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Lee Robertson is a serial entrepreneur, having founded no less than 3 companies to date. One didn’t work out and is no longer around; one became a huge success, and he sold it to his colleagues in a management buyout; and the third one is currently thriving and keeping him busy.

Lee, who came from humble beginnings and spent his early career in the Royal Navy, entered the financial services industry as a direct salesman in his twenties. In the days before Google, he made cold calls every day from numbers he found in the Yellow Pages, which must be a fantastic way to develop thick skin—something that all entrepreneurs need!

He’s always been considered a pioneer and keen to employ forward-thinking innovations, which helped propel his success.

An early adopter of the concept of “personal brand”, Lee was a regular in the press and on TV, which gave his company a huge boost and provided fuel for their growth.

During the conversation, he shares a step-by-step guide on building your own personal brand to help grow your own company.

And he shares his views on an organisation called “The Company of Entrepreneurs”, a City of London Livery Company that he found incredibly helpful as he evolved his career and grew as an entrepreneur. - worth checking them out as they’re very much open to members - link below.

Towards the end, he offers some wise words about what matters and what’s really important - something that all entrepreneurs need to be reminded of from time to time.

And he signed off with some fantastic book recommendations, most of which I'd never heard of but will certainly be checking them out - and if you’re building a business, you should too.

Packed with insights and ideas that I know  will be helpful to you, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr Lee Robertson.

Resources

Lee’s Twitter (X)

Lee Robertson Chartered FCSI FRSA | LinkedIn

Octo Members

Worshipful Company of Entrepreneurs

Do the F*cking Work: Lowbrow Advice for High-Level Creativity eBook : Buirge, Brian, Bacher, Jason, Richburg, Jason: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Break From the Pack: How to Compete in a Copycat Economy eBook : Harari, Oren: Amazon.co.uk: Books

High Frequency Change: why we feel like change happens faster now, and what to do about it

Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking eBook : Sernovitz, Andy, Godin, Seth, Kawasaki, Guy: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Chris D

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Gurinder is the founder and CEO of Otto Car, the company that provides cars and finance to most Uber drivers in London.

Currently, over 5,000 vehicles on the road are provided through the services of Otto.

In the few years since the business was founded and they were operating out of offices in shipping containers in a West London car park, they’ve hit £50 million in annual revenue and are growing faster than ever - and they've done it all without having to give up any equity or selling to VCs or PE.

• Coming from an immigrant family background, Gurinder was quick to identify cultural shifts impacting his dad's business, and he used the same strategy to get on board with new and emerging trends in his own business. He realised the importance of hitching your wagon to a company or sector that was growing fast - a bit like a support frigate for a huge aircraft carrier - in his case the aircraft carrier was Uber.
• According to Gurinder, the foundations of Otto’s success are their core values and being mission driven. He explained that when it comes to values, ‘you can't do mission without marching’ - in other words, you need to walk the talk and demonstrate it through your daily actions
• He describes the period during COVID when his company was losing £6,000 every hour and he really found out who his allies were - and crucially, who they weren't. - he uses strong language, but it only goes to highlight exactly how important this is to him - and if you’re an entrepreneur, I think you will understand

Towards the end of our conversation, he shares an anecdote that involves expensive wine and a life lesson, and it’s worth listening just to hear that!

I learned a lot and was greatly inspired and entertained - and so will you be.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Gurinder Dhillon.

Resources

Otto Car

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurinder-dhillon/?originalSubdomain=uk

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future: Amazon.co.uk

Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant

The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership: Amazon.co.uk

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This episode is a first.

After 35 episodes of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast, I thought it was time we explored the dynamics where a husband and wife set up in business and have to manage two different relationships - the business partners working together and the life partners raising a family and having a quality home life away from the business.

Richard and Sonia Dixon met when they were young and started working together at a small travel agent in a less salubrious part of Birmingham where a business partnership blossomed kind of at the same time as a personal partnership.

Their story tracks the evolution of the travel industry front the time when the only way to book your holiday was by walking into a shop on the high street through the early days of the internet and online booking and took them to a position where they had a team of over 200 people and a thriving business.

Before it all came crashing down.

• You’re going to hear about what it takes to grow a business from almost nothing to become a significant player in a highly competitive sector.
• You’ll learn the meaning of the word Resilient when they explain that they were so close to hitting all-time revenue targets that they were about to take the entire team on a trip of a lifetime to Mauritius when the pandemic arrived, and their company was literally a few days from bankruptcy.
• And of course, you’ll learn how they cracked the code of building a world-class business together whilst building a happily married family life together - so many valuable lessons for all of us.

And towards the end, Richard shares insight for all business owners who find themselves in a position of leadership when they haven’t actually formally been trained for it - and let's face it, that’s most of us.

If you work with a family member or simply love to hear an incredible business and life story that encompasses more ups and downs than the average rollercoaster, you're going to enjoy this inspired conversation.

Ladies sand gentlemen, I give you…

Richard and Sonia Dixon

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-dixon-4aa76721/?originalSubdomain=ukm 

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose

The Leadership Book by Neil Jurd: A step by step guide to excellent leadership: Amazon.co.uk

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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Roheel Ahmad is the co-founder of Forsythe Barnes, a recruitment company, but not just any recruitment company. The business has been listed on the FT250 Fastest Growing Business list for three years running.

In under 8 years, it’s grown from zero to almost £100m in revenue, has a team of 80 and has recently opened an office in New York with plans for LA and Dubai.

And they’re just getting started.

During the conversation, Roheel shared the 7 key ingredients that make up the secret sauce of his business success. Some of the highlights include.

• How to disrupt an entire industry by embracing digital content and simply doing things differently to the way they've been done for decades.
• The vital importance of relentless ambition and reminding your team about it regularly 
• Creating a meritocracy where, if you're good enough, you're old enough.

Towards the end, Roheel shares a thought that most entrepreneurs will relate to. It’s about using his business as a platform to see discover what he’s truly capable of - a platform for achieving his full potential.

Our conversation is full of practical ideas and real-life experiences that will be so helpful if you’re building a business.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Roheel Ahmad

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/roheelahmad/

https://www.forsythbarnes.com/

https://wondery.com/shows/business-wars/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-NIKE/dp/1471146707

https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grover-Winning-Collection-Hardcover-Relentless/dp/9124214019/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1694868379&refinements=p_27%3ATim+Grover&s=books&sr=1-3

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This is a special episode as it’s the last episode of Season 2 and so we’ve put together a compilation of the greatest hits covering some of the key ideas, insights, and themes that have emerged from the conversations I’ve had so far.

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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You probably know Piers Linney from the TV show Dragon’s Den, where he appeared for two seasons, giving advice and investing his own money in startup companies.

Something of a reluctant celebrity, he left the Den and has gone on to start several other businesses in technology, media, and communications, including his latest venture, Implement AI.

During our conversation, he explained

• The importance of storytelling when pitching your business to raise finance, find investors, or just selling your products to customers. Every entrepreneur needs to know how to sell.
• He talks about the advice that Sir Richard Branson gave him when he was considering becoming a Dragon  - you’ll realise why Sir Richard is as successful as he is.
• The challenges faced by founders who come from a minority background or maybe didn’t go to the right school or university, and how to overcome that and succeed.

Towards the end of our conversation, Piers speaks passionately about the technology tsunami healing our way called Artificial Intelligence and what small businesses and SMEs should do to make sure they don’t miss the boat.

Piers is a real champion for SMEs and has just launched a new company to help small businesses harness the power of AI, which he believes will be transformational.

Finally, in an act of incredible generosity, Piers has provided the Bulletproof Entrepreneur audience with free access to his online course for entrepreneurs - which he normally sells for £198.

The course offers 10 hours of personally delivered advice over 15 modules and over 76 lessons. If you’re a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur, it's designed to save you time and money and reduce risk to maximise your chances of success and wealth creation.

The link to access the course for free is in the show notes.

But for now, sharing his reflections, insights and wisdom, I give you Mr Piers Linney

Links:

https://startup.pierslinney.com/p/startup?coupon_code=BULLET&product_id=1369146 
Or use code:  “ BULLET” for a 100% discount to access the course.

https://www.pierslinney.com/

https://www.implementai.io/ai-business-sme-finance

https://twitter.com/pierslinney?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierslinney/

This podcast is produced by GR Media
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Bob has enjoyed 100% launch success returning over $1 billion to his investors. He’s founded six companies, sold four and is still running two.

He’s grown two startups to $100m and $156m in sales in 5 years and 3 years respectively.

During our conversation, Bob explains

• The vital importance of having a crystal clear vision for your company and what the 11 elements of a successful vision are that comprise what he calls his Vision Pie.
• The main reasons that startups fail (the most important one accounts for 42% of failures) - and what you should do to avoid being one of them!
• When the data confirm that only 1 in 400 companies secure funding, he shares his evidence-based reasons for this and explains how to ensure that you are one of the companies that do get funded (it's not about your pitch deck!)

Bob has also kindly provided the Bulletproof Entrepreneur audience with access to several valuable resources - see the links below.

Links:

https://homegrownclub.co.uk/events/rockstar-series-founder-of-leon-henry-dimbleby-in-conversation-with-alan-smith/

Bob Norton - Fractional CEO/COO Helping Companies Reach 50%-100% CAGR, Scaling Guru, Leadership Operating System - AirTight Management | LinkedIn

https://clevelenterprises.com/Recommended_Reading.html

https://www.ceobootcamp.us/top8 - Free eBook - Top 8 Reasons Companies Fail to Raise Funds – From my experience as a Serial Entrepreneur and also angel investor.

https://www.ceobootcamp.us/top20  - Free eBook Top 20 Reasons Startups Fail And How to Avoid Them – This based on research of hundreds of startup postmortems. 

Free course on the top 40 skills entrepreneurial teams need to build a successful company

Webinar replay for Mastering the Top 10 Challenges of Growth and Scaling any business. – The challenges of scaling are statistically 1.260 harder than building a successful startup because these skills are so rare and only learned by experience. No university teaches these things.

Webinar replay: How to Raise Millions for Any Company – Learn the 30 other sources of capital beyond angel and VC and how to prepare a company and get it into the top few percent investors see.

The 11 Elements of a Successful Vision article and diagram – The Vision Pie and Vision Cone concepts to be way beyond the average understanding of how to develop and use a complete vision. This is on Bob’s Blog with over 175 other articles searchable by topic and keyword

 6 Professional Certifications and 40 Courses can also be seen at www.EntrepreneurshipU.com – I believe these courses can easily triple a company’s chances of success because they are jam-packed with dense content that inclu

This podcast is produced by GR Media
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Ian is an entrepreneur who built and, after 7 years, sold a highly successful marketing agency for £23 million. 

In this episode, he shares the lessons learned on his journey so far.

Ian had a postcard on the wall beside his desk at his first job with 2 words on it - “Question Everything” - and he’s lived his life by that mantra ever since.

A deep thinking entrepreneur who has always challenged conventional thinking,  and so I let the tape run as he was sharing so much wisdom. 

You’re going to learn: 

• The importance of finding a co-founder with complementary skills  to your own and where, as Ian says, 1 + 1 = 3  otherwise you're wasting your time. 
• His unique view on how to build a business and win new clients - a core skill for any successful company but particularly one that has the ambition to scale up. 
• The value of spending time with your business advocates and partners, sharing your story explaining your future plans and vision - and it was this that eventually led to the sale of the company to a PLC.

Towards the end of our conversation, Ian explains the importance of challenging conventional thinking particularly when it comes to pricing your services. This is a subject that we've done a lot of work on in my business and one that every entrepreneur should reflect on.

Remember - “Question Everything.”

Links:

https://www.lbbonline.com/news/communisis-acquires-life-in-23-million-deal

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-humphris-5bb8a413/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://nokamo.com/

Mark Ritson

Kotler on Marketing by Philip Kotler (1999-06-07) Hardcover

How not to Plan: 66 ways to screw it up

How Brands Grow: What Marketers Don't Know: Amazon.co.uk

Eat Your Greens - Wiemer Snijders: 9781789016758

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Choice-Factory-behavioural-biases-influence/dp/085719609X

How to Build a Car: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Formula 1 Designer eBook : Newey, Adrian: Amazon.co.uk: Books

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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My conversation this time is a little different and rather intriguing. 

Ruth Sturkey spent her career advising entrepreneurs and executives about their big life transitions, such as selling their businesses and retiring.

And then was faced with planning her own business sale and retirement -  or at least the next chapter of her life.

By her admission, and despite having advised clients for years, she admits she felt somewhat unprepared and is now happy to share her experiences so that others can learn.

In our wide-ranging conversation, she discussed how the serious illness of her business partner caused a 3-year exit plan to be reduced to 3 weeks and highlighted the importance of having your business risk plan in place to manage the unexpected.

She explains how we've got the concept of retirement all wrong, and why she’s had to learn the hard way how to do it well.

And she talks about life after the business sale, what she misses, and what she would do differently if she had her time again.

Some real nuggets of wisdom and profound insights which will be truly valuable to you.

And as someone who has spent several decades talking to wealthy clients, listen to her description of true wealth  - its a lot of fun.

If you've enjoyed the podcast, I'd really appreciate it if you could jump onto the Apple platform (even if you don't usually use it for your podcasts) and leave a 5-star review and a few positive words.

And also, be sure to subscribe to the podcast - it really helps us spread the word and is much appreciated.

But now, stand by to learn from someone who can share her experience from both sides of the table - as an adviser to entrepreneurs and then as a successfully exited entrepreneur herself
- ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ruth Sturkey...

Links:

www.ruthsturkey.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthsturkey/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://twitter.com/ruthsturkey?lang=en

https://instituteforfinancialwellbeing.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/behavior-gap-radio/id1034934586

http://wecandohardthingspodcast.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rest-is-politics/id1611374685

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last year, you’ll be all too aware of something called artificial intelligence. 

AI’s not new, it’s been around for years, and you've probably been using applications like Alexa and Siri to tell you what the weather’s like, turn on your music, or even order a pizza. 

But all of a sudden, the speed of innovation seems to have changed, and it's become a lot more serious and relevant to business owners.

I first heard of an application called Chat GPT at the beginning of the year, and within days my kids were using it to do their homework, and I tested it by having it help me write a few well-received blog posts.

But I’ve been scratching the surface of what’s now out there and the implications for anyone in business today.

This podcast was designed from the outset for business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and the people who advise and consult with them. 

And so when something is about to hit the business world like a freight train, I thought it was essential to publish a one-off special AI-focused episode to unpack the threat and explore the opportunities.

Aalok Shukla is an expert in the world of artificial intelligence and, importantly, how it’s going to impact entrepreneurs and SMEs. During our conversation, he takes us on a whistle-stop tour of what to expect from the new technology.

This is not the time to put your head in the sand, this is a time to engage, to be curious, and to learn. To help you, Aaolok is running a workshop with Piers Linney, the ex-Dragon from Dragons Den who is very involved in AI and tech innovation, and I’m doing a presentation from the non-expert real-life business owner viewpoint.

I believe that you'll learn more in that one day than in a year of reading articles and browsing websites about AI.

You’ll also leave with a step-by-step actionable 90-day plan for your own business. Spaces are limited, so sign up now using my unique discount code for £149 off. - use the link below and the code ALAN.

In the meantime, talking about the AI revolution as applied to small businesses, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. Aaolok Shukla.

Links:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aalokshukla/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://www.miacloudacademy.com/offers/F4Zz6922/checkout?coupon_code=ALAN

https://www.miacloudacademy.com/london-events

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management