Not Your Story

When Weatherford shut down its UK operations, James Crowley had a choice: relocate - or rebuild.

What followed was the creation of Rockatek, a stealthy British engineering powerhouse now quietly solving problems for some of the world’s biggest oil & gas operators.

In this episode, James Crowley, Co-Owner and Director of Rockatek, joins Rory and Bella to talk about:

- Taking the leap from employee to founder

- Navigating the NDA-heavy world of engineering consulting

- The underrated power of British engineering

- Why Rocketech operates like the MI6 of oilfield innovation

- What it really takes to build a business while raising a family

Whether you’re an engineer thinking about launching your own venture, or a founder navigating the peaks and troughs of growth, this episode is for you.

In this episode of Not Your Story, recorded live at the OTC conference, we sit down with Anjani Kumar, VP of CoFlow at Computer Modelling Group (CMG), the gold standard in reservoir simulation for over 47 years.In today’s economic environment, operators face intense pressure to do more with less, fewer people, tighter budgets, and higher expectations.

CMG’s CoFlow platform is helping teams make faster, more accurate decisions in high-stakes environments where millions of dollars are on the line.Anjani shares insights from two decades of technical leadership, how CoFlow enables a unified, data-driven approach to field development, how to communicate technical value through storytelling, and why continuous learning and the power of compounding are essential for the next generation of energy leaders.

If you really want a job in marketing you've got to be OBSESSED.In this episode, we walk out step-by-step if we were restarting out as marketers from scratch today, here's the playbook we would follow.

6 months ago, Saim sent a video to Midnight, telling us why he should be hired.

He stood out from the crowd showing his ability to create content with an obsessive attention to detail.

We uncover how to start making content as a marketer, how to leverage ai, the importance of content pillars and so much more...

In this episode, LIVE from NAPE Expo 2025, seasoned oilfield veteran Farhod Hamidov, International Sales leader at BICO Drilling Tools reveals his secrets to building a powerful global network.

You'll learn how BICO is revolutionizing geothermal with leading technology and how Farhod has built a name for himself within the industry through strategic networking, storytelling and trust building.

In this episode of Not Your Story, LIVE from NAPE Expo 2025 in Houston 2025, Vasili Borisov shares his journey from professional tennis player, to entering the world of oil and gas and with help from his Russian rocket scientist father, create a revolutionary drill bit technology and founded Cool Edge Bits/

Vasili shares how to tell a compelling story as a founder to pitch your vision and brand to investors, recently securing VC money to take his product to market.

If you enjoyed this episode leave us a review and follow for more podcasts on marketing & entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Bella and Rory dive into the podcasting revolution, exploring why now is the perfect time to start your show.

From the rise of video podcasts to tips on growing your audience on platforms like YouTube and Spotify, they share practical advice for beginners and seasoned creators alike.

Discover the power of storytelling, the trends shaping podcasting in 2025, and how to turn your ideas into a show that stands out.

Chris Buckley is the founder and CEO of INY. He has a history of innovation building ST9 Oil and Gas that was acquired by Liberty Energy in 2019.

Chris shares all the lessons he took from that acquisition and how he's been inspired by those experiences to start his new company INY.

Building the first intelligent hybrid high horse power transmission in the world and disrupting the energy, marine and mining industries.

Tune into to discover more about Chris' innovative approach!

Jim Holmes is the founder and CEO of LFS Chemistry. A chemistry technology company revolutionizing the energy industry or the oil and gas industry with sustainable, high-performing molecules. In this episode Jim reveals the biggest mistakes people make when approaching sales. How can you communicate your story effectively as a founder? Tune in to discover more.

In this episode you will learn 5 storytelling secrets to tell great f****** stories. Whether you're building your brand, launching a campaign or trying to amplify your message, this video is for you.

Timestamps:

__________________

Follow Not Your Story:

Jake Karls is the co-founder and Chief Rainmaker of Midday Squares, a chocolate brand, that’s shaking up the $140B chocolate industry.

Jake shares how Mid-Day Squares is growing a $100M brand by embracing the power of storytelling, vulnerability, and authenticity, sharing their behind the scenes story of entrepreneurial drama.

Timestamps:

(1:45) - The future of marketing

(4:44)- The founding story of Mid-Day Squares

(7:44) - $140 billion chocolate industry, growth in saturated market

(9:40) - The power of authenticity and vulnerability

(12:45) - Reality TV Show storytelling, Shark Tank, The Kardashians & Hollywood

(14:55) - Overcoming burnout

(17:46) - ‘Therapy saved our partnership’

(19:33) - There’s no great story without conflict

(21:44) - Positive momentum & compounding action

(23:44) - ‘failure is a privilege’

(25:00) - Does your story evoke emotion?

(27:00) - Over 50 million organic content views

(28:55) - Curiosity, how can we be better storytellers?

(30:00) - The ground game, building true community

(33:23) - Sam Walton built Walmart by SHOWING UP

(35:30) - What the hell is a Chief Rainmaker?

(37:35) - ‘I was a horrible manager’

(38:38) - Scaling to $100 million

(40:44) - Advice to listeners overcoming fear

(41:47) - ‘LinkedIn is a playground for opportunities’

(43:30) - 'Being myself is my greatest superpower'

(45:04) - Outro

Connect with Jake and Mid-Day Squares:

https://www.instagram.com/jakekarls_/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-karls-653106ba/

https://www.instagram.com/middaysquares/

https://www.tiktok.com/ @middaysquares 

Follow Not Your Story:

https://www.instagram.com/nys_podcast/

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/not-your-story-nys/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-nolan-a89a1ab5/

If you enjoyed listening to the podcast, we'd love for you to leave a 5-star review on Spotify / Apple Podcasts to help others discover the show :)