40 Minute Mentor

“I think we over index on the significance of education at the cost of other important parts of the social mobility conversation.”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gary Izunwa, Co-Founder and CEO of Tangent.  Tangent is an employee referral platform that makes referrals accessible to everyone and NOT just the privileged few with the best networks.  Prior to Tangent, Gary worked at LinkedIn and the British Council leading programmes for ‘Generation UK’, a multimillion pound campaign, committed to social mobility.  Most recently, Gary has also been named in the 2024 class of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Social Impact.  In today’s episode, we’ll explore his career to date, the journey of building Tangent and the power of mentorship and social mobility…  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Reframing mistakes & failure [02:39]  ➡️ Growing up with an entrepreneurial mind [05:24]  ➡️ A successful early career at LinkedIn [07:49]  ➡️ Taking a 80% salary cut to drive social mobility [13:36]  ➡️ Starting Tangent - the origin [16:44]  ➡️ Harsh learnings from building without your customer [23:29]  ➡️ The power & gaps of recruitment referrals [29:26]  ➡️ Closing social mobility gaps [32:40]  ➡️ Gratitude complex of socially mobile people [37:32]  ➡️ Audience question: Building your personal brand on LinkedIn [44:40]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Gary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyizunwa/  ➡️ Check out Tangent: https://www.jointangent.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You work so hard for something you’ve dreamt of for so long and then you achieve it and it’s nothing like you imagined it would be…”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Lottie Whyte, Co-Founder and CEO of MyoMaster, the home of sports recovery and a brand on a mission to unlock every athlete’s greatest performance.  If you’re an avid BBC Dragons Den watcher, then you’ll have seen Lottie and her Co-Founder and husband, Joe, on the most recent series, where they won an incredible £100,000 investment from Gary Neville and Sara Davies.  In today’s episode we not only discuss this latest impressive milestone in Lottie’s journey, but also look back on humble beginnings at their kitchen table and Lottie’s successful career in PR and advertising.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Lottie’s upbringing and early influences [02:24]  ➡️ Becoming the youngest board member at M&C Saatchi [04:22]  ➡️ MyoMaster’s origin story [09:01]  ➡️ The power of resilience & fundraising advice [13:20]  ➡️ Why VC investment isn’t for everyone [14:48]  ➡️ Why Dragons Den & the behind the scenes scoop [16:39]  ➡️ Winning over Gary Neville and Sara Davies [21:04]  ➡️ Building on the Dragons Den momentum [22:12]  ➡️ Advice for applying to Dragons Den [24:51]  ➡️ Balancing wellbeing and entrepreneurship [26:13]  ➡️ Audience question: How do you navigate being business partners, a married couple and parents with Joe? [31:10]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Lottie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lottie-whyte-07205918/  ➡️ Check out MyoMaster: https://myomaster.com/  ➡️ Watch MyoMaster on Dragons Den: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZsJjuo-QnU   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s never felt easy. There’s never been a single day where it’s felt easy. The winds are always hardwired for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a lot of fun.”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Morgan Fowles, CEO of popular sustainable activewear and athleisure brand, TALA.  If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you would have already come across TALA, when we caught up with Founder, Grace Beverley in Season 5.  In this episode, we find out more about Morgan’s career in fashion, including her exec role at Thomas Pink Shirtmaker, COO at SPOKE and how she became CEO of TALA in 2023.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Growing up across the pond & Morgan’s love for fashion [04:47]  ➡️ A career in fashion [06:37]  ➡️ Advice for any successful COO [11:13]  ➡️ Breaking into the fashion industry [16:54]  ➡️ Joining TALA and progressing to CEO [19:47]  ➡️ More about TALA [21:40]  ➡️ Founder and CEO relationship [28:00]  ➡️ Making £1m in revenue in an hour [31:00]  ➡️ Hiring for TALA [37:35]  ➡️ The future of sustainability in fashion [40:32]  ➡️ Audience question: What would you change about the fashion industry? [43:25]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Morgan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganfowles/  ➡️ Listen to Grace Beverley’s 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/podcasts/scaling-a-purpose-driven-business-whilst-creating-balance-with-grace-beverley/  ➡️ Check out TALA: https://www.wearetala.com/    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“They say all the best businesses in the world have nearly died three times. It’s an inevitable journey you go on when you're creating a high growth business.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Radha Vyas, Co-Founder and CEO of adventure travel startup, Flash Pack.  Flash Pack is on a mission to create 1 million friendships through connecting solo travellers in their 30s and 40s to go on adventure trips they'll never forget.  Since inception, Flash Pack has been on an incredible journey - reaching £20m turnover with a team of 60. However, with Covid hitting the travel industry the hardest, and with countless refunds from their customers, Flash Pack’s revenue quickly dropped down to zero.  Fast forward to today, Radha and the Flash Pack team are quickly exceeding pre-Covid goals, have raised £5m for their expansion in the US and now have a team of 70, spread across the globe.  In today’s episode, we’ll dive into every part of Radha’s journey to date and the crucial lessons she’s learned from rebuilding Flash Pack.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Radha’s entrepreneurial aspirations from an early age [4:45] ➡️ Starting Flash Pack off the back of a first date [10:08] ➡️ From idea to early-stage startup - the lessons learned [16:15] ➡️ How a selfie in Brazil became an accelerator for Flash Pack [20:43] ➡️ From flying high to an abrupt stop with Covid [27:07] ➡️ Navigating Founder life & being married to your Co-Founder [34:04] ➡️ Rebuilding after Covid - Flash Pack 2.0 [37:21] ➡️ An honest reflection on building a diverse team [39:20] ➡️ Hiring for values fit vs culture fit [42:14] ➡️ Audience question: Where is next on your travel list? [45:33] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Radha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radha-vyas-flashpack/  ➡️ Book your next trip with Flash Pack: https://www.flashpack.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success and being willing to take on the risk even though it doesn’t make much sense. It’s about going ahead anyway and changing the odds yourself.”  In our first episode of Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor, we’re joined by Richard Robinson, Founder and CEO of Robin AI.  Robin AI is a leader in legal AI and empowers legal teams and lawyers all over the world to make contract processes effortless.  In today’s episode you’ll find out how Richard has built Robin AI from ideation to 100+ employees, 72+ global customers and $32 million raised to date.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ From growing up in Birmingham to starting Robin AI [4:51] ➡️ Becoming a debate champion [6:51] ➡️ From lawyer to Founder [9:06] ➡️ Building an AI legal assistant: Robin AI’s origin story [14:20] ➡️ Building one of the most diverse companies in Europe [17:58] ➡️ The changes in the legal sector [21:40]  ➡️ The future of AI in 2024 and beyond [25:14] ➡️ Securing $32 million in fundraising [27:40] ➡️ Why you shouldn’t have to convince investors [29:29] ➡️ The impact of picking the right investors [30:52] ➡️ Hiring advice: Why you shouldn’t add that additional interview round [35:06]  ➡️ Audience Question: What do you want the law industry to look like in ten years from now? [39:57]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Richard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardgrobinson/  ➡️ Find out more about RobinAI: https://www.robinai.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success, and just being willing to take on the risks…” Welcome back to Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor - your pocket-sized career mentor.  We’ve got 13 weeks of non-stop mentorship from some of the best in the industry, coming up for you.  Before we kick off the series with our first 40 Minute Mentor next week, we thought we’d share a few soundbites with you of what’s to come…  In this series trailer, you’ll hear from:  ⭐ Gary Izunwa, Co-Founder & CEO of Tangent  ⭐ Morgan Fowles, CEO at TALA ⭐ Natasha Ratanshi-Stein, Founder of Surfboard  ⭐ Radha Vyas, Co-Founder of Flash Pack ⭐ Richard Robinson, Founder &CEO of Robin AI  And this is only the start of it.  For even more pocket-sized mentorship, make sure you 🔔 subscribe and tune in every Wednesday morning for the latest episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like that we’re closing another year of 40 Minute Mentor.  This year, we surpassed our 200 published episodes mark and are fast approaching 1 million downloads.  Before we kick off a brand new feature series in the new year, we asked some of our biggest 40 Minute Mentor fans for their nominations for the best episode of 2023. From scaling teams to Founder mistakes and investment advice, our guests may range across industries but they all align on one thing - sharing pocket-sized career mentorship with you all.  So, for one final time this year, join us to discover the best episodes of the past 12 months.  We’d also love to know YOUR favourite episode, so feel free to drop our producer Hannah a note on hannah@jbmc.co.uk  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow JBM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true ➡️ Find out more about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we’re nearing the end of the year, your 40 Minute Mentor Host, James Mitra, takes a moment to reflect on the last 12 months of podcasting and what the year ahead may have in store.  A huge thank you for all your support over the last 12 months - we wouldn’t be where we are without you!  If you have any feedback, topic or guest ideas for 2024, please get in touch on hannah@jbmc.co.uk - we always love hearing from you!  For now, all that’s left to say is - Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas (if you’re celebrating!) and see you next Wednesday for more pocket-sized mentorship!  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow JBM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true ➡️ Find out more about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The thing I love a lot about startups, it’s like a personal self-development course at a rapid rate.” For our final episode in our Replay series, we’re joined by Sharmadean Reid MBE, Founder of The Stack World, a platform for the women’s creator economy to buy and sell from each other.  In this candid episode, we chat about Sharmadean’s Founder journey from a nail salon to a global mecca for aspiring entrepreneurs, and ultimately starting The Stack World.  We discuss the lessons she learned, the mistakes she’s made and her vision for the future, including:  ➡️ How her childhood and education influenced her career [03:52] ➡️ The start of her Founder journey, opening her first nail salon [06:27] ➡️ First time challenges of a startup Founder [10:14] ➡️ The problem with saying yes to everything [11:01] ➡️ Reflections on her time at WAH London [12:14] ➡️ The beauty of failing fast [14:26] ➡️ Business trauma: the realities of starting a second venture [15:48] ➡️ A closer look at VC backed startups [17:54] ➡️ Leadership evolution: being a magpie of information [19:20] ➡️ The core reason for friction in the workplace [20:20] ➡️ Navigating a new business amidst the COVID pandemic [22:42] ➡️ How the pandemic affected women in the workplace [26:36] ➡️ The Stack World: Creating a network of mission-driven women [28:18] ➡️ Gender equality and representation across industries [30:57] ➡️ Finding the balance in mentorship [32:59] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sharmadean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmadeanreid/ ➡️ Find out more about The Stack World: https://www.thestack.world/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The importance of the team around you, having focus and discipline and the awareness of facing setbacks… it’s been great to bring the things I’ve learned from sport into the business world.” From the 2012 Olympic poster girl to Founder of FemTech brand, Jennis… today’s 40 Minute Mentor Replay episode is with none other than Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. In this episode we talked about the ins and outs of Jess’s phenomenal sporting career and her pivot into the business world with Jennis - a women’s hormonal health platform, with the goal to help women understand what’s happening hormonally.  Tune in to the full episode to explore:  ➡️ The realistic road to success [04:32] ➡️ Jess’ introduction to sport and falling into athletics [05:52] ➡️ Dealing with pressure and making sacrifices [07:52] ➡️ How to support children without being a pushy parent [09:39] ➡️ Reliving the ups and downs of Super Saturday [13:03] ➡️ Focusing on one event at a time and taking home Gold [15:04] ➡️ Exploring the other side of success [16:40] ➡️ Motherhood and Jess’s motivation to get back out there [17:23] ➡️ Coping with retirement and starting again [23:05] ➡️ From athlete to FemTech Founder, how Jennis began [26:56] ➡️ The Jennis mission - putting women first [29:11] ➡️ Closing the gender data gap in women’s health [30:55] ➡️ Transitioning from sport to Startup life [32:18] ➡️ Aligning personal values with company culture [34:09] ➡️ The emotional rollercoaster of fundraising [36:37] ➡️ Providing mentorship for the England Rugby team [39:13] ➡️ The humble insights into being a role model [43:20] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dame-jessica-ennis-hill-a84b5420b/ ➡️ Find out more about Jennis: https://www.jennis.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I was most unhappy at work when I was making the most money and the biggest amount of success.”  From a successful career at Google, to the journey of making 1 billion people happy.That is the story of Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer of Google X, author of Solve for Happy and Founder of One Billion Happy.  It’s an episode full of wisdom, honesty and candid reflections.  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor Replay, Mo shares his incredible story, including spending 25 years in tech and the devastating experience of losing his son in 2014 which set him on a completely new path.  Today’s episode topics:  ➡️  Heartbreak and loss, finding a new purpose in pain [04:31] ➡️  The beginning of his happiness journey [06:34] ➡️  Going viral with 1 Billion Happy [07:44] ➡️  Committed acceptance in the face of grief [09:29] ➡️  Anger lessons from Gandhi’s grandson [13:26] ➡️  Mo’s work as a happiness engineer [15:27] ➡️  The three ingredients for success [20:14] ➡️  Finding your purpose by knowing what doesn’t resonate [23:12] ➡️  The infinite game called life [25:08] ➡️  Finding micro-purposes in the everyday [27:40] ➡️  The power of making happiness a choice [33:05] ➡️  Definition of happiness is and the golden age of compassion [34:32] ➡️  Allowing yourself to be a mentee, using your circle of support [37:31]  ➡️  The problem with being remembered… [39:34] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Mo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mogawdat/➡️ Find out more about One Billion Happy: http://onebillionhappy.org/➡️ Listen to Mo’s podcast, Slow Mo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slo-mo-a-podcast-with-mo-gawdat/id1508914142   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Globally, a third of all the food we produce each year gets thrown away. Meanwhile, 800 million people go to bed hungry, who could be fed with a quarter of the food we waste in the Western world.”  Did you know that roughly one third of the world's food is wasted? Meanwhile, 1 in 9 people on our planet are either starving or malnourished... This is something today’s 40 Minute Mentor is on a mission to change.  In today’s replay episode, we’re joined by Tessa Clarke, the Co-Founder and CEO of the popular sharing app Olio. Tessa’s career has taken her down many paths, including consulting and publishing to MD of eCommerce at Dyson.  We first shared this episode three years ago, and the message is as important as ever, if not more so.  Tune in to explore: ➡️ Pivoting from consulting to Startup Founder [02:30] ➡️ Creating your path in consulting [05:06] ➡️ Transitioning from consulting to industry [06:40] ➡️ The excitement of feeling the fear in new roles [08:15] ➡️ Taking Dyson on a digital journey [09:14] ➡️ Leadership lessons from James Dyson [12:53] ➡️ The importance of surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you [14:06] ➡️ Building a mission-driven career plan, Tessa’s journey to entrepreneurship [15:20] ➡️ The lightbulb moment that started Olio’s journey [17:08] ➡️ Tackling the food waste pandemic [18:19] ➡️ Ambassadors helping you scale your mission-driven business [19:45] ➡️ We are ‘theoretically more connected’ but more lonely - a focus on community [23:21] ➡️ Championing diversity and prioritising at the board level [24:34] ➡️ Advice for diverse Founders tackling biassed questions in fundraising [27:28] ➡️ Recruiting from your community to tackle the hiring challenge [30:05] ➡️ Top tips: How we can all contribute to combat the global food waste problem [32:54] ➡️ Finding mentorship organically and learning from your peers [35:55]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Tessa Clarke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tecook/➡️ Find out more about Olio: https://olioapp.com/en/ ➡️ Check out Tessa’s ‘Where Are They Now’ episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/tessa-clarke-scaling-olio/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“People often say to me, sport is different from business, it's not. Business is about delivering results through people.”   In our first episode of our 40 Minute Mentor Replay series, we’re re-visiting our episode with the brilliant Sir Clive Woodward, World Cup winning England Rugby coach and former Director of Sport for the London 2012 Olympics.  After spending his childhood with big dreams of becoming a professional footballer, it was playing rugby at his local club as a kid that started Sir Clive down the path to becoming the first England Coach to lift the Rugby World Cup in 2003. In today’s episode, you’ll discover:  ➡️ Sir Clive’s first ever job at Xerox [02:20] ➡️ The power of failures and setbacks [04:13] ➡️ The realities of being the first full time professional Rugby coach [05:34] ➡️ Delivering results through people, in business and in sport [07:03] ➡️ The moment that trumped England's World Cup win, at a pub in New Zealand [11:23] ➡️ Great teams are made of great individuals - the magic formula [14:29] ➡️ Managing a range of personalities when building team culture [16:51] ➡️ Ensuring people in your team feel safe to speak their mind [20:23] ➡️ CTUP - the framework needed for winning and handling pressure [22:29] ➡️ How Clive uses 3D learning to build high performing teams [26:29] ➡️ The simple but powerful habits to build a healthy lifestyle [29:32] ➡️ Staying hungry for learning and following what you love [33:15] ➡️ A leadership lesson: The best ideas come from the team [36:34] ➡️ The importance of creative abrasion [38:13] ➡️ Bringing successful people into a team, shining a light on mentorship [40:03] ➡️ Sir Clive’s legacy: Making it to the top, and being inclusive [43:16] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sir Clive: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirclivewoodward/➡️ Find out more about his Apex2100 Ski Academy: https://www.apex2100.org/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That's a wrap on Series 10! And what a 12 weeks it has been.  We have been joined by some incredible Founders and leaders, who have been refreshingly vulnerable, sharing the highs and lows of their entrepreneurial journeys, with lots of wisdom and mentorship shared along the way.  From building the Uber of volunteering, to changing the world with ethical AI, we have covered SO much in our tenth series and hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have.  Thank you so much for all your support along the way - today your host, James Mitra, reflects on this latest series and what we have coming up next... ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Every business that I’ve founded has been on the brink of disaster, and one of the big lessons is that the business you started is never the business you end up with.”And just like that, we have made it to the final episode of Series 10 of 40 Minute Mentor.For our series finale, we’re joined by multi-exit Founder, Investor, board advisor and author - the brilliant Debbie Wosskow OBE. We cover a range of topics with Debbie, including her whirlwind journey as an entrepreneur - building and exiting incredible businesses, including PR and marketing consultancy Mantra (sold in 2007), Love Home Swap (sold in 2017) and AllBright (exit in 2022).  All the way to today and her latest ventures - WJV LLP, a boutique investment and strategic innovation firm, championing diversity, wellness and economic empowerment, and The Better Menopause, empowering women’s performance at midlife through science-backed products.  Debbie shares some truly candid insights from her journey as a Founder, including:  ➡️ Growing up in an entrepreneurial family [04:20] ➡️ Early beginnings selling scrunchies [06:30]  ➡️ The power of being a “simple” entrepreneur and controlling margins [07:07] ➡️ Bringing business & entrepreneurship into schools [08:33] ➡️ A brief stint in management consulting & building her first business at 25 [11:36] ➡️ How a Christmas film inspired the start of Love Home Swap [13:37] ➡️ Serendipity and combining purpose with profit [15:35] ➡️ Reflections on having fun, making money and not working with ar$eholes [17:17] ➡️ Finding the resilience to keep getting back into the Founder seat [19:55] ➡️ Making the shift from operational CEO to board advisor [21:34] ➡️ Self-doubt, exhaustion, relationship strains: Founder realities [22:55] ➡️ Finding comfort in a routine when things are falling apart [26:39] ➡️ Building a network for women, by women - the early days and growth of AllBright [29:00] ➡️ Building WJV LLP and going beyond angel investing [33:20] ➡️ Putting women’s health top of the agenda & building The Better Menopause [36:54] ➡️ Driving awareness at pace and supporting women through the menopause [40:22] ➡️ Realities of building a business to exit & the conflicting emotions you’re left with as a Founder  [41:45] ➡️ Audience question: Being remembered for the future of female entrepreneurs [46:45]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Debbie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiewosskowobe/➡️ Find out more about WJV LLP: https://www.wjv-llp.com/about-us➡️ Find out more about The Better Menopause: https://thebettermenopause.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Paying people well and giving them lunches when they come to the office can be really good… but the best people are motivated by their growth and development.” For the final Monday episode of Series 10, we're joined by Steve Coulson, Founder and CEO of Kitt - the business that creates and manages custom HQs for the world’s most vibrant brands. Before Kitt, Steve built B2B parking platform and B2C app, JustPark, to 50,000+ locations and 5m+ drivers.  Today, we discuss Steve’s entrepreneurial journey and the lessons learned along the way, including: ➡️  From investment banking to Startup life [1:12] ➡️  Entrepreneurial environment & his upside down career [04:35] ➡️  Leaving JustPark and Kitt’s origin story [07:50] ➡️  The deafening silence of entrepreneurship [11:12] ➡️  From serving startups to the biggest brands in the world [13:49]  ➡️  Building momentum & early lessons learned [14:55]  ➡️  Navigating the pandemic and finding silver linings [18:44] ➡️  The post-pandemic rush and revisiting fundraising [22:52] ➡️  Unpacking the future of the office [25:30] ➡️  Creating an amazing space for your team & culture [28:52]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-coulson-1521a743/ ➡️ Find out more about Kitt: https://www.kittoffices.com/en/ ➡️ Hear more from Kitt’s Co-Founder & COO, Lucy: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/coo-secrets/coo-secrets-with-lucy-minton-co-founder-coo-at-kitt/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We live on an ocean planet, and we have this strange relationship where we assume it’s all been discovered, but it actually hasn’t…”  For the penultimate week of this Series of 40 Minute Mentor, we’re joined by Steve Etherton, President EMEA of DEEP - an international research and development organisation who aim to become the NASA of the ocean.  Having placed Steve Etherton with DEEP, when they were still in stealth mode, we’re so excited to finally be able to welcome him to the podcast and find out about DEEP’s mission to radically advance how humankind access, explore and inhabit underwater environments. Before joining DEEP, Steve spent 12 years in the British Army and a decade growing one of Africa’s fastest growing FinTechs.  Tune in to discover: ➡️  Finding the balance between entrepreneurship and the rest of life [03:35]  ➡️  Starting his career in the Military & leadership lessons [06:51]  ➡️  Transitioning out of the Army [08:02]  ➡️  How Africa’s rocketship FinTech began and went on to raise $90 million [09:25]  ➡️  Figuring out what type of COO you want to be [10:59]  ➡️  DEEP’s mission to make humans aquatic [13:24]  ➡️  Coming out of stealth mode & learnings from early build [18:04]  ➡️  Tackling the climate crisis [21:10]  ➡️  Developing underwater habitats [24:46]  ➡️  Being driven, fearless and curious: an insight into DEEP’s culture & hiring practices [26:49]  ➡️  Evolution of leadership styles [30:24]  ➡️  Audience question: Understanding the oceans, a note for underwater living sceptics [32:48]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-etherton-91190a24/ ➡️ Find out more about DEEP: https://www.deep.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I want to create my own space. I don't want to have to fit into someone else's whitewashed marketing… I want to create fashion that shows people like me.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor takeover, Samuel Tholley. Founder of Hidden Pages, is joined by Rosette Ale, Founder of Revival - a sustainable fashion label redesigning discarded clothes into contemporary designs for a cleaner and cooler planet. Samuel and Rosette know each other from university and have a really insightful and refreshing conversation in today’s episode, covering the following topics:  ➡️ The start of Revival and the mind of a young entrepreneur  [01:31] ➡️ Challenges of entering the fashion world [04:49] ➡️ Mentorship, crowdfunding and being bold [07:34] ➡️ Fostering a good mentor mentee relationship [12:06] ➡️ The importance of representation and breaking down barriers [15:02] ➡️ Diversifying the fashion industry [17:59]➡️ Shifting diversity from a tick box exercise [19:52] ➡️ Accessibility to sustainability & mentality shifts [21:42] ➡️ Doing your part towards living more sustainably and saving the planet [25:46] ➡️ Where to follow Revival & Rosette’s journey [31:38]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-tholley-758135105/ ➡️ Connect with Rosette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosette-ale/ ➡️ Find out more about Hidden Pages: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hidden-pages/ and  https://www.instagram.com/_hiddenpages/?hl=en ➡️ Find out more about Revival: https://www.revivalldn.com/   PLUS! If you want to hear more from Samuel and Hidden Pages, listen to his episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You’ll make mistakes but that doesn’t matter - it’s all about speed and growth, but at some point you’ll have to go and clean up the room.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Nicolas Brusson, Co-Founder & CEO of BlaBlaCar - the world’s leading community-based travel app enabling 26 million active members a year to share a ride in 21 countries. BlaBlaCar’s environmentally and human-friendly mobility network saves 1.6M tons of CO2 and enables 120M human connections every year. On top of leading BlaBlaCar, Nicolas is also an investor in many mission-driven brands, such as Ankorstore, Home Exchange and Dust, to name a few, so there is plenty to unpack in today's episode, including:  ➡️ Becoming a father and closing a $10 million fundraising round [4:41] ➡️ Missed opportunities and keeping up with competition [06:42] ➡️ Bringing entrepreneurship into schools [09:55] ➡️ From Physics to VC and Entrepreneurship [12:32] ➡️ Rebuilding after mass layoffs [14:55] ➡️ The main lesson from the ups and downs of startup life [17:03]➡️ Advert: More about Kitt [25:29] ➡️ The origin and evolution of BlaBlaCar [26:39] ➡️ The shift in the sharing economy and building the ‘Airbnb for cars’ [29:00] ➡️ Recognising and surviving different phases of the business [32:35] ➡️ The danger in doing too many things, a turning point for BlaBlaCar [34:47] ➡️ Becoming a multi-model platform, expanding the carpool idea [36:46] ➡️ Navigating Covid without layoffs [37:39] ➡️ Reshaping and evolving your company culture [40:30] ➡️ ️Questioning company values and when they’re more than just a word on a wall [42:26] ➡️ Creating a culture of mentorship [43:50] ➡️ Audience question: The future of BlaBlaCar [46:54] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Nicolas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasbrusson/ ➡️ Find out more about BlaBlaCar: https://www.blablacar.co.uk/ ➡️ More about our sponsors, Kitt: https://www.kittoffices.com/en/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I'm not surrendering to the peaks and troughs of social ways, acceptance and rejection. I'm standing firm in my core principles.” Today's podcast episode is a special one - it's a Hidden Pages' takeover.  In this episode, Samuel Tholley, Founder of Hidden Pages is joined by Faith Locken, Founder and CEO of We Rise In - an award-winning business network with the mission to inspire, elevate and develop the careers of black professionals. Tune in to discover: ➡️  We Rise In: on a mission to improve diversity at senior levels [2:46] ➡️  How frustration led to Faith’s first startup [6:09] ➡️  George Floyd and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter  [From 7:35] ➡️  Finding mentorship in different forms [9:11] ➡️  Building resilience on the lonely Founder journey [12:39] ➡️  Mental barriers and supporting families in the black community [14:47] ➡️  Backing yourself to work on your side hustle [19:20] ➡️  Being passionate and discovering your why [26:19] ➡️  Accountability and shining a light on reverse mentorship [27:11] ➡️  Scaling We Rise In [29:44]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-tholley-758135105/➡️ Connect with Faith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faith-locken-710b2263/➡️ Find out more about We Rise In: https://www.werisein.co.uk/➡️ Find out more about Hidden Pages: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hidden-pages/ and https://www.instagram.com/_hiddenpages/?hl=en🎧PLUS! If you want to hear more from Samuel and Hidden Pages, listen to his episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices