The best piece of advice I was ever given as a founder is this: to hire people who know more than you do and then step out of their way.
It sounds pretty straightforward. In practice, though, it requires a tricky process of letting go that nobody really prepares you for. This feels particularly true when you’ve built something from scratch, evolving from your own home without any business qualifications to steer it.
When your instincts, taste and judgement are what has always led your business, letting people who are genuinely better than you take the wheel in their respective fields is an act of trust. In the very beginning, sitting at home sketching ideas with three young children underfoot, the person whose skills I leaned on most was the lady down the lane who could type. She was the first in a long line of people who knew something I didn't, and without whom this business would never have made it out of my head and into the world.
That trust – in the people who have the skills you don’t – I believe is the only way to build something that lasts the test of time.
Unique Homestays turns 25 this year. We started in my living room on a Cornish farm with a vision and not much else, and we stay true to those roots to this day. My daughter and niece are vital to steering the business forwards, and our office is still based on that very farm where everything first started. But a business that stays too closely tethered to its founder in all senses doesn’t grow; it somewhat orbits.
Thankfully, the vision for a business built on a love for hospitality and extraordinary spaces is as relevant today as it ever was. If anything, the world needs connection and escape now more than ever.
Despite the core vison behind what we do remaining constant, my relationship with the business has changed over the years. I used to be across everything – I'd be physically in the office every morning and every afternoon and present in every decision. Now, though, I’m in the picture without being in the weeds, and that shift matters enormously.
It’s taken time, risk and honesty to get here. A founder’s instinct is to stay close to everything, but staying too close can limit the very people you’ve invested in. The business grows when the team has the room to lead, to make decisions, to own their domain and evolve inside out.
I’ve built a team who are hungrier, more specialist and more knowledgeable than I am. Unique Homestays is bigger than me now and that is something I am really proud of. Here's to the next 25 years.
Feeling inspired? Discover more about our 25 years in business, peruse our insider edit, or find your next Unique Homestays escape.
