This episode has been pulled together at short notice to support an amazing cause. Good friends Matthew Jones and Julian Lee are cycling nearly 1,000 miles from Land's End to John o' Groats (LEJOG) to raise funds for Forest Upcycling, a charity founded by Matt that directly supports communities in Uganda. 

The video and audio for this episode were captured on the move while out doing the miles on the bikes. 

Matt's charity sends 100% of donations directly to communities in need, funding solar power, local businesses, schools, and essential gear. For this ride, they are on a mission to collect football boots, sports kit, and raise funds to bring sports equipment and opportunities to young players in Uganda. 

"Every donation and share helps us collect and deliver gear that can truly make a difference. Football builds confidence, health, and new opportunities."

We would love to see them reach their target of £10,000. Any donation or share is hugely appreciated! 

Donate to the GoFundMe:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/lejog-100000-football-boots-for-uganda?attribution_id=sl:0449a0a9-0673-4551-b32b-bdfe8fce6326&ts=1788540724&utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=whatsapp&video_sharing=enabled

Andy Simpson has spent his career building businesses in some of the most competitive corners of tech and recruitment - and this time, the tables get turned as he's interviewed inside his very own studio: Vertical Drop.

Andy is co-founder of Vertical Drop, founder of ryvr.ai, and host of Recruiting Alchemy. In this episode, we get into the studio horror stories that shaped how Vertical Drop was built, why almost every company that fails does so through a lack of distribution rather than a lack of product, and the real numbers behind LinkedIn and podcasting 'saturation' that most founders get wrong.

Key moments

0:00 – Andy sits down to be interviewed in the studio he co-founded ("poacher turned gamekeeper")
9:16 – The worst podcast studio experiences: turned away in the rain, handed three mugs of tap water
11:15 – Charged £80 to rent a £100 teleprompter for ten minutes
20:25 – "Almost all companies fail... through a lack of distribution" — the core thesis of the episode
51:54 – The real numbers behind LinkedIn/podcast "saturation": 97% of people never post, and why the ones who do aren't proof the space is full

GUEST
Andy Simpson - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyhsimpson/
ryvr.ai - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ryvrai/posts/?feedView=all
Vertical Drop - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticaldropstudio

HOST
John Blackburn - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblackburnvoc/

LISTEN ON
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033fUoL5bIAsPbJQ95mDW0
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/made-in-public/id1896618101

This episode is sponsored by Vertical Drop: https://www.vertical-drop.com/

In this episode of Made in Public, John Blackburn sits down with John Logue, Founder of Chance Clean Cider, to explore what it really takes to leave a successful corporate career and build a challenger brand from scratch.

After spending more than 20 years in the drinks industry at companies including Diageo, BrewDog, Lucky Saint, and Distill Ventures, John shares the moment a friend challenged him to stop talking about business ideas and finally take his chance. That decision led to the creation of Chance Clean Cider, now stocked in over 1,000 venues across the UK and the number one alcohol-free cider on Amazon.

The conversation dives into building a founder-led brand, using LinkedIn as a genuine growth channel rather than just a networking platform, creating a business around positive energy and community, and why sharing your journey publicly can become one of your biggest competitive advantages.

Whether you're building a consumer brand, growing an audience online, or waiting for the right moment to start your own business, this episode is packed with practical advice and honest lessons from one of the UK's most authentic founders.

Timestamps

00:00 – Why John finally took the chance to start his own business
07:00 – The story behind launching Chance Clean Cider
13:00 – Why LinkedIn is one of the most powerful distribution channels for founders
18:20 – How building in public helped grow the brand

Connect with John Logue

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmlogue/
Chance Clean Cider: https://www.chancecider.com/

Connect with John Blackburn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblackburnvoc/

This episode is proudly sponsored by Vertical Drop

Website: https://vertical-drop.com/

What does it take to completely reinvent a food business when your original product plan falls through?

In this episode of Made in Public, John Blackburn sits down with Priya Bowry, Founder of MAJI Drinks, to unpack a startup journey that is delightfully unconventional. 

From starting a viral family supper club with her mum called "Vegetarian Brown Girls," to spending £21,000 on a failed canned drink prototype, Priya shares the honest lessons she has learned from taking risks, making mistakes, and ultimately pivoting to a breakout success with her overnight chai packets. 

The conversation explores organic community building, the realities of being a solo founder, reclaiming cultural heritage, and why Priya is tearing down the traditional "highlight reel" of business with her raw, finance-baring series, Nothing Hidden. 

Whether you're an aspiring food and beverage founder, a community builder, or simply interested in the unfiltered truth of scaling a business in public, there's plenty to take away from this one. 

Timestamps

00:00 – Highlights from Priya's journey 
01:00 – From recipes to supper clubs: The origins of Vegetarian Brown Girls 
03:30 – Selling out a supper club in your own home 
05:30 – What actually is traditional chai? 
06:40 – Live taste test in the studio with the team 
09:20 – The single-serve packet model explained 
10:20 – Going viral on TikTok from the bath and accidentally launching a website 
12:00 – How to build an offline community of 160+ people 
14:40 – Launching "Nothing Hidden" and exposing real business finances 
16:30 – Sponsor: Vertical Drop 
18:10 – The cardinal sins of podcasting and embracing business mistakes 
21:00 – Going viral with "Crisps But Better" at South Asian festivals 
23:15 – Why doesn't good iced chai exist in a can? 
24:45 – Losing £21,000 in recipe development 
26:30 – Pivoting to powder: Building a "pharmacy lab" in the kitchen 
28:10 – Reclaiming heritage and naming the brand MAJI 
30:15 – Bridging the gap between the diaspora and coffee shop chai 
31:45 – What's next: Seeking investment and launching a Central London pop-up 
32:40 – Final thoughts 

Connect with Priya Bowry

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priya-bowry-6439131ab/

MAJI Drinks: https://majidrinks.co.uk/

Connect with John Blackburn

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblackburnvoc/

This episode is proudly sponsored by Vertical Drop

Website: https://vertical-drop.com/

Laura Thompson, former Deloitte and EY strategic marketer with a dance and personal training background, shares how redundancy and her mother’s unexpected death pushed her to build in public. She now runs Connect Studio, helping founder-led businesses translate strategy into meaningful marketing, while developing The Yard, a “third space” in West Sussex for people to work, move, and belong unfiltered. Laura explains how perfectionism and corporate-style launches can delay progress, arguing instead for validating ideas early through conversations, small actions, and visible iteration. She describes recent steps—naming the concept, mood-boarding, contacting the council about buildings, using Claude for visual identity, and gathering proof of concept via networking. Next, she plans pilot sessions combining coworking in a coffee shop with a mid-morning PT workout, then repeating to build demand before seeking investors.

00:00 Laura’s Origin Story
00:51 Why Build in Public
01:47 What Is The Yard
03:32 Loss and Redundancy Catalyst
04:58 Perfectionism and Corporate Fear
07:33 Small Steps Over Big Launches
10:03 Validation and Stakeholder Buy In
11:38 Founder Accountability Systems
15:47 Live Updates and Early Momentum
16:23 Naming The Yard and Next Moves
18:10 Using AI to Shape the Brand
18:33 LLMs as Business Coaches
18:53 Crafting a Vivid Vision
21:04 Beating Fear and Self Talk
22:42 Start Small in Public
25:02 Past Projects and Pivots
26:16 Next Steps for The Yard
27:57 Build Demand Before Spending
29:28 Mission Over Money
30:49 Where to Find Laura
31:29 Final Push to Post

In this episode of Made in Public, the John speaks with Ben and James about why founders should “build in public” to avoid a risky cold-start launch and instead create a warm start by building trust, awareness, and interest early—before rent, staff, or agency costs kick in. They explain building in public as increasing “surface area” for luck, shortening the learning curve by iterating in public, and even enabling pre-orders and investor interest. The conversation covers why consumers increasingly value tribe, connection, and status, and how brands can differentiate even in crowded categories, with examples including Sult, Midday Squares, and Perfect Ted’s employee-generated content. They discuss common barriers like fear, cringe, and worrying about credibility, plus strategies for standing out amid AI-generated content by adding friction and differentiation (e.g., in-person formats) and the potential shift toward live content. LinkedIn is framed as an underused marketing channel where text still cuts through, with advice to choose platforms you can consistently show up on and outsource repurposing when needed.

00:00 Cold Start Warning
00:44 Meet The Guests
01:05 What Building Public Means
01:54 Stagger Posts Learn Fast
03:24 Warm Start Marketing
04:26 Tribe Status Community
06:17 Brand Examples And Free
08:06 Why People Hold Back
10:22 Sponsor Break Podcast Agency
12:54 AI Slop Add Friction
15:14 Build Public Inspiration
17:15 Reality Show Branding
18:04 Employee Led Posting
18:29 Max Jones LinkedIn Bet
19:58 LinkedIn Becomes Entertainment
22:16 Pick Platforms and Repurpose
25:06 Live Content Future
28:51 Build In Public Live Ideas
30:26 Overwhelm and Getting Help
32:44 Final Takeaways and Thanks

This week John Blackburn interviews Jamie Vaughan, co-founder of Restless, an AI marketing company for a social world, days after launch. They unpack what “building in public” means, why Jamie chose “building in secret in public” due to co-founder notice periods, and how the teaser-style content created intrigue, inbound conversations, and even paying clients by launch day. Jamie explains Restless’ two-sided model: Antenna, a managed SaaS platform that ingests proprietary, public, and third-party data to create objective micro-personas and let teams test hooks and copy, alongside social agency services that apply those insights to ads and content. They discuss AI’s strengths (data analysis, pattern matching) versus weaknesses (taste, humor), the role of human creativity, how AI could change agency scaling, and why founders should post rather than “launch into silence,” including thoughts on humor and live formats as antidotes to generic AI content.

00:00 Teaser and Hook
00:27 Meet Jamie Vaughan
02:12 What Building in Public Means
03:06 Secret in Public Strategy
05:36 Launch Results and Noise
07:17 Guy Ritchie Launch Video
09:22 What Restless Actually Is
11:41 Antenna Platform Deep Dive
14:22 Managed SaaS Not Self Serve
15:55 Advice for Nervous Founders
18:50 The Alternative Is Silence
19:44 Inbound Demand Engine
20:34 Launch Without The Desert
21:06 Building Public Launches
22:17 Vertical Drop Sponsor
22:50 Consumer Launch Playbook
24:17 Rebranding The Vlog
24:49 AI Adoption For Teams
25:43 What AI Is Bad At
28:52 Scaling Agencies With AI
32:10 Humor Beats AI Slop
34:06 Live Content And Trust
36:11 What Happens Next

Episode one of Made in Public is recorded in a camper van with Dan and Elise Rowntree, founders of Mood Haus, a sauna, cold plunge, and community wellness concept launched publicly before they had a site or facilities. They explain why they posted that their “ducks are firmly not in a row,” how a Cameron Herold “vivid vision” document helped make the idea real, and how building in public overcame Elise’s fear of public failure after a corporate career. Since posting, they’ve received validation, site offers, investor and collaboration interest, and momentum that led to exploring a much larger 14,000 sq ft opportunity. They share how quitting alcohol and seeking mood alteration through contrast therapy shaped Mood Haus “sauna 2.0” vision focused on social wellness, experiences, and community.

00:00 Ducks Not In Row
00:18 Meet Mood Haus Founders
01:01 Why Post Before Ready
03:03 Elise Fear Of Failure
05:15 Vivid Vision Goes Live
06:12 Building In Public Mindset
10:55 Cornwall Chapter Closes
14:20 Market Timing And Competition
16:54 What A Vivid Vision Is
21:20 Post Results And New Sites
22:32 Big Cornwall Site Lead
23:43 Sponsor Vertical Drop
24:16 Unexpected Investor Interest
25:08 Stars Aligning Fast
25:54 Local Partners And Saunas
26:57 Why Build In Public
27:42 Community Over Perfection
29:22 Bigger Vision Bigger Site
30:56 What Mood Haus Is
31:38 Quitting Alcohol Origin Story
35:12 Sauna 2.0 Mood Focus
36:38 AI Sauna Prescription App
38:09 Market Proof And Benchmarks
39:50 Next Steps And Site Challenges
40:48 Content Creation And Branding
42:55 Full Circle And Momentum
44:06 Closing Thanks And Founders