Ambitious Minds

In this week's episode, I’m joined by Patrick Watts - Author, Financial Adviser, Business Founder and Academic.

Patrick, the author of 'The End of the American Empire', was recently named as Author of the Month by Graham Hancock.

In our discussion, we dive into the contents of Patrick's book, exploring his perspectives on American politics, his views on Donald Trump re-entering the presidential race, why he believes Americans can’t agree on politics, the importance of protecting democracy, and his proposed solutions for change.

We also delve into Patrick's background, his motivations for writing the book, how he balances his career with ongoing education, the process of writing and publishing a book, and the core values that guide him through life.

This was an enlightening conversation that went in multiple directions, and Patrick has so many interesting insights… ranging from his views on American and global politics, the process for self-publishing a book, to his values for living a positive life.

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

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

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-watts-4b5874289/

Get In Touch:

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

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

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In this week’s episode. I’m thrilled to be joined by my good friend Rich Hine, the founder of British Polo Gin, an organic gin company based in the Cotswolds.

I’ve been looking forward to recording this episode for a while, as Rich and I have been discussing business ideas since we met in 2019. In fact, he was a significant influence on my decision to start this podcast.

Rich is the epitome of a down-to-earth businessman, and he openly shares the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, starting his business right after university and figuring it out as he went along.

In this episode, Rich reveals his strategy for breaking into Fortnum & Mason, one of London’s most prestigious food and drinks retailers. He talks about the scary times of running a hospitality business during the Covid pandemic, pivoting to produce hand sanitiser for the NHS, and diversifying his business model multiple times.

He also offers valuable advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, and shares a hilarious story about his attempt to flip a classic car, another of his business ventures.

If you enjoy this episode, I’d be incredibly grateful if you could take a moment to hit the follow button. It really helps grow the show and ensures you never miss out on these inspiring conversations.

Website - https://www.britishpologin.co.uk/why-british-polo-gin-is-so-good

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

Get In Touch:

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

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

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If you'd told me 10 years ago that my old colleague who worked in finance with me would be cutting my hair before recording a podcast together, I would have called you crazy!

But in this week's episode, I am excited to be joined by Liam Leahy, the Mustdash Barber, who made a bold decision at the age of 28 to quit his job working in the city and train to become a barber. 

In this conversation, Liam explains how he felt so depressed and anxious going into work that he felt physically sick, but has now found the thing that he’s truly passionate about, and just two years into his new career, Liam won the Barber of the Year competition for 2024!

Expect to learn:

• What steps Liam took to turn his life around.
• How he transferred skills from his previous role into his barbering business.
• Growing his network to include some of the world’s best barbers.
• The significant role social media has played in growing his new brand.
• The importance that preparation as a key to success, plus much much more.

This was such a cool episode for me because this was the first time me and Liam had seen each other in around 10 years, and we’ve gone from working in the finance industry together, to Liam cutting my hair before recording a podcast episode.

It was quite a surreal moment and I’m so pleased to see Liam feeling so happy and fulfilled in his new career!

If you'd like to check out Liam's work, you can find him using the following links:

https://www.instagram.com/themustdashbarber/

Get In Touch:

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

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

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As transformations go, there aren’t many more inspiring stories than Brad’s; a creative individual who found himself stifled working in the finance industry. 

It was actually a holiday in the Philippines that inspired him to change career and become a freelance photographer. Within just 4 years, his portfolio includes photos of will.i.am, Demi Lovato, Matthew McConaughey, The Foo Fighters, and most recently, The Hardest Geezer as he crossed the finish line in Africa.

Brad’s photography business, The Snapshot People, started with just 2 people and a camera phone, and has now grown into a business that’s ranked number 1 in Europe on Bark.com, with Brad and his team being flown all over the world for work.

But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Brad. In fact, he had already quit his job to start this business just as the Covid pandemic hit. 

Expect to learn:

• How Brad made this business work despite a global lockdown
• How he booked his first client
• His advice for people scaling up their businesses
• What Brad believes sets him apart from his competitors
• How he managed to secure a contract for The Hardest Geezer, plus much much more. 

This conversation with Brad is testament to the importance of hard work and perseverance when starting a business, and Brad has insights for everyone, whether you’re considering changing career, scaling up your business, or you simply want to hear the stories along the way. 

Website - https://www.bark.com/en/gb/company/the-snapshot-people/Lgq9D/

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

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

Get In Touch:

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

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

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If you’ve heard the term lab-grown diamond but you’re curious or even skeptical about what they are, I’ve got a great guest for you in this week’s episode of the Ambitious Minds podcast.

I am very excited to be joined by Akhil Bakhai, Managing Director at Labon, a supplier of lab grown diamonds to the European diamond industry. Labon has a great story, having partnered with a 100% renewable diamond lab that grows and polishes diamonds with a zero carbon footprint.

Expect to learn:

• What a lab grown diamond actually is.
• How they differ from natural diamonds.
• The shocking fact about how long they take to grow.
• Whether there are any environmental or ethical benefits for choosing lab grown diamonds.
• Plus a really helpful guide for people buying an engagement ring for their partner.

I’m super grateful to Akhil for sharing his experience in the diamond industry; this is something which I had very little knowledge about and I feel I learnt so much during this conversation.

360 Tour - https://360tour.greenlab.diamonds/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhil-bakhai-a5459a232/?originalSubdomain=be

Get In Touch:

Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com

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

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Have you ever found yourself in a negative spiral, but wondered how you got there?

Mind Data is a tech startup that helps people track their mental health trends and provide real-time insights, helping individuals, corporations and universities to take data-driven and proactive steps to improve mental wellbeing. In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Sean Ruane, Mind Data's Founder and CEO.

Sean’s mission is amazing, with an objective to improve the mental health of 1 million people across the globe. But his motivation comes from a place of personal tragedy and dealing with his own mental health challenges. Sean opens up about his experience, and explains how this has formed his life purpose. In addition to this, Sean is a natural entrepreneur and has experimented with multiple business in his life, as well as as joining a startup as employee number 1 and remaining with the company until it was acquired, and then turned his focus onto building his own startup.

Expect to learn how Sean overcame own his mental health challenges, what it was like working for a startup in the founder’s spare bedroom, the journey to creating his own startup, how Mind Data uses AI, his advice to fellow entrepreneurs on living without regrets, and being aggressive with business ideas.

I think its fair to say that everyone has struggled in one way or another with their own mental health challenges, no matter how small they are, and its very inspiring to hear about the ways that Sean and his team are trying to address this. 

If you'd like to learn more about Sean and Mind Data's journey, please follow the links below:

Website - https://www.minddata.io/

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

Get In Touch:

https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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This week, I’m delighted to be joined by Lisa Meller, a former solicitor who made a career change to become a financial advisor, driven by her own challenges in finding somebody relatable, with only 1 in 6 financial advisors being female.

In this conversation, Lisa shares her approach to financial advice, which is centred around her passion for trying to bridge the financial gender gap. But Lisa's story doesn’t stop there. She's an entrepreneur and explains how she made the jump from solicitor to building her own financial advice business. She also gives us an insight into a wellness retreat she set up with friends that integrates financial education.

Throughout our discussion, Lisa offers invaluable advice, from financial planning strategies for high earners, to the considerations for women navigating career breaks to start a family, including a particularly interesting view on pension contributions during maternity leave.

So, whether you're seeking financial guidance, contemplating a career shift, or simply eager for inspiration, I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation with Lisa. And remember, if you know someone who could benefit from listening to this episode, please make sure you spread the show and play your part in improving financial education.

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

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

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-meller-dipfa-03563298/

Get In Touch:

https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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In this week’s episode, I’m excited to be joined by Daniel Smith, a serial entrepreneur with business ventures spanning home security, property, glazing, sliding doors, solar and green technology. 

Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, Dan didn’t see any other option once he left university and jumped straight into the world of business at the age of 21. This episode perfectly encapsulates Dan’s entrepreneurial spirit and he shares the challenges and rewards of starting, building, selling and giving away businesses.

This episode covers Dan’s experiences in various businesses, from challenges to successes. This discussion encompass the importance of values, family, work-life balance, navigating business challenges, embracing new ventures, networking, scaling businesses, and the significance of passion and learning from mistakes in entrepreneurial pursuits.

Expect to learn Dan’s journey into the business world, how Dan feels about employing staff, the truth about property development, his simple advice for achieving a work life balance, the importance of high quality service in building a successful business, plus much much more.

Can you believe we’re already on episode 10? It’s been such an incredible journey and the podcast has already been listened to in 20 different countries. 

I am so grateful to each and every one of you for supporting me on this journey so far. Without your support in sharing the show, this growth wouldn’t have been possible and I thank each and every one of you. To keep this show growing, I would be so grateful if you could take a moment to leave a review and share this with somebody who you think would benefit from a bit of inspiration right now.

Thank you x

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In this episode, I’m joined by Sam Brearey, former elite athlete and co-founder of Accessercise, a fitness app specifically designed to improve health and fitness within the disabled community.

Astonishingly, around 15% of the global population suffer from disabilities, which is more than 1 billion people and Accessercise is on a mission to improve access and resources for a healthier and longer life.

Expect to learn how the Covid pandemic inspired the creation of this idea, Sam’s journey from aspiring Olympic athlete to facing setbacks during the Olympic trials, the challenges of finding a new purpose after sport, growing his company internationally, plus much, much more.

If you know anybody that would benefit from listening to this episode, all I ask is that you take a moment to share this with them and help by spreading the incredible work that Sam and his Co-founder are doing. Thank you x

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/accessercise/?hl=en-gb

Website - https://accessercise.com/

Get In Touch:

https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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In this episode, I’m excited to share the story of Rory MacFadyen, co-founder of Reflo, a sustainable sports apparel company that transforms plastic into high-performance sportswear.

As a day job, Rory is also the Chief Marketing Officer of Icons Series, a concept that brings together world class athletes from various sports to compete in a unique golf tournament.

It’s so inspiring listening to Rory speak, as he is clearly very passionate about driving genuine change in the garments industry, with an ambition to make sports apparel more sustainable. He speaks about the scale of single use plastic in the fashion industry, which completely blew my mind.

Fortunately, Reflo is pioneering positive change, and the company recently raised £1m in funding to grow the business, including investment from one the world’s most elite footballers.

If you’ve been thinking about making small changes to reduce your use of plastic, come and join me in this conversation with Rory to learn how Reflo is making a difference in the fashion industry.

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

Website - https://reflo.com/

Get In Touch:

https://www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast

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