Bootstrap Your Life

Without question, one of the most important factors in the success of any business is your ability to hire the right people.
With this being such an important topic, I wanted to cover it in depth and have made this a 3-part episode, with the first episode being the start of covering the hiring process.
This is a must-listen for anyone who is thinking of hiring, or has hired and wants to learn more about the ins and outs of scaling a business through people.
If you’re interested in submitting a question for me to answer in a future episode, please fill out the form at OliverCookson.com or tweet me @OliverCookson.

Reach me on my other social channels here:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivercookson/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/olivercookson
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mrolivercookson/

Timestamps:

0:00 - 5:29 - Intro

5:30 - 8:27 - The importance of hiring

8:27 - 9:30 - Why you would hire and understanding yourself

9:31 - 15:07 - The first hires at Myprotein

Self-reflection is something that has come to me later in my journey. I was always head down in the business and it's by stepping away and taking the time that I’m able to reflect properly, and it’s led to some interesting thoughts and been key in helping me take my next steps.
I wanted to share those thoughts and how self-reflection can play a crucial role in your entrepreneurial journey.
If you’re interested in submitting a question for me to answer in a future episode, please fill out the form at OliverCookson.com or tweet me @OliverCookson.

Timestamps:

1:45 - 3:25 - Why I’ve started to self-reflect at this part of my journey

3:25 - 5:05 - How I feel self-reflection can improve entrepreneurs

5:05 - 6:00 - How has self-reflection helped me in writing my book and creating my podcast

6:00 - 8:10 - What are my regrets in my career?

This episode is very much the beginning of my journey, and a personal insight into why I wanted to start this podcast. When I first launched Myprotein, I had so many questions and although it eventually proved a huge success, I made plenty of mistakes along the way. I want to share those mistakes and my learnings with you. Whether you are an established CEO or a budding entrepreneur, building a business is an ongoing learning curve and I hope this podcast helps you along your journey.
If you’re interested in submitting a question for me to answer in a future episode, please fill out the form at OliverCookson.com or tweet me @OliverCookson.

Timestamps:

0:48 - 1:35 - My background

1:35 - 4:11 - What the podcast is about

4:11 - 7:54 - Why am I doing this podcast?

7:54 - 9:17 - How I’m going to be adding value to you, the listener

9:17 - 10:11 - The importance of ancestry and legacy

Last week I spoke about mental health in business, and the question deserved an in-depth answer, so I decided to make it a two-part episode.
Hopefully sharing these thoughts and my story will help somebody in some way, that’s the reason for doing this. I also made an important announcement on the podcast.
Without further ado, here is that second part.
If you’re interested in submitting a question for me to answer in a future episode, please fill out the form at OliverCookson.com or tweet me @OliverCookson.

Timestamps:

2:22 - 3:08 - An important announcement on the podcast

5:28 - 15:45 - Mental health in entrepreneurship part two

If you’re bootstrapping a business or starting with a small budget, you need to be smart with how you get your first customers, and the ways that you approach it can make or break your early years. I wanted to share how I approached acquiring our first customers for Myprotein® when we didn’t have a lot of money to spend and the tactics that I used in those early days that were pioneering at the time.
This is a big topic that I have a lot to say on, and this topic will be a two-part episode, so look out for the second part on the 15th of July.
If you’re interested in submitting a question for me to answer in a future episode, please fill out the form at OliverCookson.com or tweet me @OliverCookson.

Timestamps:

4:44 - 9:50 - How I got our first customers at Myprotein

9:50 - 11:23 - Why you should test paid search

11:23 - 18:12 - My best customer acquisition tactic