The UK alone consumes &pound;5.7 billion worth of fish and seafood products every year. For the first time the other day, I realised I was hesitant when reaching for that familiar tin. Let me explain: it occured after viewing documentary of the moment, Seaspiracy, which seeks to expose the fishing industries&rsquo; impact on the world's oceans - creating passionate vegetarians and detractors alike in its wake.&nbsp;

This Earth Day, I&rsquo;ve been reflecting on the 2021 theme: Restore Our Earth, which focuses on innovative thinking to restore the planet&rsquo;s ecosystem. As we begin to make moves to restore and rebuild in a post-COVID world,&nbsp;
<h3> DIVE IN</h3>
As the high profile doc continues to gain traction, there will no doubt be many more like myself following suit with similar reevaluations of our lifestyle choices. This is a shocking, brutal and bleak watch. You are forced to see cruelty and disregard on such a scale you wonder how the ecosystem of the sea hasn&rsquo;t already collapsed. But, one can&rsquo;t deny that it is eye opening and stirring, currently holding the number one watched spot in many countries on Netflix. Ali Tabrizi, the filmmaker, says his ultimate goal was &lsquo;to create a global discussion around the topic of food choice and sustainability, that effects change on a personal, industrial and governmental level.&rsquo; Well, he&rsquo;s certainly achieved the first element. I generally think of myself as proactive in my contributions to reduce my impact on the environment. However, my long-held tuna habit definitely questioned after the viewing. Afterwards, I started researching tuna fishing and ended up with a much deeper understanding of the impact fishing as an industry has on the environment.

<h3> WIDENING THE NET: INSIDE THE CONTROVERSY</h3>
Firstly: no, I don&rsquo;t think Seaspiracy represents its facts and figures in the most impartial ways. Considering the documentary is produced by those behind Cowspiracy, there are times where the film loses its way, the transparency of the producers&rsquo; motives err towards pushing a vegan agenda and vilifying those who eat fish. But, you would be wrong to assume that this is the entire backbone of the documentary. It simply blemishes the integrity of something that doesn&rsquo;t need any hyperbole. There is a certain naivety behind the film&rsquo;s suggestion that we simply end fishing and that there is no such thing as a sustainable alternative. Not only does this dismiss organisations which are actually doing good and proving alternatives can be a success, it also disregards the many millions of people who rely on fishing as a means of living and don&rsquo;t make a dent on the fish stocks. If this makes people read up and reveal the inaccuracies and misrepresentations, it&rsquo;s challenged indifference, which is arguably better than denial and ignorance. Seaspiracy viewers might not necessarily walk away as fans of the film - but they can still become critics of a system that clearly has major flaws.

&nbsp;A lot of people I know who have viewed the documentary, have said they will never eat fish again. This, I suppose is a good start, if a lot of people reduce demand for a product ultimately the reduction in profit will make it less appealing to those big investors responsible for the majority of problems behind extensive fishing. But, unfortunately, there WILL always be a demand for fish, the money to be made will simply move elsewhere. Fish is a necessity for a lot of communities wellbeing, whether through diet or financially, there is no alternative. They would perish without the ability to fish. This is the point where the excitement of a documentary like this wears off, people become driven to make a change but that change is eventually viewed as having so little impact that there is very little point in sacrificing this element of your diet. When you see the selfishness and greed of those at the top, combined with the power, ruthlessness and money those people have, it is a bit of David and Goliath situation.&nbsp;
<h3> THE TAIL&nbsp;</h3>
Perhaps the main problem I have with Seaspiracy is that the main takeaway viewers will have is &lsquo;I will stop eating fish&rsquo;, as this is framed as the single and only thing one can do to help with the fishing crisis. That doesn&rsquo;t leave any room for alternative activism. So, what else CAN you do to help? 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The most effective way to enact change is unifying and creating pressure on those in power. Industrialised fishing is the real evil that&rsquo;s frequently given the blind eye by those in power. <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/sustainable-fishing/" style="color: #236fa1;">Sign up to and shout about this petition</a> for ocean protection via Greenpeace. If this were to be enforced, it could protect up to 30% of the world&rsquo;s oceans, allowing them the essential time to recover. We need to hold the fishing industries to account, as they have too much influence over governments. Bottom trawling needs to become an offence where the negatives of being caught outweigh the potential profits. Remember, recovery IS possible. It could even happen within a few decades if we take action right now.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Want to make an impact? Become aware of your footprint (try our pre-seed programme grad, <a href="https://www.evocco.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">Evocco&rsquo;s</a> supermarket shopping monitoring app). A lot of things you throw away will end up in the ocean, plastic being the obvious one, and it all takes time to perish whilst simultaneously threatening the health of ocean residents. Disregard Seaspiracy if you find it too disingenuous, thanks to its scientific inaccuracies and misrepresentations, but remember that legitimate data on the impact of fishing has been publicly available for many years. Maybe some creative license was needed to force us to take action to ensure we can all enjoy the planet for years to come.</li>
</ul>
 
<h3>JOIN THE MOVEMENT FOR OUR PLANET&rsquo;S FUTURE</h3>
 Learn, listen and get inspired by innovation leaders, academics, politicians, campaigners and more at our first ever virtual, sustainability festival, Earthrise Summit on May 19th. Hear from the minds behind food businesses championing sustainability, including Iceland and Tony&rsquo;s Chocolonely, plus food waste campaigners Tristam Stuart and Saasha Celestial-One, Founder of Olio. <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/education/sustainability-summit?utm_source=team+email+signature&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=summit_2021" style="color: #236fa1;">Book your ticket here</a>.

The Road to Earthrise | Review: Seaspiracy

My whole life I have eaten tuna. It’s been integral to my lunch for as long as I can remember - and I’m not alone.

&nbsp;Eager to help new founders get off to a good start in 2021, in December, we decided to launch a search for two teams to become our Entrepreneurs in Residence at our White City and Ancoats hubs.&nbsp;
We set out to find the most exciting new names in food tech, fashion, and media and lend a much-needed hand. After an overwhelming response,, we narrowed down over 50 finalists to two very worthy winners. We&rsquo;re very proud to introduce you to Huckletree West&rsquo;s new food tech vanguards <a href="https://www.reformedcharacters.com/">Reformed Characters</a> and Ancoats local force for good <a href="https://manchesterfashionmovement.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">Manchester Fashion Movement</a>.
From Naomi Campbell to Miley Cyrus, more and more of us are embracing the low or no-alcohol lifestyle; Reformed Characters&rsquo; founder Daniel is making his mark on this growing industry by not just producing a tasty offering but by encouraging consumers to celebrate the benefits of mindful drinking.&nbsp;
Both ladies over at Manchester Fashion Movement are fashion entrepreneurs in their own right, with Alison founding <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sustainablefashionparty/?hl=en" style="color: #236fa1;">Sustainable Fashion Party</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/allypallyvintage/?hl=en" style="color: #236fa1;">AllyPally Vintage</a> and Camilla spearheading&nbsp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wardrobe_wellbeing_/" style="color: #236fa1;">Wardrobe Wellbeing</a>. Being extremely passionate about second-hand ethical clothing, they decided to combine their shared wealth of knowledge and experience to create MFM, an educational, collaborative collective on a mission to future proof our world through fashion.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;re excited to have these two impressive companies looking to positively impact our everyday lives by championing mindful consumption, be it bubbly or bell bottoms. We caught up with the founders to find out a little more about where they come from, where they&rsquo;re going, and what their plans are for the next twelve months.&nbsp;

Here&rsquo;s what they had to say.

<h4> What inspired you to start your own business?</h4>

<blockquote>
Daniel: 
I have worked in design for food and FMCG for many years, and I always knew I wanted to start a food brand of my own, but I wanted to wait until I felt really passionate about something. After trying a few Dry Januarys and Sober Octobers, I pretty much stopped drinking entirely and couldn&rsquo;t believe the fantastic benefits of mindful drinking and sobriety. I was also surprised by how little brands in the non-alcoholic space were really speaking about it and what was driving such a large amount of people to moderate or stop drinking. From my own experience, I also felt a distinct lack of products in the non-alcoholic category, so I set out to create my own with Reformed Characters&reg;.&nbsp;
 Alison &amp; Camilla: 
We set up Manchester Fashion Movement (MFM) during the first lockdown; two sustainability advocates who wanted to build something we were passionate about, during a time of shifting expectations and significant major adjustments. Our Community Interest Company is here to enable communities in Greater Manchester better understand the impact of the fashion industry and recognise the benefits of a more responsible approach to consumerism. We wanted to create something which was positive, made a difference and reached more people. 
</blockquote>
<h4>What does being Huckletree&rsquo;s Entrepreneur in Residence mean to you?</h4>
<blockquote>
Daniel:&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m really looking forward to working with the team at Huckletree on our plans for investment and scaling, and also connecting some more with the community here at Huckletree West. I&rsquo;m very conscious of building Reformed Characters&reg; as a community-focused brand that consumers genuinely want to engage with and gain value from &ndash;&nbsp; a huge part of that is in having a great group of people around you.


Alison &amp; Camilla:&nbsp;
Being at Huckletree will give us the business support we need to effectively scale up Manchester Fashion Movement. It will help us develop a platform with better functionality to ensure we can monetize our offering and maintain a sustainable business model. It will enable us to start spreading the MFM messages within Huckletree, the wider community and across a more B2B environment. Having a central base gives us a presence in the city which we are supporting and allows us to immerse ourselves in what's happening around us. It&rsquo;s going to be a game-changer.

</blockquote>
<h4>Where would you like to see yourselves a year from now?</h4>
&nbsp;
<blockquote>
Daniel: 
A year from now, I would like to see us having brought a strong first product to market, having raised investment, and gaining listings in key grocers and retailers. I have huge ambitions for Reformed Characters&reg; and how it can add value to people's lives within the mindful drinking and non-alcoholic scene, so I will equally be looking to see how the brand can enhance consumers&rsquo; lifestyle and experiences.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Alison &amp; Camilla: 
A year from now, we would hope to be in a position to have gathered the rich quality information we need to spark change. We want to be able to offer employment opportunities within the Greater Manchester area, and help individuals develop their skillset by creating a mini MFM team. We aim at having a strong strategy in place to ensure our business outcomes are met, and we have continued success. MFM will be the go to movement when striving for a more sustainable lifestyle; a recognised way to help people make a difference in their lives, starting with their clothing choices. &ldquo;Future-proofing our world through fashion&rdquo;
</blockquote>

<h4>What&rsquo;s the most challenging and most exciting thing about having your own business?</h4>
&nbsp;
<blockquote>
Daniel: 
I would say the most challenging thing is the sheer overwhelm which can often hit when you think of how many roles you have to be split across when you are a solo founder in a startup. From accounting, to investment, product development, marketing and sales &ndash; you need to be able to get a good grip across all of them, initially at least. The most exciting thing is crafting a brand and product yourself, and the potential of where that can take you, the sky really is the limit for startups, but sometimes it&rsquo;s a juggling act of reigning some of that ambition in and saying what is achievable in the here and now.&nbsp;
 
Alison &amp; Camilla: 
Having realistic expectations can feel tough and wanting to do everything all at once but remembering what&rsquo;s actually possible! The most exciting thing? Experiencing flourishing ideas and dreams that can become a reality. That does feel pretty special.
</blockquote>
&nbsp;
<h4>What support will you be seeking from your new community at Huckletree?&nbsp;</h4>
&nbsp;
<blockquote>
Daniel: 
I would love to engage with the community as much as possible. Especially with things like the tasting of the product as it develops.&nbsp;
 Alison &amp; Camilla: 
We would really benefit from insights on how to find investment, monetize our offering, scale-up at a sensible pace, and provide some tech support to add and improve the functionality of our website.
Also, as we are new to forming a CIC, guidance in this specific area would be appreciated.
&nbsp;
</blockquote>
<h4>Are there any businesses or fellow entrepreneurs that really inspire you?&nbsp;</h4>

<blockquote>
Daniel: 
Within my own category, I look at brands like BrewDog and how they have managed to take on industry giants, and make sizeable waves in their own right. They know they can&rsquo;t compete with the titanic drinks groups on marketing spend and advertising, so when they do it, it is intelligent, gets people talking, and feels right for their audience &ndash; they are a seriously clever brand.


Alison &amp; Camilla: 
Jennifer Neff, Co-Founder of Elemental Software. The business model is amazing and Jennifers drive to succeed is inspiring. Vandana Shiva - honestly, inspirational in every way. Also Mary Portas. We love her direct and solution-based approach.
</blockquote>

<h4>As a founder, what was the most valuable lesson you learned from the challenges of 2020?</h4>
&nbsp;
<blockquote>
Daniel: 
I think so many of us could quite happily consider 2020 a write-off. I think it was a year (and still is) where any of us could happily lean into those easier negative emotions and habits. I think we have all learnt resilience and how we can make the most of a pretty bad situation, be that mentally or physically. I heard this quote this morning which I think sums it up for me "So many problems happen because we&rsquo;re doing something in the moment, which in the future, we&rsquo;ll wish we hadn&rsquo;t."

&nbsp;
Alison &amp; Camilla: 
We have learnt resilience; what may feel like a negative at the time can shape your future. Inner strength is everything!
</blockquote>
 
Keep up with our EIR&rsquo;s on their journey<a href="https://us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=63934ff2e6ac04f8e53667971&amp;id=b580e24ea4"> here</a>. Interested in helping the founders on their journey - <a href="https://twitter.com/huckletree">reach out, we&rsquo;d love to hear from you</a>. For now, here&rsquo;s to a promising 2021.

Introducing our Entrepreneurs in Residence 2021

2020 was a rough year for early-stage start-ups. On that, we can all agree.

For some, however, lockdown induced fatigue is hitting hard - and it&rsquo;s impacting our creative abilities.&nbsp;
Back in lockdown 1.0., our collective creativity went into overdrive with doorstop photoshoots, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/laborcamp/?utm_source=ig_embed" style="color: #236fa1;">ultra-hype social distancing social media projects</a> and we&rsquo;re-all-in-it-together warm and fuzzies vibes. Over one year on, that novelty has stagnated. Across professions including journalism, photography, design, animation, copywriting and advertising, many are experiencing COVID-fuelled creative burnout on a daily basis.
<h4> Creative Burnout 101</h4>
What does creative burnout actually look or feel like? Take a minute to check in with yourself. Are you experiencing:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Frustration</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Finding it hard to relax</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Procrastination</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Despair that you&rsquo;ll never hit your creative groove again</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Anxiety that you&rsquo;re letting your team, client or self down</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Insomnia</li>
</ul>
If you find yourself ticking down the list, you&rsquo;re not alone. Prolonged social isolation, screen overload and sustained work/life stress justifiably has taken its toll. It&rsquo;s a hot topic at <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/spaces/ancoats" style="color: #236fa1;">Huckletree Ancoats</a>, our Manchester workspace for media and digital lifestyle pioneers, with several of our resident creative businesses and entrepreneurs feeling the burn. <a href="https://twitter.com/GlNATONIC?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" style="color: #236fa1;">Gina Tonic</a>, Co-Founder of <a href="https://www.thefatzine.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">The Fat Zine</a> and freelance journalist, had a prolific output during the past 12+ months - but that doesn&rsquo;t tell the full story of her creative mindset: 
<blockquote>
&ldquo;It's definitely been ebbs and flows, I think it's hard to constantly be creative as any creative person will tell you, but being in a state of lockdown can make periods of low creativity feel a lot worse. When you're inside, not able to draw inspiration or find catharsis in the outside/real world, it feels a lot more daunting trying to get back to a creative mindset for sure.&rdquo;&nbsp;
</blockquote>

Lockdown hasn&rsquo;t just constrained our social lives, but our brains, too - and digital outlets just don&rsquo;t cut it anymore. The world wide web hosts a bounty of inspiration, but screen-based creative sparks should be just one part of the creative equation. Our once-lively worlds were minimised to our homes (or even bedrooms alone), and the now too-familiar treads of our local park or neighbourhood streets. Put simply: we&rsquo;re understimulated, overstressed and exhausted from the almost-overnight evaporation of our industries.
 
<h4>Status: Stasis</h4>
The creative industries have been hit hard by COVID, with 47% freelancing - compared to 15% of the wider workforce. Younger, and female, creatives have also been <a href="https://advisor.museumsandheritage.com/news/pandemic-plight-of-younger-freelancers-and-audiences-worst-of-all-new-research-states/" style="color: #236fa1;">disproportionately affected</a> due to their working status. Ironically, many of the creatives hit hardest worked on the streamed media, music and TV we&rsquo;ve rabidly consumed whilst under stay-at-home orders.

As the implications of COVID became clearer, many brands pulled back on budgets and pressed pause on audacious campaigns or rebrand projects. Huckletree Ancoats member <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-gould-17049819/?originalSubdomain=uk" style="color: #236fa1;">Christian Gould</a>, Managing Director of creative studio, <a href="https://www.blossommanchester.co.uk/" style="color: #236fa1;">Blossom</a>, helps independent businesses maximise their potential. For agencies, the usual pitch-win-pitch-win rhythm was disrupted, too - as Christian explains: 
<blockquote>
&ldquo;When we went into the first lockdown I kind of lost my appetite for approaching new clients to try and get them to spend money with Blossom, there was so much uncertainty around. I&rsquo;m one of those unfortunate three million people that&rsquo;s fallen through the cracks of government support though so I wasn&rsquo;t sat in my pants playing Animal Crossing. Obviously a ton of other small businesses were really going through it too and struggling to make ends meet.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
 
Alongside weathering the financial impact of COVID solo, many of those small businesses and freelancers found themselves creatively adrift, too. Christian found himself in frustrating limbo:

<blockquote>
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had so many projects that were expected to start but have been delayed and delayed again without being given the go ahead. My main battle has been staying focused in the quiet times in-between projects; that&rsquo;s when I struggle to motivate myself. I need something to look forward to, a break in the cycle. The options seem to be either &lsquo;working&rsquo; or &lsquo;you should be working&rsquo;.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

The monotony and mundanity of lockdown has heavily impacted our sense of balance, as we saw in our <a href="https://huckletree-asks.typeform.com/to/ptLax5nv" style="color: #236fa1;">survey of 200+ startup talent.</a> With no physical boundaries between work and downtime, or activities to stimulate our creativity, there can feel like there&rsquo;s no respite from the demands of the to-do list, or the push to fill one up.

<h4>Positivity in Pivoting</h4>
So where to go from here? We can start by releasing the pressure on ourselves to be ultra-productive. Huckletree&rsquo;s virtual series <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/education/events" style="color: #236fa1;">PURE JOY</a> was created as a space for deep, nourishing, non-OKR-related conversation. No pressure to note-take, or maximise learnings for later deployment. Instead, our community gathers in the liminal world of a Zoom chat room for an hour of conversation with literary, art and culture innovators. Together, we&rsquo;ve meandered through the dark side of Hollywood, LGBTQ+ love and Roald Dahl with the likes of Clare Conville, Max Webber and Nina Mae Fowler.&nbsp;

Taking our foot off the productivity pedal and allowing ourselves just enjoy, experience and connect, without pressure to turn that into creative output has had a restorative effect for each of us. So too does stepping outside of our usual channels of creativity. For Christian, it proved a salvation:&nbsp;
<blockquote>
 &ldquo;In May I launched a platform called <a href="https://www.manchesterstories.co.uk/" style="color: #236fa1;">Manchester Stories</a> which aims to champion and support local, independent businesses and tell the inspiring stories of the people behind them. It helps them to gain some local exposure and connect them with their community and it&rsquo;s really helping people. Working on that has been a bit of a life saver really, it&rsquo;s kept me sane. It&rsquo;s even brought in a number of creative projects too.&rdquo; 
</blockquote>
<h4>Social Media</h4>
There&rsquo;s strength and reassurance in community, too. Rising Instagrammer <a href="https://www.instagram.com/workinsocialtheysaid/?hl=en" style="color: #236fa1;">@workinsocialtheysaid</a> is a cathartic space for social media specialists, who often juggle the hats of designer, copywriter, strategist, data analyst, customer service all at once. In a recent poll, their audience cited their biggest concern is managing their mental health whilst simultaneously managing platforms during the pandemic. Intrigued, I asked influencer Gina if maintaining such a public personal brand impacted her mental health in 2020:
<blockquote>
 &ldquo;It benefits me greatly having this platform to vent, explore and ultimately receive support from hundreds of people. It's important to recognise it can't be the source of my self esteem or self worth but equally, I disagree with those who pretend it does not give you those things.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
 That&rsquo;s not to say that it&rsquo;s 24/7 dopamine rushes, but Gina raises a valid point. Community doesn&rsquo;t need to be physical to be a form of support, learning and inspiration:
<blockquote>
&ldquo;Striking the right balance of using social media as a platform for your ideas and thoughts but also not the only place to explore those things has been hard - still is sometimes - but more than anything my mental health has benefited from finding that balance. I really appreciate the community and education I have found online through social media.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

<h4>The State of Play</h4>
As UK coronavirus cases continue to drop and we cautiously but hopefully enter the latest stage of lockdown lifting, there&rsquo;s a light at the end of the tunnel. For many creatives, there&rsquo;s solace in exploring newly reopened shops, and soon galleries, theatres and gigs, for inspiration and re-energising. As for Gina, the answer is obvious:&nbsp;

<blockquote>
&ldquo;The pub, haha. I feel all my best ideas and thoughts come from setting the world to rights over a pint! A great lived experience is the best way to source inspiration in my opinion.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
 First round&rsquo;s on us, Gina.

________

<h3>Burnout Busting:</h3>

Learn: <a href="https://design.org/how-to-know-if-youre-suffering-from-creative-burnout-and-what-to-do-about-it/#:~:text=Creative%20burnout%2C%20as%20you%20can,to%20think%20of%20anything%20else.">How to identify and tackle creative burnout </a>Protect Your Head: <a href="https://yoursocial.team/building-boundaries-smm" style="color: #236fa1;">tips for social media professionals</a>

Read: <a href="https://www.thefatzine.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">Buy the latest issue of the Fat Zine</a>

Watch: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CK4NzLdgYFr/" style="color: #236fa1;">Manchester Stories meets the man using cold water therapy to help trauma, anxiety and PTSD recovery&nbsp;</a>

Reconnect: Founded by Huckletree Ancoats member, Ned Poulter, <a href="https://neverspoons.app/" style="color: #236fa1;">Neverspoons</a> to find a local, indie pub for a first alfresco pint with friends.

COVID Burnout: When Inspiration Doesn't strike

As the roadmap out of lockdown rolls on, headlines, feeds and Whatsapp chats are filled with optimism and excitement for the year ahead.

Alongside the return of pub garden pints, it also signals the much-anticipated return to work for many businesses across the UK. Throughout lockdown, our spaces have stayed open to support our members who cannot work from home. Over the past weeks, we&rsquo;ve felt the building excitement and anticipation across the innovation ecosystem, and (socially distanced) buzz in our breakout spaces again, with new members joining and familiar faces returning.
 One of those Huckletree old hands is <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/spaces/ancoats" style="color: #236fa1;">Huckletree Ancoats</a> members, <a href="https://regital.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">Regital</a>. Founded in 2011, they spotted the potential power of programmatic marketing early on and have gone on to build a high performance team which identifies new customers and creates conversion for clients including Gymshark, Rixo, Dr Martens and Mediacom. As they begin a staggered, celebratory return to our flagship Manchester workspace, I caught up with Studio Manager Sam for the inside track on how they navigated the challenges of WFH, their perspective on the future of work and the big business challenge they&rsquo;re tackling in 2021.

<h3>Inside COVID</h3>
For many businesses, the almost-overnight move to working from home was a shock to the system - and systems (&ldquo;Sorry, you&rsquo;re still muted!&rdquo;). Others, however, had already had a taste of hybrid working, as Sam shares: 
<blockquote>
"We are somewhat fortunate at Regital, as we've always been flexible and the team were used to working remotely and at home long before the pandemic. It was relatively straightforward for us to go fully remote, without operational impact. At first there were naturally some adjustments when everyone started working from home all at once, but we quickly found a rhythm for regular touch points to keep connected, and we got used to seeing temporary work stations on kitchen tables, living rooms and in sheds.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
<h3> Real Life to Remote Culture</h3>
Whilst the physical transition may have been frictionless, for many, the biggest challenge was isolation. <a href="https://huckletree-asks.typeform.com/to/ptLax5nv" style="color: #236fa1;">In our 2020 survey</a> of 200+ founders and startup talent, 89% reported missing their workmates whilst working from home - something that resonates with Regital&rsquo;s experience. Culture is hugely important to the team (keep up with their new hires, birthdays and behind the scenes at HQ here) and they placed an emphasis on maintaining that bond, despite physical distance: 
<blockquote>
&ldquo;We worked really hard in the early days of lockdown to reach out to one another. Sometimes that was planned, but it's also been great to see the team connect with each other informally and support each other with WFH Workouts, Virtual Meditation Sessions and other staff initiatives. Overall I'd say culturally we've become more respectful of each other during lockdown.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

It&rsquo;s an interesting phenomenon of lockdown life. Whether it&rsquo;s Zoom-background glimpses into bedrooms or surprise guest appearances from puppies/pets/housemates, we&rsquo;ve all become more aware of our colleagues&rsquo; lives. A more nuanced appreciation of our workmates&rsquo; home life, and simply missing them, can definitely lead to more respectful working relationships. However, the intangible bond built by face-to-face time can&rsquo;t be 100% replaced with virtual socialising. Sam shares:

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Some things we simply haven't been able to replicate as effectively remotely despite our best efforts. Wellness Wednesday is our midweek pick-me-up designed to focus our attention on health, happiness and work-life balance. It's a hugely important part of our culture, where we focus on communicating with one another and taking some time out. We've kept it going during lockdown, but it's very much a communal gathering kind of vibe, and something that will benefit hugely from taking place physically once again.

It's fair to say we're quite a social bunch, and while we've done the ubiquitous 'Zoom Drinks' and Virtual Team Building Socials (including a virtual magic show that was first-rate), I think we'd pretty much all agree that we're all looking forward to face-to-face get togethers being back on the agenda.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
<h3> The Future of Work</h3>
As we hit one year in lockdown, the sentiment around working from home began to shift noticeably. Initially hailed as the future of work, with doomladen proclamations for the coworking industry, over the past few months, more employers are reappraising the benefits of in-person work. Just last week, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-06/hundreds-of-bankers-return-to-jpmorgan-goldman-london-offices" style="color: #236fa1;">15% of JP Morgan staff returned to its London office</a>, Goldman Sachs reportedly expects in-person attendance to rise to 20% within 6 weeks and&nbsp; Google brought forward the date for workers&rsquo; return to work. Crucially, the tech giant announced that any employees wishing to work from home for more than 14 days from September will need to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56598933" style="color: #236fa1;">apply to do so</a>. A big shift in gear, but one that takes into account that there&rsquo;s more to the office than desks and coffee on tap.

Working from home is brilliant for tackling deep work and solo strategizing. It&rsquo;s for reflection, introspection, and requires a lower dial of energy. Our workspaces are about high energy, speed, impact and decisiveness. They&rsquo;re spaces to come together, collaborate, creatively ideate and grow your team culture. Put simply: different environments suit different types of work. This is definitely true for Regital:

<blockquote>
&ldquo;What this past year has shown is that work is a thing you do - not where you do it. Maybe that's not the case for every business, but it is for us. The idea of &lsquo;the office&rsquo; has changed and it&rsquo;s no longer simply the place we go to work every day. That's why it's great to be based in Huckletree. As well as being in an amazing part of the city, there's a genuine community feel to the place. Moving forward we'll operate a mix of office and home-working. We want that choice and flexibility. It's good for our staff, the business, and our clients.&rdquo; 
</blockquote>
<h3>Onwards and Upwards</h3>
2021 is the year to get stuck into it with renewed urgency, enthusiasm and optimism. Regital&rsquo;s big challenge for the year ahead:
<blockquote>
 &ldquo;Digital advertising is going to go through a seismic change this year, as we&rsquo;re moving towards a more private web. Cookies and how advertisers track you on an individual basis are being phased out by Google. It&rsquo;s huge news in our industry, and will change digital marketing forever.&nbsp;

At Regital, we&rsquo;ve been planning for the demise of the cookie for a long time. Our data partner, (and fellow Huckletree resident), Skyrise Intelligence, is privacy-by-design without using cookies or identifiers, powered by mobile network data, so we are way ahead of the game on this one. 2021 will be a massive year for us as we help our clients prepare for the changes and to get in front, by integrating mobile telco-data into everything we do.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

You heard it here first...

<a href="https://www.huckletree.com/spaces" style="color: #236fa1;">Plan your return to work with us now.</a>

Return To Work: Regital's Flexible Future

The roadmap out of lockdown has officially been given the green light from Boris.

Whether they&rsquo;re working in marketing, tech or community-facing roles, our people bring relentless passion, fast learning and a culture of innovation to every dimension of their work. The one thing they all have in common? A passionate entrepreneurial mindset. In our team, you&rsquo;ll meet alternative pathfinders, MBA grads, hospitality stars, culture brand builders, ex-government experts, property industry old hands and more - many with side hustles of their own. Whether they&rsquo;re hosting DJ sets, launching a record label, coaching yoga classes or learning how to stick and poke tattoos during lockdown, our team are always innovating, creating and planning their one-day-soon startup.
 We caught up with Huckletree D2 Membership Manager <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishling-ruigrok-a2b467155/" style="color: #236fa1;">Aishling Ruigrok</a> for the story on her growing sustainable fashion side hustle, what she&rsquo;s learned from our community of brave innovators - and her big plan for the business in 2021. 

<h3>Hi, Aishling. Tell us about your side hustle&hellip;</h3>
 &ldquo;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/nasc_clothing/?hl=en-gb">NASC</a> is an ethical, not-for-profit clothing project selling sustainable t-shirts and jackets. Myself and my best friend Grainne (two young women passionate about sustainability) were only too delighted to take over the project in 2019. The word &lsquo;nasc&rsquo; is the Irish word for &lsquo;link&rsquo; or &lsquo;bond&rsquo; and ultimately, we want to make it easy to get great clothes while not sacrificing on price, quality, ethics or environmental impact (an easy ask right?). Our t-shirts are 100% organic cotton and our groovy jackets are handmade in an ethical factory in Malawi. Despite my full time role as Membership Manager at <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/spaces/dublin" style="color: #236fa1;">Huckletree D2 in Dublin</a> and Grainne completing a Masters&rsquo; in London in Political Economy, we absolutely love finding the time to work together on such a fun and purpose-led project.&rdquo;


<h3>Why is building an ethical business important to you? </h3>
&ldquo;I think living conscientiously is so important on a variety of levels. Grainne and I are of the mind that if it&rsquo;s within your power to consume without it being at the cost of others, why wouldn&rsquo;t you? Fast fashion is an inherently destructive industry with human rights abuses rampant in the factories across the world as well as shocking environmental implications. I think educating people as well as making sustainable and ethical options available and creating that demand is crucial to pressure large companies to up their game. Businesses have a moral obligation to ensure that they have transparent supply chains and a commitment to do their part for climate change.&nbsp; On the flip side of all this doom and gloom, this shift is a real opportunity too. Cleantech is a burgeoning industry - in fact, the Bank of America projects that companies which will benefit from a transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy are worth a collective $6tn. There are already so many amazing brands in this space who are thriving. Two personal favourites of mine are Irish startup <a href="https://www.thriftify.ie/" style="color: #236fa1;">Thriftify</a> which raised &euro;500,000 last year to bring charity shops online and UK based scaleup <a href="https://www.wearewild.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">WILD</a> which is a plastic free, gender neutral natural deodorant. They also raised &euro;2 million in 2019.
People are starting to demand better and the Sustainable Planet theme of our 2021 pre-seed programme, the <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/education/alpha" style="color: #236fa1;">Alpha Accelerator</a>, reflects that. Being able to sit in on past Alpha sessions and demo days has been incredible so I can&rsquo;t wait to get to know, support and learn from a fully sustainable cohort when it kicks off next week!&rdquo;
 
<h3>Right now, NASC is shoppable on Depop. Why is it the perfect platform for your side hustle? </h3>
&ldquo;I absolutely love <a href="https://www.depop.com/nasc_clothing/">Depop</a> - I am a complete Depop groupie. It&rsquo;s such a brilliant concept and makes buying sustainably so cheap and accessible. We love using it for our products because it automates everything for us - payments, keeping track of stock, tracking deliveries, it&rsquo;s so user friendly. Another serious bonus for us is that you get access to a community of people who care about buying sustainably (not to mention it&rsquo;s a great place to shop in general). I was so excited to hear they were joining <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/spaces/ancoats">Huckletree Manchester</a> last year and am still holding out for a Dublin team!&rdquo;
<blockquote>
 <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/cokGbhhQ0a639Pv5rsZe" alt="undefined" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />
 
<h3>How has being part of Team Huckletree supported your entrepreneurial dream? </h3>
</blockquote>
&ldquo;My last year and a half at Huckletree has been an amazing learning experience for me when it comes to the world of entrepreneurship. Between having the opportunity to sit in on workshops with industry leaders, investors and serial founders, to hosting our monthly Founders&rsquo; Breakfast in Dublin, it&rsquo;s impossible not to absorb it all. I have been so lucky to meet some incredible people and there has been a group of women in particular who really inspire me. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-mccarthy-ireland/?originalSubdomain=ie" style="color: #236fa1;">Liz McCarthy</a>, former CEO of Scale Ireland, is incredibly driven and has done remarkable work on behalf of startups as well as in the D&amp;I space. She&rsquo;s exceedingly warm, so multifaceted and gets shit done. The same can be said of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewize-mc-cauley-crothers-7062a929/" style="color: #236fa1;">Lewize Crothers</a>, Founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.exitentry.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">Exit Entry</a>, an EdTech startup disrupting a very traditional space. These women are the epitome of empathetic leaders and I really look up to them. I also have to mention (though I haven&rsquo;t had the pleasure of meeting them yet) Sarah and Farah from <a href="https://www.hanxofficial.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">HANX</a>, the vegan condom brand designed for women. I am so passionate about Cleantech and Femtech so I absolutely love what they are doing. Their online presence is also brilliant, I&rsquo;d highly recommend<a href="https://www.instagram.com/hanxofficial/" style="color: #236fa1;">following them on instagram</a>.
 On a personal level, the friends I&rsquo;ve made have also given me so much guidance for NASC, too. <a href="https://escalate.ie/" style="color: #236fa1;">Escalate Digital Marketing</a> gave us tips on branding and social media marketing, and the lads at <a href="https://www.evocco.com/" style="color: #236fa1;">Evocco</a> showed us how to grow a sustainable brand. Everyone is so sound with their time and it sounds cliche but there is a real community spirit here.&rdquo;
 
<blockquote>
<h3>From working with our Dublin community, what knowledge do you think you need to succeed as a startup founder?&nbsp; </h3>
</blockquote>
&ldquo;Does being a morning person count? Because I think that would be very beneficial...

From what I&rsquo;ve seen from other founders, I think having a real belief in your product is so important - you have to get up out of bed every day determined to go and make it work. As well as that, recognising where your skills are lacking and surrounding yourself with people who have complimentary skills is also paramount in running a successful project.&nbsp;

For me, I think there&rsquo;s so much I still have to learn. Having a mentor in <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aislinnmahon/?originalSubdomain=ie" style="color: #236fa1;">my manager Ais</a> has been amazing when it comes to improving my skills and industry knowledge. From attention to detail to facilitating group discussions at our founders breakfast, she is eager to provide me with the tools and opportunities to develop personally and professionally.&rdquo;
 
<h3>The big one: what are your aims for NASC in 2021?&nbsp;</h3>

&ldquo;Finishing the US Office - priority number 1.&nbsp;

In all seriousness, Grainne and I really want to spread the word of conscious consumption and get more people to stop and think when making purchasing decisions. To do that, we need to improve our brand awareness and increase our online following. It wouldn&rsquo;t hurt to sell a few tees as well!&nbsp;

On a personal note, I want to sink my teeth into the world of femtech and cleantech and speak to more people moving the needle in our fight against climate change and on behalf of gender equality. I want to improve my knowledge on these topics, keep working on improving my skills and importantly, I want to make sure I am being kind to myself and those around me with the world the way it is. I think slowing down and checking in with yourself and those around you is a real priority this year - it&rsquo;s easy to get wrapped up in it all.&rdquo;
 
<h3>What Next:</h3>
- Want to become part of the movement for positive change? Book your ticket for our first ever virtual sustainability festival, <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/education/sustainability-summit" rel="follow">Earthrise Summit</a>.
- Support Aishling by joining NASC community <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nasc_clothing/?hl=en-gb">on Instagram</a>.&nbsp;
- Shop NASC over on Depop <a href="https://www.depop.com/nasc_clothing/">here</a>.
- Huckletree is hiring. Find out more about our growing team and <a href="https://www.huckletree.com/about/join-the-team" style="color: #236fa1;">latest open roles now</a>.

How To Build A Sustainable Side Hustle

Building the home of brave innovation calls for serious talent. Since launching in 2014, we’ve hunted down the most talented people in London, Manchester and Dublin to help us grow Huckletree.

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