Building things from nothing — twice.
I’ve co-founded two organisations from scratch, both of which grew into something real. Both were volunteer-run, operated without external funding, and required figuring out how to build momentum and structure out of pure enthusiasm.
Started with four people and an idea: give university students access to guided meditation. Two years later: 130 members, a volunteer team of 20, a published teacher programme, and a self-sustaining organisation that still runs today. Built with no budget and no external support.
A media project producing facilitated dialogue videos between people on opposite sides of polarised debates. Grew from 2 people to 25 contributors across 11 countries. Entirely remote, entirely volunteer, and entirely driven by the belief that dialogue is more interesting than debate.
The most useful thing I learned is that the early days are mostly about momentum. You need enough energy in the room to make the next thing happen, and enough clarity about what you’re trying to do that people want to be part of it.
The hardest part is not the idea — it’s the week after the excitement wears off and you still have to show up. The organisations that survive that are the ones where the founding team cares about the mission more than the idea of starting something.
I also learned a huge amount about how to run things sustainably. Both organisations were people-first: if the people were thriving, the work followed. If people were burning out, nothing else mattered.
If you’re early in building something and want to think through the hard parts, I’m happy to talk.
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