In this week's episode we speak to Zandra Moore, CEO of PanIntelligence.
Zandra shares with us a super cheap and really effective marketing tactic that she used and that can get your business noticed, the triggers that brought about a successful Series A funding round, why she didn’t change her business card when she was promoted to CEO, the key role an incubator played in her journey and the need for support and structures for female founders.
Plus there’s a great ‘How to’ when it comes to taking a business step you’re afraid of.
INTRODUCING ZANDRA MOORE
Zandra Moore is a tech entrepreneur in data and AI, who is passionate about enabling more women in the tech industry.
The Co-founder and CEO of PanIntelligence, the No Code Lab, and LeanIn Leeds. Zandra is also involved in a number of other UK organisations focused on increasing female representation in the tech industry. She is also a member of the UK Government’s taskforce for diversity in fast growth companies.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
[00:00:30] The journey to PanCredit
[00:03:00] The MBO/Spin out of PanIntelligence
[00:09:00] The feelings behind the step from employee to start up
[00:14:00] How the sales started (via old school marketing!)
[00:16:30] The major growth landmark and the importance of the channel model
[00:21:00] Raising capital, what triggered it and the process
[00:26:50] The scary step from Sales & Marketing Director to CEO
[00:29:45] Incubators, peer-groups and workshops, and their importance in the journey
[00:33:00] The decision on which investors to go with
[00:37:30] Female founders and the need & importance for support and change
[00:45:00} How to do something that you’re afraid to do
KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS
• Personalisation is the key to getting anyone’s attention
• It's super hard to hire when you are a start up
• Understand who your ideal customer is, be ruthless speaking to only that profile, research them, write them a letter and then pick up the phone
• If you’re looking to raise Series A funds, get on an incubator and meet other Founders who have
• Be vulnerable enough to say “I’m struggling with this” and get support
• Create competitive tension when looking for investment
• Shy Bairns get Nowt
• Stage-commensurate support is what’s needed – the right support, for the right people, at the right time
• Growth begins at the end of your comfort zone
• Solve problems by chunking them down
BEST MOMENTS
“I emptied my savings to buy the IP”
“It was super-hard to do the basics like getting a bank account”
“When you send people a hand-written letter with a stamp on it, they remember it”
“Joining the PWC incubator was the best thing I ever did”
“I didn’t change my job title on my email for three months”
“The best thing that I got out of the incubator was meeting the wider investment community”
“Even though we pitched to London funds, the final 6 offers came from the North”
VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU
Website: https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/
Website: https://panintelligence.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zandramoore/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/panintelligence/
Instagram (business): https://www.instagram.com/panintelligencesoftware/
Twitter (personal): https://twitter.com/zandramoore
Twitter (business): https://twitter.com/panintelligence
Shout out tags: https://www.thedatarefinery.co.uk/
Mentioned; https://www.adaventures.com/, https://www.fintechnorth.uk/, https://www.liftedventures.co.uk/
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YOU MAY ALSO LIKE OUR HIGHLIGHS EPISODES;
https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/2023-highlights-part-2/
https://leedsbusinesspodcast.com/podcast/2023-highlight-part-one/
ABOUT YOUR HOST
Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full SME business journey of launch, growth, scale and exit.
As well as hosting the Leeds Business Podcast, Phil now works with ambitious SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (think somewhere between Business Coach and Business Mentor). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better at what they do. Phil’s mantra is It doesn’t need to be ‘lonely at the top’. He helps Business Owners to be better business owners, by helping with their clarity and focus.
As a Business Sounding Board, he gives SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. This allows them to explore their options in full, culminating with a list of issues to address/clarify, a clear target in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm and confidence for the challenges ahead.
Phil has appeared as a guest on over 60 podcasts, webinars and interviews, from around the whole globe, talking on a variety of business subjects. You can view them all at https://philfraser.co.uk/watch-hear-phil/.
LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST
PanIntelligence, Lean In Leeds, Leeds, Leeds Business, Business in Leeds, Nous of Fraser, Business Sounding Board, Business Coach, Business Mentor,
Email: phil@leedsbusinesspodcast.com
Mentioned in this episode:
Pre roll November
As November is my birthday month, I've got three special offers for you.
If you can say yes to the following four points, you qualify.
You have to be a business owner, have three to 15 staff, a turnover of between 350, 000 and 3 million, and wanting to develop and improve yourself and how you run your business.
