Under the Current Podcast: #7 - Georgina Wilson-Powell

building an ethical media business, creating support structures as a solo founder, and recovering from failure

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In 2003, a new magazine launched. It felt a little different to what else was on the shelves at the time. Covering music, literature, street art and fashion, it featured a new generation of talent, and had a focus on quality: not just the content, but on bespoke cover art and high-end paper stock.

The magazine was called Blowback and one its co-founders was a 21 year old called Georgina Wilson-Powell. After the London-based company folded in 2007, Georgina spent time at one of the world’s largest publishing companies, traveling around the globe as a journalist.

It was these gas guzzling trips that in fact led her back to entrepreneurship – this time as founder of sustainable living magazine Pebble.

This time, Georgina is going it alone, building an ethical media business as a solo female founder.

In this deep dive conversation we get into why not being an expert can be freeing; the challenge of intertwined identities as an entrepreneur, using grief as fuel; and how build support structures when you’re going it alone.

Oh and you’ll hear Georgina’s dog Maggie in the background a couple of times… we just couldn’t bring ourselves to edit her out…

Show notes

04:00: The craft of editing

07:30: The sudden end of Georgina’s first company

14:30: Why magazines have such a strong allure

17:30: Lost experiences post-failure, and the intertwined identity

26:00: Coming back for round 2 of entrepreneurship

32:00: Why not being an expert can be a positive

35:30: Dealing with grief

40:00: The differences being a solo founders vs. having multiple founders

43:00: Communicating with life partners in different work situations

49:00: Finding support structures

54:00: Being a female founder of an ethical media business

57:30: Why write a book

65:30: Being everything to everyone, and the challenges of staying visible

69:00: Bad advice

80:00: The importance of knowing your own mind, and overcoming fear