20 word on the street Choose your audience carefully When I started House of Coco, I wanted to travel, and decided to create a magazine for millennials who also loved travel. Eight years later, I’ve gone from someone whose friends had to buy them coffee, to someone who has seen pretty much every corner of the globe. I think I picked the right topic, and that was a combination of good instincts and being in the right place at the right time. You can do it I once worked for a local magazine where the guy just downloaded content off the internet. I thought, “Well, if this douchebag can have a magazine and lie, why can’t I have one and tell the truth?” So he inspired me to take the leap with my first magazine. Resilience is key I took my previous magazine– Urban Coco, about independent fashion designers – on to Dragon’s Den. I wasn’t prepared for Peter Jones saying, “Who do you think you are? It’s never going to work.” I knew I either had to prove them wrong or shut it down. So I proved them wrong: I got my head down, sold loads of advertising space, and launched House of Coco in 16 countries. It sold out worldwide thanks to exposure from the show! What was the alternative? There was never any doubt that I’d try again. Keep perspective With Urban Coco, I ended up bankrupt. But I learned a lot. My cousin died at 14, and that meant that it didn’t matter if we failed, what grades we got, as long as we were happy and alive. That has given me the freedom to try things, because who gives a shit if you fail? It’s all part of the journey. Collaboration is important One of the reasons my first magazine failed was because I didn’t want to share opportunities. I wrote all the content myself, and thought I could design it as well. When I started House of Coco, I decided that mindset wasn’t going to get me very far. So I created Team Coco, a community of freelance contributors at the magazine. Leadership is a learning curve I treat everyone the same, and that means people aren’t afraid to come to me with ideas. I don’t believe in hierarchy. The negative side is the blurred lines between ‘employee’ and ‘friend’, and that’s probably been the thing that I’ve struggled with the most. Commercial first In creative industries, everybody knows how to be creative first, but they sometimes struggle with the actual monetisation. I know how to make money first, and then the creative part comes second. I also think there’s a solution for every problem. Be adaptable When COVID hit, we were 99% travel content. Initially, we did aspirational armchair travel, then we started incorporating career-based content, more interviews, more stories about businesses. But literally as soon as restrictions were lifted, we went back to normal. At the end of the day, we’re a travel magazine, we’re there to inspire. Stay true to your values I don’t think I’d make another magazine. My motive, ultimately, is money. And there are much easier ways of making money than slaving over a quarterly magazine. I don’t have any regrets though. I’ve had an absolutely incredible eight years creating memories with my family. I’m grateful for everything that I’ve had. Also I know that I would never work for anyone again, ever. Freedom is all I care about. Know your worth When I was 19, I did a night shift at a pizza shop in Leeds. Afterwards my dad said, “How much did they pay you?” I said, “£25.” He said, “Well, you’re not going back. You’re worth more than that.” So I have had it instilled in me that I can have what I want, but I also have to work hard. My dad taught me that I’m worthy. After a devastating rejection on Dragon’s Den, and having to declare bankruptcy, Laura Bartlett launched luxury travel magazine ‘House of Coco’. Eight years later, the title is a resounding success, internationally recognised and on the newsstand alongside heavyweights such as ‘Vogue’ and ‘GQ’. Here she shares the lessons she’s learned on her rollercoaster of a journey…
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