After selling eConsultancy for £25M, Ashley Friedlein could have retired.

Instead, he poured 7 years and millions into Guild, a professional messaging platform - only to eventually shut it down.

In this brutally honest conversation, Ashley shares why conventional startup advice can be dangerous, how to know when to keep pushing versus let go, and why work-life balance might be the wrong goal entirely.

Whether you're growing a business or considering an exit, Ashley's rare perspective from both massive success and graceful shutdown offers invaluable lessons on the realities of entrepreneurship.

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8 & 9 Figure Mentors is the podcast that gets inside of the minds of the people who have started, run and exited 8, 9 and 10- figure businesses. Learn about their stories, work ethic, struggles and failures, as well as their big wins, so you can apply their lessons to your own journey.

If you don't have a multi-billion dollar network, use this podcast instead! Simple :D

Tim Cameron-Kitchen is the founder of Digital Marketing agency Exposure Ninja, and is building a group of digital marketing agencies at Shinobi Capital Group.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of 8 and 9 Figure Mentors, host Tim Cameron-Kitchen sits down with Rob Hamilton, founder of The Instant Group and current investor/advisor. Rob shares his journey from building a profitable office rental company to his current pursuit of adventure and purpose.

Rob reveals his unconventional approach to business, emphasising profitability from day one and the importance of managing risk. He discusses the challenges of transitioning from founder to investor, including a harrowing three-year warranty claim that tested his resilience.

Hear Rob's outlook on:

• Building a profitable business without external funding
• Navigating conflicts and challenges in entrepreneurship
• The importance of exercise and well-being in business success
• Setting and pursuing life goals beyond financial success

Rob's unique perspective on optimising life for adventure and enjoyment offers a refreshing take on entrepreneurial success. Whether you're a seasoned business owner or just starting out, this episode provides actionable advice and inspiration for balancing profits, purpose, and personal fulfillment.

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8 & 9 Figure Mentors is the podcast that gets inside of the minds of the people who have started, run and exited 8, 9 and 10- figure businesses. Learn about their stories, work ethic, struggles and failures, as well as their big wins, so you can apply their lessons to your own journey.

If you don't have a multi-billion dollar network, use this podcast instead! Simple :D

Tim Cameron-Kitchen is the founder of Digital Marketing agency Exposure Ninja, and is building a group of digital marketing agencies at Shinobi Capital Group.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Adam Callinan, the innovative founder of BottleKeeper. Adam shares his extraordinary journey of building a multi-million dollar business with just two employees, navigating the Shark Tank experience, and eventually selling to private equity.

Key highlights include:

• How Adam and his cousin turned a beach day idea into a thriving business
• The unconventional approach of growing to $8 million in revenue with only two team members
• Insights into their Shark Tank strategy and the aftermath of the show
• The challenges of managing extreme revenue seasonality and rapid growth
• Adam's data-driven approach to business and the importance of understanding key metrics
• The decision to sell BottleKeeper to PE and transition into his next venture

Adam's story is a masterclass in lean operations, strategic growth, and the power of understanding your numbers. Whether you're a startup founder or an established entrepreneur, this episode offers valuable lessons on building and scaling a business in today's competitive landscape.

8 & 9 Figure Mentors is the podcast that gets inside of the minds of the people who have started, run and exited 8, 9 and 10- figure businesses. Learn about their stories, work ethic, struggles and failures, as well as their big wins, so you can apply their lessons to your own journey.

If you don't have a multi-billion dollar network, use this podcast instead! Simple :D

Tim Cameron-Kitchen is the founder of Digital Marketing agency Exposure Ninja, and is building a group of digital marketing agencies at Shinobi Capital Group.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Trixy Castro, a powerhouse entrepreneur who built and sold two companies before her mid-30s - one to Goldman Sachs, the other to Fidelity.

In this episode, Trixy shares her journey from bootstrapping a lending company with high school employees all the way to exit.

As a child of immigrant parents and a woman in a male-dominated industry, Trixy's story is one of grit, resilience, and unwavering self-belief. She reveals how she:

- Bootstrapped her first company and grew it to $150 million in monthly demand

- Secured $250 million in funding from Oaktree Capital

- Navigated the challenges of being a young, female entrepreneur in finance

- Approached business sales with a growth mindset, seeing them as learning opportunities

- Reframed obstacles and criticism into fuel for success

Trixy also shares counterintuitive advice on:

- Why being "too extra" can be your secret weapon in business

- The importance of staying humble and always being eager to learn

- How to triage feedback and use it to your advantage

- Why setting big goals and working backwards is crucial for success

Trixy is a badass, and shows that with the right mindset, you can overcome any obstacle and achieve extraordinary success.

8 & 9 Figure Mentors is the podcast that gets inside of the minds of the people who have started, run and exited 8, 9 and 10- figure businesses. Learn about their stories, work ethic, struggles and failures, as well as their big wins, so you can apply their lessons to your own journey.

If you don't have a multi-billion dollar network, use this podcast instead! Simple :D

Tim Cameron-Kitchen is the founder of Digital Marketing agency Exposure Ninja, and is building a group of digital marketing agencies at Shinobi Capital Group.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dana Hendrix isn't the conventional business leader. A troublemaker in school, he was initially forced to take accounting classes as a PUNISHMENT.

But when he realised he had a knack for finance and his planned journey to the NFL didn't materialise, he took his unique style, gut instinct, and healthy distaste of authority into the world of mortgages.

Still only 30, Dana is now SVP of finance at DSLD Mortgage which manages $575m of loans last year, with a target next year of $1 Billion.

He talks honestly about the tradeoffs he has made to earn his success, and what he's not so good at (clue: don't bother texting him).

If you've ever felt like an outsider in your industry, Dana is the proof you need that an outsider's perspective - with a good dose of confident delivery and trusting yourself - can give you an advantage in life.

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8 & 9 Figure Mentors is the podcast that gets inside of the minds of the people who have started, run and exited 8, 9 and 10- figure businesses. Learn about their stories, work ethic, struggles and failures, as well as their big wins, so you can apply their lessons to your own journey.

If you don't have a multi-billion dollar network, use this podcast instead! Simple :D

Tim Cameron-Kitchen is the founder of Digital Marketing agency Exposure Ninja, and is building a group of digital marketing agencies at Shinobi Capital Group.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Lessaris has an extraordinary talent for starting businesses...

In fact, he has started over 50 businesses, with 8 exits, in a wide range of industries from medical to design agencies, to manufacturing to beverages.

What's even more extraordinary is that he did all of this whilst holding down a job as VP of marketing for a multi-billion dollar public company and flying a million miles a year.

Jeremy is a self-confessed starter, and recognised that he could add the most value by handing his businesses off to operators to grow and maintain them. 

But it wasn't plain sailing. Jeremy's honest reflection about some of the sacrifices he made along his journey and what he'd do differently are important for all founders and leaders to take on board.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scott Lowery co-founded Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck with his friend. They had no experience, no outside capital, no market research, and no clue how to run a restaurant business.

But they figured it out through common sense, sheer determination, and a work ethic that is scarcely believable.

BW3, as it became known, eventually scaled to 1,200 restaurants and sold to Arby's for $2.9 Billion.

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8 & 9 Figure Mentors is the podcast that gets inside of the minds of the people who have started, run and exited 8, 9 and 10- figure businesses. Learn about their stories, work ethic, struggles and failures, as well as their big wins, so you can apply their lessons to your own journey.

If you don't have a multi-billion dollar network, use this podcast instead! Simple :D

Tim Cameron-Kitchen is the founder of Digital Marketing agency Exposure Ninja, and is building a group of digital marketing agencies at Shinobi Capital Group.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Al Crane had $200m worth of exits by the time he was 35. He had started, grown and exited mobile app development company Grapple for £39 million, before doing it all again with eCommerce company Hero which he sold to Klarna for $160 million.

To many, this sounds like a dream. But Al felt totally lost and describes this period as one of the lowest of his life.

He credits his partner for helping him bounce back and rebuild. He now runs HR startup Bloom and is chair of THG Ingenuity, the tech platform of the £1.9 billion eCommerce powerhouse THG.

Through Al’s extraordinary story and lessons, you’ll learn about the importance of trade-offs, balance, what he thinks about work ethic, why he never feels like the smartest person in the room and what it’s like to be fired by your own Dad.

Like all the 8&9FM guests, Al’s story is not all plain sailing. But it shows that if you apply yourself, bring confidence and self-belief, and pick the right battles, you can build an extraordinary career in just a couple of decades.

So sit back and enjoy getting to know Al Crane.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.