From getting fired to the week from hell, Torie Chilcott hasn’t had an easy ride in business. In fact, she talks about how it’s these tough experiences that have led her to be so successful.
Torie, along with co-founder James Booth, is revolutionising the advertising industry with programmatic platform Scoota. Find out exactly why she’s made it to Innovate UK’s Game Changers: Women in Innovation series here.
The brand
Scoota is an online advertising technology company that allows users to create, measure and optimise campaigns at scale. Using real-time data, the platform automates media buying via targeting specific audiences. This gives brands the ability to tailor their messages and reach the right consumer at the right time. The company is now set for a £9 million turnover in 2017.
Failure is the mother of invention
“Failure is the mother of invention. This company’s come out of failure. All of this has come out of a day of being fired.” Torie Chilcott announces this defiantly. It’s clear she has no shame in her failure, in fact she used it as a stepping stone to something greater. From starting a career in television, Torie was working with huge names like CNN, ITV and Sky. Working on Pop Idol, Torie was hoping to further her career in the industry until she was fired by Simon Fuller.
It’s at stages like this that many people crumble. Torie did the opposite. She met co-founder James Booth and happened upon the potential for content-heavy online advertising. Their idea of a platform to distribute engaging and relevant content to the right people at the right time flourished into a genuine business plan.
The week from hell
There was yet another sting in the tail of Torie’s journey to business success. The pair needed to secure £100k of investment each in only seven days. This is where the week from hell begins:
- Monday – She tried to remortgage her house but encountered issues which prevented this from happening.
- Tuesday – Her father was hit by a bus while on the phone to her.
- Wednesday – Her husband lost his job.
- Thursday – Their nanny left.
- Friday – They secured the first round of funding for the business.
“When you’re running your own business, you have weeks like that all the time. They’re part of what makes the good days really important… I haven’t met an entrepreneur (ever) who’s successful in some way or another, who hasn’t had the ability to take one on the chin. Go down like a sack of spuds. So you just have to learn, move on because it’s just experience and you only get there by doing it”.
Investments and inspirations
Scoota is now a global brand and has received nearly £4 million investment from Innocent Drinks co-founders, as well as advertising heavyweight Sir John Hegarty. Not only has Torie been successful in her own business, she’s also been mentoring other aspiring businesswomen. She’s a strong advocate for Geek Girls UK offering her support to talented women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics sectors.
“She’s been an incredible mentor and shown me that you should never really take no for an answer, and has always encouraged me to be really bold in my work” Francesca Burton, Head of PR at Scoota.
If you’re interested in other inspiring women in innovation like Torie, view Innovate UK’s YouTube channel here.
