Impact Experts QT: Alex Birtles

Monochrome photo of Alex Birtles standing facing the camera, smiling, with her arms folded. The quote next to her reads: "When you meet someone who has found their purpose, it's impossible to miss how they are truly alive."

In this week’s #ImpactExpertsQT, we’re building on the fantastic conversation from our recent masterclass on the importance of supporting female founders. Today, we’re excited to spotlight a truly inspiring leader who’s been a driving force behind some game-changing initiatives, from helping low-income families get online to advocating for pandemic support for those in need. Alex is the co-founder and CEO of In Good Company, which matches good people with good businesses and experiences around them (which has also just launched on iPhone and Android). Now, as a founder herself, Alex shares her journey—from proud career milestones to the lessons she’s learned along the way. If you’re passionate about supporting ethical business, this one’s for you!

 

Can you share some key milestones or proudest moments in your career?

I will always be exceptionally proud of the work I did on the Home Access programme, a government initiative to get children from low-income families online at home to help with their education in 2008-2010, which is also when I met and worked with Leigh Smyth! It was really pioneering at the time in terms of equity in design and delivery. We delivered grants via a prepaid debit card which meant that recipients could buy their computer in the same way as anyone else. And we also did a huge amount of research and co-design – we watched people completing the application form in order to see where they struggled to see how we could improve it. We ended up with a form which had a 97% success rate (a huge deal in terms of removing hassle for applicants and also value-for-money as it removed the to-and-fro).

I’m also really proud of helping to introduce the £500 NHS Test and Trace Support Payment for people on low incomes who had to self-isolate – something I fought for massively – and setting the Equality & Diversity approach, building some amazing links with grassroots community leaders across the country who were supporting some of those furthest from power. Some of those relationships last to this day and it was an honour to try to ensure their voices were heard in Westminster.

Finally – I’m actually quite proud of overcoming my fear and setting up In Good Company! It’s not an easy thing to switch from a salaried 9-5 and I was terrified for a long time. My hat is always off to anyone who starts their own business.

 

What is your biggest work lesson? And why?

Life is too short to not spend it doing something that you love. I recently heard a reframing of the well known saying that people never regretted not working more on their deathbed, which is usually taken to mean that you should spend more time doing ‘not work’. Instead when you look back on your life, the real question should be did you spend it doing what you loved. I lost my Dad nearly 5 years ago – he was 75 which is still a relatively young age to die – and it prompted me to take the plunge into setting up In Good Company, which matches people with the best ethical and sustainable businesses and experiences around them. I realised that it was an idea I’d fallen in love with and life really is too short not to do the thing you love.

If you were the Prime Minister, what would you do to improve the UK for everyone?

So. Many. Things. I think it’s pretty easy to have a long list at the moment! The challenge is prioritisation. I’d quite like to do some more ‘boring’ stuff – like move Government and Parliament up North, devolve much more power out of the centre into the hands of people who actually know their local area and upweight local authorities, especially to fund them to actually create places that people are proud to live in.

Then it would be tackling housing – we have the oldest and coldest housing stock in Europes, it’s incredibly energy inefficient and we are not taking advantage of the advances in renewable energy. And we spend a fortune, more I think than pretty much any other developed nation, significantly reducing people’s disposable income, quality of living – and health – and driving people into poverty. People shouldn’t have to live in some of the conditions they do in 21st century Britain. This isn’t a fully costed plan (!) but we have to build – new towns and cities with the infrastructure needed to support the community – and we have to retrofit. We have a huge poverty problem in the UK and I think good, affordable housing is one of the best ways to tackle it.

And finally I’d like to tackle some of the big transgressions which are significantly undermining public trust – which is so harmful to having a healthy, bonded functioning society which everyone feels works for them. Proper fines for big businesses who breach rules, close tax avoidance loopholes, remove politicians who break the law, and implement new rules to support and reward independent ethical businesses.

What is one of your pet hates?

I instinctively hate hierarchy – which is probably why I’ve not spent all of my career in the public sector! I am a deep believer in equality, that no-one is better or more valuable because of where they live, work or what ‘success’ they might have achieved in life. I think everyone has something to offer and it costs nothing to be kind, courteous and to be willing to connect with others, no matter what role they might have in an organisation. I vividly remember working in an office at a young age where the Director wouldn’t say hello in the morning to the junior members of the team and vice versa. It baffled me – but apparently it wasn’t the ‘done’ thing because of the grade difference. You might be able to guess that I chose not to follow that rule! I’m deeply suspicious of people with power who buy into it so much that they forget we’re all equal.

Who or what inspires you to continue pushing the boundaries of ethical and impact driven business practices?

I’m obsessed with James Timpson, even more so now that he’s turned his hand to government policy! I think they are one of our stand-out businesses in the UK (if you didn’t know, they were one of the forerunners in employing ex-offenders to help them build their lives on the outside and avoid re-offending). I used to read his Sunday Times column on how to be a good business religiously and lots of what they do inspires me. I’m expecting big things from him on prison reform so no pressure Lord Timpson! I think he is a brilliant example of someone using their personal experience to now make wider systemic change.

What is your favourite quote?

I’m going to cheat and choose two!

“The journey is the destination”.

It’s very easy to think I’ll be x when y happens. But none of us know what the future holds and it’s not something we can control. I use this especially in building an impact business. I don’t know where In Good Company will end up. But I can enjoy and appreciate the growth, experience and impact that I am making right now.

And then the second is

“One’s own dharma, performed imperfectly, is better than another’s dharma well performed” from the Bhagavad Gita.

So often we compare what we’re doing to others and think we should live differently. But each of us has our own path to tread. I’m a university drop-out, I don’t have a degree, I’ve not had my own children. I pivoted my career in my mid-thirties and gave up what would be considered a usual definition of success. But when you meet someone who has found their dharma (purpose), it’s impossible to miss how they are truly alive. This quote reminds me that even when it sometimes feels like we should all want the same cookie-cutter metrics of success, actually the right path for us is ours alone.

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