Exclusive Interview With Vulse Co-Founder - Annika Sanderson

Welcome to our exclusive interview with co-founder, Annika Sanderson. In this insightful discussion, we delve deep into the journey that has led to the growth of Vulse, the challenges encountered, and the vision fueling innovation in the LinkedIn content creation industry. 

Can you share a bit about your personal journey and what led you to the decision to join Vulse?

Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do nor did I know what would interest me enough to make a career out of. I’ve always been a “go with the flow” and “act first, think second” kind of person, however, joining Vulse was a lot more strategic than that.

I knew it was going to be a challenging role, however, the opportunity to be involved in so many different areas of the business and have tangible impact has already been worth the longer days.

I have been able to combine my skills from previous roles in Sales, Recruitment and Employee Advocacy into one role, which in my opinion, was something slightly out of reach with it being so niche. It just goes to show what being active and engaging on LinkedIn can do!

What is your personal connection to solving content creation challenges on LinkedIn? How does it resonate with you on a deeper level?

Being in recruitment and talent acquisition, standing out has always been something I’ve strived towards. I was always thinking about how to position myself as a thought leader in the space as well as gain the trust from candidates.

The question “Why should a candidate choose me as their recruiter?” was constantly at the forefront of my mind. The problems I constantly came across was being consistent and coming up with ideas to post about. I must have spent more time thinking about what to post than doing my job some days. 
 

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance amidst the demands of being a startup co-founder?

If anyone has the answer to this question, I’d love to hear from you.

Having hobbies and staying active has been such a good way to balance my time. Another trick has been adding every task, no matter how big or small, in my diary.

When you are balancing so much, it’s easy for me to forget them if they are not in front of me. Some may say my diary looks ridiculous, but that’s worked very well for me for years now.

Who or what has been your biggest source of inspiration or mentorship along this journey, and how have they influenced your approach to entrepreneurship?

I follow lots of successful entrepreneurs, from whom I will take inspiration from for different areas of my role at Vulse. From a leadership perspective, I have taken loads of inspiration from my previous manager Matt who was instrumental to my success and he helped me build confidence in myself. 

Other examples are entrepreneurs such as Molly Johnson-Jones from Flexa or Suzy Lockwood from ditto. I love empowering women to look up to and examples of successful entrepreneurs who are women because it makes it so much more relatable to me personally. 

What personal strengths or qualities do you believe have contributed most to your success as a co-founder of a content creation startup?

Being from Finland, the Finnish term “Sisu” comes straight to mind. Roughly translated means strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. 

I’ve often been described as adaptable and creative which is a great trait to have in a start-up where priorities shift constantly and you have to think on your feet. 

Lastly, I’d say I’m a people-centric person, so bringing that to my role as a Co-Founder in the form of empowering the awesome team we have here! 
 

Looking ahead, what are your personal aspirations or goals for yourself, both within the context of Vulse and beyond?

Within Vulse I’m excited to continue learning more about leadership and help drive product innovation - introducing new features that create even more value for our users. 

Additionally, guiding the company to the next level while giving back and lifting others up is my definition of success, so I’d love to look back in 5 years and say I had that impact.

On a personal note, I’d love to see more of the world, and tick some bucket list destinations off.

What books, podcasts, or other resources have had a profound impact on your personal or professional growth, and why?

I only listen to a handful of podcasts, which are The Joe Rogan Experience, The Psychology of Your 20’s, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day and Huberman Lab.

All of these podcasts have helped to give me a fresh perspective on a variety of topics across my personal and professional life. 

I’ve only recently gotten into my reading, but a book I always recommend now is “When You’re Ready, This Is How You Heal”. Such a beautiful, powerful and compassionate guidebook offering a practical and insightful approach to healing and personal growth.
 

If someone were to play you in a movie, who would it be and why?

Either Lyndsey Lohan, because as a child people used to say I resemble her a lot (weird, I know) or Angelina Jolie (specifically in her Tomb Raider era), again, because I’ve been told I look like her in those movies. 
 

Final question, if you had a dinner party, who would be your three guests, dead or alive?

This is a really tough one, there are so many fascinating people I’d love to have at a dinner party! One would absolutely be Duncan Trussell, if you know you know. 

Secondly, Steven Bartlett, simply because I think he’d be able to put me in touch with some pretty cool people afterwards. 

Lastly, Katherine Johnson who I heard about quite recently - what a woman! It would be so incredibly fascinating to speak to her and ask her questions being one of the first female data scientists in the world.