How we’re starting Branch: Move slow and fix things

This year I started Branch alongside my second pregnancy. As I stand here on the edge of the next chapter, I am reflecting on the last nine months: building a business and a baby in parallel. 🌿 🤰

This pregnancy has taught me to start a business in a new way. Rather than “move fast and break things” we are embracing the alternative: “move slow and fix things”. Instead of chasing disruption and scale, we’re focused on thinking carefully, collaborating rather than competing, and fixing some of society’s biggest challenges.

Why are we building Branch this way?

1️⃣ It’s all I have the capacity to do whilst balancing a full time job to pay the bills, caring for a toddler, and the physical endurance of growing a baby.

2️⃣ Building Branch requires careful thinking. We are working with women at a point in their career where they are uniquely challenged and emotionally stretched. We need to take time as we build this community and service, we can’t afford to rush and break stuff. We need to go slow and make it right.

3️⃣ Going slow has inspired me in new ways. In my day job at Techstars I have been immensely lucky to be surrounded by remarkable entrepreneurs and in particular the pregnant founders and new parents I have worked with. It’s a tough environment to parent in and it requires an additional layer of resilience and creativity to make it work. Being a pregnant parent has given me an insight to what the founders need and how Techstars can best support them. In return I have been inspired and motivated watching them build their visions. (Thank you Michelle A. Martin, James Cochrane-Dyet, Areeb Siddiqui, Nora Stern, PhD, Samuel Stern, PhD)

With less capacity to do it all, I have built a small inspiring team around me (the brilliant John Ridpath, Anouk van den Eijnde & Florence Okin). The experience, different perspectives and skills of our mini Branch team has helped us shape something I know is providing value.

I am excited (and a little daunted) by what this next chapter will bring. I know it won’t be easy to build a business with a new baby! But I am curious how this “return to work” will play out. It will no doubt give me deeper insight and fresher memories of the experiences of the women who join Branch. I feel confident if we stick to the mantra – move slow and fix things – we will continue to build something valuable, needed and compassionate.

If you (or someone you know) is returning to work, please share www.joinbranch.co

We are supporting women through this transition and we’d love to you join us.

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