Ambitious Minds

Did you know that 80% of the world’s workforce does not sit behind a desk, and these people are often overlooked by traditional HR platforms that provide necessary functions such as your payslip, holiday schedule, or employee information.

Simon Ellis is the CEO and Co-Founder of Jem, an innovative technology company that has developed a game-changing solution that makes essential HR functions accessible via WhatsApp. Already trusted by over 115,000 users every month, Jem is revolutionising the way non-desk workers interact with HR.

In this episode, we dive deep into Simon’s entrepreneurial journey, the inspiration behind Jem, and his ambitious vision for integrating even more daily tasks into WhatsApp. We explore how Simon plans to scale Jem to $100 million in revenue by 2030 and his people-first leadership approach, which helps employees discover their ‘genius zones.’

This conversation goes beyond business strategy—we discuss personal fulfilment, professional growth, work-life balance, authenticity, and the value of true partnerships. Simon also shares valuable advice for entrepreneurs, including his favourite podcasts and the book he’s gifted to over 100 people.

If you’re new to the podcast and enjoyed this episode, please hit the follow button and leave a review. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us grow and improve the show.

04:00 Priority Shifts in Your 30s

07:50 Starting the Business

09:35 Empowering Employees

12:17 Challenges and Growth

23:40 WhatsApp as a Business Tool

31:00 Partnership Dynamics

43:57 The Role of Advisors and Mentors

44:22 The Importance of Vulnerability

45:27 Learning from Successful People

48:01 Balancing Work and Personal Life

54:51 Building Authentic Personal Brands

01:06:33 Living an Extraordinary Life

01:12:01 Book Recommendations and Inspirations

Discover Jem

Website - https://www.jemhr.com/

Follow Simon

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-reid-ellis?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Oli and Ash, the founders of Sipp’d, a craft soda brand that, now that you’ve heard of it, you’ll start seeing everywhere!

Their journey is an inspiring one — two accountants who decided to leave their careers behind and launch a business together in November 2019, just before the Covid pandemic struck.

We dive into the challenges they faced during that uncertain time, how they adapted when the pandemic hit, and how they scaled the business despite numerous challenges. We also explore the realities of being your own boss and what sets their product apart from traditional sodas.

Oli and Ash share invaluable advice on bootstrapping a business, using social media for free marketing, and the lessons they've learned along the way—offering guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs.

They also discuss the exciting opportunities for challenger brands in today’s market, and I hope this conversation inspires you on your own journey.

Expect to learn:

05.30 The Birth of a Business Idea

07.15 Quitting Jobs and Starting Fresh

09.25 Navigating COVID Challenges

12.40 Early Sales and Market Strategies

15.05 Growth and Expansion

17.35 Balancing Work and Personal Life

23.25 Product Development and Refinement

26.00 Manufacturing Process Insights

33.30Craft Beer Collaboration

35.00 Business Evolution and Goals

36.40 Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

39.40 The Importance of Resilience

41.30 The Power of Partnerships

53.15 Navigating Sales and Rejection

56.25 The Role of Social Media

Sipp'd

Website - www.sippd.co.uk

Instagram - www.instagram.com/sippd_drinks

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

In this week’s episode, I’m excited to be joined by Neil Gill, a restaurateur and property developer who has spent most of his career working for himself.

In our conversation, you'll get a glimpse into the mind of a natural entrepreneur, as Neil creates 2 business plans on the spot, including how to start a business with ZERO capital.

He also shares insights from his experience working alongside Alan Yao, the founder of Wagamama, and explains how he created this opportunity for himself. 

Neil reflects on the biggest risks he has taken throughout his career, his relentless pursuit of new opportunities, opening his first restaurant, and how he unexpectedly fell into his current business. 

This episode is packed with practical advice for anyone considering starting their own business, and Neil shares the honest truth about what it takes to work for yourself.

Expect to learn:

02:30 From Sports Dreams to Hospitality

11:30 The Harsh Realities of Business in London

14:00 Navigating Entrepreneurship: Motivations and Misconceptions

25:30 Working Alongside the Founder of Wagamama

44:45 Building a Business With ZERO Capital

48:00 The Sacrifices of Entrepreneurship

49:00 The Reality of Running a Business

50:45 Corporate Life vs. Entrepreneurship

51:15 Business Ideas and Execution

01:00:00 Risks in Entrepreneurship

01:15:00 Defining Success

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

In this week's episode, I'm thrilled to be joined by Piers Dickinson, founder of Hyde & Hare, a luxury interiors e-commerce brand inspired by the Danish Hygge lifestyle.

Piers's entrepreneurial journey began as a teenager buying and selling shoes on eBay. He eventually launched Hyde & Hare after a serendipitous conversation with Liz Hurley at a safari lodge in Kenya.

Piers talks about the challenges of starting and scaling a business, from packaging products at his kitchen table to expanding the brand internationally, sourcing high-quality products, and dealing with lawsuits from some of the world's biggest fashion brands.

He also reflects on the importance of work-life balance, mentorship, and his ambitions for growing Hyde & Hare.

If you've ever considered starting your own e-commerce brand, this episode is a must-listen. Piers shares not only the successes but also the challenges he’s faced, providing valuable insights to help you on your journey.

Expect to learn:

03.00 Starting Hyde & Hare 

04.30 Building the Brand 

09.20 Kenya Experience and Inspiration 

11.30 Launching CDC Collections 

16.15 Challenges and Growth 

25.30 Understanding SEO Basics 

28.00 Challenges of Entrepreneurship 

29.20 Balancing Work and Life 

35.15 Scaling the Business 

49.30 Lessons Learned and Future Plans 

Hyde & Hare

Website - www.hydeandhare.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/hydeandhare

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

In this week’s episode I’m joined by Joe Haynes, the founder of Penzer Wines, a fine wine importer, and co-owner of Cloth Restaurant, an incredible new restaurant in central London. 

I met Joe when visiting the restaurant, and when I discovered he was the owner I wanted to understand how this young man had started his own restaurant. 

Joe opens up about his entrepreneurial journey, starting with his experience working on vineyards across Europe. He also talks about the early days of balancing a full-time job while building his wine import business in the evenings. Joe offers a number of fantastic insights for entrepreneurs, including the importance of finding the right team, securing investment for both businesses, how he found the location in central London, and the key ingredients that have made opening the restaurant a success.

Whether you’re curious about the food and wine industry or an aspiring entrepreneur, this conversation is packed with valuable lessons for everyone, and I’m so grateful to Joe for sharing his insights.

04.00 Starting the Wine Business

08.30 Challenges and Successes in Wine Importing

19.30 Opening a Restaurant: The Journey Begins

29.00 Facing Pre-Opening Jitters

30.00 The Power of Word of Mouth and PR

38:45 Future Plans and Expansion

42:30 Balancing Work and Personal Life

45.30 Lessons Learned

Cloth Restaurant

Instagram - www.instagram.com/clothrestaurant

Website - www.clothrestaurants.com

Penzer Wines

Instagram - www.instagram.com/Penzer_Wines

Website - www.penzer-wines.uk

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

In this week’s episode, I’m super excited to be joined by Tom Merrick; an online fitness coach and YouTuber with over 1 million subscribers and 100 million views.

I've been following Tom’s videos for the last four years during my own journey to improve flexibility since the pandemic. This episode showcases the power of the internet, as I’ve learned so much from Tom’s online content, and now we had the opportunity to record a podcast together.

In this episode, Tom shares his journey from editing online gaming videos in university to creating fitness content nearly a decade ago, driven by passion and a desire to help others.

He discusses his approach to content creation, strategies for monetising on YouTube, why some videos perform better than others, and the surprising workings of YouTube.

This episode is especially relevant in today’s world, where many people are trying to monetise social media. Tom provides plenty of tips for newcomers from his decade-long experience in the space.

I highly recommend checking out Tom’s YouTube channel, which is packed with valuable health and fitness content.

Expect to hear:

02.30 Early YouTube Days and Growth

04.15 Combining Passions: Fitness and Creativity

06.30 Starting a Career in Fitness

09.00 Monetising YouTube and Coaching

11.15 Creating Valuable Content

15:15 Advice for Aspiring YouTubers

31.30 Balancing Privacy and Fame

33.30 Ambitions and Goals

36.00 Diversifying Interests

40.15 The Importance of Asking for Help

45.00 Working for Yourself

50.15 Fitness and Longevity

Connect with Tom: 

YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0DZhN-8KFLYO6beSaYljg

Instagram - www.instagram.com/thebodyweightwarrior/

Website - www.bodyweightwarrior.co.uk

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

Imposter Syndrome is a common trait among high achievers and has been a recurring theme with many of the guests I’ve interviewed so far, and there's a good chance you’ve experienced this at some point in your life.

That's why, in this week’s episode, I’m excited to welcome Romy van der Merwe, an imposter syndrome and career coach.

Romy shares her own journey of battling imposter syndrome, despite her impressive achievements as a competitive international swimmer—once ranked 11th in the world—and a successful real estate agent.

She discusses her own struggles, and offers practical advice for identifying and managing imposter syndrome with a few simple yet effective strategies.

I found this conversation incredibly insightful, and many of Romy's points resonated deeply with me, such as being a perfectionist, struggling with self-doubt, and always feeling rushed.

I really hope you find this discussion as helpful as I did and that you take away some valuable advice that helps you unlock your true potential.

And if you do find this episode helpful, all I ask is one favour - please could you share this podcast with a likeminded ambitious friend as it will really help me to grow the show.

Expect to learn:

03.00 The Struggles of Perfectionism

06.30 Imposter Syndrome in High Achievers

11.15 Personal and Professional Impacts

12.00 Understanding and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

15.30 Recognising and Addressing Imposter Syndrome

29.00 Building Confidence: The First Steps

39.00 Office Tips for a Productive Day

43.00 Overcoming Perfectionism

52.00 Advice for the Younger Self

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/romyvcoaching/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/romyvcoaching/

Website - https://romyvcoaching.ca/

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

In this week's episode, I’m joined by… ME.

I've received a number of questions about my story, so to mark this significant milestone of 20 episodes, I thought I would turn the spotlight onto me.

I talk about my career journey, how and why I started a podcast, the surprising barriers to entry, reflecting on how I can improve, my unsustainable work-life balance, my opinion on university, plus my advice to people leaving school today. 

Expect to hear:

04.00 Early Aspirations

07.30 Career Transitions

14.45 My Superpower

22.30 How to Start a Podcast

40.30 The Importance of Having Options

41.30 Chasing Success and Personal Development

44.00 Podcast Achievements

47.45 Balancing Work, Life, and Personal Projects

01:02.30 Advice for School Leavers and Career Choices

01:10.30 The Value of Non-Traditional Paths

01:12.45 Embracing Uniqueness

I’d love to get more feedback from you, especially regarding guests you want to hear from. No matter who they are, let me know who you'd like on the show, and I will reach out to them.

Get In Touch:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

In this week's episode, I’m joined by Adam Ashe, a former professional rugby player and co-founder of Puresport.

Adam shares his journey, which includes the physical hurdles he overcame as a professional athlete, and how the discipline and resilience he developed in sports paved the way for his success in business. This episode is a perfect example of how solving personal problems can lead to great business ideas.

This episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone navigating their career and you'll learn about:

01:49 Adam's Early Ambitions

07:15 Facing Challenges and Overcoming Adversity

11:40 Professional Rugby Journey Begins

15:15 Training Camp and Proving Himself

20:00 First Scotland Cap and Injury Struggles

36:40 Starting Puresport: The Catalyst and Early Days

54:55 Moving to LA and Business Decisions

55:40 Raising Funds and Business Growth

01:05:00 Navigating Early Challenges at Puresport

01:16:45 Balancing Multiple Ventures

01:24:10 Advice for Athletes Transitioning from Sport

This was a fascinating conversation and you really get a glimpse into the mind of a person who has not only achieved a lifetime worth of success at such a young age, but understand the personal journey of self discovery along the way.

LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/adam-ashe-8a365612b

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adamashe_/

Get In Touch:

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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

In this week's episode, I’m joined by Charlotte Lafferty, the owner and founder of Think Talent Partners.

Charlotte has a fascinating career that began in a cold-calling recruitment role and eventually led her to Amsterdam, where she started her own business advising startups and scale up to build successful teams.

Charlotte shares her journey, which includes the challenges she faced as a recruitment agent during the financial crisis and how she overcame the setback of having her job offer rescinded after moving to a new country.

This episode offers valuable advice for anyone at a crossroads in their career, and you can expect to learn:

03:01 University and Career Choices

09:54 Startup Culture and Talent Retention

20:27 Starting a Business During COVID

27:33 Networking and Building a Client Base

32:55 Navigating Career Transitions

34:37 Crafting Successful Job Applications

37:52 Making Yourself Indispensable to Your Boss

43:08 Salary Negotiation Tips

49:18 Knowing Your Value and Asking For It

52:30 Working in the Netherlands vs. the UK

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottelafferty/?originalSubdomain=nl

Get In Touch:

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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