July 17, 2020
126: CEO mindset - Graham Hobson, Founder - Photobox
Our guest on the show is an entrepreneur, CEO and founder of Photobox - Graham Hobson. Aside from Photobox, Graham owns the infamous Moonpig and has worked with a lot of startups and social impact companies on their growth and exit plans.
Graham shares a wealth of information on business success and life tips. We also dive into his journey on how he started and grew Photobox.
Graham Hobson
Experienced entrepreneur, board member and technologist with startup through to Private Equity experience. Supporter of social impact businesses. Advisor for business scaling and technology. Previously an angel investor.
In 2000, Graham co-founded Photobox.com - a photo printing and personalisation business - with friend and colleague Mark Chapman, and assumed the CEO position until 2006. At this point both Graham and Mark merged the company with Photoways in France and took VC funding.
Graham was then CTO for the Group through to 2014 during which period they acquired Moonpig. In 2016 the Photobox Group was acquired and ever since worked with several startups in advisory or CTO roles.
Graham, Photobox and Moonpig
Connect with Graham on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamhobson/)
@grahamhobson (https://twitter.com/grahamhobson)
Photobox website (https://www.photobox.co.uk/)
Moonpig website (https://www.moonpig.com/us/?awc=12200_1595009088_b41cdd09929bd867fbb003ae3113d411&utm_campaign=affiliate_window&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate#ectrans=1)
ABOUT THE HOST
My name is Sam Harris. I am a British entrepreneur, investor and explorer. From hitchhiking across Kazakstan to programming AI doctors I am always pushing myself in the spirit of curiosity and Growth. My background is in Biology and Psychology with a passion for improving the world and human behaviour. I have built and sold companies from an early age and love coming up with unique ways to make life more enjoyable and meaningful.
Sam:
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/samjamsnaps/)
Quora (https://www.quora.com/profile/Sam-Harris-58)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/samharristweets)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharris48/)
Sam's blog - SamWebsterHarris.com (https://samwebsterharris.com/)
Support the Show - Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/growthmindset)
Top Tips
Slow growth is better than none
Learn to be patient with your slow growth, especially that we live in a time of rapid technological advancement and in a society that so values efficiency, productivity, and immediate results that we can hardly help but say that the faster things happen, the better. Therefore, we often don’t value the precious benefits of slow growth.
We now expect that nearly everything should happen fast and with little or no inconvenience that we forget that slow, imperfect progress is better than none at all.
Slow growth can be confusing and frustrating, but, at the end, growth is always good - no matter how slow you progress.
Resiliency is key for startups
Entrepreneurship is obviously challenging. To be successful in building your business, you must be resilient.
Building a business, managing employees, expanding customer or client bases, developing products and services – these are all the types of responsibilities that can eat away at a founder’s mental and emotional fortitude.
Don’t let the threat of failure stop you; instead, be motivated to find solutions and advance toward your goal. It’s much more important for entrepreneurs to be able to tough it out. Take pleasure from things that go as planned, enjoy the new experiences and remember to celebrate achievements and progress.
Books
Try a free Audible trial of any book here (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=samharris48%E2%80%9321)
Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/B085LBRHNM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RZHENUXP4PLA&dchild=1&keywords=obviously+awesome&qid=1595004298&s=audible&sprefix=obvio%2Caudible%2C332&sr=1-1)
This book shows readers how to find your product’s “secret sauce” and then sell that sauce to those who crave it. A must-read for any founder, marketer, or salesperson struggling to make their product stand out in crowded markets.
Syncify
An app that lets you be social at a distance. Listen to your favourite podcasts and books together with friends and groups.
Chat about the audio experiences as you share and learn from other users' perspectives. Commit to taking actions by sharing your ideas.
To learn more, visit (www.syncifyapp.com)
Subscribe!
If you enjoyed the podcast please subscribe and rate it. And of course, share with your friends! Special Guest: Graham Hobson.
Experienced entrepreneur, board member and technologist with startup through to Private Equity experience. Supporter of social impact businesses. Advisor for business scaling and technology. Previously an angel investor.
In 2000, Graham co-founded Photobox.com - a photo printing and personalisation business - with friend and colleague Mark Chapman, and assumed the CEO position until 2006. At this point both Graham and Mark merged the company with Photoways in France and took VC funding.
Graham was then CTO for the Group through to 2014 during which period they acquired Moonpig. In 2016 the Photobox Group was acquired and ever since worked with several startups in advisory or CTO roles.
Graham, Photobox and Moonpig
Connect with Graham on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamhobson/)
@grahamhobson (https://twitter.com/grahamhobson)
Photobox website (https://www.photobox.co.uk/)
Moonpig website (https://www.moonpig.com/us/?awc=12200_1595009088_b41cdd09929bd867fbb003ae3113d411&utm_campaign=affiliate_window&utm_source=affiliate_window&utm_medium=affiliate#ectrans=1)
ABOUT THE HOST
My name is Sam Harris. I am a British entrepreneur, investor and explorer. From hitchhiking across Kazakstan to programming AI doctors I am always pushing myself in the spirit of curiosity and Growth. My background is in Biology and Psychology with a passion for improving the world and human behaviour. I have built and sold companies from an early age and love coming up with unique ways to make life more enjoyable and meaningful.
Sam:
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/samjamsnaps/)
Quora (https://www.quora.com/profile/Sam-Harris-58)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/samharristweets)
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharris48/)
Sam's blog - SamWebsterHarris.com (https://samwebsterharris.com/)
Support the Show - Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/growthmindset)
Top Tips
Slow growth is better than none
Learn to be patient with your slow growth, especially that we live in a time of rapid technological advancement and in a society that so values efficiency, productivity, and immediate results that we can hardly help but say that the faster things happen, the better. Therefore, we often don’t value the precious benefits of slow growth.
We now expect that nearly everything should happen fast and with little or no inconvenience that we forget that slow, imperfect progress is better than none at all.
Slow growth can be confusing and frustrating, but, at the end, growth is always good - no matter how slow you progress.
Resiliency is key for startups
Entrepreneurship is obviously challenging. To be successful in building your business, you must be resilient.
Building a business, managing employees, expanding customer or client bases, developing products and services – these are all the types of responsibilities that can eat away at a founder’s mental and emotional fortitude.
Don’t let the threat of failure stop you; instead, be motivated to find solutions and advance toward your goal. It’s much more important for entrepreneurs to be able to tough it out. Take pleasure from things that go as planned, enjoy the new experiences and remember to celebrate achievements and progress.
Books
Try a free Audible trial of any book here (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Free-Trial-Digital-Membership/dp/B00OPA2XFG?tag=samharris48%E2%80%9321)
Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/B085LBRHNM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RZHENUXP4PLA&dchild=1&keywords=obviously+awesome&qid=1595004298&s=audible&sprefix=obvio%2Caudible%2C332&sr=1-1)
This book shows readers how to find your product’s “secret sauce” and then sell that sauce to those who crave it. A must-read for any founder, marketer, or salesperson struggling to make their product stand out in crowded markets.
Syncify
An app that lets you be social at a distance. Listen to your favourite podcasts and books together with friends and groups.
Chat about the audio experiences as you share and learn from other users' perspectives. Commit to taking actions by sharing your ideas.
To learn more, visit (www.syncifyapp.com)
Subscribe!
If you enjoyed the podcast please subscribe and rate it. And of course, share with your friends! Special Guest: Graham Hobson.See reason.fm/privacy-policy for privacy and opt-out information.
See reason.fm/privacy-policy for privacy and opt-out information.
See reason.fm/privacy-policy for privacy and opt-out information.
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