Finding Future Leaders

Ask most people what a growing business needs and they’ll say profit. Ask founders, and you get a very different answer.

In this episode from our University of Reading research sessions, Layla shares what she found after studying founders who bought their businesses back from corporations, including Leon, and charting 59 founder interviews. Profit as a measure of success came up 11 times. Getting external support early came up more than 100 times.

David reflects on what that means, from the little details founders obsess over to why founder-led businesses know your name. Then he shares a simple trick from a founder of 40 years for anyone stuck on change: try it for 30 days.

This conversation was recorded as part of The Digital Lightbulb’s founder-led growth research project with the University of Reading.

In this episode:
00:00 Welcome from David
00:31 Founders who bought their businesses back
02:03 59 founder interviews: what really helps growth
08:57 Change is hard, so try it for 30 days

🎧 Follow Finding Future Leaders for more founder conversations.

🔗 Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brand-advisor/
🌍 The Digital Lightbulb: https://thedigitallightbulb.com/

What’s the one idea every founder should hear? At the end of our founder-led growth research project with the University of Reading, David and Rasool from The Digital Lightbulb put that question to the student researchers.

Rasool opens up about what he got wrong about founder-led businesses. David pulls together the big themes: control, delegation, founder’s syndrome, succession, trust and reputation. Then each student shares their lightbulb moment: growth means letting go of who you were, values aren’t optional, founders don’t scale businesses, they scale influence, and full alignment isn’t realistic, but shared purpose is.

This conversation was recorded as part of The Digital Lightbulb’s founder-led growth research project with the University of Reading.

In this episode:
00:00 Welcome from David
00:31 Rasool: the biggest challenge was the perception
04:41 The one idea every founder should hear
11:25 Purpose: helping people take their next step

🎧 Follow Finding Future Leaders for more founder conversations.

🔗 Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brand-advisor/
🌍 The Digital Lightbulb: https://thedigitallightbulb.com/

How do you build a brand people genuinely want to belong to? In our first episode, University of Reading students put their questions to James Cowdale, co-founder of the British menswear brand &SONS.

James started &SONS as a side project alongside his branding agency, launched it on Kickstarter, and has spent ten years turning it into a lifestyle brand. He talks honestly about imposter syndrome, why he spent his evenings on live chat, the moment a founder becomes the bottleneck, and why the proudest moments have nothing to do with the P&L.

This conversation was recorded as part of The Digital Lightbulb's founder-led growth research project with the University of Reading, and features in our founder publication.

In this episode:
00:00 Welcome from David
00:59 Imposter syndrome never goes away
01:59 A side hustle, a Kickstarter and "easy street"
02:56 When the sales dropped off
03:36 Live chat every evening: really knowing your customer
05:22 David asks: how did you have to change as a leader?
06:29 Becoming the bottleneck, and learning to let go
07:41 Ejiro asks: how do you stand out in fashion?
08:18 B Corp, slow fashion and not following trends
09:51 Jaden asks: what if customers don't get the new design?
12:41 Layla asks: how do you define success beyond profit?
15:03 Thanks and goodbye

Questions from students Ejiro Mowoe, Jaden J'Shard Henry and Layla Kearns.

Key takeaways:
• Talk to your customers yourself. Personas are no substitute.
• Point of difference, then consistency. Don't chase every trend.
• If you sign off everything, you are the bottleneck. Give your team room to own things, and to fail.
• Bring customers on the journey with storytelling and education.
• Define success beyond profit, and notice when you're changing lives.

🎧 Follow Finding Future Leaders for more founder conversations.

🔗 Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brand-advisor/
🌍 The Digital Lightbulb: https://thedigitallightbulb.com/