Chris Quickfall

As I head back to my desk in London, I’ve noticed a few founders (often in their first year or so) have been musing/seeking advice on holidays. Here’s the nuggets I’ve collated over the last 5 years, some obvious, some less so. Also, this is through the lens of a company that is shipping SAAS. Some businesses (European enterprise SAAS) will be very similar, others (e.g. B2C Christmas decoration e-commerce) will be wildly different: 1. Holidays are good. Probably necessary. Founding a category defining company is a 10 year+ game. If you work 18/7/365 you will almost certainly burn out. There’s probably some age dependence. I’d guess a typical 22 year old coming out of investment banking could last 2-3 years like this (not long enough); someone in mid 30’s likely a year-18 months (definitely not long enough) 2. Too much holiday is bad. Your business almost certainly performs hugely worse without you. If you’re taking 10 weeks fully off a year, your business is likely dead 3. I see two principal purposes: 1. Rest (to recharge your batteries and keep the intensity going long term) 2. Spend time with loved ones (compared to a more chilled job, many founders unthinkingly lose the relationships most important to them) 4. Rest is deeply personal. Different people recharge batteries in different ways. Nailing what effective rest is for you is similarly important to other aspects of maximising the impact of how you spend your time. It’s taken me a while to crack this formula. For me: 4 days intense partying with close friends, and then a week of complete isolation and quiet with my girlfriend seems optimal (I’ve iterated this over 5 years). For me a week of road biking would be the definition of hell and probably expedite burnout (but I know this is perfection for others) 5. Timing is vital. Practically no one buys shipping software in early August. So the impact on the business of me being “off” is an order of magnitude + smaller then. Many of the shipping SAAS CEO’s I respect most were “off” at the same time. 6. Don’t expect to be off 100%. I don’t think a founder can ever be off 100%. Something will come up. It’s less stressful to accept this upfront. And make sure those you are travelling with understand. That said I think cutting workload by 70-90% is totally possible. 7. What to cut when you’re “off”: -Internal meetings, the lack of which are not blocking team members that are “on” -Internal admin, the lack of which are not blocking team members that are “on” -External admin, which will not have meaningful business consequences -New business outreach 8. Things not to cut when you’re off: -Responding to client/prospect queries/requests -Excom meetings -Any work that has a major net positive impact on the cash position of the business -Running team responses to serious issues -Answering questions from team, where the lack of an answer would block them Now time to get back to my desk!! #shipsandshipping #maritime #founder #vc #seriesA

106

13 Comments

One of the most exciting up and coming startups in Scotland - MedAscend - showcasing their interactive medical education AI avatar platform. Hana and Ahmed (School of Medicine, University of Dundee students) were talking about the incredible progress they have made in the last 12 months at the annual Elevator academic accelerator showcase. Scottish EDGE Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Dundee Techscaler Scottish Enterprise A great career overview from Chris Martin as well scaling software companies since the 90s creating hundreds of jobs and economic impact for Dundee in the process. Well done to this years accelerator participants and Andrew Cameron for guiding them over the last two months

99

4 Comments

Unlimited Leave - Can It Boost Productivity and Cut Costs? It sounds like a Silicon Valley perk. But unlimited paid time off is quietly spreading to smaller businesses too. Why? Advocates say it: 📊 Cuts admin by removing the need to track multiple leave types 💸 Avoids big payouts for unused days when staff depart 🎯 Offsets pressure to raise base salaries The paradox? Employees often take less time off than under “use it or lose it” schemes. The key, say those who’ve implemented it successfully, is structure: – Tie eligibility to tenure or performance – Keep manager approval in place to prevent abuse It’s a perk that works when paired with trust and clarity. And in Thailand, one company is taking it a step further - offering “Tinder Leave”: paid time off to look for love. ✅ Perks can save costs as well as boost culture ✅ Flexibility is only as strong as the rules behind it ✅ Time off is a productivity tool, not a luxury 👇 Would you take more or less time off if your company offered unlimited leave? 🔗 Full Guardian story: https://lnkd.in/gmPbqXzs 🔗 Tinder Leave story in the Straits Times: https://lnkd.in/gzTA2sZA ******* Repost this to help your network & follow me Adam Graham for more content like this.

131

110 Comments

Finding a solid startup idea is hard. It’s something every founder wrestles with but rarely talks about. You’re expected to come up with something brilliant straight away but the reality is usually full of doubt, false starts and that constant question... is this really going to work. That’s why John Rush’s ideation framework caught my attention. It’s practical, simple and based on real experience. It helps you identify real world problems, test early solutions with users and grow in a focused way. Rush has used this exact method to launch over 20 startups. That says a lot. If you’re feeling stuck or not sure where to begin this is worth a read. Credit: Chris Tottman & Rubén Domínguez Ibar Credit: John Rush

130

18 Comments

Unlocking capital for UK founders is one of the most important challenges if Britain is to remain the best place in the world to start and scale a business. This week, we were joined by Callum Anderson MP (Labour MP for Buckingham and Bletchley, and PPS to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology) for a dinner on how to ensure our capital markets better serve the needs of scaling businesses. Among the things we discussed were: – How to mobilise more domestic institutional capital into UK scale-ups; – How to improve the path to public markets so more firms can grow here, not abroad; – How to ensure smarter, more efficient regulation that supports growth rather than stifling it. It’s clear there’s no single lever that will close the UK’s growth gap – but getting capital flowing more effectively is one of the most powerful steps we can take. A big thank you to our partner OakNorth for supporting this important conversation. 👉 Callum has written an article on the topic (link in the comments). 👉 If you’re a founder, investor, expert who’d like to contribute to these discussions, request a place at a future event by signing up for my Friday newsletter (link in the comments). Adi Edekar, Anand Sambasivan, Ben Greenstone, Brendan O'Toole, Catherine Fredette, Eamonn Ives, Fiona Melville, Francesco Corazza, Kyle Frank, Margot Blanc, Oliver Wylie, Paul Domjan, Peter King, Philippa Keith, Prakriti Garg, Sam Bell, Wenyan Sharp

74

5 Comments

We’re thrilled to share a landmark moment for us at Haylo: we have acquired Plessey Semiconductors Ltd, the UK’s leader in microLED display technology. For me, as a co-founder of Haylo, this isn’t just another deal, it’s a bold step towards shaping the future of AR/VR, optical computing, and AI-powered devices, industries set to be worth around £600bn by 2034. Over the next five years, we will: - Invest over £100m to scale from low-volume manufacturing to high-volume global production - Create and protect highly skilled jobs in Plymouth and the wider region - Build the hardware foundation for the next era of immersive, intelligent computing MicroLEDs will power the next generation of devices, from ultra-efficient AR/VR displays to optical processors that make AI faster, cooler, and far more sustainable. With Plessey’s end-to-end capabilities, world-class team, and deep IP portfolio, we’re ready to turn microLED breakthroughs into mass-market reality. This is a proud moment for me personally, for our brilliant team, our partners, and for the future of computing. And the journey is only just beginning. https://lnkd.in/ev7Hczth

208

30 Comments

"How much do Non-Executive Directors actually get paid in SMEs?" A question I’m asked at least once a week. And while it’s tempting to say “it depends,” I’ve pulled together the most up-to-date research from across the UK market (as of mid-2025) to give a proper answer. So, if you’re joining a UK-based SME as a Non-Executive Director, you’ll typically earn between £15,000 and £40,000 per year. Of course, that varies significantly depending on size, sector, and responsibilities. Here’s a breakdown: Private SMEs (non-regulated) Typical base fee: £15,000 to £35,000 Add another £5k to £10k if you're chairing a committee. It's unusual an SME would have sub-committees. NOTE: Early-stage or founder-led SMEs may offer lower cash but include equity or options to align interests. 🧮 Larger private / AIM-listed SMEs Base fee: £30,000 to £60,000 Add-ons for committee roles or Chair duties Total income: £50,000+ is not unusual if the business is growing and complex 💳 Regulated SMEs (e.g. financial services, fintech) Base NED fee: £50,000 to £80,000 is typical. SID / Committee Chair / Risk Oversight roles: £80,000 to £100,000+ (Source: Sayer Haworth’s 2025 report) 📈 Real job market data? Glassdoor reports the average UK NED salary at: 👉 £81,243/year With the 25th percentile sitting around £58,000. That said, the lower end (e.g. £10k to £25k) is still common for SMEs, especially when time commitment is light or it's a non-remunerated "value-add" seat (common in early-stage or exit-focused businesses). So… what impacts NED pay? ✅ Company size and complexity ✅ Sector (regulation = more money) ✅ Time commitment (meetings, prep, stakeholder calls) ✅ Committee or SID roles ✅ Your experience (especially digital, ESG, M&A, or sector-specific insight) ✅ Whether you’re bringing cash or connections (some roles expect ‘skin in the game’) If you're building a portfolio career, or considering your first NED seat, this gives you a realistic view of what to expect. It’s not all about the money either - the right NED role gives you: - Access to founders/investors - Exposure to new sectors - Board-level governance experience - Optionality to invest or exit with the company If you’d like to see live examples or benchmark your own non-exec aspirations, I’m happy to share what we’re seeing across the Virtualnonexecs platform. 👉 Over 50,000 boardrooms 👉 27,000+ NEDs and Chairs 👉 Dozens of new board opportunities each week - many off-market. Happy to chat. If you are thinking of adding a non-exec to your board: https://lnkd.in/de69SinR #nonexecutive #NED #boardcareers #portfolio #privateequity #SMEboards #investingdirectors #leadership #virtualnonexecs #NEDremuneration #boardroles

44

14 Comments

At TechTides hear and learn from Laura O'Neill on building high performance tech teams, and creating the right working culture within tech organisations... Building resilient, high-performing tech teams takes more than technical talent: it’s about trust, culture, and structure. Laura's talk explores how leaders can set teams up for success, with insights from scaling global teams and from DevDay the next-generation platform that assesses engineers in real-world environments. Find out more about Laura and TechTides here > techtides.co >>> 18th November - Derry~Londonderry - Millennium Forum - TechTides

32

1 Comment