One Typical Day is a digital platform geared towards students to provide them with relatable career advice.
Interview With Eloise Skinner
Describe your product or service:
“One Typical Day is a video platform providing relevant and relatable careers advice for students.”
Describe your company values and mission:
“One Typical Day has a social mission at the heart of its operations: to make career information accessible to all students, regardless of background or experience.”
How are you funded? I.e. venture capital, angel investors, etc.
“Pre-seed venture capital.”
How big is your team? Tell us a little about them (I.e. co-founders, freelancers, etc.)
“One Typical Day is led by Eloise Skinner, a careers content creator and author. Eloise has over a decade of experience in the careers content industry.”
Did you always want to start your own business? What made you want to become an entrepreneur?
“I started my career in corporate law, and had a really traditional career path — I studied Law at university and went on to train in London and New York. At the same time, I was starting to produce careers content for junior lawyers, and my first book (The Junior Lawyers’ Handbook) was published in 2019. After listening to the desires and preferences of thousands of students, I could see there was a gap in the market, and I left my corporate job to try and fix it!”
How did you come up with your startup idea? How did you decide to actually act on the idea? What gave you confidence that you were on the right track?
“I could see that students were hunting for accessible, relatable careers resources — especially those that prioritised equality, diversity, and social equity. I knew we were on the right track after producing some trial careers content and getting student feedback. We could tell there was a huge demand for relevant, engaging content — career insights that were as entertaining as they were informational!”
How did you come up with your company name? Did you have other names you considered?
“One Typical Day really summarises what the company is about — we want to show students what it’s like to experience one typical day in a variety of professions. It’s one of the first names we came up with, and it’s definitely my favourite!”
What is the greatest challenge you faced in starting your business, and how did you overcome it?
“As for most early founders, we faced challenges in pitching and positioning our business — but we were hugely supported by our accelerator programme and our company mentors, right from the start. This is something I’d advise all founders to seek out: a great support system to help you through the very first stages.”
Who is your product or service made for? Who is your target market?
“Our target market is students! We’re focusing in on final year students to start but will broaden out to encompass all students.”
What’s your marketing strategy?
“Referrals, advertising, and ambassador programmes.”
How did you acquire your first 100 customers?
“We’re pre-launch but have gathered a significant ambassador group of students through word of mouth, social media, and other press features!”
What are the key customer metrics / unit economics / KPIs you pay attention to to monitor the health of your business?
“Engagement rates with our content are our primary KPIs.”
What’s your favorite book on entrepreneurship?
“I love Angela Duckworth’s ‘Grit’ — not specifically written for entrepreneurs, but still incredibly relevant. She talks about resilience, passion, and persistence, all essential traits for the early entrepreneur!”
What is your favorite startup or business podcast?
“I’m really enjoying ‘Founder’s Journal,’ by Alex Lieberman. Great advice for early-stage founders and those thinking about starting a business.”
What is something that surprised you about entrepreneurship?
“Just how many other people are out there starting companies! It was so exciting to discover the early entrepreneurial community, and I’m really enjoying building up a network of other early-stage founders.”
How do you achieve work/life balance as a founder?
“I try to see self-care as part of my job, which means that getting enough rest and having a social life are as important as other aspects of my work! This perspective means I’m way less likely to disregard my personal life in favour of meeting work-related targets.”
How do you stay motivated?
“I try to keep the final vision in mind — the ‘why’ of what we’re doing at One Typical Day. There’s a real social impact mission behind the company, and focusing on this helps me to stay motivated.”
Did you have to develop any habits that helped lead you to success? If so, what are they?
“I think my sense of passion and determination certainly help. And I read a lot of business books! I think that helps at the start — to get a good sense of the background of starting a company before you dive in.”
What are you most proud of as an entrepreneur?
“Being brave enough to leave my corporate job to do it and being persistent enough to continue in the face of challenges.”
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