Read how two expats give key advice, “understand yourself leads to success”. Inomee founders, Jan Skroud and Matej Mendlik (Matt) both share their life and career stories that led them to leave their corporate careers and start their own business. They also share how relocating to London and joining FOCUS impacted their last five years.
Congratulations on launching your new business. Before we go to details about the business itself tell us about your move to London and the reason behind it.
Matt: In 2017, way before the pandemic, I received a job offer from my previous employer to head marketing efforts in the Asia Pacific region that were managed from London.
Jan: And we had an agreement that whoever gets an international offer first, the other one will follow. So, I resigned from my role as a sales and marketing director, packed our bags and soon we were headed to London with one-way tickets.
Why did you join FOCUS?
Matt: We were both enrolled by my employer. Thanks to FOCUS we were able to attend many events which was nice considering we were the New Kids on the Block.
Jan: I also enrolled in the Career Development Program, which I did not get to finish as I landed a new job with Sodexo in mid-January 2018.
What made you leave and start your own business?
Jan: Even though I was in a director role in Prague, I had to build my career in the UK. My last position in a corporation was global director of sales for a global leader in aviation hospitality, and then the pandemic started. I recognize that the global pandemic was a very difficult time for many people around the world and it also has taken its toll in my extended family. But from my perspective, I must say it was the kick I needed to find the courage and change my career.
Matt: Due to Covid, we both ended up at home, which led to endless discussion about our future. Jan started his business quite early after the first lockdown happened. I was working from home at that time, but I felt part of this new business idea from the get-go, as I was seated at the same kitchen table.
What business did you launch?
Jan: In fact, Matej and I founded two companies in the past three years. Skroud Consulting is business-to-business facing and Income is consumer facing. I founded Skroud Consulting in 2019 with a mission to enable organisations, leaders, and their teams to find ways to work better together, connect, and embed collaborative team culture, forming high-performing teams. The vision of SC is to help organisations drive growth through people.
Matt: In 2022, we founded Inomee, a company that provides guidance in the world of career change. We help individuals identify their strengths, what motivates them as well as what behavioural traits are holding them back from success. Inomee helps people bring clarity into their career vision and achieve goals in the workplace. Whether it is winning an interview, management skills, learning how to positively influence others to get buy-in from colleagues.
Keep reading to find out how Jan and Matej applied the idea “understand yourself leads to success” to their business journeys!
What would you say is the most important thing to do to run a successful business in the UK?
Jan: It is your ability to demonstrate the value you bring to the table, in this case to the marketplace. London is a very competitive place. Because of its size and purchasing power, London drives innovation and many new companies enter the market every day. So, the key question is how to stand out from the crowd and make your target audience choose your product or service. In our case, it is our unique methodology which is a combination of life experience, executive coaching, mentoring and facilitation. When leaders or teams face a business challenge, they can find sources of information online. Our competitors advise how to solve a challenge but we go one extra step further and help our clients utalise the skills they already posses to do this, and that’s where the miracle happens.
Matt: We focus on delivering tangible results, helping people to act to achieve the change they want.
What would you advice be for those who want to set up their own business in the UK?
Jan: Make a proper business plan that includes a sales and marketing strategy, focus on financial planning, and surround yourself with professionals who can help you you grow your business or assist in the areas you are not familiar with. Be open to asking for help and choose your suppliers wisely. But most importantly, be patient and believe in yourself and your product or service.
Matt: Be ready to accept that owning your business is an amazing life experience only if you are ready to accept that it is also full of attempts and failures. So be open to learning not only about business, your customers or product, but also about yourself, and that can be the hardest thing.
What are the next steps for you?
Jan: This year will be about focusing on business development and bringing our tools and services to a wider base of customers. We are still a very young company with relatively low brand awareness
Matt: The focus for the next couple of months will be to make sure Inomee gets the attention it deserves. I’ll be focusing on everything digital.
Enjoyed reading a quick glimpse about Jan and Matej’s career journeys? Want to keep reading their story? Check out our FOCUS Website to figure out how they applied the idea “understand yourself leads to success”. Want to support Jan and Matej? Go support them at iNOMEE to find out more about their company here in London!
Photos courtesy of: Unsplash and FOCUS Magazine
