Interview with Julia Kemp, Founder of Knowledge Recycled

Julia Kemp

We caught up with Julia Kemp, founder of Knowledge Recycled, to talk all things from creating accessible online classes for those in the hospitality sector, to starting a business during COVID-19…

Tell us about Knowledge Recycled

Knowledge Recycled is a digital platform that enables leading hospitality experts the ability to share their wealth of knowledge and expertise through live, intimate, online classes. It connects a community of top experts and small businesses with people looking for fun, engaging ways to learn remotely.

The platform, which currently hosts top experts including Michelin trained chefs, an ex-MasterChef judge, Great British Menu winners and contestants, world-renowned sommeliers and award-winning mixologists, offers individuals, private groups and corporates live virtual learning classes or social events. The platform also offers advanced classes for those who are already in the industry and are looking for ways to build on their skills.

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

We have so much talent in the UK and I wanted to build something that provided people the ability to share their knowledge and expertise.

As I travel a lot for work, I frequently use online learning, however, I struggle to finish pre-recorded videos as sometimes it’s hard to engage with them. Knowledge Recycled allows participants to follow along at home, whilst being able to ask experts questions directly!

What was your experience starting a company during COVID-19?

It was actually very positive! It gave me a lot of time to think, create and build in a short space of time where usually everyday life would have gotten in the way.

On a not so positive note, it highlighted to me how much the hospitality industry was hurting from COVID-19 and it made me more determined to try and create a platform to help the industry and fight back.

What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs looking to start a business?

Just do it. Try to get to market as quickly as possible by building an MVP. There are a lot of great tools out there (many of which you pay monthly that can help with start-up costs), which require no coding experience or technical background. Some days you’ll be really energised and others you’ll start doubting yourself, but the best way to overcome that is to at least do one thing each day towards your idea. Even if it’s choosing a colour. Just keep going. You’ll soon find that your idea will pivot in different directions than you first anticipated and that will push you along. Never spend too long thinking about one thing and always apply the 80/20 rule!

What can we hope to see from Knowledge Recycled in the future?

A natural next step for us is to think about what variation of expertise we would like to offer on the platform. We’re currently only offering food and drink classes but watch this space!