The Start-Up Journey: Meet Violet Manners, Founder & CEO of HeritageX

I was inspired to start my business…

After three years on the road, making Duchess the Podcast with my mother. We visited 50 historic houses, meeting custodians who, like her, are navigating heritage in the 21st century.

Through those conversations, I realised two things. First, independent heritage faces shared challenges and opportunities—but there was no collective way to address them. Second, when the podcast aired, I saw the deep global resonance these historic places and stories had. With no marketing budget, we reached 2 million listeners—purely through word of mouth. That was the biggest sign of all.

I created HeritageXplore to fill a gap. The National Trust has built a thriving model for its properties, but nothing like it existed for independent historic houses. I wanted to change that—to give these places a platform, a voice, and a future. 

The initial steps which brought my business to life…

Included spending a long time researching the market, refining our model, and truly understanding the need. I traveled to historic houses, speaking with owners to see if this was something they’d want to be part of. At the same time, I turned to our Duchess the Podcast community—listeners who had already shown a deep love for independent heritage—to gauge their thoughts.

Once I knew the demand was there, I had to take the next step: raising the funds to build this properly. It was essential to create something that would preserve the integrity of heritage while giving us the runway to grow with purpose. Through a series of serendipitous moments and meetings, I was fortunate to secure £400k from incredible angel investors who shared our vision. That support allowed us to turn an idea into a movement.

 

There are challenges…

Despite being ‘live’ for 9 months. We are still figuring out our model on both sides of the heritage marketplace we’ve built but the key to me it seems is keeping my mindset positive and enjoying the journey of figuring this out whilst managing and looking after the houses and customers onboard. 

When it came to funding…

All came together through a series of serendipitous meetings—one conversation leading to another, opening doors to independent angel investors who believed in what we were building. I leveraged the SEIS and EIS investment schemes and, above all, held an unwavering belief in what we could and would achieve.

Energy and determination are contagious. In the early stages—especially during a pre-seed raise—it’s about fully embodying your mission and vision every single day. When you live and breathe it, others can’t help but believe in it too.

When thinking about our pivotal moments…

At this early stage (10 months old) every moment is pivotal to some degree. It definitely helps having a density of houses onboard from an SEO perspective and we’re getting there. It’s a new concept for many houses, so it’s always been something we knew would take time to onboard. I think there’s significant things ahead that’ll impact our business’s trajectory in 2025 and beyond! Watch the space…! 

Building and leading a team…

That aligns with your company’s vision is both a talent and a skill. At first, I got it wrong. But I quickly learned that the key is bringing in people who genuinely believe in the mission—those who are excited by the vision and want to be part of something bigger. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have people involved from the start who share that passion.

When hiring, I always look for skills I don’t have. I want to learn from my team every day, just as they learn from me. That mutual exchange of knowledge and energy creates an environment where we can build for success—together.

Strategies for growth…

Is something we are in the midst of now. Last year was about building the platform and building the team and proof of concept. This year is about growth – as a start up we want to focus on organic growth as much as we possibly can. So ask me again in 12 months and I’ll be able to give you a more solid answer. 😉

A setback…

Was that there were a few investors I really wanted in the business that didn’t come in on the pre-seed round. I never found those knock backs or rejection a setback, I actually enjoyed the way those conversations challenged me and made me think more deeply about the business. Everything is about perspective and no one who builds something new – or certainly I never expected everyone to ‘get it’. That’s why the journey is so important. They can come in at a later date and kick themselves for not doing so sooner 🤣

 Staying motivated and passionate…

Honestly, for me is about routine and always keeping my mindset solution focused and not problems focused. I am a big believer in affirmations and do this most mornings. Abraham Hicks is my favourite to list to as I get dressed and I am lucky to be surrounded by some incredible mentors who I lean on and have done from the very beginning. 

My advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is…

I am such a big believe in acknowledging your unique talents and skills, identifying the opportunity and going at it with your whole heart, soul and mindset. 

The Modems’ Byte-Sized Questions:

 

💻 iOS or Android? – IOS 

 

🎧 Earbuds or over-ear headphones? – earbuds

 

📱 Text or voice notes? – mmm I am guilty of using both. Voice notes are controversial to some but effective on the move. 

 

 📸 Phone Selfie or Proper Digi camera? – Phone selfie

 

💡 Dark mode or light mode? – Light mode 

 

 💄 filters or no filter? – No filters (filters on sleepless nights days) 

 

💳 Apple Pay or designer wallet? – Apple Pay 

 

 📺 Netflix marathon or TikTok scroll? – Netflix marathon

 

 📖 E-book or Audiobook? – Audiobook 

 

🎶 Spotify playlists or YouTube deep dives? – Spotify playlist

 

 🖥️ Desktop setup or laptop on-the-go? – Both. I couldn’t choose!