Why would someone sell a business for a reported 9-figures… and then buy the same business back in one of the toughest markets imaginable?

John Vincent is the co-founder of LEON Restaurants, bestselling author of Winning Not Fighting, and one of the most original thinkers in British business.

He explains:

▪️Why he felt he had to buy LEON back

▪️Why most businesses get purpose completely wrong

▪️How rising rents, VAT, National Insurance and the government are crushing hospitality

▪️Why chasing money as the main goal often makes businesses worse

▪️How LEON was built to prove that business can be based on love, purpose and profit

▪️Why the UK High Street is being damaged by policy, not just market conditions

▪️How founders should think about money, mission, control and long-term value

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SHOW HERE https://buildingthebrand.co.uk

KEY MOMENTS:

0:00 Buying LEON back

01:12 “Petrified and excited” at the same time

03:30 From idea to execution of the buy-back deal in under a year

04:39 Why John doesn’t believe in combative negotiation

06:40 Why he fully walked away after selling

08:49 The moment he realised LEON wasn’t right

11:03 Why owning less than 50% means you don’t own the business

12:07 The equity mistakes he made early on

15:49 Why hospitality is such a capital-intensive business

17:32 From Bain to building LEON

21:26 “McDonald’s in heaven” - the original LEON vision

23:14 Why restaurant rents have become unsustainable

25:28 Why John believes the government is killing hospitality

27:15 “I had to do it” - why he bought LEON back

35:08 Why he believes business should start with love

42:31 Why life is not a journey or destination

44:49 How purpose and profit can coexist

48:45 Why John thinks of money like water

52:27 The externalities LEON actually cares about

54:20 Can you do the right thing and still make money?

52:27 The externalities LEON actually cares about

55:07 Can you do the right thing and still make money?

55:21 Where John’s worldview comes from

1:05:28 Why founder-led, purpose-driven businesses matter more than ever

1:06:05 How to build real purpose into a business from day one

1:12:10 What happened immediately after the deal was done

1:14:16 The secret pre-deal planning and day-one execution

1:16:06 Rebuilding the leadership team around LEON

1:30:11 The three biggest policy levers UK government should usethat could help hospitality fast

1:34:03 The family sacrifices behind building - and buying back - LEON

1:36:26 Why having honest people around you matters

1:43:31 The influence of John’s mum, mindset and personal belief system

1:45:15 John’s self-awareness, anger, and where he feels he still falls short

Follow John: 

https://leon.co/

https://www.instagram.com/johnv_leon

Read John's Book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/John-Vincent/author/B00I50RNPW?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Why would someone sell a business for a reported 9-figures… and then buy the same business back in one of the toughest markets imaginable?

John Vincent, co-founder of LEON Restaurants, bestselling author of Winning Not Fighting, and one of the most original thinkers in British business tells us all.

FULL EPISODE OUT NOW

Building The Brand is a Top 50 business podcast for people who don’t just want success stories - they want to understand how success is actually built.

Hosted by James Burtt, each episode features in-depth conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, and creators behind standout brands. This isn’t surface-level storytelling. It’s about the thinking, decisions, and trade-offs that drive real growth.

Past and upcoming guests include world-renowned business and entrepreneurial creative figures Gary Brecka, Rob Moore, Grant Cardone, John Vincent,Joe Foster, Mark Victor Hansen Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu and John Lee Dumas.

Not 'how to'. This is how you.

What does it actually take to build a modern talent brand in a world where followers mean less, engagement means more, and creators now hold more power than the platforms and brands trying to use them?

In this episode of Building The Brand, James Burtt sits down with Jake Lee, founder of Alpha Talent Group, to unpack what is really happening inside the creator economy, celebrity talent management, and the new rules of influence. From managing major personalities and sports talent to navigating brand deals, reputation risk, platform shifts and long-term career planning, Jake gives a sharp behind-the-scenes view of an industry that many people still misunderstand.

Watch more episodes and connect here:

https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial

https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

Jake explains why engagement matters more than follower count, why creators should think like business owners, why LinkedIn is wildly underrated, and why the smartest operators are planning for life beyond the current wave of attention.

He also opens up about working with high-profile names including Tommy Fury, how trust is built in the talent world, what brands still get wrong when working with creators, and why the future belongs to people who own their audience rather than just rent attention from traditional media.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why owned media has become as powerful as, or more powerful than, traditional media

• Why follower count is often a vanity metric and engagement is what really matters

• How brands should brief creators if they actually want better content and better ROI

• Why talent management today has to go far beyond brand deals

• How creators can turn content into a genuine full-time career

• Why long-term planning matters for creators, athletes and founders alike

• How Alpha Talent Group thinks about trust, reputation and 360 management

• Why LinkedIn is one of the most overlooked platforms for creators and public talent

• What the future of sports creators looks like ahead of major events like the World Cup

• What happens behind the scenes when managing talent through public controversy and career-defining moments

Connect with Jake:

KEY MOMENTS:

0:00 – Why creator work can now be a genuine full-time career

01:07 – Jake Lee on building Alpha Talent Group across entertainment, digital and sport

05:32 – Why engagement matters more than audience size

09:07 – Has owned media now become more powerful than traditional fame?

10:00 – Why creators now hold more power in brand relationships

14:30 – How Alpha Talent approaches talent-first dealmaking

16:14 – Why the government is now taking creators seriously

22:23 – How brands are thinking more about ROI, conversion and performance

25:34 – Why the best metric is the one tied to the actual outcome

27:52 – Affiliate deals, hybrid deals and the changing economics of creator partnerships

30:00 – Why creators need stable income before taking bigger commercial risks

32:29 – Setting expectations with talent and treating content like a real profession

36:47 – Which platforms are working best right now for creators

38:18 – Why LinkedIn may be the most underrated platform in media and talent

41:18 – Why athletes and creators need to plan for life after the peak

45:15 – The real value of 360 management and trusted advisors

49:45 – Why talent agencies should build brand visibility without becoming the talent

53:21 – Managing Tommy Fury, public scrutiny and protecting talent through difficult periods

59:25 – The business of boxing, showmanship and selling attention

01:05:41 – Why Alpha uses a three-month trial contract instead of locking people in

01:11:09 – Why the best businesses often win by rejecting lazy industry norms

01:12:25 – The milestone moments that made Jake realise the business was real

01:21:15 – What Jake is most excited about in the next phase of the creator economy

How do you build a performance wear brand in one of the most competitive industries in the world… while trying to fix one of fashion’s biggest environmental problems?

In this episode of Building The Brand, James Burtt sits down with Rory McFadyen, co-founder of Reflo, to unpack how a startup launched in 2021 and grew from an ambitious idea into a fast-scaling sportswear business working with major partners across football, golf, motorsport and elite sport.

Watch more episodes and connect here:

https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial

https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

Rory explains why Reflo positions itself as a performance wear brand with sustainability at its core, not the other way around, and why great product and great storytelling matter more than green-washing. He shares the origin story of the brand, how he and co-founder Pete turned a problem in the fashion industry into a commercial opportunity, and why they chose one of the hardest categories in business to enter.

The conversation also goes deep on startup reality; building products with no industry background, learning how to scale systems, evolving from founder chaos into process-led growth, and recognising when the original business model needs to change. 

Rory also reveals how early inbound interest from the Australian Open and WM Phoenix Open changed the route to market, how Reflo built real traction in teamwear and partnerships, and how Harry Kane became both an ambassador and investor in the business.

CONNECT WITH RORY /REFLO:

https://reflo.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorymcfadyen/

https://www.instagram.com/refloofficial/

KEY MOMENTS:

0:00 Why fashion is such a huge environmental problem

1:09 Is Reflo a performance brand or a sustainability brand

1:59 Why customers buy product first and sustainability second

4:23 Where Reflo is now and what changed after major growth

5:00 Why building systems and data became the next phase of the business

7:32 What happens when a startup becomes a 50-person company

10:00 The early story of Rory and Pete as childhood friends

14:10 The moment the Reflo idea really began

15:00 Turning waste plastic into high-performance apparel

17:37 Why apparel was one of the hardest possible businesses to start

20:00 How the founders researched the market before launching

22:15 Why co-founders need different strengths, not identical ones

30:00 The first prototype products and early product mistakes

32:18 The reality of fixing bad first samples

33:48 Reflo’s innovation drops and recycled car part capsule

36:12 The early days of selling to friends and first real customers

37:16 The first moments Rory saw strangers wearing Reflo

40:00 How Rory still reads customer feedback, reviews and returns

43:55 Why Reflo does not lead with sustainability messaging alone

45:00 The original DTC plan versus what actually happened

45:53 How the Australian Open and WM Phoenix Open found Reflo

47:48 Why teamwear became a major growth opportunity

48:21 The huge commercial and environmental problem in sports kit

49:15 How Reflo built Reloop and circular recycling into teamwear

50:24 Why genuine partnerships matter more than logo placement

52:26 Why founders must stay focused but flexible

54:20 How Harry Kane discovered the brand

56:38 How Harry Kane became an investor and ambassador

57:03 Why Reflo chose crowdfunding over traditional VC

1:03:06 What the next six to twelve months look like for Reflo

1:05:00 Why DTC is becoming a bigger focus now

1:06:47 Building an in-house agency model inside the marketing team

1:10:16 How Reflo operates as a remote international company

1:13:00 What Rory is most excited about next

1:16:37 What Rory has had to change as a founder to keep scaling

1:18:44 Why leadership structure had to evolve as the business matured

1:22:35 The difference between being a founder and becoming a CEO

1:24:19 Rory’s dream future brand partnerships

What do you do when your product is scientifically strong, commercially promising… but the mass market won’t understand what it is?

In this episode of Building The Brand, James Burtt sits down with Raj Thiruchelvarajah, co-founder and CEO of Hytro, to unpack how a startup in performance wearables built credibility in elite sport, got product into NASA and SpaceX missions and made the unusual decision to avoid direct-to-consumer too early.

Watch more episodes and connect here:

https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial

https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

Raj explains how Hytro pioneered wearable blood flow restriction technology, why the business originally started in the wrong market, and how the team realised that pro sport was not just a niche audience but the perfect proving ground. He shares how coaches became one of the company’s biggest growth levers, why athletes and practitioners started investing in the business and how the right kind of advocacy can matter more than pure science-backed data.

CONNECT WITH RAJ / HYTRO:

https://hytro.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/raj-thiruchelvarajah-89a8b522

KEY MOMENTS:

0:00 What it feels like to see your product go to space

1:11 Raj on Hytro, NASA and SpaceX

2:24 Why founders often struggle to enjoy the win

5:07 Why co-founder relationships can make or break startups

5:40 What Hytro actually does and what blood flow restriction means

6:10 How Hytro turned BFR into a scalable wearable product

8:03 Why elite teams trust players to use Hytro unsupervised

10:27 Why the business originally started in DTC

12:22 Why Raj now says they started in the wrong place

13:00 Raj’s move from corporate life into entrepreneurship

17:37 The unreasonable belief it took to build Hytro

18:21 Why the company pivoted from DTC to B2B

20:00 Why pro sport became a better route than mass consumer

21:52 Why Raj would go straight to pro sport if he started again

22:58 How Hytro began showing up in elite team environments

24:20 Why coaches and players becoming investors matters so much

27:35 The logic behind Hytro’s funding model

30:00 Why DTC is still the future, just not yet

31:09 Why endurance athletes may be the right consumer entry point

32:25 Why timing and sequence matter more than hype

34:30 What Hytro needs in place before a DTC launch

36:53 Why the obvious route is not always the easiest one

40:00 How founders should think about new vertical opportunities

42:48 Why saying no becomes more important as you grow

43:06 The importance of knowing what kind of company you want to build

45:00 Why focus is a sign of maturity in a scaling business

45:50 Why Hytro has stayed lean and used fractional talent

47:02 The mindset shift from startup to scale-up

49:47 Why the US market is such a major opportunity

50:42 Why the UK can feel difficult for ambitious founders

51:31 Raj on mentoring other founders while raising twins

52:51 Why there is no real work-life balance in founder life

55:00 What building Hytro means for Raj’s children and family

56:39 Fatherhood, fear and building through hard seasons

1:01:27 Why both startups and children constantly change

1:02:58 Why purpose matters more than comfort

1:06:41 The pressure on dads who are also founders

1:07:15 Finding peace within the storm

1:11:10 Why chasing perfect balance is unrealistic

1:12:45 What Raj is most excited about next

1:13:00 Hytro’s future around data and consumer experience

1:14:00 Why most people should not become founders unless they really mean it

1:15:00 Why Raj does not want to sell Hytro

1:16:10 The leadership shift Raj needs to make next

1:17:22 Why moving out of the detail is part of becoming CEO

How do you convince people to spend £400 on a suit… and then wait up to eight weeks for it?

That is exactly what Sam and Julian, the founders of Batch LDN, have managed to do.

In this episode of Building The Brand, they share how two founders with no fashion background built one of the most interesting menswear brands in the UK by doing almost everything differently.

Batch LDN is not a traditional fashion brand. They do not hold huge amounts of stock. They do not rely on fast fashion cycles. They do not lead with endless paid ads. Instead, they batch customer orders together, make every item to order in London using premium Italian fabrics, and have built a brand around quality, community, retail experience and smart casual menswear that actually fits modern life.

But this conversation is not just about suits.

Sam and Julian talk openly about why industry naivety became an advantage, why sustainability alone was not enough to drive sales, how a real-life robbery became one of their most successful marketing moments, why having the right co-founder changes everything, and why they chose to build through physical retail first when most fashion brands start online.

They also break down how Batch LDN has attracted celebrities, sports teams and investors, why Romesh Ranganathan became involved in the brand, how they became the official menswear supplier to Burnley Football Club, and what comes next as they look to expand the product range, grow online and take Batch international.

SHOP @ Batch LDN

CONNECT WITH OUR BUILDING THE BRAND COMMUNITY

▪️ How Batch LDN created a made-to-order casual suit brand

▪️ How batching orders helps reduce waste, stock risk and cost ▪️ Why premium Italian fabrics and London manufacturing became core to the brand

▪️ Why Sam and Julian’s lack of fashion experience became a superpower

▪️ How sustainability shaped the business internally but failed as the lead marketing message

▪️ How a robbery at their store became a viral marketing campaign

▪️ Why the “See It. Say It. Suited.” campaign put Batch on the map

▪️ The importance of having the right co-founder in a startup

▪️ Why physical retail became Batch LDN’s strongest sales channel

▪️ Why the founders hired a creator and doubled down on storytelling instead of paid ads

▪️ How celebrities including Romesh Ranganathan, Ashley Walters, Simon Pegg, Ant and Dec, Josh Denzel and others have worn the brand

 Key Moments:

0:00 — Intro

03:33 — How Batch LDN’s made-to-order fashion model works

06:42 — How Sam and Julian started Batch LDN with no fashion

experience

08:03 — The fashion waste problem behind the made-to-order model

12:00 — Why sustainability alone does not sell fashion15:32 — How startup experience helped Batch challenge the fashion industry

17:41 — PAUSE POINT: Industry naivety can be a competitive advantage

19:34 — The Batch LDN robbery story

23:18 — Why the co-founder relationship matters in startup life

26:36 — Why Sam chose Julian as his Batch LDN co-founder

30:34 — PAUSE POINT: The right co-founder helps carry the weight

32:58 — Building the Batch Members Club and fashion community

35:20 — How the Covent Garden flagship store became a retail and events space

36:54 — Why 80% of Batch LDN revenue comes through physical retail

39:20 — Replicating the in-store fitting experience online

40:58 — PAUSE POINT: Do not blindly follow the direct-to-consumer startup playbook

43:35 — Why Batch LDN hired an in-house content creator

46:59 — Doubling revenue without paid social advertising

48:55 — Celebrities, social proof and Batch LDN suits in the wild

52:17 — Why Romesh Ranganathan invested in Batch LDN

53:59 — Taking Batch LDN to America and testing international growth

54:30 — Becoming Burnley Football Club’s official menswear supplier

56:00 — Why sports teams and smart casual menswear are a major opportunity

58:29 — New Batch LDN products: corduroy suits, cropped jackets and wider-leg trousers

1:00:20 — The five-year vision for Batch LDN

Can you imagine choosing to walk away from a dream career as a Premier League and International Footballer? 

Well, that’s exactly what Thomas Hal Robson-Kanu did and in this episode of Building The Brand, he shares the full journey from professional footballer to founder, from home-brewed shots made by his dad to producing hundreds of thousands of units a week, building a vertically integrated manufacturing operation, taking strategic investment from AG Barr and pursuing a mission to make functional nutrition mainstream.

But this conversation is not just about building another drinks brand.

Thomas talks openly about the pressure of running a business while still playing professional football, why a side hustle is only a problem if it damages performance, how The Turmeric Co is trying to challenge the way people think about food, health and medicine, and why scaling a business requires the founder to evolve from passionate generalist to true CEO.

Thomas and his team have generated a discount code for Building The Brand listeners to benefit 20% off of their first one-time purchase - enjoy!

Click https://tinyurl.com/turmericbtb and use code BTB at checkout

▪️ How a career-threatening football injury led to the creation of The Turmeric Co

▪️ Why his father’s kitchen-made blend became the foundation for the business

▪️ What it felt like going from Euro 2016 hero to health brand founder

▪️ Why business impact now feels more meaningful than football glory

▪️ The pressure of building a company while still playing Premier League football

▪️ Why a side hustle is only a problem if it damages performance

▪️ How The Turmeric Co is trying to challenge big food, big pharma and the wider health system

▪️ Why evidence, data and clinical research matter for functional health brands

▪️ How the brand scaled from kitchen batches to a 20,000 sq ft manufacturing site

▪️ Why vertical integration became one of the company’s biggest advantages

▪️ The leadership shift required when going from startup to scale-up

▪️ Why The Turmeric Co chose strategic investment from AG Barr

▪️ What comes next for The Turmeric Co, Raw Hydrate and functional beverages

Key Moments: 

0:00 — Intro

01:15 — The Euro 2016 goal against Belgium

03:37 — The testimonials driving The Turmeric Co mission

04:13 — Thomas’ career-threatening knee injury

06:13 — Why standard medication did not work for him

07:19 — How the original turmeric blend changed his recovery

08:03 — Retiring from football on his own terms

10:00 — Running the business while playing professional football

11:32 — The pressure around athletes having side hustles

14:00 — PAUSE POINT: A side hustle is only a problem if it hurts performance

16:16 — Thomas’ dad and the origins of the kitchen-made blend

18:50 — The mission to make functional nutrition more accessible

20:30 — Taking on big food, big pharma and outdated health beliefs

21:26 — Moving from testimonials to data and health markers

24:58 — Why healthcare needs to think more about prevention

28:19 — PAUSE POINT: Some brands are trying to change a system, not just sell a product

30:30 — Going from home brew to scaled production

32:45 — Why manufacturers refused to make The Turmeric Co blend

34:33 — Launching The Turmeric Co direct-to-consumer

36:00 — Moving from 1,200 sq ft to a 20,000 sq ft site

36:46 — Why vertical integration became a superpower

37:14 — Achieving BRCGS AA+ manufacturing standards

39:17 — Moving from startup chaos to scale-up structure

43:03 — Why growing businesses need specialists

45:46 — The founder’s shift into the CEO role

48:11 — Process, SOPs, cadence and business traction

50:16 — PAUSE POINT: The founder who starts the business is not the same one who scales it

54:26 — The business book Thomas recommends to founders

56:23 — Taking investment from AG Barr

57:36 — Why strategic investment made more sense than private equity

1:00:31 — Launching Raw Hydrate and entering natural hydration

DON'T MISS THE WHOLE EPISODE VIA​​https://tinyurl.com/buildingthebrandofficial

Juliet Barratt is the co-founder of Grenade, one of the most successful British brands of the last decade.

In this episode of Building The Brand, Juliet shares the real story behind Grenade, from launching with limited resources, driving a tank into the NEC to stand out at BodyPower, getting picked up by major retailers, creating the Carb Killa bar, helping bring protein into mainstream retail, taking on private equity and eventually selling to Mondelez.

IN THIS EPISODE, JULES SHARES:

▪️ How Grenade was born from years of experience in sports nutrition

▪️ Why Juliet believes founder-market fit matters more than just having a good idea

▪️ How Grenade spotted a gap in a category full of generic white tubs and scientific names

▪️ Why the grenade-shaped packaging gave the brand instant memorability

▪️ How standing out at BodyPower helped get the attention of GNC

▪️ Why early brand building was about being different, not having the biggest budget

▪️ The story behind launching Carb Killa

▪️ How Grenade helped move protein bars from niche sports nutrition into mainstream food retail

▪️ Why timing was crucial to Grenade’s success

▪️ How the brand educated retailers and consumers at the same time

▪️ Why Juliet says the secret to Grenade’s success was simply “giving a shit”

▪️ The reality of having almost no money in the early days

▪️ Why Juliet and Al did not take salaries for years

▪️ How private equity changed the business

▪️ Why selling a majority stake may not always be the right move

▪️ What it really felt like to sell Grenade to Mondelez

▪️ The emotional impact of exiting a business you built from scratch

▪️ Building a business with your spouse

▪️ Why Grenade kept Juliet and Al together professionally even as their marriage changed

▪️ The difference between building a brand and running a numbers-led business

▪️ What Juliet looks for now when she works with founders and brands

KEY MOMENTS:

0:00 — Intro

01:24 — The one thing that made Grenade successful

01:43 — Why “giving a shit” became Grenade’s real advantage

02:00 — Juliet and Alan’s experience before Grenade

03:14 — Why the first version of Grenade did not sell

04:20 — Going from distributor to brand owner

05:00 — The gap in the sports nutrition market

07:00 — Why Grenade’s branding came from gut instinct

08:46 — Retiring, getting bored and deciding to build again

10:25 — Creating a product people could actually feel working

12:26 — Wanting Grenade to be the Red Bull of sports nutrition

13:52 — Driving a tank into the NEC

15:00 — How Grenade started attracting athletes and advocates

17:00 — Why bricks and mortar made sense before DTC

18:43 — The tough early days of building Grenade

20:18 — Running lean, paying suppliers and not taking salaries

21:45 — Taking private equity in 2014

23:00 — Bringing in a CFO and freeing up the founders

25:00 — Launching Carb Killa

25:50 — Why Juliet still worries about money

28:16 — The emotional finality of the Mondelez deal

30:00 — Why selling Grenade felt like giving away a child

31:05 — Still feeling protective over the brand

32:08 — PAUSE POINT: Creating a category

35:00 — Leaving the business and losing founder identity

40:31 — How Carb Killa moved Grenade into mainstream FMCG

41:30 — Educating Tesco and helping build the protein category

45:00 — PAUSE POINT: Why timing matters in business

47:00 — Why taste mattered more than health claims

48:19 — Building Grenade as husband and wife

51:44 — Did Grenade break up the marriage or hold it together?

56:40 — PAUSE POINT: The truth about co-founder relationships

58:45 — How the Oreo collaboration came about

1:01:10 — Did Juliet and Al build Grenade to sell?

1:03:00 — Selling a majority stake and what Juliet would rethink

1:07:34 — Why founder DNA matters as a business scales

1:08:59 — Carb Killa, timing and creating opportunity

1:10:30 — Juliet’s work with founders, boards and entrepreneurship

1:12:00 — What Juliet looks for in the brands she supports

Can you rebuild your life after narcissistic abuse, trauma, anxiety, depression, debt and losing almost everything?

Caroline Strawson is a trauma therapist, nervous system expert, author, coach and founder of The Mental Wellbeing Company and TIDAL.

After experiencing narcissistic abuse, anxiety, depression, PTSD, self-harm, chronic illness, £70,000 of debt and having her house repossessed, Caroline rebuilt her life as a single mum and went on to create one of the UK’s fastest-growing trauma-informed mental wellbeing brands.

Watch more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial

Connect Here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

Caroline breaks down how she went from rock bottom to building a multi-million pound business helping people heal from trauma, narcissistic abuse, emotional abuse and toxic relationships. She explains why traditional talk therapy was not enough for her recovery, why the nervous system is the missing piece in mental health, and how trauma can impact business, leadership, relationships, health and self-worth.

She also shares how she built a powerful personal brand, launched trauma-informed coaching certifications, created The Mental Wellbeing Company, generated £1.9 million at launch and learned to lead a growing team without losing the compassion at the heart of her work.

Caroline shares:

▪️ How she rebuilt her life after narcissistic abuse, debt and repossession

▪️ Why narcissistic abuse is a form of domestic abuse and trauma

▪️ Why talk therapy helped her understand her pain but did not change how she felt

▪️ How nervous system healing became the missing piece in her recovery

▪️ How she turned lived experience into a trauma-informed business

▪️ Why The Mental Wellbeing Company took £1.9 million at launch

▪️ Why founders and leaders need nervous system capacity, not just strategy

▪️ How stress, struggle and chaos can become addictive for entrepreneurs

▪️ Why trauma-informed leadership requires both compassion and boundaries

▪️ How Caroline is evolving from personal brand to business empire

Find out more about Caroline Strawson here:https://carolinestrawson.com/

Key Moments:

0:00 — Caroline Strawson on narcissistic abuse, trauma and rebuilding her life

1:13 — Anxiety, panic attacks and sitting in a repossessed house

3:55 — Why her children became the driving force behind her recovery

5:14 — Building a business around motherhood

14:13 — What narcissistic abuse actually means

16:49 — Googling “narcissistic sociopath” and understanding her experience

18:30 — £70,000 of debt, repossession and single motherhood

20:08 — Why counselling helped but did not fully heal her

21:12 — Discovering nervous system healing

23:31 — The £58,000 launch that changed what felt possible

25:05 — Creating trauma-informed coaching certifications

27:05 — Taking £1.9 million at launch

29:42 — Listening to your audience without abandoning your beliefs

32:45 — Building a trauma-informed business with integrity

34:00 — Victimhood, responsibility and healing

38:01 — Why founders can become addicted to stress

42:24 — Functional freeze, burnout and business performance

45:04 — Caroline’s Capacity Plus framework

52:21 — Using nervous system capacity in business

57:38 — Handling hard conversations as a leader

1:02:30 — Why you cannot lead beyond what your nervous system can hold

1:05:56 — Lessons from a difficult team exit

1:11:00 — Empathy, codependency and trauma-informed leadership

1:16:15 — Moving from personal brand to scalable companies

1:19:07 — Challenging the traditional mental health system

1:22:51 — Becoming visible as the woman she is today

1:25:56 — Why doing your own healing is a gift to your children

Phil Graham is an entrepreneur, business strategist, investor, mentor and founder of the multi-million pound brands Fitness Entrepreneur and Expansion Partners.

After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 16, Phil refused to accept the limitations placed on his life. He rebuilt his health through bodybuilding, nutrition, training and self-education, before turning that knowledge into one of the most successful fitness business coaching companies in the UK.

Connect Here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

He breaks down why most entrepreneurs are not really chasing revenue - they are chasing freedom, peace, control and options. He also explains why many founders build businesses from fear, scarcity and external validation, then wonder why success still feels unfulfilling.

Phil shares: 

▪️ How he became one of the UK’s leading fitness business coaches

▪️ Why skills come before cash when building a profitable business

▪️ Why most founders are really chasing freedom, peace and control

▪️ How to build a business around your life, not a life around your business

▪️ How emotional mastery affects business growth, leadership and decision-making

▪️ Why customer success, retention and repeat revenue create real wealth

▪️ How to scale a business with a lean, high-performance team

Find out if Phil’s Expansion Partners is right for your business https://phil-graham.com/expansion-partners/

Key Moments: 

0:00 — Phil Graham on defiance, freedom and success

6:00 — Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 16

10:23 — Bodybuilding, nutrition and self-mastery

13:27 — Getting his first client and discovering business

15:18 — Moving from personal training into business coaching

17:23 — Scaling from one-to-one to one-to-many

18:37 — Building Fitness Entrepreneur

20:06 — Why clarity comes from action

21:12 — Business as personal development

25:05 — Emotions as a tool for growth

34:31 — Phil’s near-death experience

39:24 — Building from scarcity versus abundance

42:24 — Building a business around the life you want

45:49 — Why founders want freedom more than revenue

46:42 — The founder operating system

50:27 — Why skills lead to cash

54:19 — The Founder’s North Star

58:26 — The five growth drivers

1:00:24 — Why retention creates real wealth

1:02:46 — Leaving the laptop at home

1:05:28 — The lean team behind a profitable business

1:08:40 — Why big teams can create bloat

1:13:45 — Scaling without creating a monster

1:18:22 — Authority, profit and freedom

1:19:39 — The 90-day execution model

1:22:39 — Boutique versus mass-market growth

1:26:06 — Why profit matters more than turnover

1:27:20 — Business as the key to freedom

Frankie James is the founder behind the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Ideas Fest and one of the UK’s most influential entrepreneur communities.

In this episode of Building The Brand, Frankie shares how she built a platform that celebrates and connects British founders, startup leaders, scale-up businesses and some of the UK’s most exciting future household-name brands.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards have helped spotlight entrepreneurs and brands including Grenade, BrewDog, Tangle Teezer, Dr.PAWPAW, Zilch, Cera Care and Simmer Eats. But this conversation is not just about business awards, black tie events or winning trophies.

It is about the real power of UK entrepreneurship, founder community, business networking, face-to-face events, visibility, resilience and human connection.

Frankie explains why entrepreneurial spirit in Britain is still alive and well, why the government needs to listen to founders across every region and industry, how GBEA became more than an awards programme, and why Ideas Fest has become known as the Glastonbury of business.

She also opens up about intuition, ADHD, working with her partner Dylan, using AI in business communities, and why the best entrepreneurs are often not the ones with the perfect business model — but the ones hungry enough to keep figuring it out.

Watch more episodes and connect here:

https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial

https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

▪️ Why UK entrepreneurship is still alive and well

▪️ How Frankie James built the Great British Entrepreneur Awards

▪️ Why Ideas Fest became known as the Glastonbury of business

▪️ Why business awards can help founders build visibility and credibility

▪️ How founder communities help entrepreneurs through difficult times

▪️ Why entrepreneurship is not just tech companies in London

▪️ What Frankie looks for in future household-name founders

▪️ Why face-to-face events still matter in an AI-driven world

▪️ How AI can help connect founders, investors, partners and business support

▪️ Why the best entrepreneurs are hungry, resilient and willing to pivot

▪️ How Grenade, Simm Eats and other UK brands came through the GBEA ecosystem

▪️ Why there is nothing wrong with building a great business you enjoy running

Key Moments:

0:00 — Frankie James and the UK entrepreneurship scene

0:30 — Is British entrepreneurship still alive and well?

1:52 — Why entrepreneurship is not just tech companies in London

3:57 — Frankie’s journey into business and entrepreneurship

7:03 — How the Great British Entrepreneur Awards started

8:38 — Building GBEA with data, insight and founder stories

10:03 — Spotting future household-name entrepreneurs

11:12 — Why business awards matter for founders

13:31 — Building community beyond trophies and events

15:21 — Ideas Fest: the Glastonbury of business

17:31 — Founder intuition, ADHD and big business decisions

19:13 — Scaling Ideas Fest from 1,200 to 6,000 people

22:12 — Why founder community matters during difficult times

24:47 — The hidden fear behind successful entrepreneurs

25:32 — Grenade, GBEA alumni and British business success stories

27:48 — The future of Ideas Fest and entrepreneur networking

31:11 — How AI could make business communities more human

35:16 — Creating meaningful connections at large-scale events

37:32 — Building a business you actually enjoy running

39:16 — Why Simmer Eats is a UK founder story to watch

Reach out to Frankie ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frangbea/⁠

Find out more about the Ideas Fest ⁠https://ideasfest.uk/⁠

Enter this year's ⁠Great British Entrepreneur Awards ⁠

Can you start at the bottom of an industry, back yourself before anyone else does, raise millions, build a fast-growth startup and sell it within three years?

FOR THE FULL STORY GET KAROLINA’S NO.1 BEST SELLING BOOK ‘HER PLAY’

Karolina Pelc is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, author and the founder of BeyondPlay, the iGaming startup she launched in 2021, raised £6.1 million for, and sold to FanDuel within just three years.

Want more BTB goodness!? Connect Here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

Karolina’s journey started far from the world of startup exits, venture capital and acquisition deals. At 19, she trained as a casino dealer in Poland, worked in tough casino environments, moved to London, lived in difficult conditions, worked on cruise ships, and eventually fought her way into the online gaming industry from the very bottom of the career ladder.

In this episode of Building The Brand, Karolina breaks down how she turned lived experience in real-world casinos into a powerful insight about the future of online gaming. She explains how she raised £1.2 million from a pitch deck, built BeyondPlay through the pandemic, scaled the team to 50 people, navigated product pivots, licensing complexity, investor pressure, founder burnout and eventually sold the company to FanDuel.

She also shares why she does not believe in luck, why starting again can be a strategic move, why founders cannot make everyone like them, and why hustle only works when it is intentional.

Karolina shares:

▪️ Why she does not believe luck created her success

▪️ Why she was willing to start again in a junior role

▪️ How real-world casino experience shaped the idea for BeyondPlay

▪️ Raising £1.2 million from a deck during the pandemic

▪️ Why approval cannot be the operating system for founders

▪️ Selling BeyondPlay to FanDuel within three years

▪️ What really happens during a fast acquisition process

Find out more about Karolina Pelc here:https://karolinapelc.com/

Key Moments:

0:00 — Karolina Pelc on quitting, growth, pressure and selling BeyondPlay

1:07 — Why Karolina does not believe in luck

3:16 — Starting, funding and selling BeyondPlay within three years

6:57 — The brutal training process to become a dealer

8:00 — Her first major casino customer and early resilience

12:19 — Arriving in London and the reality of starting again

17:35 — Homelessness and learning the hard way

21:20 — Reality distortion filter, belief and ambitious goals

24:05 — Understanding the different levels of the casino world

30:47 — Moving from casinos and cruise ships into online gaming

34:35 — The idea that eventually became BeyondPlay

37:21 — Raising £1.2 million during the pandemic

44:18 — What BeyondPlay actually built

50:33 — Regulation, licensing and startup complexity

52:21 — The risky second product that changed the company

57:00 — Founder mode and transparent leadership

59:00 — Why CEOs cannot have everyone agree with them

1:00:12 — Work-life balance, values and startup reality

1:06:40 — People pleasing, burnout and founder pressure

1:09:30 — Building BeyondPlay with an exit in mind

1:11:13 — Selling the company in two months

1:14:54 — What the day of signing the deal actually felt like

1:17:13 — Leaving the company after acquisition

1:19:49 — Achievement addiction, writing the book and what comes next

1:24:14 — Who Karolina wrote the book for

Can you build serious wealth without academic success, qualifications or even being able to properly read a contract?

James Martin who is an entrepreneur, investor, mentor and commercial landlord who has amassed a huge net worth through business and property certainly thinks so! 

Watch more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial

Want more from Building The Brand - connect here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

In this episode of Building The Brand, James shares the brutally honest story of growing up with severe dyslexia, leaving school at 14 with no qualifications, turning rejection into opportunity, building his first business before the age of 18, selling and buying back that company, moving into land, planning and commercial property, and eventually building a multi-million-pound property portfolio.

James explains how dyslexia shaped the way he thinks, why he built teams around him from a young age, how a trusted business partner ripped him off for millions, what that taught him about contracts, partnerships and control, and why founders need to understand the rooms they are operating in before the stakes get too high.

He also shares how he built Ruskins from cutting grass and hanging baskets into a serious commercial business, how he sold it, bought it back for a fraction of the price, then sold it again, before moving into planning, land acquisition, wedding venues, commercial estates, container storage and business mentoring.

Connect with the brilliant James Martin on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jamesmartinentrepreneur/

IN THIS EPISODE:

▪️Growing up with severe dyslexia and the shame of not being able to read properly

▪️Leaving school at 14 with no qualifications

▪️Why James hired a PA at 18 and built his business around his weaknesses

▪️Turning rejection from drama school into his first real client

▪️Building a landscaping and tree surgery company before the age of 20

▪️Winning pub, brewery, council, MOD and commercial contracts

▪️Selling Ruskins, buying it back, then selling it again

▪️Why being good at a business does not mean you should stay in it

▪️How James moved from trading businesses into land, planning and property

▪️Getting ripped off for millions by a trusted partner

▪️The importance of shareholder agreements, contracts and exit clauses

▪️Why commercial property became James’s favourite business model

▪️How he uses delegation, management and expert operators across multiple businesses

▪️The mindset shift required to go from £2M turnover to the next level

KEY MOMENTS:

0:00 — James on shame, scars, trust and being ripped off for millions

1:00 — Why the positive should be primary

2:14 — Growing up severely dyslexic

3:34 — School, shame and becoming the “cheeky chappie”

8:38 — Trusting solicitors, PAs and people around him

9:30 — PAUSE POINT: Build around your weaknesses

12:41 — The business partner who ripped him off for millions

15:10 — Leaving school at 14 with no qualifications

18:32 — How drama school became his first client

20:01 — PAUSE POINT: Rejection can become market research

21:36 — Winning 35 pubs before the age of 18

23:20 — Building Ruskins and growing into tree surgery

31:07 — Breaking into council and commercial contracts

34:39 — Brokering international rights and licensing deals

36:39 — Selling Ruskins for the first time

42:00 — Buying the business back from receivers

46:39 — PAUSE POINT: Does the business still fit the life you want?

49:39 — Moving into land, planning and development

51:39 — Why contracts and partnership agreements matters when millions are involved

59:28 — Why James loves commercial property

1:01:00 — Delegation, management and expert operators

1:04:54 — Baby steps, risk and learning before diving in

1:08:02 — Why James created the Baddow Park Mastermind

1:10:34 — Helping entrepreneurs think bigger

1:11:57 — James’s ambition: buying property until the day he dies

If you love this short clip, you will LOVE the full episode where James Martin shares how he went from leaving school at 14 and being unable to read contracts, got ripped off for millions, bought back the business he sold, and built a £50M+ property empire from lessons that nearly broke him.

FULL EPISODE OUT NOW ON YOUR FAVOURITE PODCAST PLAYER