Founded & Grounded

From tragedy to triumph.  How a sister's life-saving transplant led to the creation of a natural skincare business.

By Sarah London, stands for something much larger, their deeply personal story has sparked a strong sense of mission and purpose when it comes to business - which shines through in this conversation.

Key Takeaways

- Learn how to shake off imposter syndrome and reframe failure
 
- How to stand out and take on the industry giants.  By Sarah London gives 100% transparency in their ingredient listings and became a B Corp, showing their sustainability values.  
 
- How to deal with major business challenges. Hear how they dealt with Brexit and withdrawing from the EU market, they've used direct-to-consumer strategies and social media to maintain and grow their customer base, enabling them to plan a return to the EU market.

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From losing millions to founding a sustainable fashion brand, Responsible.

Hear from Mark Dowds about how to bounce back and find success.

Mark is a serial founder and super angel investor who knows the entrepreneurial rollercoaster like the back of his hand.

Mark shares his insights on investing in early-stage startups, overcoming entrepreneurial challenges, and the significance of an abundant mindset in business

Key Takeaways

- The problem you're solving with your startup should be crystal clear in your own mind; if it's not, it's worth reevaluating if it's the right venture to pursue.

- Being too early to market with an innovative product can be a disadvantage, so it's crucial to validate the market demand and timing before fully committing resources.

- Listening to your fears and treating them as feedback can lead to growth and learning, helping you become more resilient and adaptive as an entrepreneur.

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National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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Discover the secret to business success straight from a former intelligence expert.

Meet Steve Mason, former Technical Director at GCHQ. Having defended the UK from cyber attacks, he now runs Nova Blue, helping businesses stay safe.  

But this isn’t a tech conversation - in this episode, Steve shares the key ingredients that help him make business decisions and how he attracts clients and deals with setbacks - including the mistake that almost cost him his business.

Key Takeaways

- Being a founder doesn't automatically equate to being an effective CEO, as the two roles require different mindsets and skill sets.

- Cybersecurity is more than just technology protection; it encompasses culture, leadership, governance, and policies that safeguard digital assets.

- How to become effective at sales. Even the most experienced individuals can struggle if they cannot communicate their ideas or services effectively.

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National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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Unlocking the future of work: How Tally Workspace is revolutionising the way we work.

Since Covid, hybrid working has become the norm and workplaces have evolved

Laura Beales and her co-founder Jules Robertson, saw the potential to create a platform that makes finding a workspace easy, wherever, whenever. 

Laura also delves into her biggest failures, lessons learned and the importance of a support network.

Key Takeaways

- Start with the problem you're solving. Tally Market was born out of a need for more flexible and varied workspace solutions for businesses and individuals seeking alternatives to traditional office leases and remote working from home.

- The importance of co-founder alignment. Laura and Jules, complement each other with their different skill sets and perspectives, which strengthens their business partnership and strategy development.

- How to test the simplest version of a product or service. This can be more beneficial than investing in a complex version, as it allows for quick iteration based on real user feedback and demand before significant resources are committed.

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National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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Rum entrepreneur Edmund Wood quit his job to pursue his dream of starting his own business. He didn’t have a clue what it would be, but he decided he had to ‘leap and look’ for an idea he was passionate about— rum. Belgrove was born. 

It’s a story about being bold, quick to adapt when plans go pear-shaped and learning you have to be kind to yourself. 

If you have ever dreamt of quitting your day-to-day and doing something else - this is a must-listen for you. 

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National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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Rupal Patel, former agent, now serial entrepreneur, shares her honest and personal journey of the challenges she faced and how she kept going in high stakes, high-pressurised environments in the field and in the boardroom. 

Rupal reveals how the CIA mindset teaches you to be resilient and persistent to achieve your goals. She also shares some great advice on ‘tactical ignorance’ and how it can help deal with imposter syndrome and the inner critic.

Her book ‘From CIA to CEO: Unconventional Life Lessons for Thinking Bigger, Leading Better, and Being Bolder’ is out now.

Go to www.rupalypatel.com to find out more about Rupal. 

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National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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Hear from Mark Panay - Co-founder and MD of one of Bristol’s most prolific software agencies , Simpleweb.

Learn Mark's highs and lows of running a business, and how his natural curiosity and fascination for learning has shaped his career.  Discover what Mark thinks makes a good start-up investment, and what he sees as the biggest challenges of being the boss.

Presented by Laura Rawlings, with analysis from Ollie Collard.

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National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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Meet Simon Squibb, serial entrepreneur, investor and founder of The Purposeful Project. 

Simon’s mission is to help and inspire 10,000,000 people to startup and scale a business for free. He believes there should be a Start Up Centre to replace the Job Centre - and as an angel investor and entrepreneur, Simon’s got the credentials to make this a reality.

In this insightful conversation with Founded and Grounded, Simon reveals how being homeless at 15 made him realise he had what it takes to be an entrepreneur. He shares his journey, failures and lessons learnt, including how to increase your luck and why being clear about your purpose is key to business success.

Thanks to our sponsors Nova Blue and Tally Market.

Presented by Laura Rawlings, with analysis from Ollie Collard.

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Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:

National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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Meet Kelli Fairbrother, co-founder and CEO of xigxag.

She has the vision to make audiobooks more engaging. xigxgag has taken on a big global player and forged ahead developing a listen-and-read book, called the x-book.

Kelli started in the US army, a place she credits with teaching her the grit and determination required to be an entrepreneur and where she first realised she could be a leader. She then spent 20 years in consumer tech before having the confidence to set up her own business. xigxag is her first venture.

Kelli joins Founded & Grounded to discuss how you know when you’ve got a great idea, the value of having an experienced advisor when it comes to making your pitch and signing deals, and the difference it makes both financially and mentally having a network.

Presented by Laura Rawlings, with analysis from Ollie Collard.

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National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

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In an age where we have a constant stream of personal data on our wrists, and home testing has become second nature, one UK company is nicely poised to ride the crest of a wellbeing wave.

Forth is a digital health business pioneering personalised biomarker profiling. Its founder and CEO, Sarah Bolt, caught up with Founded & Grounded to talk about how Forth are on a mission to improve health and wellbeing and, in particular, close the gender health gap.

But it's a conversation as much about the less-than-straightforward path to success as Sarah reflects on the challenge of convincing investors outside Forth's target demographic, the success rates of sole founders versus partnerships, and how running a business can sometimes feel like coming at the expense of those closest to you. 

Presented by Andrew Parsonage, with analysis from Ollie Collard and listener feedback courtesy of Samantha Miles.

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Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:

National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact

Have questions about our podcast or an episode? Ask our hosts, chat now

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