Spotlight Series: Dhilon Solanki
Legacy Club shines a light on some of our members to see what makes them and their business tick.
We spoke to Dhilon Solanki, Founder of Story Locker
Please tell us a little bit about you the person (not you the business owner): I’ve always had a never give up philosophy since an early age. If I’ve got knocked down, I’ll get up and go again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tough at times and you really have to dig deep. Having great people around you has always helped and having an extremely supportive wife and two beautiful boys makes it even more worth it. Love the gym, reading and meeting lots of new people. My go cocktail - can't beat an Espresso Martini.
Describe your business in less than 30 words: Story Locker is a personal podcast service that transforms the way people can preserve their memories & share them for generations. Story Locker enables you to record a studio quality podcast from home, with a professional interviewer, to create a digital legacy of your life story & special life moments.
What industry or sector does your business fall in to?: Online media and gifting
What did you do before you started your business?: My background is hospitality and have been involved working with a number of brands across the UK. Some of you may know of Oceana and Liquid in your nightclub days and a premium restaurant and bar brand known as The Living Room. I’m currently working for a hospitality tech business that I helped build in the UK and last year was acquired which was a proud moment. I'm a marketer by trade.
What have been the biggest struggles that you have encountered, and what did you do to overcome them?: Balancing the responsibilities of my current role while starting Story Locker has been the biggest challenge. I adopted an open and transparent approach with my employer’s who supported my entrepreneurialism and have allowed me to progress with the launch of Story Locker whilst ensuring optimum performance within my role with them. This hasn’t been easy and I’ve had to work exceptionally hard but also be smart about how I organise my work priorities. It’s understandable that work/life balance has been difficult and I’ve had to carve out dedicated family time for my wife and boys. I’ve been featured in an article in Working Dads and I hope that my open and frank comments will help other entrepreneurs who face these challenges.
Have you had any external investment to date?: No
Have you ever had to make any major changes or pivots to your business, and why?: Not at the moment, however, podcasting and technology is continuously evolving so we’re always looking to find new ways to improve the customer journey and quality of our product.
Do you struggle with, or have you found any of the following barriers to your business growth?:
Do you have any business hero's, if so, who are they?: Yes, it might should cliché but I’ve always been a huge fan of Sir Richard Branson. His attitude for just going for it, not let anything stop you I love.
Not so business related and perhaps becoming slightly philosophical here, one extract I listen to on a daily basis is from Denzel Washington. One phrase has always resonated with me - 'Imagine you're on your deathbed, and standing around your deathbed are the ghosts representing your unfulfilled potential—the ghosts of the ideas that you never acted on, the ghosts of the talents that you didn't use'. Full speech can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbnzAVRZ9Xc
Financial Rewards or Business Awards?: Financial Rewards
What was the last book you read?: Tim Grover – Never Split the Difference
Tell us something totally unique about your business: The UK’s first to market platform that allows you to create your very own personal podcast from the comfort of your home with a professional interviewer
Finally, please tell us what we can look forward to with your business in the next 12 months.: Story Locker personal podcasts will be the way in which people in the UK choose to preserve their memories, family history and pass on wisdom and life stories to be listened to by future generations for years to come.
It’s an exciting time for the business, where we will also be building strategic partnerships
In the future, every family will have a Family Locker app on their phone. This becomes a family’s digital destination to share podcasts – family members can join, listen, comment and leave special messages. Family photos and videos can be added and the Locker becomes a timeless space to be shared forever.
