Screw It Just DO It with Alex Chisnall

Welcome to Saturday Solo Episode #341. During this episode, Stop Procrastinating & Fight The Fear, I talk about how today marks the 4th Year Anniversary of Screw It, Just Do It. When I started this podcast, I didn't know or I didn't plan it would lead from episode 1 to now, episode 340! I literally just screw it and just do it clearly. But for all the success the show has now, I did procrastinate and had fears at the very start. And this episode will show you my mistakes and hopefully you will learn from and stop procrastinating and just move forward! Here's some highlights: We fear the unknown, the future but we need to embrace that fear and stop procrastinating. It's 100% mental. If you know it's what you want to do, it's your passion, go for it and just screw it, just do it. In partnership with Pure Sport CBD. Relieve. Relax. Perform. CBD For Active Lifestyles. Use the code 'justdoit20' to get 20% off on your purchase. Learn more about the contents discussed in this episode: Connect with me via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

Welcome to Episode #324: with Farah Nanji, known by her artist alias as NINJA, a highly accomplished public speaker and is one of the few DJs in the world to deliver a TEDx talk. Farah is also the host of the podcast show Mission Makers. During this episode, Living a Limitless Life, we talk about: It's important to stay to in your core in building your business. Being passionate in what you do is the first step in ensuring to being successful. Having difficulties in any aspects of your life shouldn't hinder you in achieving whatever goals you set. On the contrary, it should motivates you and elevates you to a better mindset to be able to conquer it. As humans, music as art and as an entertainment is important in being able to express ourselves specially in these times where we are socially distanced from another. - Always look for a silver lining in a difficult situation. Having a positive mindset helps you transform something negative into something good and successful in the long run. Learn more about the contents discussed in this episode: Connect with Farah via LinkedIn, Instagram, and her Website. Listen to Mission Makers Podcast.

What happens when success leaves you feeling empty?In this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It episode, I revisit my conversation with Dan Murray-Serter, co-founder of Heights and host of Secret Leaders. Dan shares the exact moment he realised his business, Gravel, was winning awards but draining his purpose.Rather than chase growth for the sake of it, Dan and his co-founder made a bold call, to shut the company down, return investor money, and start from zero. Out of that decision came Heights, a brain-care brand built on science, transparency, and genuine wellbeing.This short episode is about the courage to stop, reassess, and rebuild with intention. It’s a must-listen for founders feeling stuck, burned out, or questioning their direction.Key TakeawaysBurnout can be a signal, not a setback. When your work drains you, it’s often a sign to change direction.Success without purpose feels empty. Dan learned that achievements mean little without alignment to your values.Resetting isn’t failure. Ending a company can open space for something far stronger.Build around authenticity. Heights grew from being transparent, not perfect.Courage comes from clarity. Once Dan recognised what felt wrong, the decision to start again became obvious.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs at the NEC Birmingham. What an incredible two days of ideas, connections, and real business insights. If you missed it, stay tuned, we’ll be sharing highlights and conversations from the event on the podcast. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

When the world shut down in 2020, most entrepreneurs hit pause. Andrew Salter hit “go.”In this episode, I speak with Andrew, Co-founder and CMO of DIRTEA, the UK-based functional mushroom brand that’s grown into a global wellness movement. What started as a pivot during the pandemic has become one of the fastest-growing lifestyle brands in health and wellness.Andrew and his brother Simon launched DIRTEA from a personal need to improve focus, recovery and energy, and turned it into a viral brand trusted by athletes, creatives and wellness enthusiasts. From their Selfridges mushroom bar activation to their viral social content, DIRTEA has built a loyal following by combining science, storytelling and community.We talk about the lessons learned from building a brand during a crisis, how to make a niche product mainstream, and the balance between boldness and belief in entrepreneurship. Andrew also shares his honest take on scaling a business, why hiring is the hardest part of growth, and how the US market represents the next big chapter for DIRTEA.If you’re building a product-led business or a brand that challenges convention, this conversation is packed with insights on how to educate a market, create a movement, and lead with purpose.Key Takeaways:Go all in when the moment feels right. Andrew’s “screw it, just do it” moment came when the pandemic hit—he doubled down instead of pulling back.Education drives adoption. DIRTEA’s early success came from demystifying functional mushrooms through social content and real-world experiences.Viral growth is built on authenticity. Their personal story and design-led approach made the brand relatable, human and shareable.Quality builds longevity. Obsession with sourcing, taste and efficacy kept customers coming back.Community over campaigns. DIRTEA’s success came from showing up in person, building a movement and empowering advocates.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs at the NEC Birmingham. What an incredible two days of ideas, connections, and real business insights. If you missed it, stay tuned, we’ll be sharing highlights and conversations from the event on the podcast. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

In this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It episode, I sit down with Adam Rossiter and Elliot Dawes, co-founders of Bulk, one of the UK’s biggest sports and active nutrition brands. What started as two university friends buying supplements from the US turned into a £100 million company built without a single penny of outside investment.Adam and Elliot share how they started with £3,000 on a credit card, packed their own boxes, handled customer service themselves, and slowly built traction through word of mouth and online forums. They talk about the point when they realised they had to grow beyond being two founders doing everything, and how one competitor’s sale changed their mindset about scaling.This segment is a raw and honest look at the early grind of building a business and how discipline, persistence, and belief turned a side hustle into one of the leading names in nutrition.Key Takeaways:How £3,000 in credit card debt became the foundation for a multimillion-pound brand.Why doing every role in your business teaches lessons no MBA can.How to recognise the moment to move from startup chaos to structured growth.The power of reinvesting profit and keeping control instead of chasing funding.Why comparison can push you to level up your business vision.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.🔥 Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs at the NEC Birmingham. What an incredible two days of ideas, connections, and real business insights. If you missed it, stay tuned, we’ll be sharing highlights and conversations from the event on the podcast.Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events.Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies.👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

What drives someone to launch a sushi restaurant with robots, conveyor belts, and a million-pound setup when they’ve never worked in hospitality?In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Simon Woodroffe OBE, the visionary founder behind Yo! Sushi and YOTEL, to talk about risk, creativity, and why going bigger can sometimes be safer.Simon shares how he went from designing rock and roll stages for the likes of Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones to opening the UK’s first conveyor belt sushi bar in 1997. With no investors and limited cash, he pulled off one of the boldest brand launches in modern British food history, financing it through creative deals with Sony, Honda and All Nippon Airways.From those early days in Soho to building YOTEL and beyond, Simon’s story is one of relentless curiosity, self-belief, and calculated risk. He reflects on what drives entrepreneurs, how to balance creativity with operations, and the importance of raising money with confidence.If you’ve ever questioned whether to take the leap on your idea, this episode proves that vision backed by persistence can build an empire.Key TakeawaysRaise money with conviction. Confidence sells your vision as much as the business plan itself.Spend on experience, not advertising. Word of mouth built Yo! Sushi faster than any marketing budget could.Go bigger, not safer. The larger the ambition, the more belief and accountability it attracts.Creativity and execution go hand in hand. Simon’s background in showbiz gave him the tools to design unforgettable customer experiences.Luck favours those who act. Every bold decision opens another door.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs at the NEC Birmingham. What an incredible two days of ideas, connections, and real business insights. If you missed it, stay tuned, we’ll be sharing highlights and conversations from the event on the podcast. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

What does it take to start a billion-dollar company during a financial crisis? In this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It episode, I sit down with Oscar Höglund, co-founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound, to hear how he turned a broken music licensing industry into a global platform used by millions of creators. Oscar shares how he and his co-founders launched Epidemic Sound in 2008 at the height of the recession, why they decided to rewrite the rules of music licensing, and how their vision to “soundtrack the internet” fuelled their growth. His story is a powerful lesson in resilience, timing, and taking risks when others hold back.Key Takeaways:Why starting in a recession can be an advantage for bold entrepreneurs.How Epidemic Sound spotted a broken system and built a solution creators needed.The importance of unrestricted music licensing for the creator economy.Why conviction in your mission matters more than playing by old industry rules.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

When most graduates were applying for traditional jobs, Darcy Laceby made a different choice. At 20, she co-founded Absolute Collagen alongside her mum, Maxine, transforming bone broth experiments at their kitchen table into a £50 million challenger brand. In this conversation, Darcy shares the reality of building a beauty business from scratch, navigating early investment decisions, scaling a direct-to-consumer brand, and working in a family-run business. We also explore the challenges of being a young female founder, how to stand your ground with investors, and why belief in yourself can accelerate growth.Key Takeaways:The early days of Absolute Collagen and how a kitchen-table idea became a £50M brandNavigating the challenges of scaling a family businessThe importance of belief, persistence, and trusting your own expertiseLessons in investment, growth, and leading a fast-scaling teamDarcy’s vision for the future of health, nutrition, and personalised wellness🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.ukRegister her for FREE: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

On this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Indistractable, to unpack the real reason entrepreneurs get stuck. Nir shares how distraction doesn’t come from phones, emails, or social media, but from within. He explains how boredom, stress, and loneliness drive us towards procrastination and how learning to manage internal triggers can change everything. Nir also reveals his simple mantra of consistency over intensity, showing how small, repeatable actions compound into real change in business, health, and life. Whether you are scaling a startup or just trying to stay focused through the noise, this is a practical, no-nonsense framework you can use straight away.Key Takeaways:Distraction starts from internal triggers, not external interruptions.Time management requires pain management, you must address the discomfort you’re trying to escape.Consistency over intensity builds lasting progress in business, health, and creativity.You can’t outsource focus, you must decide how to spend your time and attention.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

On this episode of Screw It Just DO It I sit down with Boris Diakonov and Eduard Panteleev, the co-founders of ANNA Money, the UK-based business account built to make life easier for small business owners. ANNA combines finance, admin and tax tools in one AI-powered platform, complete with its trademark humour and cat logo. In this conversation we cover the “screw it” moment that pushed them to launch, how they chose the UK market despite being newcomers, and what it took to overcome major setbacks like the Wirecard crisis. We also explore how ANNA grew to 50,000 customers, nearly £30 million in annual recurring revenue, and an 80% gross margin. This is a real look at scaling a fintech startup, balancing co-founder dynamics, and keeping customers front and centre.Key Takeaways:Why the UK market was the right place to launch ANNA despite early fearsHow a bold brand identity helped them stand out in a crowded sectorLessons from surviving the Wirecard collapse and keeping customers onsideThe importance of listening, adapting and maintaining trust as co-foundersHow ANNA scaled to £30m ARR and what that means for the future of small business finance🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.ukRegister her for FREE: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

When I sat down with Mike McDerment, founder of FreshBooks, his story reminded me why narrowing focus is often the smartest path to growth. In this Bite-sized episode, you’ll hear how Mike turned a small design problem into a billion-dollar company by obsessing over one specific customer segment.Mike shares how he resisted the temptation to serve everyone, instead targeting only web designers for seven years. That focus built a loyal base and drove word-of-mouth growth far beyond the niche. He talks about bootstrapping from his parents’ basement, raising small angel rounds, and running lean until the first big $30m investment a decade later.If you’re stuck wondering how to get your business moving, this conversation is a blueprint: start small, serve one customer type brilliantly, and let focus fuel scale.Key Takeaways:Identify one clear customer and understand their pain better than they do.Avoid the trap of believing “everyone” is your customer. Focus creates growth.Bootstrapping forces discipline and builds resilience before raising big capital.Word of mouth is powerful when you serve a niche exceptionally well.Scaling requires patience and deliberate planning, not shortcuts.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Nell Daly, founder and managing partner of Revenge Capital. Nell went from a career in clinical psychology to raising a $70 million fund designed to back overlooked and underestimated founders. She explains how her experiences working with people struggling financially shaped her mission to help entrepreneurs access capital, why networking and relationships were central to her journey, and how she sees the future of inclusive investing. We also talk about the challenges she faced as a female fund manager, the importance of persistence in raising capital, and why she believes diverse teams will drive the next wave of global innovation.Key Takeaways:Why persistence and networking matter in raising capitalHow Nell transitioned from psychology to venture capitalThe three criteria she uses for investment decisionsThe importance of diversity and inclusion in building successful startups🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

In this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It episode, I revisit my conversation with Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, who sold the smoothie brand to Coca-Cola for over $500 million. Richard shares how Innocent started as three friends selling smoothies at festivals and grew into Europe’s leading healthy drinks company without a master plan or exit strategy. He explains why mission and friendship mattered more than chasing returns, how resilience carried them through setbacks like 2008, and why Jam Jar Investments was launched just 48 hours after selling Innocent to support the next wave of UK founders. This episode is a direct look at scaling a brand, surviving challenges, and giving back to the startup ecosystem.Key Takeaways:Growth often comes without a master plan—execution matters more than theoryMission-driven businesses outlast founder-driven onesResilience is key, even when setbacks wipe out years of progressFriendship and shared values can sustain a founding team for the long haulSupporting other entrepreneurs is as important as building your own success🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

I’m joined by Jo Dalton, a serial founder, investor, and champion of female entrepreneurs — to talk about what it really takes to build leadership teams, back founders, and scale businesses without losing your edge. Jo founded JD & CO after years in corporate, determined to create a recruitment firm that actually supports entrepreneurs instead of chasing commission. She’s helped early-stage founders grow into unicorns, invested in female-led businesses, and built a reputation on authenticity and trust rather than traditional sales tactics. In this episode, we talk about how to spot founder potential, why grit and resilience matter more than anything else, the biggest red flags she sees in leadership, and why AI is about to reshape the job market. Jo also shares why maintaining a startup mentality during scale-up is crucial, how to secure smart capital, and the cultural changes the UK needs to compete with the US on scale-ups. Key TakeawaysHiring for Scale-Ups: Why speed can hurt hiring decisions and how to balance urgency with quality.Spotting Founder Potential: The traits Jo looks for, from obsession to self-awareness.Female Founder Funding: Why smart capital and female-led funds are changing the landscape.AI and the Future of Work: The skills young people should focus on to thrive in the next decade.Maintaining Startup Mentality: How to keep your culture alive as you grow. Whether you’re a founder, an investor, or scaling your team, this conversation is packed with insight from someone who has spent years inside the real growth stories. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I speak with Maxine Laceby, founder of Absolute Collagen. Maxine launched the business at 50 from her kitchen table after raising her two daughters, turning a simple idea for bone broth into one of the UK’s fastest-growing beauty supplement brands now valued at over £50 million. She shares how her journey was never about chasing investor returns but about doing things properly, respecting her team, and staying true to her values. We discuss her screw it just do it moment, the role her family has played in the business, and why she believes authenticity and empowerment should always guide brand messaging.Key Takeaways:It’s never too late to start a businessAuthenticity creates customer loyalty and long-term growthFamily-run businesses need mutual respect for strengths and weaknessesInvestment should be about finding the right partners, not just the moneyEmpowering customers matters more than exploiting insecurities🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.ukRegister her for FREE: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

When the world shut down, Maria Hatzistefanis doubled down. In this episode, I sat down with the founder of Rodial and Nip+Fab, who shared exactly how she pivoted during the pandemic, scaled her beauty empire to 35 countries, and leveraged both old-school trade shows and new-school DTC strategies to build a global brand.Maria gets honest about the reality of expanding into international markets, the unexpected complexity of going truly global, and what it takes to stay relevant in an industry built on constant reinvention. Whether you're selling skincare or software, the lessons here are universal: stay close to your customer, stay curious, and be ready to evolve.Key Takeaways:Trade shows were instrumental in Rodial's early global strategy.Digital marketing and DTC became essential after losing wholesale revenue.Maria’s shift to Instagram Stories helped her connect directly with customers.Success came from listening to market-specific needs (e.g. product formulations for Asia vs. the US).Hiring local teams is non-negotiable for successful international expansion.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

From a pop-up shop to a team of over 20, Candy Kittens is the top in brand building and entrepreneurial persistence. In this bite-sized episode, I talk with Jamie Laing and Ed Williams about the first hires, building a team organically, and how they launched a sweet brand with zero background in food or drink.You’ll hear how they leveraged social media and created a nationwide “sweet team” of micro-ambassadors before even having a finished product. We also talk about the importance of staying true to your brand, resisting shortcuts, and building something that lasts.If you’re thinking about starting a product business, growing a consumer brand, or figuring out your first move as a founder, this one’s for you.Key TakeawaysBuild your team around what the business needs, not just good intentionsGrassroots ambassadors can outperform influencers when done rightSocial proof isn’t just about follower count, it’s about the right people18 months of product development was worth it to maintain brand integrityPersistence and resilience will outlast rejection🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

When Aron Gelbard co-founded Bloom & Wild in 2013 with just £30,000 in savings, the online flower delivery market had no standout brands, inconsistent quality, and poor customer experience. Fast-forward to today and Bloom & Wild has delivered over 30 million flowers, raised £120M in funding, and pioneered the letterbox flower format that’s now industry-defining. In this episode, Aron shares how customer feedback shaped the business from day one, the pivotal mistakes that became turning points, and why culture and values like “Care Wildly” have been critical to growth. We dive deep into early-stage challenges, international acquisitions, scaling operations across nine countries, and building a brand people genuinely love. If you’re serious about building a scale-up that balances innovation, customer obsession, and sustainable growth, this is an episode you’ll want to study.Key TakeawaysWhy solving an emotional problem in a “broken” industry gave Bloom & Wild its competitive edge.How early mistakes with packaging taught vital lessons about iterative growth.The role of culture and values (“Care Wildly”, “Think Deeply, Act Swiftly”) in retaining top talent.Customer acquisition strategies that turned recipients into loyal customers.The challenges of international expansion during a pandemic and integrating acquisitions.Fundraising insights: why investors buy into a vision, not just risk mitigation.Expanding product lines beyond flowers to unlock new revenue streams.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

In this Bite-sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, I speak with Magnus Grimeland, founder and CEO of Antler, one of the fastest-scaling early-stage VC platforms in the world.Magnus has helped Antler grow to 21 offices across six continents, backing nearly 400 startups in the process. But this conversation focuses on something deeper than capital: community. He shares how they built a global founder network that supports collaboration, peer learning, and talent access, all with a hyper-local approach tailored to each region.You’ll hear how they’ve used tech infrastructure to support remote founders, what role community plays in startup success, and how you can apply the same thinking to scale your own ecosystem, whether you're a founder or investor.It’s a sharp, strategic look at what it really takes to scale something global without losing the intimacy and value of local connections.Key Takeaways:Founder support is more than funding, it’s infrastructureCommunity building is critical to startup successTech-enabled networks can scale trust and collaborationHyper-local execution wins in global expansionStartup ecosystems thrive on shared learning, not competition🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

How do you go from a £500 startup to a £200 million brand?On this week’s Screw It Just DO It, I speak to Juliet Barratt, co-founder of Grenade. If you've ever picked up a Carb Killa bar, you’ve seen the impact of brand, timing, and relentlessness in action. Juliet and her husband launched Grenade during a recession, built it into a market leader, and sold it to Mondelez for a nine-figure sum.But this isn’t just another glossy success story.Juliet opens up about the toll of selling your business, what she’d do differently, and why founders need to be laser-focused on product, branding, and fit. She also shares hard-earned lessons about scaling with your partner, the value of mentorship, and what the real road to a global brand looks like. Whether you're building a business, preparing for a raise, or staring down an exit, this is the unfiltered version most founders never hear.Key TakeawaysBrand is everything. Distinctive packaging and positioning were critical to Grenade standing out in a saturated market.Timing matters. Launching during a recession forced focus and discipline, but also provided unexpected opportunities.The exit isn’t always a win. Juliet opens up about regretting their early sale of equity and the emotional cost of parting with the brand.Founders must protect focus. Know when to bring in professionals, and stay close to what makes the brand work.Scaling with a partner is hard. Clear boundaries and mutual respect were vital to building Grenade as a husband-and-wife team.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship