Built Not Born In Business Podcast

Should you start a business in 2026? After 12 years running businesses together, Chris and Helen give their honest answer, and it’s not the one Chris was giving until recently.Costs are rising, taxes and minimum wage keep going up, and micro-businesses feel squeezed. At a recent London business event, two of the three audience questions were really the same one: when is the right time to start a business? This episode answers it.Chris and Helen talk openly about why they deliberately scaled their team back, why they’re happier for it, and why so many business owners feel ashamed to admit they’ve done the same. They challenge the idea that success means a huge team and a multi-million-pound exit, and they lay out a simpler way to work out what your business actually needs to give you.You’ll learn:Why there’s never a “right time” to start a business, and the better question to ask yourselfWhy turnover means almost nothing for most small businesses, and profit is what countsThe simple monthly numbers check every owner should do, and why leaving it to quarter-end or year-end is too lateHow Chris and Helen run a quarterly “what can we live without?” cost reviewHow to work out your own number: what you need to earn each year for the life you want, instead of betting everything on a saleWhy scaling back can be the smartest move you makeIf you’re thinking about starting a business, or you’re already running one and wondering what it’s all for, this one’s for you.🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/05AFjyKuRDHg7kYGozfvNP🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/built-not-born-in-business-podcast/id1707837047🌐 Episodes and guest profiles: https://builtnotborninbusiness.com💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/built-not-born-in-business-podcast/📸 Instagram: @built_not_born_in_business | TikTok: @built_not_born_podcastSubscribe for honest conversations with people who’ve built real businesses: what to copy, and what to avoid.Filmed and produced by Two Krakens: https://twokrakens.studio#StartABusiness #SmallBusinessUK #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #BuiltNotBorn

Why Mike Soutar Walked Away From a Guaranteed £1M BonusThe Apprentice interviewer Mike Soutar reveals why so many candidates fail Lord Sugar's interviews, and the business lessons behind 14 series in the interview room.Before The Apprentice, Mike wrote horoscopes at 17, became editor of Smash Hits at 23, grew FHM from 35,000 to half a million copies in three years, and then walked away from a guaranteed £1 million bonus in New York. He went on to raise £4 million to launch Shortlist Media, built it to around 250 people and sold it eight years later.In this episode of Built Not Born in Business, Mike shares what he has learned about leadership, investment and building a business that's ready to sell, including why he walked away from a guaranteed £1 million bonus to take a bigger leap.You'll learn:What really happens in The Apprentice interview room, and the one question that makes candidates crackHow he grew FHM from 35,000 to 500,000 copiesThe billionaire’s call that took him to New York to run MaximWhy he walked away from a guaranteed £1M bonusHow to raise investment, and what changes when you have shareholdersHow to build a business that's ready for due diligence and an exitWhy asking for help is the hardest thing in businessIs AI making us stupid? A leader's viewStrategy vs tactics: the two-page lesson that makes leadership easierMike's book, Next Gen CEO: 60 Lessons in Leadership for an Uncertain World, is for leaders facing AI, a new generation of workers and a changing world, and for the emerging leaders coming up behind them.Get Next Gen CEO:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Next-Gen-CEO-Essential-Apprentice/dp/B0GJT3218KFree workbooks and blueprints: https://builtnotborninbusiness.com/podcast/episodes/Subscribe for weekly conversations with founders who've built it, not been born into it.#TheApprentice #LordSugar #MikeSoutar #BusinessPodcast #Leadership

The AI bubble might be bigger than we think. We are looking at how current tech disruption could change your career trajectory.Everyone is riding the wave of the latest tech, but is it just another cycle? My father has watched industries shift for decades, and his take on this current trend is sobering. We discuss why people often assume they are immune to change, only to find their systems and roles completely overhauled.The reality of job displacement is rarely discussed until it is too late. We are not just talking about minor inconveniences, but the widespread restructuring of entire sectors. Understanding how the AI industry is actually impacting the workforce is essential for anyone trying to future-proof their business.Subscribe for our weekly business reality checks, and tell us in the comments - do you think your role is safe from automation?

Amelia Sordell built a £4M personal branding agency, then deliberately shut it down. She calls it building a prison, not a business.In this Built Not Born in Business episode, Ameli, personal branding consultant, bestselling author and keynote speaker with 250K+ LinkedIn followers shares the full story: from selling jeans on eBay at 13, to losing £120K of stock in her fashion brand, to launching Clout with £1,400 during COVID and scaling to £50K months, to walking away to build something aligned.She breaks down how to build a personal brand that actually makes money, why you must separate your personality from your content, her £79 course to £5.5K/day consulting funnel, and why her next mission is Mother, a media company for women, by women.Featuring: Amelia Sordell on failure, burnout, unscaling, female founders using their voice, AI for content, and why video-first wins in 2026.

Are you using youtube business strategies to scale? Learn why businesses on youtube are currently seeing massive potential for growth.Many entrepreneurs are ignoring the platform, but this video breaks down why failing to adapt means missing out on significant opportunities. We examine the current landscape for companies and explain the clear advantages of establishing a presence now. If you are looking for actionable business advice on digital expansion, this overview highlights why the barrier to entry is lower than you think.Achieving sustainable youtube growth requires understanding how to leverage video content effectively. This guide is designed for business owners who need to clarify their digital direction and stop leaving visibility on the table. We cover the core benefits of platform adoption and how to align your goals with current audience behaviours.Subscribe for weekly business advice breakdowns, and let me know in the comments: what is the biggest challenge your company faces when creating video content?