Welcome back to our series, 'Meet the entrepreneur', where we sit down with founders, CEOs and the like and get to know the person behind the business.
Meet Tommy Hatto, founder of THO, as we take a look into this entrepreneur and his business.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the business?
Tommy: I run THO, an award-winning agency that merges creativity with culture. We help organisations build influencers and internal campaigns on topics like wellbeing and DEI. I started the business from personal experience, and it has evolved to work with globally recognised brands driving culture change.
Q: What is your Monday morning routine to get you in the mood for a successful week?
Tommy: My morning routine begins the same everyday, if I'm not travelling. I wake up. I'll read some motivational quotes. I hit the gym. I have some sort of smoothie, whether that's a green juice or protein shake, and then I make breakfast. It really helps me get into the right frame of mind when I focus on cognitive, physical and nutrition in the first 2 hours of waking up.
Q: What is your favourite podcast to listen to/book to read for business advice?
Tommy: I enjoy listening to the Ted Business podcasts, as well as listening to podcasts that aren't necessarily business-specific but more storytelling from great entrepreneurs.
Q: How do you navigate the digital world as an entrepreneur?
Tommy: I'm still researching and uncovering all of the different digital products out there which can enhance and take THO to the next level. The rate of growth in this digital age is crazy, so it's definitely tricky to navigate at times. In terms of social media, I've now gotten to a place where I can harness my social following (an audience of over a quarter of a million).
Q: What is your best IT infrastructure advice to other entrepreneurs when getting their business started?
Tommy: Work with people in the know. I have no clue about that side of things and I think as entrepreneurs entering the market, we're bootstrapping and wanting to keep outgoings as low as possible. This is something that you need to outsource if you don't have the knowledge. I made that mistake.
Q: What are your biggest pain points as an SME?
Tommy: The biggest challenge I faced was believing in myself. I think that's the fear of every entrepreneur starting out, 'can I do this?' That feeling never goes away, even after you reach all those important milestones in your business journey. But the way to deal with that is to make sure you're surrounding yourself with people who want to see you thrive, and who have the knowledge in areas you don't. And count the wins, even the small ones! Success of businesses is not defined by longevity, it's defined by impact.
Q: What helps you wind down at the end of the day?
Tommy: I cook dinner whenever I'm at home. I find it very therapeutic to get in the kitchen and focus on something else, and then you're rewarded by eating good food.
Q: What did you want to be when you were growing up? Did you always see yourself being a business owner?
Tommy: I feel like I've lived a million different lives all before I'm 30. I actually wanted to be a marine biologist growing up, because I'm a massive ocean and sea life lover, but then I fell into acting in Hollywood and now I'm here.
Q: What do you see for the future of your business?
Tommy: To make a difference in the world of business and corporate and bring the worlds of creative and culture closer together. Important and purposeful messages can be spread wider through companies when you can leverage capabilities like social media and creative campaigns to really evoke change. Those things don't need to be all external facing.
Q: What do you do to stay ProActive (please excuse the pun) when times are hard as a business owner?
Tommy: I hone in on the bigger picture and the direction I'm going. Manifestation has been a game changer for the way I deal with challenging times.
Q: What song would you play on a Monday morning to get you through the Monday blues?
Tommy: James Brown – I Feel Good. I have it set as my alarm. Try it, it gets you in the funk.
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