Paul Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Halo: How I Built a £1 Billion Business

*Episode Guest*

Paul Hamilton, CEO & Founder of Halo, meets with Jack Parsons, UK's Chief Youth Officer.Paul Hamilton is the Founder & CEO of Halo Service Solutions, the UK’s fastest-growing software company, based in Stowmarket, Suffolk. With a passion for innovation and a vision to transform workplace culture, Paul has pioneered The Halo Way—a groundbreaking approach that eliminates traditional hierarchies, promotes democratic work practices, empowers self-managing teams, and prioritises both customer demand and employee happiness.

Under Paul’s leadership, Halo has evolved from a bedroom start-up into a global leader in service management software, becoming the world’s first purebred unicorn. A champion of sustainable growth, Paul has written into contracts that Halo remains privately owned—an uncommon approach in the industry—allowing the company to innovate freely and remain true to its values.

Paul inspires others to think differently about leadership, culture, and success and is dedicated to not only changing the world of work, but changing the way the world works.*Episode Timestamps*

01:40 – What is bootstrapping for those tuning in?

02:06 – Why did you decide to bootstrap your business?

03:40 – Would you say your career has been bootstrapped too?

04:23 – How did growing up in Scotland shape your character?

06:48 – You had a near-death experience as a child—has that influenced your resilience?

12:04 – How can young people build self-belief in their own potential?

13:59 – What does it mean to be a "unicorn" in the business world?

16:00 – How do you know when your software has reached product-market fit?

19:27 – Has coding become easier or more difficult over time?

26:03 – What is the secret formula behind Halo’s success?

31:02 – Why have you chosen a 100% in-office working policy?

37:00 – Do you analyze competitors?

39:14 – What’s the best way to gather feedback to grow a business?

45:16 – What has been your biggest lesson as an entrepreneur?

52:09 – How do you assess cultural fit when hiring new talent?

55:30 – What gets you out of bed in the morning—what is your “duvet flip”?*Episode Partner*

Founded in 1994, with two decades of purely organic, product-led growth, Halo is just a step away from being the world's first purebred unicorn.

With a steady 100% yearly growth and a commitment to refrain from any mergers, acquisitions, or private equity deals on a rolling 10-year period, we are on track to become the world's first fully bootstrapped billion-dollar business.

Halo Service Solutions provides service desk software that can be installed on premise or in the cloud. With built-in ITIL best practices, Halo Service Solutions is relied upon in over 40 countries to provide a platform, not only for IT teams, but for use across multiple departments. Organisations can scale their IT support with confidence, knowing that Halo Service Solutions has 20+ years of experience and is trusted by multiple FTSE 100 companies.

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