London Brief Interviews #6 — Ed Relf
Ed Relf — the CEO and Co-founder of Laundrapp, is an award-winning digital entrepreneur and self-confessed ‘digital disruptor’ with almost 20 years of experience in scaling some of the world’s most successful disruptive digital startups.
What do you do at the moment?
Currently I spend 100% of my time as Co-founder and CEO of Laundrapp. Laundrapp is an on-demand laundry app that allows people to outsource their laundry and dry cleaning. The business has grown exponentially since its launch just over 2 years ago and is one of the fastest growing early stage companies, revolutionising an industry that has been untouched by digital innovation.
What/whom inspires you?
Without a doubt, it’s Steve Jobs. Steve has always been an inspiration to me. His drive for perfection, putting the customer at the heart of everything he did, his passion, determination and sheer stubbornness to not fail makes him by far my biggest inspiration.
Could you share your inspirational quote or motto?
There are truly so many. My current (changes daily) favourite quote is from footballer Roy Keane who once said,
“Dead fish go with the flow”.
As an entrepreneur, you continually smash down walls and often at times face ridicule for choosing a less ‘fashionable’ path. If you’re a true entrepreneur
you leverage your failures and successes. You don’t allow others to derail you, and instead focus your passion, grit and determination to achieve success. Never be a dead fish!
What would you suggest to those who just started or are dreaming about being an entrepreneur?
Firstly, be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Team up with people that complement your weaknesses, not just your friends -while that’s an easy option, it’s also the easiest path to failure. Remember that determination and passion eat ‘smart’ for breakfast. You need to distil the vision for what it is you want to achieve and do everything you can — no matter how tough it is — to achieve it.
It’s also very important, once you have your ‘big idea’ never canvass feedback or opinions from family or friends. They will only tell you what you want to hear. Think of how best you can validate your idea with the simplest form of minimum viable product. Let real paying customers determine how you develop your idea into a real business venture.
