The Power of Purpose-Driven Entrepreneurship Louise Doyle, founder and CEO of Needi on building a business that resonates with people

In launching Needi, a marketplace that specialises in providing gifts for employees and clients in Manchester, Louise Doyle identified a gap in the gifting market. With a focus on authentic connections and resilience, Doyle offers valuable insights on navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship and creating a venture that truly makes a difference.

What inspired you to start your business?

My co-founder Steph Scholes and I were working together at a Global Social Enterprise which had over 40 staff globally. Because it was a social enterprise the staff weren't paid loads of money so we had to find those unique and creative ways to keep them motivated. One of the ways that we did that was by finding unique little gifts on sites such as Etsy, Amazon and Not on the High Street and sending them to the staff to show that they were really appreciated and cared for. However, it was really tricky because you'd never get them there on time, especially with a gift message or wrapped.

It was also really hard to support local businesses to do it too. It was much easier using Amazon and we didn't like that. We ordered gifts for our clients as well and we just had the best staff retention. We increased our staff and client retention by huge amounts and that's where the idea for needi came from. We realised it was having a great effect on our own staff and we could do it for other people as well. On the gifting side of things too, when I was pregnant, my favourite maternity gifts weren't the baby grows or the flowers I was given - it was actually a cleaner that my friend got me for six hours who tidied away the flowers and made me feel human again. It was another part of our vision. We've got a real passion for giving people gifts that they want and need instead of just stuff they will throw away.

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What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

One of our biggest challenges as a marketplace was the whole chicken and egg question. Where do you start? Do you start by getting your merchants on board and selling their products or do you start getting your clients on board so they can buy the products? We quickly realised that the answer was both. That meant loads and loads of juggling so we had to get a few lovely products that we knew we really wanted to come onto our marketplace, even though we had no clients. We managed to do that by being really honest with them and being really transparent. We were honest that they may not get loads of sales initially, but showed them our future plans to get those huge sales for them.

It came down to some really honest old-fashioned relationship building with amazing merchants and then equally the same with the clients. Even though we didn't have much on the website, we were happy to provide them with whatever service or gifts they needed. I think Steph and I very quickly became really good at multitasking. The two of us were able to explain our vision and dream for needi to people very quickly in a way that excited them enough that they wanted to give us a chance. Building trust with people and following through on what we're doing so that they could very quickly trust us and know that we were committed was also essential. We would exceed their expectations and do it brilliantly so everybody went away feeling fantastic about it so that's how we overcame that challenge.

How did you secure your initial funding?

We knew from the start that we wanted to build a fast-paced, growing, large-scale company and that we'd have to fund it as we didn't have the money to run to ourselves. We knew that we would have to fundraise for this. Fundraising when you don't know anybody who is an investor or aren't really in that kind of area is really tricky so we began by just updating people and doing some networking and updating people on how we were getting on with the company. We just started selling and showing that we were market-fit by selling some amazing gifts, onboarding excellent merchants and selling on their products to people and then companies.

Gradually with some more networking, we got introduced to more investors and we put a pitch together. We constantly updated everybody who could potentially invest in us with what we were doing, we kept a pitch deck and all of our figures and updates really clear for them. We kept sharing our story and we became better and better at explaining what we were doing instead of just doing it. It really came down to building loads of really strong relationships, proving trust and showing people just how dedicated and hard-working Steph and I were so they fully understood that for Steph and I, failure definitely wasn't an option until finally it was the right time and they invested.

We also used our network of business contacts that we have made through The Founder Institute and setting up the business. We sent them out a lovely pitch deck with a video where I explained what we were doing and all about needi. Importantly, because we were looking for angel investment initially we had to explain that we were SEIS eligible and we explained to investors what that would do for them and that really helped. Our subsequent funding came through a mixture of VCs and angel investors.

How do you handle failure or setbacks?

This is something Steph and I are very good at and have a lot of experience in as we both come from a sales background which means we are fully used to rejection. We've both been in positions when people hang up the phone and we know you can't let that get to you. The other thing is we both have the mentality that failure is not an option so we can keep going and we are naturally both very positive people so when things go wrong we remain resilient. As founders, Steph and I love working together and we both pull each other off the ground when we get knocked down. You can go through some tough things individually and as a company and I think it's important to have that person you can call and vent to or ask for advice for a situation or just when you need a cheerleader when you're feeling worried or scared.

The other thing is just to really keep your eye on that horizon. Knowing that you will get there and as long as you make sure that you are kind and good to people along the way, then you're doing your job properly and you can feel good about that.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

If you can very quickly explain your story and what you're doing to people, it is going to make you so much better at explaining that to your customers, your clients and your potential investors. Some people might have the best business idea and the best business plan but if you can't communicate that to people properly it's very unlikely to get off the ground.

So don't be worried about sharing your idea or about somebody stealing it. If you are the right person to build this business it's because you can tell your story and communicate it properly so start practising how you're going to tell that story over and over. If you get bored of that very quickly or if you don't like telling people, perhaps consider that you might not be passionate enough to actually run your business. You have to love what you're doing and be so passionate about it that you're happy to talk to everybody about it

How do you stay motivated during tough times?

Steph and I as business partners are each other's biggest cheerleaders and biggest motivators. We have surrounded ourselves deliberately with each other and with people that support, motivate and really help us and celebrate our wins. Secondly, we tell each other and we tell people about our wins. When something little happens we email out, we let people know and we'll post on LinkedIn. It's an opportunity to celebrate all the little wins, not just the big wins and that really helps you stay motivated.

The final thing is that we both have young families and we both have really high aspirations for them. We both want to be the breadwinners, we both want to give our kids great opportunities and I think seeing needi grow in the way that it has makes me so proud. I've got two daughters and a son, I want them to grow up watching their mum build an amazing business that does good for loads of people and small businesses. I think that really motivates us. The idea that we're building something amazing that genuinely improves people's lives, supports local businesses and helps people feel happier through meaningful connections really is enough to motivate us.

Share your tips for achieving success

Number one, hone your communication skills. No matter what your background is, learn how to communicate what you do in an inspiring and passionate way. People will really enjoy listening to that and will hopefully support you if you're able to do that.

Secondly, make sure you've got people around you who will pick you up when you fall down. Make sure you've got a great group of people whether they're colleagues or friends and family because it's going to be difficult. It could possibly be one of the most difficult things you've ever done and you need to make sure that you have the support network and the stamina, energy and patience to keep going. If you've got people who will just ask why you don't just give up or tell you it's too hard - that's not who you need during tough times. You need to be surrounded by people who motivate and support you and give you what you need.

Finally, you have to genuinely enjoy and believe in what you're doing and creating. If you don't - it's too much of a slog. So make sure something that you're genuinely passionate about.

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