Meet Randel Darby, founder of AirPortr

Before starting AirPortr, Randel Darby spent years working in private equity in London and overseas. His only prior experience of the travel and transportation industry was as a passenger. High frequency business travel led him to become increasingly frustrated with the whole experience, particularly when it came down to baggage. Lugging it to and from airports and around city centres was both stressful and time-consuming. It seemed outdated, in an age where we have convenient services at our fingertips, so he created AirPortr.

How do you prepare for all the unknown obstacles when running your business?

On any journey, you will likely have to pivot several times and whilst you can’t fully prepare for this, it’s wise to position your business to be adaptable, flexible and resilient. Surrounding yourself with an experienced team will put you at an advantage and being decisive in those challenging moments will help you to overcome the obstacle as smoothly as possible.

Do you prioritise self-care as an entrepreneur?

I didn’t and I paid the price for it. At the age of 30, I had a health scare after several years of internalising pressures and trying to resolve them on my own. I’ve learned that it’s incredibly unhealthy to put that amount of pressure on the mind and body. Add long hours, too much time sat at a desk, and a bad diet to the mix, and it’s a recipe for disaster. The glorified image of burnt-out entrepreneurs is dangerous and wellbeing needs to come first. Self-care is hugely important to me now and I’m a more focussed and productive leader for it. 

What inspired you to launch your business and what is the end goal?

I saw an industry and a problem which was ripe for innovation and disruption. Baggage is clearly a significant pain point for passengers, airlines and airports as it causes so many bottlenecks in the journey. I saw how a product that could arrange the collection of bags from homes and deliver them securely to planes and then onto destination could transform the entire operating model.

By removing baggage, space and energy intensive airport terminals could become different, more efficient spaces. Our end goal is therefore passenger-only airport terminals facilitated by the seamless and autonomous delivery of baggage between global locations.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as an entrepreneur?

To make your problems someone else’s and to not be afraid to share problems or bad news with customers, investors, friends and colleagues. It’s an incredibly empowering thing as it turns people around you into allies who now have a shared interest in resolving the problem you shared with them.

What are your thoughts on failure?

I used to be terrified by it. As you build a business you realise you have all these people who are dependent on it and its success – employees, investors, customers are all look to you for constant progression. You’re told things like “do a down round and it’s game over”.

Well, like many, I stared failure in the face in 2020. I had to have some of the most difficult conversations I could have ever comprehended, and do you know what? It wasn’t that bad! Suddenly you realise that the thing you’ve feared can be a very powerful tool to motivate others. 

What is ‘failure’ anyway? I accepted if it was time to close, we had many successes on our journey so isn’t that good enough?

How did you conquer those moments of doubt that so often affect entrepreneurs or stop many with great ideas – what pushes you through?

When you’re in that position, remember one thing: it’s incredibly unlikely that anyone around you knows what you’re tackling better than you do. So have confidence in your path and decisions.

Advice is just that, it’s advice – it’s not necessarily right, and it doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. 

In those moments of doubt, ask yourself if you weren’t doing what you’re trying to do then what would you be doing instead. If you’re happy despite having a crappy day, week, or month then you know you’re on the right path.

You can also set yourself goals to measure improvement to remind yourself how you’ve conquered that doubt in the past. This can really help you re-base yourself.

And lastly, stop talking to your investors and go and talk to some customers.

What’s the most important question entrepreneurs should be asking themselves?

Ask yourself if you’re really prepared for the road ahead that you’re choosing. I grossly underestimated just how challenging it would be. Two of my greatest strengths are my resilience and optimism and without these I can imagine the journey I’ve been on would have been 10x harder. So, ask yourself if you have the right tools to make it through the tough times because they inevitably come with the territory.

What advice would you give to early-stage founders wanting to harness the power of technology to create a positive impact?

My advice would be to start the other way around. Think about what’s the positive impact you’re trying to create, then establish how technology can enable that. Don’t just build tech because it’s interesting or will look smart. Once you’ve identified the impact you want to make, map the building blocks to get you there. For example, infrastructure, services, integrations, applications, the users, what interfaces do you need and why. Then phase them, trying to minimise the complexity you take on early, as you prove concept at each stage. You don’t know all the answers early on, so going too deep will make reversing in the future more difficult.

Is it still possible to build a strong and successful business without social media. If yes or no, why?

This is something which I recommend entrepreneurs or founders do some research on before they get started. Take, for example, The Times Top Track 100 and look at the companies; you’d be amazed how many you haven’t heard of. So, the simple answer is, yes you can. With great product, culture and people. I think we’re misled in today’s world that you must be excelling on social media to be a success, but this can also be a huge distraction for a business or founder, and just hot air from a competitor.

How much time do you spend on things that don’t add customer value?

My whole product is built for the customer so if we’re doing anything that doesn’t add customer value then we’re wasting resource. Of course, the product has a whole operations product stack – improving workflow tools and applications for couriers and handlers etc. – but indirectly this is adding customer value. The more intuitive and user-friendly our platform is, the more scalable it is and the faster we can open up new cities at a lower cost – so everything has a link back to the customer.

What are your responsibilities as a business owner?

I’ve learnt that the most important responsibility is to rally your troops, constantly. Own the vision and be unwavering in your commitment and confidence in it. Convey that vision to those around you with easily understood and interpreted plans. Support them, make them feel appreciated, pick them up when they’re down. Don’t deliberate or procrastinate but act fast and communicate clearly. Drive this discipline through the organisation so teams are moving forward like navy seals. And remember to be open about tolerance for mistakes and build a culture of openness.