A few months ago, we hosted a breakfast interview with Ben Taylor to talk about his startup journey with sexwellness brand Roam. I’m releasing the recording of that as a one-off podcast episode here.
If reading longform is more your thing, there’s a 4,000 word narrative piece about Ben’s founding story I wrote at the time.
But for those of you who’d rather listen, I thought I’d share the recording as a one-off podcast episode. We’ve done a handful of these interviews, the earlier ones weren’t originally intended for publication – but if there’s enough demand I might go back and edit them into a good state.
A few things I took away from this interview:
Start with a sharp customer pain point, validate fast - Don't begin with a business model in mind; instead focus on solving a real, specific customer need. Ben's mistake was prioritising unit economics over product-market fit, leading to a subscription model that didn't resonate with consumers.
Corporate experience can hinder startup ability - Ben's 10 years at L'Oréal taught him systematic thinking that was "antithetical to startup life." He had to unlearn corporate constructs and embrace uncertainty, accepting that "not knowing" is actually a creative force in entrepreneurship.
People and humility matter more than hype - Success requires strong support systems (mentors, other founders, honest investors) and choosing to be "open and humble" rather than closed off. Ben learned that beautiful branding and VC funding don't guarantee success - you need the right people around you and the humility to adapt when things aren't working.
Have a listen, let me know what you think, and if you’d like to hear more like this.
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