We were very excited this week to have the opportunity to hear our founder & CEO, Avin Rabheru, deliver a keynote speech at the Business Show 2018.

Avin’s talk, entitled ‘Startup to Market Leader in a £4bn Market’, provided listeners with a crash-course in innovation and disruption, while touching on the Housekeep culture that’s allowed us to grow to where we are. We heard about how fragmented marketplaces allow for quick growth, and the nature of niche problem-solving. 

Avin’s experience and knowledge of venture capital and business strategy was apparent throughout, although the advice delivered was often clear and simple; for example, the importance of a deep and thorough understanding of your marketplace should not be underestimated, a fact Avin learnt while shadowing cleaners on-the-job during Housekeep’s early days. 

Early in his talk, Avin joked that he was working ‘the graveyard shift’, closing out proceedings at the Excel centre on the second day of the show. In actuality, the late timing of the talk meant that an impromptu Q&A could blossom afterwards. An engaged audience quizzed Avin on various topics: the threat to a newly founded start-up posed by established service-providers, the cleaner recruitment process at Housekeep, as well as the age-old profit vs growth conundrum that keeps many awake at night. Other questions about the importance of capital and investment also led to an interesting discussion on speed of growth and the expectations a small startup should have.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed this outing, and it was great to see so many eager listeners engage with the discussion. We were also very happy for the chance to chat with a couple of keen listeners in person afterwards and impart some of the valuable lessons we’ve learnt on our journey so far!

Till next time….

The Housekeep Team