2021 was a year of considerable growth for eola. A major funding round secured in February meant it was ‘all systems go’ from there on out.

2021 was a year of considerable growth for eola.

In January, after a difficult year for the travel and activities sector, our future looked uncertain. But a major funding round secured in February meant it was ‘all systems go’ once more, and we began to invest heavily in expanding our team and developing our platform.

In this article, eola co-founder and CEO Callum Hemsley talks about how the company has handled transitioning from an eight-person start-up to an international team of thirty.

eola founders Callum Hemsley, CEO, and Dan Steele, CTO

“We’ve always said we want to hire people better than we are,” Callum said. “Four years ago, eola started with me and Dan in a flat bouncing ideas around and talking to people. Now it's a group of people taking those ideas and running with them, far beyond where we started, and into really incredible places.”

Focusing on finding the right people has allowed Callum and his co-founder and CTO Dan Steele to step back from day-to-day problem solving. Instead, they’ve been able to focus on steering the business towards its long-term goals.

“Ultimately, I think my job is to set direction, not make decisions,” said Callum. “This year, more and more, it’s been about everyone driving their own approaches. The more we empower people to make their own decisions, the more we see really awesome things come out of it.”

The eola team on a beach clean in Newquay

“We are still investment-led,” said Callum, “so we always need to be thinking, at every stage, who do we need to hire? When are we going to hire them? What does that look like for the team? We’re constantly planning out every different scenario, and diving into what each could look like.”

Thankfully, Callum and Dan are able to draw upon a network of advisors, investors, and board members. Not to mention their own relationship as co-founders.

“We know each other too well, at this point,” Callum said. “It makes for some really bizarre discussions, because we're essentially just arguing each other's points. Once a month or so, we'll go to a pub, grab a pint, and just list through a series of topics in about five minutes. I’ll say, ‘But you're going to think this,’ and Dan will respond with, ‘No, I know, but you're going to think this.’ It’s wonderful - the most important thing is that we are fully aligned.”

Callum enjoying a game of beach kubb in Newquay with the eola team

One such long-term goal is to transition towards a deeply sustainable business model, both in terms of commercial longevity and environmental stewardship. Towards the end of the year, eola began to work with the Future Forest Company, planting a tree for every eola marketplace booking in December. We are committed to deepening this partnership over the coming years.

“There should be no tension between being a good business and being the business we want to be,” Callum said. “Our new initiatives are about asking, ‘What is the kind of business that we want to become?’”

“We see a path where we can become this incredibly positive, environmentally green, carbon-positive business. It’s going to take us a long time, but the fact that we're able to start is wonderful. It means that we are building something much more potent and sustainable.”

eola's partnership with the Future Forest Company will grow in 2022

For Callum, whether it’s the day-to-day running of eola as a business or the development of long-term initiatives, it all comes down to people.

“You always think it’s just going to be this linear path where you start in one place, and you're going and iterating on that. But seeing the way people have brought in their own views on this is remarkable. We’ve found that across the board that if we bring on excellent people, they do excellent work. And it's as simple as that.”

In talks with the eola founders - 2021 Year in Review

Looking for a booking system to help you run your outdoor activities? eola is dedicated to helping instructors and outdoor activity centres share their passion with more people. We reduce your administrative burdens, so you can have more time to spend doing what you love. Find out more at our watersports page.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to keep up with the latest updates, and take a look at eola marketplace to find more great activities near you!

Looking back on 2021, with eola CTO Dan Steele

Year in review: 2021 green initiatives launched

2021 was a year of considerable growth for eola. In January, after a difficult year for the travel and activities sector, our future looked uncertain. But a major funding round secured in February meant it was ‘all systems go’ once more.

Looking back on 2021, with eola CEO Callum Hemsley

In the first instalment of a new monthly column, eola co-founder and CEO Callum Hemsley outlines the story of how the idea for eola came about.

One of the most common questions I get asked as CEO of eola is what was the first spark that started our journey. For my part, it began on a beach.

In January 2016, I was living with a friend in a small flat in London. The vast majority of my time was spent working long hours. Most weekends, my world was three places: my flat, the gym, and the pub.

One Saturday, my flatmate dragged me out of bed at about 6am to catch a train to Scarborough. A few hours later, I found myself on a beach beneath grey skies. A cold rain drizzled down on us. I was instructed to undress and get into a damp wetsuit. At this stage, I wasn't in the cheeriest of moods.

From there, we went surfing. I don't think I stood up for more than a second at any stage, and I certainly drank far too much of the North Sea. It also never stopped raining.

None of that mattered though. Within five minutes of starting, I was grinning from ear to ear, and I didn't stop for the entire day. I had an incredible experience, and on the train back, I just felt an enormous sense of exhilaration and energy.

That feeling stayed with me for weeks. All I could think about was getting ‘out there’, having more experiences, and trying to encourage others to do the same.

Enjoying a rainy day out with Big Green Surf School

After I left my job a year or so later, another friend was telling me about a particular sport they were involved in, and how they wanted to make it easier for athletes to organise local events.

This immediately brought back my surfing experience, and others like it I had since enjoyed. I realised that, more than anything, I wanted to help the businesses that deliver these fantastic experiences, and to help as many people as possible enjoy taking part in them.

During this time, I met Dan, who kindly (and perhaps foolishly) agreed to partner up with me. We spent six months researching the challenges faced by experience businesses, and developing our understanding of how the industry worked.

By September 2017, we knew what we had to do to get started, and we were able to take the first steps towards building eola. Four years later, we’ve had the privilege to work with many fantastic businesses doing amazing things around the UK, and the rest of the world.

Our team has also grown substantially in the last twelve months, from eight people at the start of 2021 to almost thirty as we head into the new year. And yet, we know this is only the beginning.

Over the coming months, I’m looking forward to sharing regular updates with you about how our company is learning and growing towards bigger and better things. For now, I’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a delightful New Year.

eola co-founders Callum Hemsley and Dan Steele

One of the most common questions I get asked as CEO of eola is what was the first spark that started our journey. For my part of it, it began on a beach.

Callum's column: The story of eola

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