Since its inception in 2012, LOVESPACE has received a string of accolades including Crowdfunded Business of the Year and High Growth Team of the Year. In 2016 it was valued at £16 million. We caught up with Steve Folwell, Managing Director and Co-Founder to discuss career advice and talent attraction.
How do you nurture a diverse and inclusive team at LOVESPACE?
The world is a diverse place, and London is as diverse a city as there is. So, as long as you are advertising for roles broadly and you don’t introduce bias into your application process, chances are that you will end up attracting a diverse team. Nurturing diversity is then about respecting everyone as an individual and harnessing the different backgrounds, experiences and outlooks of the characters in your team.
What do you think is the most important attribute in an employee?
Strength of character. And not thinking of themselves as an employee.
What do you think is the most important attribute in a manager?
Strength of character. And not thinking of themselves as a manager.
What’s your biggest challenge in attracting talent?
Finding talent outside central London. We have two office locations, one in Finsbury Square, and the other in Dunstable. It’s been difficult to find enough candidates local to Dunstable which is a surprise given the reduced living and commute costs.
What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked at an interview?
The weirdest experience I had when interviewing someone was when the candidate kept telling me to “shut up” and “stop interrupting” so that she could tell her life story. She didn’t get the gig.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever gotten?
If you’re going to do a job, do it properly.
How have you been affected by Brexit?
We haven’t. And there’s little point worrying about it.
As a startup we have to focus on what we can control. Winning the next customer, delivering a great service, recruiting the best people.
For the startup sector as a whole, there are clearly challenges (attracting overseas talent, export tariffs, exchange rate, etc.) but that’s not something any individual startup should be focused on.
What are you most looking forward to about EXPAND London?
Meeting a bunch of enthusiastic entrepreneurs who will have a fresh perspective on our business and hopefully finding some people who want to join our team.
Got what it takes to be part of the LOVESPACE team? Join them at EXPAND London.
or
Check out their live roles here.
