Ever wondered how someone goes from working as a Floor Manager at Halfords to raising £2M for an AI startup?
In this episode of The Everyday Founder Podcast, Martin Mason, CEO of Talent Mapper, shares his unconventional journey, from retail and HR to building a high-growth HR tech company.
We dive deep into:
✅ The struggles of fundraising (and why it's a nightmare)
✅ How Talent Mapper landed enterprise clients from Day 1
✅ The truth about founder burnout and why therapy helped
✅ Why internal promotions can save companies £450K+
If you're a founder, entrepreneur, or just curious about the startup grind, this episode is packed with insights, lessons, and hard truths you won’t want to miss.
#StartupJourney #Entrepreneurship #HRTech #FounderLife #BusinessGrowth
📍 CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro: Who is Martin Mason?
01:19 - The accidental entrepreneur: From Halfords to HR Tech
05:32 - Building TalentMapper: A problem worth solving
10:57 - The truth about fundraising (and why it's brutal)
15:40 - Landing enterprise clients as a startup
21:13 - Internal promotions vs. external hiring (£450K savings!)
28:05 - The challenges of scaling a startup
35:40 - The dark side of entrepreneurship: Burnout & therapy
42:22 - AI & the future of HR Tech
50:01 - Martin’s advice for founders: Hiring, growth & resilience
55:15 - What’s next for TalentMapper?
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