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Published Jul 12, 2021

Deliveroo Founder: From £0 to £5 Billion: Will Shu | E88

Will Shu, the founder of Deliveroo, delves into his journey from inception to a $5 billion enterprise, discussing the balancing act between his driven nature and personal life, the trials of leadership during financial adversity, and the core values he instilled within the company culture.
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  • Early Struggles

    recounts the humble beginnings of Deliveroo, highlighting the initial challenges he faced. With just two people, Will and his co-founder Greg, they juggled multiple roles, from signing up restaurants to delivering food themselves 1. Will humorously recalls delivering a pizza upside down to a friend, turning it into a calzone, which marked the start of their journey 1. Despite these early mishaps, Will's commitment to solving a problem he personally cared about drove him forward 2.

    I was convinced that enough people did. And so I'm not one of these people that was like, oh, I need to start a business. I'm like, I need to solve this problem, which I think is pretty different in my mind.

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    His story emphasizes the importance of passion and dedication in overcoming the odds.

       

    Conceptual Beginnings

    In the early days of Deliveroo, and his team brainstormed various names and concepts, including "Food Pony" and "Food Mule," before settling on Deliveroo 3. The initial idea was to cater to late-night cravings, inspired by Will's experiences in New York, where food was available at all hours 3. Despite limited resources, Will's accidental entrepreneurship led to innovative marketing strategies, such as hanging "Do Not Disturb" style signs on doors to promote the service 4.

    We could do the flyer signs. I was sick of walking around with this kangaroo costume, right?

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    These creative approaches helped establish Deliveroo's presence without a significant marketing budget.

       

    Unwavering Dedication

    's unwavering commitment to Deliveroo was evident from the start. He believed in going all-in on a single idea, emphasizing the importance of dedication and focus 5. Will never considered quitting, driven by a sense of responsibility to his team and partners 6. His determination was so strong that even when delivering pizzas himself, he saw it as part of the larger mission rather than a step back 6.

    You pick one thing and you got to really go for it. Different people have different sort of attitudes towards that. My view, though, is you just have to go all in.

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    This mindset was crucial in navigating the challenges of building a successful business.

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