The Six Sessions | Barney Williams (Zeelo)

Accelerating Growth and Building Sustainable Transportation Solutions: Insights from Barney, Co-founder of Zeelo

The modern world is witnessing a transportation revolution, and one company at the forefront of this change is Zeelo.

On Friday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Barney Williams , co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Zeelo , who shared some fascinating insights into their journey from ideas to successful exits and the challenges of founding a tech startup.

Driving Rapid Growth and Navigating the Pandemic

Zeelo's remarkable growth story amid the COVID-19 pandemic is one that on the surface, just doesn't make sense. A mobility company with people unable to be mobile...

But that's not what panned out.

Despite the market conditions and worldwide lockdown, Zeelo achieved rapid growth, thanks to their unwavering focus and strategic approach.

They didn't make any significant internal changes, but instead, doubled down on their strategy and stuck to their guns - and made sure to add in a bit of 'hustle'.

"It doesn't mean you have to be an asshole. You can hustle and be a lovely chap."

During our conversation, Barney stressed the importance of building a strong commercial team in a fast-paced tech startup.

He shared valuable advice on hiring, team structure, and aligning sales and marketing functions to ensure seamless collaboration and efficient revenue generation. But the main takeaway was - Keep it simple. Keep your teams aligned and focus on the metrics that matter.

Investing Wisely and Embracing Tech Entrepreneurship

Given Zeelo's success, I was eager to understand where Barney would invest his time and efforts if he could start again. Barney's insightful response shed light on the importance of recognising your strengths and weaknesses as a co-founder.

We explored the pros and cons of being a tech entrepreneur. Barney shared candid anecdotes and emphasised the immense satisfaction that comes with celebrating wins and successes, but also acknowledged the emotional toll that failures can take.

Making Commuting Greener and Solving Business Problems

At the heart of Zeelo's mission is the desire to make transportation more sustainable. Zeelo partners with companies and event organizers to provide shared coach services, aiming to reduce carbon emissions, ease parking pressures, and address recruitment and retention challenges.

Barney expressed disappointment with the backtracking on green policies in the UK, but Zeelo remains committed to helping companies solve business problems, regardless of the political landscape.

Their goal is to facilitate a transition from solo driving to greener shuttle services, benefiting both companies and the environment.

Lessons from Past Ventures and Future Initiatives

Barney's experience extends beyond Zeelo. In our conversation, he shared insights from their previous venture, JumpIn, a ride-sharing platform focused on the student market in the UK. This startup scaled to five cities and had a small exit. The challenges faced and lessons learned from Jump In paved the way for Zeelo's success.

Looking ahead, Barney emphasised the importance of prioritisation, focus, and understanding customer pain points when launching new ventures. He acknowledged the challenges of scaling within a large organisation and the need to strike a balance between innovation and aligning with the parent company's expectations.

Conclusion

My discussion with Barney offered up some fascinating insights into the exciting world of smart mobility, sustainable transportation, and the challenges and triumphs of tech entrepreneurship.

Zeelo's ability to adapt, their unwavering focus on customer needs, and their ambition to make commuting greener stand as testament to their innovative spirit.

In a world where transportation has such a significant impact on environmental, logistical, and social aspects, companies like Zeelo are revolutionising the way we commute.

It's inspiring to witness the success of tech startups like Zeelo, and most importantly, it was fun to hang out with Barney to finish off the week.

His unfiltered and honest insights truly showcase the power of entrepreneurship in shaping a sustainable future.

You can watch the video here.