Sir Richard Harpin wanted to be an entrepreneur since before he knew the word. He sold conkers in the playground, bred and sold rabbits in his garden, ran a tuck shop from his school locker, and by 15 was bunking off chemistry to cash cheques with the bank manager.

In this special episode of Crisis What Crisis – recorded in front of a live audience at the Walbrook Club in the City of London – Andy sits down with the founder of HomeServe, the company Richard built over 30 years and sold in 2023 for £4.1 billion. Richard was knighted in the 2024 New Year Honours. His Sunday Times bestselling book, How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps, is out now.

This episode is for anyone who has ever wanted to start something, scale something, or is simply looking for guidance on how to manage the day-to-day crises of running a business.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley. Visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

FIVE BUSINESS LESSONS FROM SIR RICHARD HARPIN

1) Copy. Richard didn't invent the HomeServe model – he openly admits that he copied it (and then did it better). If someone else is doing it and it works, the risk is lower.

2) Prove the model before you scale it. HomeServe burned through half a million pounds trying to grow a loss-making business. With modern technology, Richard says, you really don't have to do that.

3) The best time to build is when conditions are hardest. Comfortable conditions produce cautious thinking. The best businesses are built with their backs against the wall.

4) Admitting the mistake is often the fastest route out of it. Richard told the stock market he'd wasted £130 million, wrote off the assets, and said sorry. The share price went up £250 million the same day. The market doesn't punish honesty. It punishes opacity.

5) Not taking a risk is itself a risk. Staying still has a cost that compounds invisibly. The test isn't whether the risk is scary. It's whether you can live with not taking it.

CHAPTERS

04:52 – Why Richard wanted to be an entrepreneur

10:35 – His first businesses

13:28 – What working at P&G taught him

19:22 – How HomeServe started

19:22 – Running out of money at Christmas

21:07 – Taking investment at the wrong terms

22:00 – The moment he nearly quit

23:00 – The £50 letter that saved the business

24:43 – The importance of copying

25:34 – Why he hired someone to replace himself

27:06 – Breaking America

30:01 – The £100m mistake he made publicly

30:59 – How he structures his day

36:10 – Negotiating a £4.1bn exit

37:37 – What selling actually feels like

38:55 – Why he's still working

42:25 – His advice on AI and careers

44:46 – Starting over with nothing

BUY SIR RICHARD'S BOOK

How to Make a Billion in Nine Steps – Sunday Times Bestseller https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Billion-Nine-Steps/dp/034944644X

FOLLOW SIR RICHARD HARPIN

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rharpin/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/richard_harpin/

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@richard.harpin

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

FOLLOW THE WALBROOK CLUB

This episode was recorded live at the Walbrook Club, London. Special thanks to Philip Palumbo and his team for hosting us.

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thewalbrookclub/

Dame Anya Hindmarch started her global fashion business on a gap year trip to Italy aged just 18. Four decades on, she is the founder of one of Britain's most recognisable brands – worn by the Princess of Wales and a new holder of a royal warrant from Queen Camilla.

In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Anya to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns on her darker days – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

CHAPTERS:

01:00 A Person

01:36 A Habit

03:01 A Comfort

03:45 A Piece of Advice

BUY ANYA'S BOOK

If In Doubt Wash Your Hair – https://www.anyahindmarch.com/products/if-in-doubt-wash-your-hair-paperback-book-in-paper-off-white

FOLLOW ANYA:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/anyahindmarch/

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@anyahindmarch

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Dame Anya Hindmarch started her global fashion business on a gap year trip to Italy aged just 18. Four decades on, she is the founder of one of Britain's most recognisable brands – worn by the Princess of Wales and a new holder of a royal warrant from Queen Camilla. Anya joins Andy for a candid conversation about courage, control and how treating fear and excitement as the same emotion has proved to be her superpower.

This is a masterclass in resilience from a founder who has dealt with the ‘daily stomach punches’ of being an entrepreneur

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by @kingsleynapley – visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

FOUR BUSINESS LESSONS:

1. Doubt is your friend. Don't try to silence it. The moment you stop being scared is the moment things will go wrong.
2. Cling on to your equity. Getting investment isn't winning a prize. When you do it the hard way, you stay in control.
3. Be honest about the journey. Admitting what you've got it wrong buys you more credit than pretending you've got it right.
4. Sometimes you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette. You will get things wrong. Get them wrong, correct, and learn.

CHAPTERS:

03:09 – Learning to accept that in life you’ll never be fully satisfied

06:47 – How Thatcher's Britain created a generation of founders

08:19 – Dyslexia and the entrepreneur's brain

15:55 – Starting at 18 with no network, no internet, no clue

18:09 – "Stupid determination" – the trait every founder shares

20:09 – The lonely years of building a business

21:17 – Anxiety vs stress

24:07 – Why imposter syndrome is healthy

24:58 – I'm Not A Plastic Bag: changing national behaviour with a £5 product

27:35 – Honesty as a brand strategy

30:10 – Building a blended family without dropping the business

35:06 – The mistake of stepping away as CEO

40:16 – Buying it back: how to turn a crisis into a restructure

41:32 – Localising in a global business

44:20 – Her creative process

46:30 – Outside investment: why she'd tell founders to wait

48:08 – Perspective: what a child's illness teaches a CEO

52:06 – Brand Britain – what we're selling and what we're missing

54:41 – AI: "Stop moaning and get really good at it"

BUY ANYA'S BOOK

If In Doubt Wash Your Hair – https://www.anyahindmarch.com/products/if-in-doubt-wash-your-hair-paperback-book-in-paper-off-white

FOLLOW ANYA:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/anyahindmarch/

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@anyahindmarch

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Esther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington in February 2023. What followed — the campaigning, the memoir, the forgiveness, the compassion — has made her one of the most consequential reform voices in contemporary British life.

In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Esther to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns on her darker days – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice.

Esther is the founder of the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project and Peace in Mind UK, a social enterprise focused on mental health in schools. She launched the Phone Free Education campaign, has campaigned in parliament, and last month received an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester. She was named The Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024. Her memoir Under a Pink Sky, published by Penguin, is out now in paperback.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

CHAPTERS:

01:16 A Person

02:04 A Habit

03:10 A Comfort

03:39 A Piece of Advice

FOLLOW ESTHER GHEY:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/esther.ghey/

Peace in Mind UK – www.peaceinminduk.com

Under a Pink Sky – available now in paperback

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

In February 2023, Esther Ghey's 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered in a park near their home in Warrington, in a premeditated attack by two 15-year-olds. Today, Esther is a bereaved mother, but she is also one of the most significant voices for social reform in contemporary British life.

She founded the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, co-launched the Phone-Free Education campaign with Kate Winslet, and has helped force a national reckoning on children, smartphones and social media. She was named the Independent's Most Influential Woman of 2024 and a GQ Hero.

Her bestselling memoir Under a Pink Sky - now available in paperback - is a searing and hopeful account of love, loss and rebuilding. It is one of the most breathtaking tales of resilience I have ever read.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

FIVE LESSONS FROM ESTHER:

1. Grief doesn't get easier – you learn to build your life around the hole the person left.
2. Don't blame other people for your own decisions.
3. Perception is everything: You can walk the same street looking down at the dog mess or up at the blossom – the choice is yours.
4. Mindfulness isn't a wellness trend. It's a tool that rewires how you respond to stress.
5. Compassion costs nothing.

CHAPTERS:

03:56 – The cherry blossom and the sign

05:20 – Growing up with mum

07:55 – Leaving school with no GCSEs, becoming a mum at 18

09:13 – The sludge-green walls and the addiction

12:17 – Why she refuses to blame anyone but herself

15:43 – Going back to school in her 30s

16:07 – Discovering mindfulness

17:51 – When Brett became Brianna

21:17 – The phone, the bedroom, the 3am email

27:24 – The day it happened

30:16 – The dream that became acceptance

32:47 – What she'd say to anyone in early grief

34:35 – Grieving in public

36:33 – Why she won't name the killers

37:55 – Meeting Emma

43:23 – Building Brianna's legacy

48:05 – Could I have done more?

51:16 – Phones don't build resilience

54:26 – Where the campaign goes next

FOLLOW ESTHER GHEY:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/esther.ghey/

Brianna Ghey Legacy Project – www.instagram.com/briannagheylegacyproject/

Phone-Free Education – www.instagram.com/phonefreeeducation/

BUY ESTHER'S BOOK:

Under a Pink Sky – www.amazon.co.uk/Under-Pink-Sky-Esther-Ghey/dp/0241738733

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Kate Bowler is one of the most thought-provoking voices on pain and suffering you'll ever encounter. Living her dream life – married to her high school sweetheart, a baby boy, and her dream job – she was diagnosed with stage four cancer just as everything fell into place.

In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Kate to discuss her Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that she turns to in order to help survive a crisis – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. We'd love to know yours, let us know in the reviews...

Kate is a four-time New York Times bestseller, professor at Duke University, host of the Everything Happens podcast, and author of an exceptional Substack. Her latest book, Joyful Anyway, hit the shelves this month.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

CHAPTERS:

00:49 A Person – Be a Roger: the quiet librarian who showed her what service really looks like

01:47 A Habit – Praying with her son every night

02:27 A Comfort – Roadside America, a 40-foot ceramic turtle, and how she befriended Tom Holland

03:49 A Piece of Advice – "It comes undone though, so don't skip to the end"

BUY KATE'S NEW BOOK:

Joyful Anyway – www.amazon.co.uk/Joyful-Anyway-Finding-Delight-Impossible/dp/1037202562

FOLLOW KATE BOWLER:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/katecbowler/

YouTube – www.youtube.com/@katecbowler

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@katecbowler

Substack – https://katebowler.substack.com/

Podcast – Everything Happens

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

At 35, Kate Bowler had the life she'd always wanted: she was a Duke University professor, married to her high school sweetheart, with a one-year-old son. Then she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

Today, Kate is a five time New York Times bestselling author, host of the Everything Happens podcast and one of the most inspiring and unique voices on the subject of suffering, the myth of the prosperity gospel and the reality of the human condition.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

FIVE LESSONS FROM KATE:

1. Don't trust your 2 am self. Your 2 a.m. self is despairing and terrified.
2. People want to help. Give them small, specific ways to show they love you.
3. Put an expiry date on bitterness.
4. Saying yes opens up untold opportunities – often it’s worth it.
5. Happiness is cheap. Meaning isn't. A happy person isn't necessarily living a meaningful life – they're often just extremely lucky.

CHAPTERS:

04:42 – Defining resilience

10:49 – Growing up with depressed person

14:46 – The prosperity gospel

16:48 – When it all came apart

20:33 – The diagnosis

22:07 – Performing gratitude

35:23 – Rules for surviving cancer

43:33 – The reality of being cured

45:12 – Joyful Anyway

48:19 – The happiness industry

51:23 – On stoicism

55:35 – Fear, sharks and risk

58:18 – Tasked with love

BUY KATE'S NEW BOOK:

Joyful Anyway – www.amazon.co.uk/Joyful-Anyway-Finding-Delight-Impossible/dp/1037202562

FOLLOW KATE BOWLER:

Instagram – www.instagram.com/katecbowler/

YouTube – www.youtube.com/@katecbowler

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@katecbowler

Substack – https://katebowler.substack.com/

Podcast – Everything Happens

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Charles Tyrwhitt founder, Nick Wheeler, started the business with just £99, a Morris Minor (with a hole rusted through the floor), and zero understanding of how you make a shirt. Today, it’s a £400m global empire – but his story is one not short of tragedy.

In this bonus episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with Nick to discuss his Crisis Compass. The four points of navigation that he turns to in order to help survive a crisis – a person, a habit, a comfort and a piece of advice. We’d love to know yours, let us know in the reviews...

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

CHAPTERS:

00:49 A Person – Learning from your children's fresh perspective

01:33 A Habit – 474 days of Duolingo (and still can't speak Italian)

02:32 A Comfort – Singing on a Brompton around London

03:12 A Piece of Advice – Stop stressing about what you can't change

FOLLOW CHARLES TYRWHITT:

‪@charlestyrwhitt‬

Instagram – www.instagram.com/charlestyrwhitt/

YouTube – www.youtube.com/c/charlestyrwhitt

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/discover/charles-tyrwhitt

Website – https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/uk/home

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

Nick Wheeler founded Charles Tyrwhitt with just £99 and a Morris Minor with a hole rusted through the floor (and zero understanding of how you make a shirt!). Today, it’s a £400m global empire – but his story is one not short of tragedy, with the loss of his mother aged just five years old, bankruptcy, and a catalogue of mistakes which meant he nearly lost everything.

In this episode of Crisis What Crisis, I sit down with the man who revolutionised British menswear. Nick Wheeler shares the raw, unfiltered reality of building a world-class brand.

If you want to learn about entrepreneurial resilience, business scaling, and the power of dogged self belief, this masterclass is for you.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley, visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

SIX BUSINESS LESSONS:

1) Build to be loved. Nick's motivation has always been simple: to be loved. By his team. By his customers. It's made him £400 million.

2) Never give away a share of your business. The minute you do, someone else has the right to tell you what to do.

3) Be the best in the world at one thing. Not two things. One. Going bust taught him that.

4) Cut early. If something isn't working, be brutally honest with yourself about why. Don't wait.

5) The only real job of an entrepreneur is choosing the right person to run your business.

6) Be a tortoise, not a hare. Grow 10% every year. It's boring for the first 20 years. Then it becomes extraordinary.

CHAPTERS:

01:19 – Introduction

02:54 – The entrepreneurial gene

15:29 – From failed shoes to Charles Tyrwhitt

23:31 – Mistake one

31:07 – Mistake two

36:15 – The hardest lesson

39:31 – The pandemic

44:04 – Cracking America

50:37 – Building a brand people love

FOLLOW CHARLES TYRWHITT:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/charlestyrwhitt/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRD_t-tXUDpidmNKqg4kayQ

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/discover/charles-tyrwhitt

Website – https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/uk/home

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS?

Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast

TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod

In this special tribute episode, we revisit my conversation with the legendary Dame Jenni Murray. Recorded in February 2021 in the early days of the podcast, Jenni joined me to discuss her remarkable 33-year tenure at BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, her harrowing battle with breast cancer, and the lifelong, deeply personal crisis of obesity that she detailed in her book, Fat Cow, Fat Chance.

Jenni was a pioneer who proved that no topic was too difficult to discuss. In this incredibly frank and moving conversation, we explore the roots of resilience, the complexity of forgiveness, and why "getting on with it" was the only strategy she knew when the world seemed to be unravelling.

POWERED BY KINGSLEY NAPLEY:

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on.

This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley; visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

1. Action Eases Anxiety: When the "shit hits the fan," shifting into a practical, task-oriented mode can prevent you from folding in on yourself.
2. Vulnerability is Bravery: Resilience isn't just about being "tough"; it's about the courage to drop the mask and admit when the pressure is too much.
3. Forgiveness is a Process: Moving past personal trauma requires acknowledging the full, complicated humanity of those who hurt us.
4. Set Your Own Milestones: In times of health or personal crisis, creating small, achievable targets (like writing a eulogy or finishing a treatment) provides a vital sense of control.
5. Words Matter: Shaming – whether of oneself or others – never leads to positive change; empathy and understanding are the only true paths to recovery.

1. 01:50 – "Fat Cow": The Reality of Public Shaming
2. 06:05 – Inherited Habits: A Childhood Defined by Food
3. 08:10 – The Black Bombers: Amphetamines and University Weight Loss
4. 18:20 – Reconciling with Her Mother
5. 22:30 – The Failure of Therapy vs. the Power of Friendship
6. 29:35 – The Phone Call to the Samaritans
7. 36:35 – December 2006: Cancer, Loss, and the Mastectomy
8. 43:00 – "Just Get On With It": The Instinctive Practicality of Crisis
9. 52:00 – A Vascular Necrosis: The Hidden Cost of Chemotherapy
10. 57:05 – The Turning Point: Metabolic Surgery and a Second Chance
11. 01:06:10 – Crisis Cures: Dogs, Crime Novels, and New Forest Ice Cream

FOLLOW CRISIS WHAT CRISIS? Instagram – www.instagram.com/crisiswhatcrisispodcast TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@crisispod