What do you currently do?
I’m co-founder of expert healthcare platform, Medstars.co.uk. It’s a website that guides patients to connect directly with and book hand-checked, regulated independent health practitioners in minutes. We’re not a faceless database of clinics, but a group of senior consultants looking to put the heart back in the patient-doctor relationship by being open and transparent – when you look to book an appointment with Medstars, you’ll know costs and availability straight away, and will be able to talk to your doctor pre-consultation to go through any concerns.
What is your inspiration in business?
Simply put, it’s the opportunity to be creative and to have more freedom in my work. My calling will always be first and foremost my patients, but to have a more honest relationship with them is something I and all the other practitioners registered with the service are extremely passionate about.
Who do you admire?
Martha-Lane Fox. She’s an amazing woman who has succeeded with grace and her strength of character, along with her ability to communicate a vision of personal empowerment through access to the internet, is inspirational. I hope one day I’ll be lucky enough to meet her!
Looking back, would you have done things differently?
I think our timing was great – there’s a lot of support out there for budding entrepreneurs, so the landscape is ripe for startups. But I think at the beginning, we were so overwhelmed and flattered by various offers of help that we got distracted. In many ways, we didn’t need the help, so we’ve had to learn how to say no thank you! It’s really important when you start out to stick to your core objectives, and certainly accept help when it aligns itself to those goals, but not for the sake of it.
What defines your way of doing business?
Fairness and equality – everyone in the equation has to benefit. Each person in your team should be treated with respect, and given the space and opportunity to perform. Medstars is built on two core values – honesty and transparency – and we’re careful to always practice what we preach.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
In all honesty, I feel like I’ve only just started on my own entrepreneurial journey! But what I can say is that you will be learning new things every day – it never stops so revel in it. Celebrate your strengths, but accept your weaknesses too, and build your team to play to everyone’s passions and talents. Combined, you’ll only go onwards and upwards.