40 Minute Mentor – Details, episodes & analysis

“We are not expected to all develop in the same direction. Success isn’t the same for all of us and we can’t plan our way to some kind of predictable future.”  40 Minute Mentor is fast approaching its 12th season.  With over 250 episodes published, we know that not every single one of our listeners will have been around from the beginning.  To share some of our earlier mentorship with you, we’re running another one of our Replay feature seasons.  In today’s Replay episode, we’re revisiting our 40 minutes of pocket-sized mentorship with the brilliant Helen Tupper.  Helen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Amazing If, a bestselling Author and Co-Host of the popular Squiggly Careers podcast.  In these 40 minutes, you’ll find out…  Episode chapters: ➡️ Joining for the company, not the job [03:25]   ➡️ Working for big brands [04:30]  ➡️ Defining your career values [08:30]  ➡️ Taking the plunge into entrepreneurship [10:20]  ➡️ Building a business with your friend [15:15]  ➡️ Defining a Squiggly Career [20:45]  ➡️ Building your confidence [26:45]  ➡️ Starting the Squiggly Careers podcast [30:35]  ➡️ The secret to community building [35:20]  ➡️ Advice on career pivots [35:45]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Helen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helentupper?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Find out more about Amazing If: https://www.amazingif.com/  ➡️ Listen to the Squiggly Careers podcast: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There’s a competitive drive and edge that you see in sport that is really important in business. And Teamwork. Dealing with individuals, knowing what helps make an individual tick is really important.”  For the final episode in this season of our VC feature, we’re joined by Ruari Bell, Founding Partner at The Players Fund, the UK’s first athlete-led firm, founded to empower the athlete community as investors.  The Players Fund brings together a collective of renowned athlete investors, including Ben Stokes, former 40 Minute Mentor guest Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jos Butler, Allyson Felix, Serge Gnabry and many more top athletes.  Ruari has had a fantastic career in entrepreneurship and investing and we’ll dig into every part of it and his journey with The Players Fund in detail, in today’s episode.  In these 40 minutes, you’ll hear about... Episode chapters:  ➡️ Increasing diversity and inclusion in VC [03:00]  ➡️ Growing up in the Northeast of England [03:50]  ➡️ A love for sport [05:45]  ➡️ Transitioning out of professional sport [07:55]  ➡️ An entrepreneurial journey [10:50]  ➡️ Transferable skills from sport to business [17:40]  ➡️ The origin story of The Players Fund [20:15]  ➡️ What makes Founders stand out to him [28:00]  ➡️ Openness to feedback [29:30]  ➡️ Vision for the future [35:15]  ➡️ Building a business with family [38:00]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Ruari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruaribell/  ➡️ Find out more about The Players fund: https://www.playersfund.vc/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The most difficult part [of going fractional] is starting a business. It’s having to wear every hat yourself, from selling, marketing, relationship building, finances, ops and admin. You are everything.”  Fractional careers have been on the rise over the last few years. Both, for experienced Operators making the move into fractional work and for Founders who are looking to hire highly experienced Operators, at the fraction of the cost of full-time hires.  To discuss how you make the move into fractional work and why you might want to work with fractional leaders, we’re joined by Neda Sahebelm, fractional COO and Carla Hoppe, Founder and CEO of Wealthbrite, the startup educating non-finance people in finance.  Neda and Carla are working together on a fractional basis and open up about how they make fractional work in today’s episode.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ 60 second CVs [06:15]  ➡️ Transitioning into fractional work [14:00]  ➡️ The most difficult part of being fractional [16:35]  ➡️ Hiring fractional talent [22:15]  ➡️ Fractional vs Full-time hiring [27:15]  ➡️ Defining your fractional scope [29:35]  ➡️ The day to day as a fractional COO [34:30]  ➡️ Making your fractional talent part of the team [38:30]  ➡️ The experience you need to go fractional [41:40]  ➡️ Making the switch from permanent COO to fractional COO [43:45]  ➡️ What to consider when hiring fractionally [46:20]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Neda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedasahebelm/?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Follow Carla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlahoppe/  ➡️ Check out Wealthbrite: https://www.wealthbrite.co.uk/  🤝 In partnership with Operations Nation 🤝 This episode was produced in partnership with Operations Nation, the community-powered knowledge hub for Operations leaders. You can find out more about Operations Nation and join their community here: https://operationsnation.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following on from our pledge last year to continue shining a light on History’s influential black voices, beyond Black History Month, we welcome back Samuel Tholley, the Founder of Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  Today, and in continuation of celebrating International Women’s Day, beyond March 8th, Samuel shares two stories of female trailblazers with us, who have significantly shaped the world we live in today.  First we’ll be learning more about Baroness Doreen Lawrence and her battle to reform the police service, following the murder of her son, Stephen Lawrence in 1993.  Then, Samuel will catapult as further back in history and share the incredible story of Mary Jane Seacole, the British-Jamaican nurse and business woman who set up the “British Hotel” behind the lines during the Crimean War.     🤝 To learn more about Hidden Pages and the importance of normalising black history, check out our previous 40 Minute Mentor episode with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The only way that the world will see women and diversity differently, is when we create something that is so big and transformational that people will never underestimate women again.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, and to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we’re joined by Sue Fennessy, the Founder & CEO of WeAre8.  WeAre8 is a hate-free community that is built upon the idea that collective change and daily actions can make the world a better place.  The team have been on an incredible journey and you may have seen their ads on TV or across London’s billboards.  In today’s episode, we don’t just get a front row seat to WeAre8’s evolution, but also get an insight into Sue’s incredible career. Plus, she, of course, shares tons of great mentorship with us.  You can expect to hear more about:  ➡️ A podcast recommendation from us [00:19] ➡️ The dark side of social media [03:32]  ➡️ Why VCs have become predictable and how that’s holding diverse Founders back [06:29]  ➡️ What drives her mission to make the world a better place [08:49]  ➡️ The benefits of starting to see your work as a hobby [12:14]  ➡️ How entrepreneurship chose her and more about her early career [15:22]  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [21:40] ➡️ The importance of storytelling [22:44]  ➡️ More about WeAre8 and why it’s so different compared to other social media platforms [28:46]  ➡️ Rio Ferdinand’s involvement in WeAre8 [37:44]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Sue: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-fennessy/ ➡️ Check out WeAre8: https://www.weare8.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on [email protected]   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recruitment and Tech are both not industries with the best reputation when it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity.  That’s why JBM and 40 Minute Mentor are on a mission to change that. With our podcast specifically, we’re always looking to feature unique and inspiring stories, especially giving underrepresented voices a platform to share theirs.  We’re very much still a work in progress and are always looking to improve series on series and year on year.  With that in mind, we have had the great pleasure of welcoming industry trailblazers and leading voices and DE&I over the years.  In today’s bite-sized episode, we’re looking back on some of our favourite moments, featuring DE&I advice from:  ➡️ Claire Valoti, VP for EMEA at Snap Inc  ➡️ Check Warner, Partner at ADA Ventures  ➡️ Sharmadean Reid, Founder of The Stack World  ➡️ Marta Krupinska, former Head of Google for Startups UK and Co-Founder of CUR8  ➡️ Grace Beverley, Founder and CEO of TALA and SHREDDY  ➡️ Baroness Oona King, VP of DE&I at Snap Inc  ➡️ Alice Bentinck, Co-Founder of Entrepreneur First    💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on [email protected]   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The best way of treating people is not as if they're a resource, but by working with them to create something amazing.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Anouk Agussol, the Founder and CEO of Unleashed.  Unleashed are on a mission to gear up early stage and scaling companies for speedy and sustainable success, through people and culture. They help create thriving businesses and great places to work, through leadership programmes, coaching, bespoke people projects and embedded partnerships.  JBM have loved collaborating with Anouk and the wider Unleashed team over the years and we loved finding out more about Anouk’s journey and her advice for any Founders and leaders, in today’s episode.    We chat about:  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [00:16]  ➡️ Overcoming imposter syndrome [3:19]  ➡️ The juggling act of being a parent and a Founder [04:37]  ➡️ Anouk’s career journey and why she chose the People function [09:08]  ➡️ Why the People function is becoming increasingly more popular [11:13]  ➡️ Her transition from Chief People Officer to starting her own business [14:17]  ➡️ More about Unleashed [18:28]  ➡️ Why HR is dead [21:55]  ➡️ A podcast recommendation from us [23:16]  ➡️ What a difference Unleashed has made to teams over the years [24:31]  ➡️ Why your culture won’t evolve organically [28:00]  ➡️ When is the right time to hire a People person for your startup [32:01]  ➡️ The key steps to evolving your culture [34:51]  ➡️ How to attract and retain great talent [39:04]  ➡️ The evolution of the People function in 2023 and beyond [42:05]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Anouk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoukagussol/ ➡️ Check out Unleashed: https://www.unleashed.company/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on [email protected]   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re taking a look back on some of our most popular 40 Minute Mentor author episodes. Just in time for World Book Day, later this week, we’re going to hear about the journeys our 40 Minute Mentor authors have been on and how they’ve taken their best-selling books from ideation to launch, and all the ups and downs in between. Whether you’re thinking about writing your own book yourself, or you’re simply looking for some new books packed with mentorship, to add to you ‘to be read’ list, you won’t want to miss this episode.   📚 All books mentioned in this episode: ➡️ The Green Startup by Juliet Davenport ➡️ How to be a Founder by Alice Bentinck ➡️ World Class by Will Greenwood ➡️ How to Win by Sir Clive Woodward ➡️ Squiggly Careers by Helen Tupper & Sarah Ellis ➡️ Slay In Your Lane by Elizabeth Uviebinene ➡️ She’s In CTRL by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon ➡️ Solve For Happy by Mo Gawdat ➡️ Solo: How to work alone by Rebecca Seal   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.   🏆 Want to partner with us? Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on [email protected]   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I was finally getting all of these jobs that I always wanted, but I was always more passionate about my own business and would keep working on it outside of my normal hours.”  Landing a role at Google as a graduate will make most people put thoughts about their next moves on hold. Not for today’s 40 Minute Mentor.  We’re joined by the brilliant Simmy Dhillon, Founder of Simmer, the meal subscription service on a mission to nourish and delight through food by making eating well everyday easy and delicious.  What started out with cooking jerk chicken in his university dorm room, turned into one of the fastest-growing meal subscription services in the UK.  In today’s episode, we get a front row seat to their incredible journey and hear about:  ➡️ What celebrating diversity should actually look like [05:40]  ➡️ Simmy’s upbringing and where his entrepreneurial spirit comes from [07:47]  ➡️ Where the idea for Simmer came from and the humble beginnings of the business [10:24]  ➡️ How Rice & Spice evolved into Simmer [13:31]  ➡️ Why he couldn’t stop thinking about his side hustle, even after joining Google [16:20]  ➡️ The compromises you have to make when going all in on your side hustle [19:35]  ➡️ The difficulties of hiring in a bootstrapped business [21:57]  ➡️ Bootstrapping vs raising investment [22:54]  ➡️ The power of podcasts for early stage Founders [25:58]  ➡️ Working with celebrities [31:58]  ➡️ Why you should try Simmer and a special Birthday offer for you [34:48]  ➡️ Building a business with your family [38:35]  ➡️ Why you need to stay authentic when building your personal brand [40:39]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Simmy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simmydhillon/ ➡️ Check out Simmer: https://simmereats.com/ ➡️ Redeem your offer to get 50% off your first order, plus 25% off your first month following this link https://simmereats.com/?code=jbm50 or by using “JBM50” during check out    💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on [email protected]   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re looking at a role which has gained increasing popularity within the Startup and Scaleup world over the last 12 months - the Chief of Staff role.  To help us explore more of the day to day and the skills any aspiring CoS needs, we’re joined by:  📌 Emily Good, Chief of Staff at Lantum.  📌 Libby Dangoor, Chief of Staff at Multiverse.  📌 Simon Rodrigues, former Chief of Staff at Curio, now Founder & CEO at Saber Works.  They share tons of advice in this episode, including:  ➡️ How Libby, Emily and Simon became a Chief of Staff [01:25]  ➡️ How varied the day to day as a CoS is [07:02]  ➡️ The skills any aspiring Chief of Staff should work on [12:48]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Check out our Chief of Staff Secrets series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Z5v0dwtFJAVcQRHc3mW2I5db-g84xxc ➡️ Download the Chief of Staff Guide: https://mailchi.mp/jbmc/the-chief-of-staff-role-uncovered ➡️ More about Emily Good: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-good1/ ➡️ More about Libby Dangoor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-dangoor-73b042a/ ➡️ More about Simon Rodrigues: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondejesusrodrigues/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on [email protected]   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices