A CHAT WITH ALEX HIRST AND LIZZIE PENNY, CO-FOUNDERS OF HUCKLEBERRY PARTNERS
This week we take some time to meet the brains and the drive behind Huckleberry Partners, its founders, Alex Hirst and Lizzie Penny. Alex and Lizzie started working together in 2010 and share a passion for flexible working and enabling skilled and accomplished individuals to do what they love. Together, they formed Huckleberry Partners in early 2015 and have since been working tirelessly, albeit flexibly, to ensure more and more people can spend their time doing the work that inspires them.
Here they tell us about their work, their life and their aspirations for the future.
Tell us a little about the inspiration behind Huckleberry Partners.
LP: I have always believed in flexible working, but when I had my son, Finlay, in 2014, the importance of it was heightened as I met so many talented people who were having to compromise, or even give up, their careers in order to be able to spend the time they wanted with their families. I felt a great sense of injustice that anyone would have to do this. With leaps in technology and availability of internet access everyone should be able to work around their hobbies, any philanthropy, a family, or simply personal preferences for workstyle.
AH: I’ve never liked the unspoken pressure of having to work more hours than your employment contract in order to succeed in your career, it’s called presenteeism and it’s everywhere. At the heart of my motivation was to create a business that rewards its people for the quality of their output, not how many hours they work.
What other companies inspire you?
AH: For me, Virgin is the benchmark and Richard Branson is an inspiration. The company put people at the heart of their decision making ‒ whether internally through policy-setting or externally in the provision of services. It is testament to the Virgin brand that in spite of having a dreadful personal experience with Virgin Media, I am still an advocate of the Virgin ethos.
LP: Virgin for their paternity policy. Google for its perpetual innovation. Apple for making tech beautiful. I’m also inspired by lots of small businesses: Third Door who are facilitating working parents not needing to be too far from their children and Map Action who provide a little-known but vital support through mapping disaster areas. Anyone who stands for something, sets a purpose, and then will move mountains to achieve it inspires me.
What do you think is missing in the current world of work?
LP: In three words; flexibility, empathy and meritocracy. All of these contribute to a more productive and motivated workforce and make the world a happier place, as well as making good business sense.
AH: For me it’s about fair work structures. The way people and companies are bound is weighted in favour of the company and encourages presenteeism among its people. It favours and rewards workers who invest their lives into nothing but their work and is forcing a huge number of talented people out of the workforce as a result. The good news is that technology is empowering people to work flexibly and creating a more level playing field of equal opportunity in all corners of the world.
How do you see the future of work?
LP: We believe work will change beyond recognition over the coming years. Already one in seven people in the UK are self-employed, and there is speculation that by 2018 there will be more people self-employed in the UK than employed in the public sector. With barriers to global trade reducing, constant technological innovation, and the prevalence of wifi, working nine-to-five will become a thing of the past.
AH: Lizzie is absolutely right. I think the effect of this movement towards self-employment creates a special opportunity for people to do more of what they love, and become experts in their specialism. In turn, this could change the way people and companies work together ‒ with individuals being able to provide their expertise to multiple organisations rather than being tied to a single employment contract.
Have there been any points when you have taken big risks to move forward?
AH: My biggest risk was to leave my full time job and move to London to work for a startup called Futureproof. I haven’t looked back since and we wouldn’t be here now if my wife and I hadn’t been brave enough to take that plunge.
LP: We are taking risks all the time at the moment, the biggest of which is a personal one ‒ compromising our own income each month to invest back in the ‘Core’ of the business, but without that very important pool of Associates helping us build the business we won’t be able to touch as many lives as we want to through Huckleberry Partners, nor get the reach and momentum we are hoping to.
Do you feel a sense of responsibility towards the Huckleberry Associates? What do you want for the Huckleberry community?
LP: The more Huckleberries that join the community, the more individuals we are able to help to achieve their ambitions whilst also enjoying the workstyle that best suits them. We do feel a sense of responsibility, but have also been touched by the symbiotic nature of the community ‒ our Associates bring work for others, introduce us to other Associates and are often our greatest advocates for the movement. They each have their own story and talents and I draw my energy from them. I’m at my happiest at Huckleberry Home days meeting and chatting to the Huckleberries.
AH: We care deeply about each of the Huckleberries’ individual workstyles, ensuring they are being honoured, and we keep this very much at the heart of our decision making. It is very important to me though that they feel ownership for it themselves. Lizzie and I believe in the power of people and that a community has the potential to be more powerful than a company ever could, with a shared sense of purpose and a stake in the outcome.
What are the key objectives that you still want to achieve for Huckleberry Partners?
LP: Every Associate who is accepted to be a Huckleberry is someone we will help to achieve their career ambitions, perfectly balanced with the other elements of their life. Ultimately we want the movement to drive fundamental changes in the way every business interacts with its employees, consultants or anything in between and for everyone to at least question whether the age old nine-to-five working is right for their industry.
AH: I have a dream that one day the Huckleberry community will be used to curate a team of people to solve a global problem that would otherwise have been impossible because the combination of human skills required was so different. That is the aim, but to get there we must begin by establishing this community operating model as a viable alternative to traditional corporate structures.
What is your workstyle?
LP: My workstyle changes often, but at the moment it is 8am-3pm four days a week, and 7-9pm in the evening (after my son is in bed) a couple of evenings a week. Right now it suits me perfectly for all the different elements of my life.
AH: My hours vary hugely so I try not to structure my workstyle in that way but more towards the things that make me happy. As an example, I really don’t like busy commuter-trains so will arrange my diary to avoid it wherever possible.
What are you reading right now?
AH: I’m reading a book called A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan who also wrote Eating the Big Fish which is great book about building challenger brands. I love his work and this latest book is essential reading for anyone in business who is sick of hearing the reasons why things can’t be done and wants to flip the conversation.
LP: I’m reading a book about the history of fashion, but it’s taking me ages because I always get distracted by that week’s Stylist or Grazia, or Director Magazine, or blogs!
Tell us a little about what you love to do in your free time?
AH: I enjoy watching sport on the TV and live whenever possible. I also enjoy playing it and talking about it ‒ my wife is less keen. Both being busy we take any opportunity we get to explore the city to see new things ‒ I am always inspired by what people have achieved. Whether they cooked our meal, built the museum or scored the winning goal it is the achievements of individuals that inspire me most.
LP: I am fascinated by fashion ‒ the story it tells about the individual, the way it has changed through the years, and the reflection it has on society. I care deeply about ethics and sustainability and do whatever I can to support this (Alex will tell you that I carry a tote bag with me wherever I go so I never need to get a plastic carrier bag in a shop!). Up until a few years ago I used to swim every morning. There is nothing like being in the water and I hope to get back to my regular time in the pool when my son is a little older. I also love travelling and speak Spanish (I lived in Spain for a year in my early twenties) and a bit of French too ‒ there are so many incredible places to see in the world.
How do you unwind after a hard day at work?
LP: My favourite way to unwind is playing with my son. I also love going for dinner with friends, or to the cinema, or relaxing with a dark and stormy. My husband and I are often planning our next holiday, and I am always improving our house, which we have done up from scratch since we bought it six years ago (it’s still a work in progress!).
AH: I am very lucky to live near to the river and we are surrounded by great bars and green spaces so my wife and I are never short of somewhere to go. When the weather is bad, it’s a pot of tea and a box-set.
All photos by: Georgie Clarke