The Founders

You’d be hard pressed to find a more unique founding story than that of brothers Harry and Charlie Thuillier, the founders of low calorie ice cream brand, Oppo; this one features a word record attempt, kite buggies, and scavenging food… but you’ll just have to listen to find out how their story turned out to be to have an award winning ending.

Harry and Charlie join Alex and Joe to share how they got the business going by telling a few white lies (and why often asking for forgiveness over permission is the only way to get it off the ground); why Charlie’s defining moment was finally convincing Harry to get on board; and why they turned down Dragon’s Den three times and what convinced them to say yes. 

Follow Harry, Charlie, Oppo Brothers and the team behind The Founders.

ZOE is a company that at its heart wants to change lives, and co-founder George fully believes in that ethos. After being rejected from university 13 times, he leads with positivity and belief which he shares in this conversation. 

One of Wired’s and Forbes’ hottest startups, ZOE is on a mission to improve gut health through their personalised advice by analysing your gut microbe, all through an at home test kit and their app. 

Alex and Joe chat with George about why you should fall in love with problems, what business owners can learn from elite athletes and why he doesn’t necessarily see the 250,000 people waiting to get on the app is a good thing. 

Follow George, ZOE and the team behind The Founders.

Worldwide, we throw away 40% of the food we produce, and Lucie Basch wanted to do something about it. TooGoodToGo offers a win-win solution for businesses and consumers to grab cheap food that would otherwise be thrown away. 

Co-founder Lucie describes to Alex and Joe how she learnt from her experience in the food industry that she didn’t want to work for the current system, she wanted to make a new one. 

She shares the story of what she promised to the first cafés to get on board with the app, and how TooGoodToGo’s revenue remains meaningful. Lucie also explains why you shouldn’t be too perfect too soon when building your business.

Follow TooGoodToGo, Lucie and  the team behind The Founders.

Canopy & Stars’ don’t claim to have invented glamping; however since the launch of their curated site of unique outdoor stays in 2010, you only need to look at the Google trends to see it’s rise into the mainstream since. 

Co-founder Tom Dixon chats with Alex and Joe about how he’s built a company based on integrity and authenticity, with every listing personally visited by one of the team. He shares how the covid pandemic and rise of staycation affected the business, and how they’re still navigating the change in consumer behaviour. 

Tom also shares his thoughts on Airbnb, and why the bigger they get is only good for his business.

Follow Canopy & Stars and the team behind The Founders.

With only £4,000, Rude Health started humbly with ingredients, supplies, and branded aprons. Now, a brand  sold worldwide, co-founder and Brand Director Camilla Barnard has overseen an incredible evolution of a business that started with the aim to make healthy food delicious. 

Alex and Joe sit down with Camilla to discover how the simple sentiment of ‘Do I think this is brilliant?’ kicked off the journey; as well as the challenges of raising a young family and growing a new business.

If you’re a business owner and are worried about the year ahead, Camilla shares a unique perspective and tangible advice from her time tackling the 2008 financial crisis during the business’ early days. 

Camilla also discusses ways to adapt when they found themselves speaking to a whole new generation who were obsessed with plant based milk. 

Follow Rude Health and the team behind The Founders.

From packing products in their kitchen, to a company of 40+, Absolute Collagen has built an authentic brand around helping people feel good about themselves.

Co-founder Darcy Laceby joins Alex and Joe to share the story of their rapid growth, and how she navigates life with her co-founder: her mum, Maxine. 

Darcy also shares the frustrations she faces being a young founder, including being mistaken for a marketing exec, and how she handled the company's rapid growth. 

She also discusses her experience of leading the production for the brand’s first TV ad after only ever advertising on social media; and why authenticity is the strongest marketing tool. 

Follow Darcy, Absolute Collagen and the team behind The Founders.

Sacha Lord left school with no A-Levels and no idea what he was going to do with his life. Yet, he would go on to run the biggest metropolitan festival in the UK and be the first ever Night Time Economy Advisor for Andy Burnham.

Alex and Joe chat with Sacha about how he fell in love with Mancheter’s rave scene and how he has both been contributing and shaping it ever since. 

He shares stories of how he started with blagging to get people through the doors, the scary and darker moments of working in , and how it all led to him being a pivotal part of Manchester’s nightlife scene with The Warehouse Project and Parklife. 

He also gives advice to business owners as we enter a difficult couple of years, and he reveals whether or not he’d ever go into politics. 

Follow Sacha and the team behind The Founders

Ellie Webb was frustrated at the lack of alcohol free options when going out during Dry Jan – and through this frustration, Caleño was born. 

Alex and Joe sit down with Ellie, Caleño’s founder and Chief Joy Maker, to discuss the challenges of building a business as a side hustle. Ellie goes in depth about what it costs to get a business up and running; the loneliness she felt being a solo female founder; and the incredible story on how her sober spirit was picked up by Sainsburys. 

Ellie also divulges her most defining moment, when she made the difficult yet ultimately rewarding decision to give up the London life she thought she’d always wanted. 

Follow Ellie, Caleño, and the team behind The Founders.

Home decor brand Lick happened to time their launch on day 1 of lockdown, when 48% of us ended up making home improvements to our home. However, in this conversation with Lick’s CEO and co-founder Lucas London, it’s clear that this coincidence was only a small part of their meteoric rise to becoming one of the biggest competitors in the space. 

Alex and Joe speak to Lucas about why he’s glad he waited to start a business, and the lessons he learnt working in finance during the 2008 crash. He discusses the conflict of building a high growth business while still having a supportive environment for his staff.

Lucas also shares his most valuable failures, and his advice to you going into the challenges of 2023.   Connect with Lucas, follow Lick and the team behind The Founders.

Peter has founded four businesses – three have failed. However, his fourth venture Dishpatch is thriving and giving access to incredible London restaurants to the entire UK. 

In this conversation, Peter shares the story behind his entrepreneurial spirit and how he persevered in the face of failure. 

He also has an open and thorough discussion about the logistical side of Dishpatch; what his plan for growth was and how he succeeded. 

Connect with Peter, follow Dishpatch and the team behind The Founders.