Jacob Hill - MD, Offploy

In this week’s podcast we meet Jacob Hill, MD of Offploy. Jacob tells us all about his start-up at the age of 19 that brought him business awards and £300,000 of angel investment but also talks about the mistakes made that brought it all crashing down.

He then shares with us the story of his arrest and subsequent prison sentence that changed his life forever, and the positives that have subsequently come from it.

He also explains how you can access a pool of top quality staff with exceptional levels of motivation & loyalty at a fraction of market salaries.

This is a true ‘business rollercoaster’ journey.

INTRODUCING JACOB HILL

As the son of two police officers, Jacob was brought up ‘on the right side of tracks’. He was forever taught right from wrong, given every opportunity in life and encouraged to pursue his dreams.

 It wasn’t until his first business, The Lazy Camper, went into financial ruin that he made a choice to sell drugs at a music festival. He was arrested and sentenced to 28 months in prison. He thought he wouldn’t be a ‘typical’ prisoner but when he was in there he met so many individuals from all walks of life who had made poor choices and ended up in the same place. It was the people inside prison who didn’t think any employer would take them seriously despite their eagerness to find work that inspired him to start Offploy.

Jacob believes that if an employer met someone and listened to their story they could probably relate to it and would find it easier to look beyond most convictions. Someone gave him a second chance on his release and he hopes to be able to do the same for others coming out of prison too. Jacob formed Offploy after his release from prison. He wrote the plan for the business from his prison cell and has since gone on to employ a team of 30 who have supported over 3,000 socially excluded people throughout the UK. As well as being Managing Director at Offploy, Jacob is also a member of the Board at Social Value UK.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

[00:00:30] The start-up idea as a 19 year old 

[00:03:00] Funding the start-up idea and the execution of it

[00:09:00] Why the business failed (and the lessons learnt)

[00:13:00] The spiral into getting arrested

[00:20:00] A 28 month prison sentence

[00:35:00] The launch of Offploy and how it helps people

[00:39:00] Hiring people with criminal convictions - advice & a guide - and how it helps you

KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS

• People have a thousand ideas a day but the execution and the charisma behind those ideas is worth so much more
• Asking for help is so much better than trying to work it out yourself
• If you live a life of service, you’ll be content for the rest of your life
• Think ABCD…..Any job, best job, career, dream job
• In a post-pandemic, post-Brexit world we cannot avoid (or ignore) hiring people with convictions 
• When we hire someone with a conviction, after 6 months society saves almost £24,000
• Hiring those with criminal convictions is a great business case and a great social case

BEST MOMENTS

“Business for me was my passion”

“One of my investors eventually said I was all fur coat and no knickers… which was a little unfair”

“We expected a million pounds of sales and got around £90,000 of sales”

“I felt I was indestructible, I didn’t ask for help, I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I had all the arrogance and belief that I can do anything”

“I was working my dissertation as much as possible because I could have been locked away at any time”

“I was one of only a few people who was in that prison out of choice rather than desperation”

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