Bethan Thomas, building an award-winning tea brand

👇 Get connected with Bethan & her business

• Follow her on LinkedIn

• Check out HotTea Mama

Source: HotTea Mama website

💡 ‘A-ha’ moments from the podcast

1. Co-founder relationships require compromises and a deep understanding of each other’s talents AND intentions

   “We have quite an unusual experience…Kate had the original idea - she’s super creative and I am more process driven…but three months before we launched, she went back to Australia and I had to do a lot more because she is not around….[7 years later] we’re now at a good equilibrium - she’s managing Australia and she’s a pivotal part of the Advisory Board,….”

2. Personal experience can be great motivator to build a business, but when developing a product, learning from others who are facing the same problem is key. Often you’ll learn loads of new things that you’ve not experienced yourself

   “Our product development was very much driven by the customer…we just a lot of people request information about our products and even in the public space, we heard a lot of articles about women health…and that really triggered us to realise that we need to learn about these things that we had not experienced ourselves”

3. There are always things that you can outsource to others, especially areas that are complex e.g. finances

   “The whole piece of annual planning, ROI, and others has been a great challenge. And at some point, you need to take the learning that you need someone that manages it really well. We have a company now that does it for us”

4. Hire for potential to grow and learn, not merely based on someone’s CV. The best thing is to employ someone you know and have seen doing great work over and over again!

   “Liz (First employee) I met at a baby singing group…she built a website having never built a website before, and she always worked in London but with kids the commute was too much. She took a career break, but took on every kind of role to learn new skills…so I asked her if she would be interested to join”

5. Consistency is key for social media growth, especially if you are growing organically from scratch

   “My mantra was just post on Instagram once a day…normally at 5.30am in the morning, which fit very well with our customer base. I then found other businesses in that space, and contacted lots of mums through Instagram to send them some teas to try out…it just takes time, and not giving up is just an integral part of it”

💬 Bethan’s advice to women who want to build businesses on their own terms

“GO FOR IT…I wouldn’t have done it if not for Kate…if you want to do it, having faith that you should at least try is key to me…I work full time on the business, but I do take time off for my kids…I would never be able to do that even in the most supportive large corporation, so having the nerve to just start is key.”