium nothing can replace real life experiences, particularly when learning is a key element. We’ll be waking up in nature, enjoying delicious local food and hearing from leading minds on innovative ways of doing business, personal growth and productivity. There’ll be activities such as yoga, meditation, bushcrafting and bread making (and we’ve got a few extra surprises up our sleeves too!) as well as talks, woodland workshops, drop in clinics, early morning walks, local craft ales, DJs, movie screenings, an exclusive Sunday Assembly, and much more. Our host for the weekend will be the amazing Sanderson Jones, stand-up comedian (who sold out The Sydney Opera House, by hand!), former World Record holder of the world’s longest hug (an impressive 24 hours, 33 minutes) and co-founder of The Sunday Assembly (a godless congregation that celebrates life).
Dining under the stars
We’ll also be welcoming speakers from all over the world, including Mark Rowland from Zappos’ culture training spin-off, Delivering Happiness, Laila Pawlak from the Dare2 Mansion in Denmark who’ll show us how to make work more like a professional playground, Kees Klomp who’ll be talking about buddhism in business, imagination entrepreneur and investor Tai Lopez, Miranda Ash from the democratic pioneers WorldBlu, Andy Budd from one of the UK’s best design agencies Clearleft, and loads more. For the full line-up, speaker profiles and ticket info visit www.happystartupsummer.camp. It’s gonna be EPIC!
Happy campers! Last year’s event at Hyde Park, London
7. Passion, purpose, people, profit… which comes first?
All great businesses should start with passion – whether that is for the problem you’re solving, the product or service you’re making or the people you’re making it for. Your purpose should your guiding light, your compass and this should attract people that want to be part of your mission. Get the right team in place with a clear direction and a great product/service, then generating a sustainable revenue stream should become a whole lot easier.
8. What are the three most common mistakes new businesses make and what can any startup learn from these?
I recently wrote a piece called 10 ways you’ll probably f**k up your startup so I’ll pick three from that. 1) Obsession with technology over people, 2) Chasing investors not customers, and 3) Design as an afterthought.
9. Is success the result of happiness? Or happiness the result of success?
Happiness isn’t a fleeting emotion, it’s an optimal state of being. It comes from having a balance in our lives – a meaningful working life, strong relationships, nurturing ourselves and trying new things. The notion that success will lead to happiness is a flawed one. That said, it’s not as clear cut as saying happiness leads to success. For a start, everyone has a different definition of success. For this reason, we encourage the entrepreneurs we work with to consider what success is for them before they start out on their journey. Often on reflection it’s not about the big pay check or million pound exit, it’s about having more time, autonomy or the chance to make a difference to people’s lives. These are the things that really matter but often people don’t realise it until it’s too late.
10. What’s the ultimate dream for you? And for The Happy Startup School?
Our BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) is to help 1 million people follow their dreams and build their own happy startup by 2020.
A little snapshot…
Three words to describe yourself: Curious, open minded, positive.
Happiest place: St Ives, Cornwall
Favourite way to relax: Hanging with family and friends
Best three things about living in Brighton: The sea & downs, easy going people, the fact it’s got it’s flaws
Book you’d recommend to help people understand what makes your tick: Happy Money
Most interesting event/experience you enjoyed in last month: Taking our team to run with the bulls at San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain. Insane experience.
Describe yourself as a colour: This is getting silly! It would have to be blue because I’m a Chelsea fan.
Most poignant ‘ah-ha’ moment: When they released Take On Me. Sorry. Serious answer – when we came up with the Happy Startup School as an idea.
Quote you live by: “Life’s not a rehearsal.”
