014 Holly Holland
Co-founder, Financielle
Holly Holland (Financielle) is the co-founder of Financielle, a personal finance app helping people take control of their money. Alongside her sister Laura Pomfret (Financielle) 💸 she has grown Financielle from a passion project to one of the top finance apps in the world. Yesterday it was picked as App of the Day in the US App Store, which most marketers can only dream of.
“How to grow with limited (no) budget.”
The interview
What’s your coffee ritual?
I hate coffee (I know shocker). I’m a builder’s tea kinda gal through and through. I do indulge in a daily matcha too (hot with coconut milk).
What was your first marketing job?
I was lucky enough to cut my teeth in marketing at Manchester United in the global sponsorships team. I took part in a host of marketing activations with some incredible brands and players.
What finance apps do you have on your home screen?
Financielle. It’s genuinely the only way I can manage my money. Starling is my go-to banking app which hosts my personalised spaces.
Which newsletter, podcast, or book do you recommend most?
I love the Dish podcast. I think Waitrose & Partners have nailed the concept. For the laughs, I love My Therapist Ghosted Me. The Vault with Financielle is obviously my favourite money podcast - we don’t use the F word (finance).
What’s an underrated growth channel in fintech?
Organic social. I think people are quick to jump to paid but we’ve found great success in creating content based on our customers’ struggles and goals.
What keeps you up at night?
How to grow with limited (no) budget.
What are the most useful measurement tools you use in your work?
Mixpanel and RevenueCat help us make data-driven decisions. As a freemium app they help us understand how people are converting through our funnel and what features they’re using.
What’s one fintech brand (other than your own) that’s getting marketing right?
PensionBee UK. I love how they’ve used both above and below the line marketing. In a world where brands are focussing on purely digital they’ve combined the two perfectly.
Why is marketing so hard?
Constant innovation means you need to be an expert across multiple channels. As a startup with limited budget it’s difficult to manage; however we have the advantage of being able to experiment and move quickly.
Whose answers to the above questions would you most like to read?
I’d like to hear from a big player like Starling and also a startup like Sprive. I like to take inspiration from brands with big budgets and those having to remain scrappy like Financielle.