Hello! I'm Carl
Founder / CEO / ArchitectMy Story.
Hello… I’m Carl, a UK chartered architect and solo founder of miPic, a London born tech company and print platform.
In 2014 I jumped on board a rollercoaster, one that would create stories beyond my wildest dreams and experiences that will stay with me for a lifetime. It has taught me more about life, people and myself than any job ever could. The last few years has been a rollercoaster of highs, lows, ecstasy and exhaustion but one ride, that I don’t ever wish to get off.
This Blog is for everyone out there who has an idea which keeps them awake at night wondering, “what if I have a go?”
What started for me on a market stall as a hobby to fund my life in university, quickly became an obsession and something which has consumed me ever since. In recent years, life as a startup CEO has prompted me to write this blog in the hope it can educate other fellow sole founders who are starting out on their own journey or pushing to overcome challenges of their own.
As a sole Founder, simply starting in this game is the biggest challenge of all, a leap of faith into the unknown. The financial burdens and sacrifices of quitting a career, the obstacles which we navigate to reach the next level are merely part of a huge web of chapters within one massive game. Every level we proceed to, is always that bit harder with a meaner looking puzzle or problem standing in our way.
This blog will address all aspects of launching a startup in London, from building a beta product, hiring a team, entering competitoins, landing investment, horror stories and everything else in between.
There will be challenges which will almost break you, but with perserverance and determination, you can do it and get through it. Hopefully my experiences can give you an insight or a headstart into choosing your next move and going for it.
Sole Founder
My ambition growing up was to become an Architect, so I spent the whole decade of my twenties doing so. I loved it and still do, but once that box was ticked ✅, I had the urge to try something new. I questioned whether working my way up the food chain of corporate architecture was really for me. I had an itch I really wanted to scratch and I don’t like doing things by halves. So I took a leap of faith and went for it.
It all began with a passion for art and photography while studying to become an architect. I spent evenings and weekends designing art and editing photography with ideas of selling cool prints to support my studies. In 2007, I opened my first art shop in Liverpool. I studied product quality in retailers and art galleries, spending Saturday mornings stretching and framing canvas prints on my mums living room floor with a staple gun and a hammer (sorry mum). The alarm would ring at 5am on Sundays, arriving at the shop loaded with canvas prints and dreams of one day setting up a full time art shop in London.
Fast Forward…
Fast forward to 2013 and life as an architect in London, I had a bigger idea. I wanted to solve the problem which millions of creatives like me and you around the world are struggling with; balancing the day job with their hobbies and monetising their passion. A dream of building a printing platform that supports the creative side hustle for people around the world to print and sell to their pics to friends and followers, providing premium but affordable products to everyone.
What started as an idea and three guys working from our bedrooms for a year, miPic was born in London. Three months after our beta launch, I was standing in front of Richard Branson with a microphone and a life changing 90 seconds. miPic won Virgins Voom Pitch to Rich a truly unforgettable experience!
Since then, we have grown the team up to 10 in London, raised capital from amazing seed investors through Crowdfunding, secured Angel investment and Venture Capital from international investors and built miPic to what you see today. There is a long way for us to go in this game before we’ve finally cracked it but I hope by sharing my experiences, you will take away positives which you can relate to in your own journey.