Home Business Heroes, in association
with
Home businesses generate
£284bn of the UK's GDP, making them the true heroes of our economy.
So to continue Smarta and Viking's celebration of
these brave entrepreneurs, we tracked down Maria Hayden and Stan
McLeod, co-founders of Bandwagon Gigs.
Names: Maria Hayden
and Stan McLeode
Location: London
Business: www.bandwagongigs.com
What is your business?
BandWagon is an online platform that allows
bands and musicians to find and book gig opportunities across the
UK - venues and promoters post opportunities to the site, and bands
can search and apply. It's a little bit like a dating site for
bands.
What were you doing before?
We both worked as promoters, and Maria was a music manager. It
gave us a great overview of loads of different aspects of the live
music industry at the grass roots level. Stan is also a qualified
podiatrist, working part-time in the NHS in Lambeth and in a
private practice, which, for the moment, helps bootstrap the
company.
How did you come up with the idea?
We were both frustrated by the lack of transparency and
communication in live music. If you don't know the right people, or
aren't in the right area, it can be very hard to get in touch with
promoters or venues other than emailing or posting a demo. We
wanted to create a platform that broke down that invisible barrier,
and diminished the sense of certain venues being a closed shop.
What's the business model? Where does the income come
from?
We operate on the tried and tested "freemium" model - bands and
promoters can sign up for free and use the site, but if they pay,
they get more features such as appearing higher in search queues
and more flexibility to customise their profiles to best represent
them and their music.
How did you get started?
We knew that building a fully-fledged site was a long - and
expensive process, so our first iteration was to set up a Facebook
page. We went through Facebook, clicking "like" on all the venues
and promoters that we knew were well respected. When they posted a
status looking for a band or artist, we would share the post to our
page, and our growing community. We quite quickly became the go-to
Facebook page for gig opportunities.
Why did you decide to work from home?
So far BandWagon has been bootstrapped using our own savings -
our budget is better spent on development than desk space. We now
know all the best coffee shops in South London for meetings!
Where in your home do you work?
We've got a fairly large desk in our front room, and sit at
either end - with Charlie Feathers, our cockapoo puppy - curled up
somewhere at our feet.
What's the hardest thing about working from
home?
The work/home divide can become a bit blurred, which means
taking downtime can be a challenge. We'll often work all day, have
dinner, and then find ourselves checking the site's metrics, or
sending work emails at half past ten at night.
Do you set yourself hours for a working
day?
We try to set hours from 9-6 but generally we work from 9-11
every night including Sundays. It's not so difficult though; we
love what we do, and we know that our hard work helps some very
talented and creative musicians get further in their careers.
How do you start the day?
Taking Charlie Feathers for a walk, a big bowl of cereal,
picking our playlist for the day (which consists mainly of
BandWagon artists) and responding to user emails.
How do you manage yourself to ensure you don't get
distracted by household chores?
You have to be rigid with your time - the business is the
priority but we do set aside time to ensure that household chores
are completed and everything is in order. One of the most
destructive things for effective work is the flat being in a
mess.
Do you find it easy to be distracted when working from
home?
It's a bit of a cliché but we are genuinely far too busy to get
distracted. There's always something next on the to-do list that
requires attention, and as BandWagon is growing faster and faster,
the scale of that list only increases.
Do you ever go a whole day without talking to
anyone?
Working at the intersection of the technology and music
industries means a hugely social life. We are constantly talking to
venue owners, promoters, musicians, or going to events.
Do you ever feel lonely?
Never.
Do you find it hard to switch off at the end of the
day?
Absolutely, each day throws up new challenges. We are always
working on new features to improve our user experience, some of our
best ideas have come at time when we are not working. We're never
far from a laptop and can generally be found, iPhone in hand,
jotting down new ideas or responding to emails on the go.
Do you speak to other people who work from
home?
I think it is far more common in modern working life. Often
friends with established roles in large organisations are
encouraged to work from home on occasion. We all work at an
incredible pace in the digital age and employers are starting to
recognise that they need to be more flexible with working hours and
locations.
Will you ever move to an office?
We are now spending a lot of time traveling to meetings, many of
which are in East London around the Old Street roundabout and
Shoreditch, which, is the centre of both the technology and music
scenes. As the business grows it seems like the obvious next step
for us to have an office somewhere in that area - but we're in no
rush.
What's the best thing about working from home?
Spending more time with our dog and occasionally working in our
pyjamas.
What's the worst?
Trying to stop work and have downtime.
What would make your home-working life
easier?
It would be nice not to spend so much time travelling to
meetings. If we could pick up our flat and move it to Old Street
that would be excellent.
For more information about BandWagon Gigs, click
here.
Home Business Heroes, in association
with