Wellbeing
“Your wellbeing is tied up in the success of something other people depend on, and that cuts both ways. You have an obligation to look after yourself and you have to keep an eye on each other” from nothing. What I wasn’t prepared for was how great it would feel. The support has been almost universal, from colleagues, friends, family, networks. People are genuinely interested. They want you to succeed. I didn’t anticipate that, and it’s been one of the most sustaining surprises of this whole adventure. The other thing that’s surprised me is how much you get done, and how quickly, when you strip away internal politics. When it’s just you and your co-founder, accountable to each other and to your customers, you move with a clarity and pace that I hadn’t experienced before. It’s also a constant state of forward-thinking – there’s always something to anticipate, plan for, worry about. But rather than feeling draining, it’s energising. Especially now that we have a team around us, the responsibility feels meaningful rather than heavy. On conflict and compromise People often ask how we navigate disagreement. The honest answer is that it almost always comes back to our shared vision. We want the same things. We work to the same timescales. We treat our customers the same way. When you have that foundation, conflict rarely becomes a standoff; it becomes a conversation. We also have shared history. We’ve been through difficult situations together before we even started Embed, which means we know each other’s triggers, capacity and motivations. That knowledge matters. So does the fact that neither of us has an ego that needs protecting. When two problemsolvers sit down without judgement, there is always a way through. And I’ll say this – Nicole’s emotional intelligence is extraordinary. She’s a calm, attentive listener and,
Tried and tested If you’re thinking about co-founding with someone, we recommend that you: Communicate – more than feels necessary Trial and fail – together, without blame Have a laugh – seriously, never underestimate it.
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when I’m spiralling, she has a way of making sure it stays a mini meltdown rather than a full-blown one. That’s not a small thing. On workload and the comparison trap Having distinct areas of expertise has been one of the best structural decisions we’ve made. It removes so much friction. Decisions have a natural home, workload divides more cleanly and we each get to operate in our zone of confidence. I’d recommend it to any co-founding pair. Imposter syndrome is something I keep an eye on in myself. Nicole is brilliantly commercial, and there are days when I worry I’m not pulling my weight on the business side. I can feel guilty if I sense she’s working longer hours than me. That internal comparison loop can be corrosive if you let it run. What helps is the depth of our relationship. We’ve spent so much time together, talking things through, being honest about our lives and our limits, that Nicole probably knows me better than almost anyone. That intimacy means we can be flexible with each other. We understand each other’s commitments, responsibilities and rhythms, and we adjust accordingly, rather than keeping a tally. There’s one thing I don’t think I fully reckoned with before we started: when it’s your business, your health is no longer just your own concern. Your wellbeing is tied up in the success of something other people depend on, and that cuts both ways. You have an obligation to look after yourself and you have to keep an eye on each other. That mutual responsibility sounds heavy when I write it down. In practice, it mostly just feels like care. If you’re thinking about co-founding with someone, I’d echo everything Nicole said; go in with your eyes open, communicate constantly and build real habits around honesty. Then I’d add one thing of my own – be ready to be surprised by how rewarding it is. Building something together, with someone who genuinely has your back, is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Nicole Horsman is chief commercial officer and cofounder of Embed, a learning design agency. With more than 20 years’ experience in training and development, she leads on the commercial side of business, client relationships and programme delivery, combining deep learning design expertise with a passion for building impactful training that genuinely sticks. Sarah Baker is chief learning officer and co-founder of Embed. With more than 20 years’ experience, she specialises in designing large-scale, human-centred programmes across digital, face-to-face and blended formats. She brings rigour, creativity and craft to everything Embed creates.