‘Malta’s simply not set up for start-ups’ – Few Co-Founder Jamie North

As taking care of one’s physical health gets more and more accessible, Few Co-Founder Jamie North thought it was high time we started paying as much attention to our mental and spiritual wellbeing.

That’s why Mr North’s app-based start-up looks to facilitate the maintenance of all three pillars of one’s health – all whilst making it easier for experts in said areas to reach their target audience.

“I launched Few for two main reasons. Growing up, I witnessed my mother – who was a reiki master – struggle with the confidence and means to promote herself and her skills. A few years ago, after a friend of mine came back from India as a certified yoga instructor, conversations with her led me to understand that she didn’t have the tools or know-how to get a business going,” Mr North tells MaltaCEOs.mt.

“I realised that practitioners in the health and wellbeing space would benefit from a platform that elevated these individuals by handling the marketing, branding, business automation, and payment side of running a business. Following a successful proof of concept in the summer of 2019, I realised there was a demand for a product like Few,” he recalls.

Soon after Few’s proof of concept was a confirmed success, the start-up’s team started building a minimum viable product (MVP). This was launched just over a year after the proof of concept, thus allowing the Few team to gain data, information, and feedback.

“Since then, growth has been steady, and we now have over 2,000 downloads. We’re now readying ourselves to launch across European regions next year,” Mr North forecasts.

Despite still being in its early days, Few has already exhibited substantial potential – and it’s all thanks to its team’s hard work and dedication.

“It’s been incredible to witness the growth of the business and seeing something that was a sketch in the summer of 2019 come to life,” the Co-Founder recalls.

“We ran our first Few Originals session a few weeks ago and being able to feel the value we’re giving to people, through something we’ve created, is unbelievable,” he adds.

The Few team was lucky enough to have been in the early stages of the app’s development when the pandemic hit, thus allowing them to “navigate around it.”

“As we’re a digital platform, we’ve been able to adapt quite easily, making us pandemic-proof. We have online sessions such as free meditation sessions, yoga sessions, painting sessions, standard workouts, and Zumba, all of which can take place whether there are lockdowns or not,” the Co-Founder notes.

Highlighting the app’s benefits for users, Mr North points out that, apart from allowing them to work on their three pillars of health, people who use Few can “also gain knowledge about their well-being.”

“We’re really trying to make everyone aware of the importance of stopping, slowing down, looking after themselves, and understanding how balanced they are and what they can do to balance themselves,” he continues.

As Few joins the chorus of foreign start-ups finding their footing in Malta, Mr North highlights that there’s more to the local entrepreneurial sphere than the success stories.

“Honestly, it’s been very difficult [founding and leading a start-up in Malta]. [The country’s] simply not set up for start-ups,” he says.

“I know they’re trying to change this, but the amount of bureaucracy, the cost of services, and lack of solid start-up benefits mean that I’m aware of more start-ups that have come and gone to other countries than stayed put. There’s a lot of potential, but it still needs a lot of work,” Mr North concludes.