Today on How To Start Up, I’m joined by Sophie Paterson, founder of the internationally recognised design studio Sophie Paterson Interiors. Since launching her studio in 2008, Sophie has completed over 80 luxury projects worldwide but it’s her strategic use of social media that transformed her business into the global brand it is today.

With more than 1,000,000 followers across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, Sophie has built a loyal international audience, opened doors to collaborations, and attracted clients around the world. Today, she shares how founders can use social platforms not just to showcase their work, but to grow a business, build credibility and reach global customers.

In this episode, we cover:

• When using social media, it’s all about building a community
• It’s a good idea to share the process - whatever you are producing
• Be consistent about what you share - so your followers know what to expect
• Sharing builds trust
• Be honest: your personal brand is your brand
• A social media manager will enable you to produce more content and reach more platforms
• No need to be too polished; be genuine and don’t over-curate
• Sometimes reveal the bad as well as the good
• Don’t allow negative content from others to touch you

If you’re building a business and questioning how visible you really need to be, this conversation offers reassurance, clarity and practical insight from someone who’s built scale without losing herself in the process.

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

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Rhian Stephenson is a nutritionist, naturopath and founder of ARTAH, the practitioner-led supplement brand built around a core belief: performance starts with your health.

In this episode, Rhian shares the realities of building a company in the wellness space, how to stay healthy while navigating the pressures of entrepreneurship & why understanding your physiology is one of the most powerful business tools you have.

We cover:

• Think of yourself as your business’s most important asset
• Your performance will affect the whole team
• Your health is vital: try keeping a one-month food/energy log
• Know that protein is fuel
• Understand your needs and proactively manage your mind/food/exercise
• Prioritise and be disciplined about doing what you can in these areas
• Try having a mentor, like a sports coach, to help you keep improving
• Being self-employed is both the hardest the most rewarding way of working
• Fibre (we should all be having 30 gm a day) affects mood, energy and immune systems
• Female founders have to accept they are cyclical, and that ageing affects oestrogen levels
• If in any doubt have your hormone levels checked
• Magnesium aids good sleep
• Try to speak to other founders
• Know that constant comparison via social media is simply destructive - try breaks from it

Rhian has seen first-hand, both in clinical practice and as a founder herself, how many people push themselves to the point of burnout while building businesses. Her mission with ARTAH is not only to create targeted, science-backed supplements but also to empower people, especially entrepreneurs, to protect their minds and bodies as they grow their careers.

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.
Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2024 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason. Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason.

FF&M recommends:

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show

Andy Varley started Insanity at just 17 years old & has since grown it into a multifaceted business spanning artist management, brand partnerships, music publishing and content production.

Stay tuned to hear Andy’s journey from teenage entrepreneur to leading one of the UK’s most respected entertainment companies. We talk about how to find support when you’re starting out & the lessons he’s learned about staying relevant in an ever-changing media and cultural landscape.

Andy's advice:

• Start building networks as early as you can. Meet as many people as possible in your chosen field to make contacts
• Find your gap in the market, but most of all love what you do
• Entrepreneurship can be lonely; ideally have someone to share the decision-making process with
• Try to surround yourself with with advisors (accountants, lawyers perhaps) who can act as mentors
• There are many mentorship programmes available
• BCorp is a force for good and will be a guiding influence on your employees
• Kindness and sympathy are vital leadership qualities
• Lead in a way your team will respect
• Understand you can’t do everything yourself! Trust your employees

FF&M enables you to own your own PR & produces podcasts.

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2026, MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.

Email us at hello@fallowfieldmason.com or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod. Link & Licence

Text us your questions for future founders. Plus we'd love to get your feedback, text in via Fan Mail

Support the show