Adam Moriarty, Founder @ thehubb

Welcome back to another episode of The Graduate Guide. Today we're joined by Adam. Adam, welcome to the podcast, mate.

Thanks for having me.

Yeah, so you are the founder of The Hub, um, and you are a social media creator in the wellness space and put on amazing events, sort of bring people together in that world. But before we get into everything you're up to now, I want to just start at the beginning. So you're at Oxford Brookes University. What did you think your career would go on to look like back then? Like, what was your idea of what your career could be around then?

So I'll touch on the point that I think when you go and start an entrepreneurial career, I think you you're born an entrepreneur and it's, um, it's a way you are, it's ingrained within you. So I always knew from a really young age that I was going to run my own business, but I had no idea what that was going to be. I was, I was the kid who was 8 years old talking to my dad about business ideas every weekend. It's sort of a childhood memory of mine. So to answer your question, I knew I always want to start a business but never knew what I wanted to do. Up until the point where I left university, I still did not know what I want to do, but I'm sure we'll come on to that.

Yeah, and you were actually doing a business degree at university, and for beginning, you were in events. And did you feel like university was for you? Like, did you feel like it, as someone who was entrepreneur inclined, it actually brought that out of you? Was it not until after that you, you were able to actually really embrace the entrepreneur side of you?

Yeah, I think university can be a great thing, especially if you know exactly what it is you want to go on to do. I think a lot of people can relate to the fact that, well, my experience was it very much just bought me time to figure out what I want to go and do. Um, like you touched on there, I joined university doing events management degree, very quickly realized, why am I doing this? Uh, no offense if anyone's doing events out there, um, sure, it's great, but then changed course and did business enterprise entrepreneurship solely because the last year of that course was, um, centered around launching your own business, raising money for that. So thought that could be beneficial in the long run.

And so you graduate, you still don't know what you want to do. Talk me through that, that, that feeling you were going through and how that feeling sort of led into your next step and why that step felt like the right thing to do at the time.

Yeah, of course. Um, first of all, it's a very, it's a very daunting and scary feeling being in that position, and it's probably a lot of people going through that right now as they leave university and they want to start business but don't know what they want to do yet. And what I say is, is don't worry, it will come. Um, and don't be disheartened at the idea of going to get a job. That's what I did, and I was very against that for a very long period of time, but doing so very much enabled me to be where I am today. Getting a job doesn't mean you're going to be in a 9-to-5 boring office job for the rest of your life. Someone told me when I left university, go and get a job at a number of different companies, different scales, in different industries. And don't stay there for more than a year. Go there, be a sponge, learn from the people around you, and get out and go on to the next one. And that's exactly what I did. So I left university— well, actually, this is a complete lie. Let's go, let's go back a little bit. I left university with an online coaching business, fitness business, which I had, um, nothing big. I was coaching some people on Zoom during COVID during lockdown. And then my best friend said, um, I'm moving to Bali, do you want to come with me? So I went to Bali for about 9 months and then turned it into an app and had a bit of a coaching business. So I had some sort of a business before going into a job. But I came back to London because I wanted to go and get some experience in a startup. So joined a brand which I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with called PureSport. Just jumped into a job not really knowing what I was going to be doing, but very much, it very much aligned with what I was passionate about. And then after that joined Gymshark, which I'm again, I'm sure we'll go on to. But I think going back to your question, when you are going to make that decision to go and get a job and not just start a business, I think there's 3 key things which I would really look at to make sure that that job is the right one for you. And that is, what are you passionate about? What are you good at? What makes you happy? So for me, I love being around people. I was a people person, is where I thrive. So something in community, being around other people, was what I wanted to do. I was passionate about wellness and fitness. So I jumped into that in the wellness space at Pure Sport, and that landed me on working, uh, with Pure Sport on their affiliate ambassador program, which evolved into going on to a year down the line being athlete manager at Gymshark, and now to where I am. So again, don't be disheartened by getting a job. If you make conscious decisions in that job, it will naturally over time help you evolve into where you're meant to be. And for me, I'm just about figuring that out now, still a long way from where I want to be, but very much on that journey.

And so when you were leaving and you were confused and you had to make that choice in wellness, I think a lot of people will see some things like that maybe not as their career but maybe their passion or their hobby. Why for you did it feel right to do something as intentional as actually getting a job and building a business in that space and not just like, oh, this is something that I enjoy doing? Why was it like something that stood out to you, something I could build build a business in.

Yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong, there's a million and one things nowadays you can go and start a business in, and probably you don't realize that when you leave university. You don't realize how many options there are, um, but a few years into being in your career, you'll start to learn that. But I'm a firm believer in if you follow a career you're genuinely passionate about, you'll be more successful. I've got no reason to, to prove otherwise, but It's seeming to go that way for me, so I can, I can vouch for that. Um, also the wellness space is a massive emerging market and it's continuing to grow year on year, especially here in London. And there's so many ways you can be a part of that, whether that's being an online fitness coach, starting a wellness brand, starting an agency specifying brands within that space. There's such a vast array of opportunities. So yeah, just, just hone in on a space you're interested in and figure out how you can make money in it.

And while we're on the topic of wellness, I think it's one of those things where everybody knows how good going for a run or playing a team sport or something is for you. And I think at university you can get very caught up in the cycle of drinking and not really doing much, or like, you know, every now and then playing a bit of sport but not feeling like you're in any kind of routine. And when you know it's so linked to your mental health and wellness, I think It's a bit of a manic depressive feeling when you're not actually doing that and you've not got that prompt to go and do it like you maybe had at school. So for you, what would you say to people at university that are maybe in that cycle and why they should actually embrace and maybe not think, oh, like, look at these guys in a run club, that's never going to be me. Like, why would somebody who's just, you know, your standard person who could really benefit from wellness, why should they just make that jump?

I love that point you made about run clubs. I've got multiple friends who this time last year really spoke badly about running clubs. They'll never go to a run club, and now they're all going to run clubs. So I love that. Um, to answer your question, and this is a really cliché comment, nothing good happens in a bar after 1 AM other than you might meet the love of your life. But for me, I know my love life isn't going to be in a club at 1 AM, so that's fine. You've got to think about what it is you really want to get out of life and how that's going to get— how you're going to get there. And that's quite an intense thing to say. And yeah, it's important to have fun and go and have a good time with your mates, which I still do occasionally, but 95% of the time I'm focusing on what's gonna help me progress in life and help me get to where I want to be. When our mind and our body are performing optimally, everything else in life will follow suit, from your relationship with your family, your friends, your work, your career. I'm a firm believer in that, and me prioritizing my health and fitness, my wellness, has paid dividends in my career. So there's a great direct correlation there. Obviously there's a massive boozing culture and now drug culture in the UK, and very much heightened at university. And again, I think it's healthy to go and do, you know, probably not the drugs, but get involved in going out and having a good time with your mates and being involved in that. Because yeah, you may, you meet a lot of people through university and that's what everyone does, fine. But I think again, don't make that be your whole entire university experience. For me, I think from mid-second year I started to get a bit bored of it and very much moved away from it. It was difficult because I was in the rugby club and that's obviously a big culture there, but there's other things now at university which you can get involved in that aren't just centred around drinking and going out, you know, different clubs, sports clubs, and I'm sure there's much more going on now as well. But really use university to help you set yourself up for when you leave university. Go and be in the committee at your rugby club, your sports club, go and be on the treasury team, go and be in the ski society and manage different things. All that is great experience for when you want to go and start a business. So yeah, just my advice would be just tap into other things, another opportunity that go on at uni.

So at university you obviously like understood for you the importance of wellness in your own life, but then, and maybe you were thinking, oh, I wonder how I can make this my life and do something, but When you went to go work for the likes of Pure Sport and, uh, and Gymshark, working in these massive brands within the space, what did you actually learn about pursuing a career in, in the wellness industry? Because it's not something you would just get told about by career advisor, it's probably something you have to kind of learn yourself. So any hidden gems on, on actually getting into that industry?

Yeah, of course. Um, so going back to my point earlier about going into a job and just being a sponge from the people above you is sort of the main thing I touch on here is I went into Pure Sport with absolutely no idea what the next few years was going to look like. Went in with opportunity to see what happens and very much fell into a role which I felt aligned with me. Um, being a sponge of people around you— what I mean by that is looking at the— pick 2 or 3 people in that company who are maybe the CEO, maybe the founder, and other people, maybe your manager, your line manager. Look at those people. What are their key traits? What have they got going on? What what they're doing well, and trying to adopt those traits. And as you go from company to company and job to job, you'll take those with you and you'll slowly progress. But, but on that note, when it comes to starting a business in whatever space you're interested in, you don't need to be a fully well-rounded founder. Really hone in on one area. For me, that's organic creative marketing strategies, how to build brands. When it comes to it, I'll bring in other people who are good at X, Y, and Z. I'm not a finance guy, but that's absolutely fine. I don't need to be. I think there's other people who can do that for me and with me. So learn from people around you and hone in on building a really core set of skills which you can go and take on with you.

Sure. And once you've built those skills, it's obviously up to you how you leverage them best in your career.

It's just about backing yourself, idiot.

And I think for you, obviously you said you always wanted to be a founder and build something yourself. Even once you've got the skills, and even with you, you've been building this sort of, this personal brand on Instagram, making a lot of content, there's still a lot of difficulties and things you don't get taught about when building a business. So for you, what, what, what has been the, the real motivation to, to launch the business that you do, and what is it about exactly what the Hub does that is so special to you?

To your point a second ago, first of all everyone's still figuring it out. Like, no matter what level you get to, you're figuring it out. Founders of the biggest companies in the world are still figuring it out. That's one of the main things I've realized over the last year, putting myself in the same room as big founders, is they're all just learning as much as you are day by day. They're just ahead of the journey, ahead of the journey than you. Um, so the question was, why did I start The Hub? What's the reason behind that?

Yeah, yeah. What is it about the problem you're solving specifically? Yeah, other brands that exist that makes it so special to you?

Yeah. So the whole— the main drive behind The Hub is helping great brands in the wellness space create further impact and essentially scale and grow. Um, how can we make the world a healthier, happier, better place? And we're doing that through working with the brands that we personally believe in and helping them take them to the next level.

Sure. And I think that's, that's quite a big thing to take on, you know, at your age, actually helping people, you know, these already pretty established brands scale and, and grow that brand. For you, obviously you've been doing it for yourself a long time. What have been the biggest learnings and how you can actually, you know, make a brand that really attaches itself and really resonates with people and isn't just like, you know, a group of people trying to build something? It's like really something that people resonate with. So what would be like for actually building that authenticity of a brand? What do you think are the main things that brands have to, have to do?

Yeah. So every brand we work with, again, we personally believe in them and where they're going to go. So whether that's, whether that's a new supplement business which has a great ethos and value behind the business— FreeStyle, for example, helping girls and women live a healthier, better lifestyle, creating community for people to come together and sort of change their life. And the supplements are almost a byproduct of that. So we join brands as an extension to their team with brands that we genuinely believe in. And really hone in on what their core values are, where they want to go, and we help build a strategy and a funnel which helps them to get there.

Yeah, and I think that's obviously one step in, in building your businesses, having the brand. But then when you're actually building your own business, what are some things that, you know, students might be thinking, oh, I want to go start a business, but there are going to be some sort of hard truths in, in building a business. It could be a bit mad, depressive at times, like something that you wish you knew, like, at the beginning of the journey that would have set you in, in great stead as a founder and to give back to students?

I'm actually probably going to answer this how you wouldn't expect me to answer, but nowadays it is so easy to go and start a business. I, throughout university, my time at school, did probably 10+ massive business plans, full strategies, how I'm going to launch this business, what we're going to do, what we're going to make in years 1, 2, 3, and 4 and 5. But the reality is that's all a load of rubbish unless you actually do something. Um, I left Gymshark not knowing what I was going to do. So even 3 years after university, I didn't know what I was going to do, but I forced myself into a position where I have to go make something work. Started doing a bit of freelance business work for a business that I knew, um, an electrolyte brand, and then slowly evolved that into The Hub. And The Hub is now what it is today because of that. I just registered the business name, registered the company, set up a bank account, did a bit of branding on Canva, and that's literally it. Um, and over time it's evolved into what it is. And like I said earlier, it's still a long way from where it's going to be, but we're on that journey and we're still figuring things out. Um, we've got some great plans for the next 12 months, um, and the business then is gonna be very different to what it is now. But I wouldn't be here now if I didn't just go and start. Like, that is literally it, just go and start a business. I know it's so cliché and and it's daunting, it's big, and it's scary. But there's businesses you can start to gain experience. You don't need to go and raise loads of capital. We didn't raise any capital. We were a service business, so it's much easier. But just start.

And I think one thing that might be a barrier between someone just starting is that mindset, and actually being that mindset that you can do it. Like, even though you are always naturally entrepreneurial and you always want to have your own thing, I think there would have been times at university, maybe studying you know, things within business that didn't really resonate with you, think maybe this isn't me, you know, self-doubt, all these kind of things. And I think that's applicable to everybody in their career, right? And I think obviously for you, you speak about a lot on your social media, like mental health and, and the power of actually how getting something fulfilling in your career could be so intrinsically like linked to how your general mental state and well-being. So For you, what would you say have been some huge learnings in getting that mindset right from being that student that maybe had to overcome that confusion and self-doubt to being in the position that you are in now where you think anything is possible with your brand?

I think so. On the one hand, it's definitely important to have some sort of like validation and skill set behind you to go and do something. You know, you see a lot of, I say, use the term, a lot of kids on social media nowadays launching big businesses, driving Lamborghinis, at the age of 17, I'm like, dude, how do you get there, really? But I think for your own, for your own ease and your own calm, having some sort of validation behind you will really help you. But again, to my point earlier about sort of everyone else figuring out, no matter what stage they're at, you're always going to have some sort of imposter syndrome. You're always going to— you can have mornings where you wake up and think, oh my God, what am I doing? How am I here? What's going on? I don't want to do next. But you just got to try and ride that wave. That is, that is the journey of being a founder, especially at a young age, just figuring things out as you go along. But also backing yourself, like, know that you are here for a reason and you do know your stuff. So, and people are trusting you and it's working, so keep riding that wave.

And a previous guest of ours, Nicola, who, uh, you know, she's the founder of Click— uh, Clicks, my bad. Yes, she, she informed me that it is Click. Um, She was saying that you are a very well-connected man within the bar space, and I don't think that that just comes from— you're not just given that. You have to kind of go and do that and learn your own way of actually building that rapport and networking. Ultimately, I think networking— a lot of students are like, everyone's like, oh, you have to start networking, it's so important, but no one really knows what it means. In your opinion, what— how have you found like the actual way to to build your network? Is it what everyone makes out to be, where you're attending all these events, or is it sometimes just being yourself and putting yourself out there in as many different situations and finding your people?

Ultimately, it's doing things like this, coming on podcasts, when you get asked to do that, saying yes to opportunities. A guy left— when I left Gymshark, a good friend of mine said to me, you're gonna have the Gymshark brand with you when you leave and go and start your own thing. But don't just rely on that. Make sure you're always in the room. And what we meant by that is just continue to show up, continue to take on new opportunities and meet new people. Again, a very cliché comment— starting business is very— it's made a lot easier if you have the right connections and know the right people. It will really help when it comes to actually going and starting the thing that you want to start, um, whether that's knowing brand owners, you're going to start an agency, they can come on board for your first clients and help you build from there. Um, and yes, it is going to those networking events, but it's very much because you're just putting yourself out there. We're in the era now where creator-led businesses and founder-led businesses are doing so, so well, and that's because people are just being vulnerable and just exposing themselves on social media— not in an inappropriate way, I just add that— exposing themselves on social media, um, and just sharing their journey. And people buy into that, and people, people really support that. And, um, you look at, look at all the founders you follow on Instagram— Grace Beverley, George Heaton, and so on— all sharing their journey, starting their businesses, what the brand's all about. Um, and that's probably been a large contribution to their success.

Yeah, I think, uh, there is— even though there's a whole nother thing with putting yourself out there online though, I think. Um, like, for me, I never— I was never the guy that put Instagram captions or anything. I was always like, yeah, part of that group of friends where it just wasn't the done thing to start putting yourself out there. And for me, I found out on LinkedIn, it was like there was an element of— I knew the competitive advantage it could give me, so I had like the why locked down in that sense. And also people were generally supportive because you were doing something very intentional. I think maybe where the problem goes wrong with the fear of cringe is that you're putting something out that you don't actually believe in yourself. So when you actually started on this social media journey and building the following that you have now, were you very conscious of the content and the reputation you wanted to build, or have you learned that kind of along the way while you build in public?

Yeah, very much so. I started being more open on social media and just documenting what I'm doing probably the last 5 years. And at the beginning, I was— I used to hate it. I used to post posts and delete them as soon as people from uni used to comment on them, taking the mick out of me. And like, yeah, obviously that isn't nice, but like it's gonna happen. It's like we're in a British lad culture, right? It's gonna happen. But if you, if you keep doing it, those people get bored of commenting on your post, and the people that actually care and actually support you will start backing you. And now I don't get any negative comments on my posts. I get people DMing me saying, oh, this helps so much, love what you're doing. Or I get daily messages from people that I don't know very well messaging me saying they love what I'm posting. And like that's wicked. If it can help some people or motivate some people, then class.

Yeah, no, I think it's the classic thing where, you know, initially everyone will kind of try and scare you out of doing something, and, you know, maybe there is an element of they're not very comfortable in what they're doing themselves. And it's always that, you know, once you actually get something that they don't have, they're like, oh, how'd you do it?

What's the saying? When you start, they'll take the mick out of you, 'But we need to succeed, no envy,' or something like that. I don't know, but that's pretty much it.

Sounds right. But yeah, no, it honestly, it is that. And I think, you know, this, this podcast really is about, um, it's about telling enough stories that everybody feels heard in a career sense. And I think there will be, there genuinely will be people listening that have been those in that rugby or football sport and culture. And I think a lot of guys can actually just sort of find themselves in that because it's easier that way at school, and, and they kind of get stuck in that. And I think even if externally they seem very happy and laddie, I think long term that's not going to actually help with any sense of like fulfillment or achievement. So what would you say to like maybe the, the younger people listening that are seeing a lot of themselves in you and they want to achieve the success that you're not now having in, and really just backing your own self and allowing that self flourish.

I would say don't completely disregard your mates you have at uni and in this rugby lad culture. Like, if they're your friends, they're your friends, right? And you love them for what they are. Um, but again, going back to my point earlier about you, if you want to be in a certain position further down the line, you have to do— take micro steps between now and then to get there. It's not going to happen overnight. But it's also not easy to make huge changes in your life. Yeah, you might bugger off to a new country and have a complete career change, but what's going to really make the difference, and it's more controllable, is making small daily steps to help you get there. So whether that's say yes to that opportunity, um, go and have that meeting, go and meet that new person, be in the room, take on these opportunities which you think will help get you there, if they don't help you, they don't help you, and you learn that. But just getting yourself out there, throwing yourself into situations, and see if it lands.

And I think one thing for me in my whole journey of building, building out my network and throwing a lot of things at the wall and seeing what stuck is that in the beginning— I don't know if you can relate to this— but I didn't, I didn't at all like document or understand where someone could actually begin to be helpful. So you build this network of people that maybe care for you and are rooting for you, but you have no idea how to actually leverage that and then build your career of it. And so for students, and I think this is applicable for every industry, when you actually establish that somebody is rooting for you and that you resonate with them, how can you actually go from, oh, that person's there, to actually sort of utilizing their advice and really taking as much as possible from them?

I don't think it's a case of like taking from them. And I wouldn't look at it as how can you gain from them. I think true relationships are just a case of supporting each other because you want to. Like, I have friends and people that I follow whose journey who I think they're doing a wicked job what they're doing, and I back them all the way. And if I see they're doing something and I can add value to them, I'll go and offer that value. And similarly, like, I haven't outright asked people for these opportunities. Or whether you have a business, you want to go and raise money, you've got a massive network of people that can raise money. Not directly going, can I have some cash for this, for this raise. Publicly going out there and exposing what you're doing and showing what you're doing. If they're true relationships, they'll come in off that value. So yeah, trying to— we try to rewire that thinking of how can I get out these people, but rather focus on the relationship with them and it will come.

It's true. Yeah, I think it— in my own journey, it's like, I remember when I first started the podcast, I think my fifth one, I got the managing director of Google and I was like, well, this, this is easy, I can get anyone, I'm entitled to anybody's time now. And this was like, you know, this young naive history student that didn't know what they wanted to do. And I think I had to learn the hard way when I— there were people that, you know, for example, the managing director of BCG, he was like, nah, sorry mate, busy. Like, just like I can't come on. And at the time I was like, I don't get it, why would he not— why does this not work for everybody? And I think it was a really important learning for me to understand that you don't have to just say that they'll never be interested in you or you'll never have— like, they'll, they'll never respond to you. But you have to be self-critical in like a positive way and think, how can I actually get to a point where I'm, you know, I've earned my badges more and I've, you know, I've I've gotten to a point where they would actually see the value of me and maybe come to me, which is actually— and ultimately what ended up happening in that context is that, you know, this person that most people see as very scary, they put on this pedestal, he actually was like, I love what you're doing, like, you know, it's really cool to see all the kind of different guests you've had on. I think that was a real lesson for me in, in understanding that just because someone says no or can't help you in that moment, then that isn't a reason to like just stop completely or like not believe in yourself. I think it should actually be an indication that you need to do more in a way. I don't know if you, you can resonate with that.

Yeah, I think again, you're not going to achieve what you want to achieve overnight. You've got to make small, small, small steps every single day, and those 1% of progress each day will compound over time. It's like anything, like, like a business pipeline, like investing. It doesn't just happen overnight. It all compounds, right? Like let's say we want to work with a new brand at the Hub that we really think we can add value to, we're generally passionate about the brand. I don't just send an email to the marketing director or head of brand and start a partnership tomorrow. Like, we build the relationship, we go to events that they're at, we meet them, and then 6 months down the line we might start working with them. So it's, it's like anything in life— going to the gym and getting in shape, being able to go and run an ultra marathon doesn't happen overnight. You've got to show up every single day and work towards it.

Sure, and Adam, you've been a, you've been a great guest, and my final question to you, which I ask every single one of my guests, is that when you were first at Oxford, you would have had a certain idea of what success would go on to look like for you in your career, but then fast forward with everything you've learned and achieved since, what is your success, your definition of success in a career, and how has it changed?

That's very funny you asked that question, it's a great question. I was on a run this morning with a good friend of mine and we spoke about this I think what success used to mean to me was having X in the bank, having this big fancy lifestyle. But now it's very much a case of, again, going back to my points earlier, doing what I'm passionate about, doing what I'm good at, and do what makes me happy. And I think I'm in that position again. Still a long way to go, but yeah, it's a com— success to me is now is a combination of, of everything that makes you happy, that brings you fulfillment in life. It's your— the term which listeners can go on to look about, it's called your ikigai, the intersection of what makes you happy, what does good in the world, and what, um, you can earn a living from. There's a great book on it. I think that is the true definition of success to me.

Adam, you were great. Thanks so much for coming on.

Thanks for having me.