I'm James and I'm an Entrepreneur in Residence at Staffordshire University. I grew up in Stoke and have started two businesses. I've also written a book, published by Penguin. I'm a founder, creative, writer and community builder.
I was quite academic at school and sixth form but not very creative, and wish I had more chance to explore my entrepreneurial side. I didn't finish University because I started a company.
I dropped out of University to start my first business matchchat, raised £650,000 in investment and shut the business down. It failed. Then I founded Sanctus, a pioneering mental health and wellbeing brand which supports people through coaching. We partner with businesses to support people with all the different challenges that can come up in our lives. I founded the business in 2016. We have a team of 70, 100 customers, support thousands of people every month and have had £5m in investment.
Expertise
- Early stage product building
- Storytelling
- Building a social media audience
- Raising investment
- Community building
Teaching
I'm a mentor and advisor to many different startup founders.
Publications