How me&u is Helping People Connect in Real Life

Walk us through your childhood… what played a part in you becoming the founder you are today?

Josh describes his childhood as “solid, middle-class, nothing dramatic.” But two defining influences stand out.

First, his father’s work ethic. “My dad started on the front desk at a bank and worked his way up to the C-suite at a major UK private bank. No university degree—just showing up every day, grinding for 35 years. I watched him leave before sunrise and come home late every night. That stuck with me.”

Second, sports shaped his ability to connect with people. “I played every sport you could think of—football, cricket, rugby. Sports broke down barriers. You had to figure out how to motivate different people, build a team, lead. I still carry that with me today.”

What inspired you to leave your company and join me&u?

After eight years of building his own hospitality tech company, Josh knew it was time for something bigger. “I realized my co-founder and I were in different life stages. I didn’t want guaranteed stability, instead I wanted to take a real swing. I was ready to take more risks.”

The connection to me&u came through business relationships. “We worked together, and they offered me the role at the right time. What got me was the opportunity to see business on a different scale—a team of 200 across the globe, VC backed, with a big problem to solve and exponential growth targets. ”

What’s been the toughest part of scaling me&u?

Without missing a beat, Josh answers: “People. Hiring. Nothing is harder.”

He explains how one wrong hire creates a ripple effect. “The blast radius of a bad hire is huge. It hits your culture, your momentum, your time. And the truth is—your gut knows. Every time I’ve ignored mine, I’ve paid for it. The lesson? Act fast. Waiting just costs more later.”

But people aren’t the only challenge. “Scaling globally forces you to operate at two speeds,” Josh adds. “You’re building structure and process in mature markets while staying scrappy and agile in new ones. That balancing act—creating repeatable playbooks without killing innovation—that’s been one of the hardest things.”

If we fast forward five years, what does success look like for me&u?

Josh paints a clear picture of what’s at stake. “Running a restaurant is getting harder—margins are shrinking, costs keep going up. If we’re successful, we’re part of solving that problem—helping venues run sustainably and profitably.”

But for him, it’s also about connection. “We’re making dining out a more enjoyable experience, giving people a reason to leave the house and connect in real life. That matters. Helping hospitality survive and creating more of those moments—that’s what success looks like to me.”

What’s one of the hardest leadership lessons you’ve learned along the way?

“Your gut is usually right—especially about people.”

Josh learned that waiting too long to make a tough call hurts everyone. “You see the red flags early, but you convince yourself you can fix it. The truth? You usually can’t. Speed matters. The longer you wait, the more it costs you and the team.”

How has your relationship with failure evolved?

Josh admits that failure used to feel personal to him. “I took it hard—like it defined me.” But his mindset has shifted. “Now, failure motivates me. What I really fear is the ‘what if’—the regret of not going all in. I can live with failure if I gave it everything.”

What keeps him up at night, however, is the idea that success was possible. “It’s the thought that I didn’t try hard enough, and that is honestly what drives me.”

Where do you think leaders waste the most time or resources in your space?

Josh is direct: “Exhibitions. Every hospitality tech company throws money at them—it’s a waste. No real ROI, but we all convince ourselves it’s worth it for ‘brand awareness.’”

His other warning? Trying to solve too much, too fast. “Going too broad, too early—that’s a killer. You have to win your lane first. Do one thing better than anyone else. Then expand.”

If you could start me&u over, what would you do differently?

“I’d invest to accelerate the growth we’re already seeing. Investing to create growth, without having already seen the green shoots, is guaranteed to fail.”

Josh breaks it down: “Early on, we grew the team to try to trigger growth, but what we should’ve done was build the right product and engineering foundation first. And honestly—get the comp structure right from day one. Compensation drives behavior. If you screw that up, you pay for it later.”

What’s your go-to productivity habit that keeps you sane?

For Josh, it’s simple: “Sunday planning. Every week, non-negotiable.” “It clears my head and sets my focus. I know what matters going into Monday, and I’m not wasting energy figuring it out during the week.”

Have you had a mentor or someone who shaped how you lead?

Josh doesn’t hesitate: “Robbie, my co-founder at my last company. He pushed me harder than anyone. Made me realize I was playing small—and that I could do more.I think everyone needs that person who forces them to level up. Robbie was that for me.”

You need to identify the people in your team that have high potential. Then give them enough space to grow and learn. Josh states, “Be the lifeguard with the rubber ring, letting them swim in the deep end but being ready to save them when they really need it.”

You can read more about me&u here https://www.meandu.com/
Josh Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-wg-smith/?originalSubdomain=uk