Who are Emma and Julie?

I'm Emma King, the co-founder of It Takes Two. I've been running my own businesses since I was 25, and I have to say my success to date has been anything but linear. I have enough "been there and worn the t-shirt" stories to put most people off entrepreneurship for life!

My early entrepreneurial endeavours were filled with hope and excitement, fuelled by my natural superpowers as a visionary. I had enough energy to power a nuclear plant and an abundance of ideas racing through my mind. I loved my work, and life was good but the reality was that none of my ideas received the operational excellence they truly deserved. By the time we got an idea off the ground and started making real money, I was already onto the next one!

It wasn't until 2017 that I realised my superpowers alone would never get me where I wanted to be. I needed a kick-ass second-in-command who could run with my ideas and more importantly, stick with each one until it received the energy and commitment it deserved. That's when Julie Phillips became my COO, and everything changed.

No more micromanaging; instead, I had my finger on the pulse, fully aware of what was happening without needing to hover over my team. Everyone became highly accountable, allowing me to take a month off work to travel without worrying about the chaos I might return to.

Being an entrepreneur has its ups and downs. One of my biggest challenges was during the COVID pandemic, which hit the events industry hard and caused everything to crash down quickly. Our business effectively closed for 18 months, and "pivot" became the word on everyone's lips (cue the sofa and stairs scene from Friends!).

Little did I know that this time of re-evaluation would open doors I didn't know existed. During the pandemic, I became a non-executive director of a telecoms company (something that wasn't on my radar!) and later transitioned to becoming a business coach and Expert in Residence for a global coaching company.

In 2021, I stepped away from the day-to-day operations of my business to achieve my dream of living abroad. It didn't happen overnight; over the years, Julie and I built a relationship based on trust, respect, and open communication. Together, we implemented processes and strategies that allowed me to relocate to Fuerteventura, where I now work on the business just 4 hours a week!

I now invest my time coaching other founders to get out of the weeds and into the life and business they actually want. Whether that's scaling revenue, relocating abroad, or reclaiming their weekends – I'm living proof it's possible.

As a Spanish resident, I live on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands with my husband Paul and have a passion for travel, dancing, cooking (and eating!) and long walks especially by the beach or up in the mountains.

Conversation starters:

Emma is in the Guinness Book of World Records – ask her what for!

Emma is a real foodie – not only does she love to cook she loves fine dining restaurants too – ask her how much she fan girls over her favourite chef (much to the embarrassment of Julie!)