Terry Hopper from App Insight Interview
Why you should never be afraid to adapt, outsource and delegate
I began my career as an accountant, working in finance and accounting roles across businesses of various sizes. From small offices with just four people to large international corporations with multi-billion-dollar turnovers, I always found myself drawn to finding easier ways of working. I was constantly looking for ways to save time, often developing templates, macros, and scripts to automate repetitive tasks. Over time, this evolved into a significant part of my role, helping other departments streamline their work and implementing software solutions to make things more efficient.
In 2016, I launched my first companies—Middlestone Limited and Middlestone Business Analysis Limited—using 1st Formations. The goal was to provide the same service to small businesses: finding ways to work smarter and helping them implement software that could make their processes more efficient.
Inspirations
App Insight helps small business owners and managers in the UK find the right software tools. Its core is a software directory that offers unbiased, well-curated advice specifically tailored to the UK market.
The idea for App Insight came from working with real clients. Through the Middlestone Group, we helped many business owners find the right tools for their needs. We knew that even more businesses could benefit from this, but not everyone could afford a full consulting service. Over the years, we built a vast knowledge base of tools that could help small businesses. However, existing software comparison sites often lacked the detail needed to make informed decisions, so we wanted to democratise that knowledge and make it more accessible. That’s how App Insight was born.
Motivation
When I started thinking about launching my own business, I was looking for variety, flexibility, and more job satisfaction. I wanted to work on different projects, manage my own schedule, and feel that I was making a real impact.
I was ready to leave behind the constraints of being just another cog in the corporate machine.
The Journey
I’m happy to say that I’ve achieved what I set out to do. Running a group of companies has brought me the variety I was looking for, and I’ve also managed to create a culture that offers flexibility to everyone in the business.
Growth Curve
For the first 18 months, our growth was slow and steady, with sales being quite inconsistent. Then, almost overnight, we saw a surge in organic search traffic to our website, which quickly converted to new sales. Since then, we’ve seen a steady rise in growth—not explosive, but consistent. This steady pace has allowed us to focus on building the right team and scaling the business sustainably.
Challenges
Initially, marketing was our biggest challenge. But now, it’s all about finding and developing the right people. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to build a great team, but the work we do is very niche, and finding the specific skills we need has been tough.
Highlights
What I enjoy most is watching something tangible grow. Every project we complete builds on our knowledge and adds to our directory, creating something lasting and meaningful. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our efforts help small businesses that might otherwise not have access to this kind of support.
The Future
Our focus for the future is to keep expanding our directory of business software applications. We’re continually adding new tools and features, and I’m excited to see where this growth will lead us in terms of new opportunities and markets.
Advice
For anyone starting a business, my advice would be:
- Think about what your customers actually need, not just what you can offer.
- No matter how good your idea is, don’t underestimate the effort required to get your message out there. It takes a lot of hard work.
- Don’t try to do everything yourself. Focus on tasks where you can add the most value, and consider what your time is worth. Outsource or delegate the rest.
- Be ready to adapt. As you learn more or when new opportunities arise, don’t be afraid to adjust your approach.
Using 1st Formations
When I first started looking to set up a company, I did a lot of research into different company sformation agents. I even created a spreadsheet to compare services, prices, and locations.
From the start, I was set on building a remote-first, family-friendly company. This was in 2016, well before the pandemic. I didn’t see the need to waste money on flashy offices or trendy “break-out” spaces. But that meant I needed a professional address for our registered office.
I chose 1st Formations because they provided a prestigious Covent Garden address, which helped give my business a recognisable, credible presence.
The Company Formation Process
I’ve now used 1st Formations to set up six companies. The process is always quick and easy. I love that you can form a new company in just a few minutes.
1st Formations Today
We continue to use 1st Formations for our Registered Office, Service Address for directors, and Business Address. Their mail forwarding service is great—any mail sent to us is scanned and emailed directly, which fits perfectly with our remote-first setup.
