Entrepreneur Interview: Jack Linnett

We recently sat down with Jack Linnett, Co- Founder & CEO at Earthmark - a company which provides environmental performance scores for brands.

In this interview, we speak about what led Jack into the industry, Earthmark's journey, top tips for a first-time entrepreneur and much more.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey — how you got started and what brought you to where you are today?

My background is in products, partnerships and investments in the corporate world at O2. The original idea for what is now Earthmark came in 2020. I roped in an old colleague, Laura, and a friend of a friend, Ollie, to help me figure it out. After plenty of testing, building, rebuilding and a pivot, we launched with our first customer in 2022. By that point, we'd been through various idea competitions, programmes and spoken to anyone that would listen about what we were working on to get their thoughts. Thankfully, O2 allowed me to work on the business alongside my day job until mid-2023, when I went full-time with Earthmark.

What did you want to be when you were 10 years old — and how close did you get?

Something really unique - a pro footballer. Ironically, I was probably the closest I ever got to that dream at 10 years old when I played for Notts County. It all kind of went downhill from there.

What is Earthmark and how did you come up with the idea for it?  

Earthmark is like a Trustpilot for the climate. We do all the digging on a brand's environmental impact to show simple 1-5 scores in places people browse, shop and compare. Our original idea was to build an app showing the most sustainable options to travel, eat and shop nearby. After a lot of digging, we stumbled across a much bigger problem. The sheer amount of data, eco-labels, and certifications out there just switches people off and leads to a lack of action. We all use reviews, and we thought it was pretty bad that it's easier to base a decision on trust and popularity than it is on climate impact.

What’s been the biggest challenge in building Earthmark, and how did you overcome it? What can young entrepreneurs learn from this?

You need all the grit and resilience. There are always cynics, and you will get rejected a lot. You will hear "no" more than you will hear "yes". Having the self-confidence and single-mindedness to keep plugging away and get stuff done somehow, time after time, is the most important thing. We've been entirely self-funded, which is great for maximum control but means resources get stretched and getting the right support for delivery is harder. There have been so many challenges along the way, and many more will come. For example, we went through a trademark battle for our name, "Earthmark", which we luckily won, but that was a big distraction and far from ideal.

What’s your advice for a young person wanting to start a business but doesn’t know where to begin?

Start by starting. It's a motto I picked up working with giffgaff - stop overthinking it and finding reasons why not to start. Get the idea out there, give it a name so it's easier to reference and pitch, talk (and listen!) to people and keep them in the loop as you go.

What industries or areas do you think will have the biggest opportunities for young entrepreneurs who want to create environmentally friendly businesses?

Most businesses nowadays are asking their suppliers and partners to help them out with reducing environmental impact. The business you build will likely need to at least consider environmental performance, regardless of industry, due to demand from stakeholders, if nothing else. In terms of opportunity areas, I'd say there's a need for hardware businesses focused on tangible improvements to materials and production. I'd also say not to shy away from high-emitting industries, as that's where we need the brightest minds with the best ideas to help drive progress. That's not to say there's no opportunity with software in ClimateTech, but there are lots of solutions for measurement and reporting already out there, so competition is high. Choose wisely.

Some people think running a sustainable business means making less money. Do you think it’s possible to be both profitable and environmentally responsible? If so, how?

Yes , the net-zero economy is growing three times faster than the overall economy. Most investors, consumers and employees care about sustainability. Most people are also willing to pay a premium for sustainable products. Just make sure that you are as open as possible about goals and progress, otherwise, people will see straight through it.

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

A personal idol I have is Zinedine Zidane, but he'd be more fun to have a kick-about with rather than dinner. A more philosophical choice would be Yuval Noah Harari, a historian who puts everything into perspective about humans, life and AI. But that conversation might be a bit deep when we've both got a mouthful of food.