Explore every episode of the podcast Entrepreneurship and Leadership

This episode of the New Books Network’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership channel features Richard Lucas in conversation with entrepreneur and community builder Ben Brabyn about Walkabout, a global movement that brings people together for monthly walks and open conversations. Walkabout began in Green Park, London, in June 2023 as a low‑friction alternative to venue‑based events and now runs in about 37 locations worldwide, welcoming anyone who wants to join a friendly, curiosity‑driven walking group. Ben explains how Walkabout’s simplicity—free, open, lightly structured—attracts a high proportion of multidisciplinary participants, many with PhDs, and how emergent collaborations have led to startups, investment, hiring, and pro bono work on “thorny” challenges like non‑compressible haemorrhage and electric vehicle battery fires. Inspired by Richard Feynman’s habit of carrying a dozen long‑term problems in his back pocket, Walkabout offers participants an evolving set of shared challenges they can keep in mind and revisit whenever they learn something new, effectively serving as a living, collective version of “Feynman’s 12 problems. A recurring theme is serendipity: Richard and Ben discuss how Walkabout exemplifies the kind of designed chance encounters that David Cleevely describes in his book “Serendipity: It Doesn’t Happen By Accident,” and how Cleevely himself both influenced and later joined Walkabout events. Lessons learned include the power of radical welcome, the importance of not over‑optimizing for scale or vanity metrics, and the value of formats where multidisciplinary dialogue and unexpected connections can flourish. Ben and Richard also touch on Walkabout’s business structure within Amitypath Limited, its use of platforms like Mighty Networks and LinkedIn, and Ben’s broader journey from the Royal Marines and JP Morgan to founding crowdfunding platform BmyCharity and leading Level39.Links Ben Brabyn Linkedin Amitypath Interview with David Cleevely on the NBN about his book Serendipity About Richard Feynman’s 12 problems Walkabout Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

In this engaging conversation, Guy Pinsent shares his entrepreneurial journey from Cambridge economics student, being a banker in the City, to the Foreign Office and on to real estate and finally, on his own account, as a successful self storage business owner in Central Europe. Guy discusses the founding and growth of Less Mess Storage, which now operates 18 locations across Poland and Czech Republic with backing from Metric Capital Partners since 2015, and with 100,000 sqm of rentable space and 40,000 more in the pipeline. Key Topics Covered: The Self Storage Business Model: Guy explains his freehold property approach, inspired by companies like Big Yellow and the McDonald's model featured in "The Founder" film. Also attractive features of the self storage business: long lifetime value of clients, custom inertia, counter-cyclical demand so the business performs well across the business cycle.Cambridge University Value of a first-class education. The Why question: How Guy never worried about social status, and simply doing what it takes to build a life, do something of value. Entrepreneurial Philosophy: Discussion of motivation and work ethic, referencing Arnold Schwarzenegger's YouTube talks and Gary Vaynerchuk's "I will outwork you" mentality. Economic Principles: Insights on loss aversion from Daniel Kahneman's research and lessons from Cambridge professor Michael Kuczynski. Life as a British Expat: Guy shares his experience living abroad and his documentary project "Should Brits Come Home?" made with Patrick Ney, exploring whether British expats should return to the UK. Documentary Filmmaking: Behind-the-scenes stories from filming at the Notting Hill Carnival, agricultural shows, and conducting street interviews. Political Commentary: Reflections on Britain's direction, post-nationalism, and concerns about current UK leadership. About Guy Pinsent Guy is a British real estate entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Less Mess Storage, a leading self‑storage company operating across Central Europe. Born in London and raised in the English countryside, he studied at Eton College and Cambridge University before starting his career in investment banking at Citibank. He later served at the British Embassy in Poland to strengthen UK–Poland business relations, then moved into commercial real estate with Colliers, and in 2014 founded Less Mess Storage, which he has since built into a benchmark player in the Central European self storage sector. Guy’s Linkedin Links Arnold Schwarzenegger - Guy referenced a 4-minute motivational talk on YouTube about entrepreneurship principles YouTube: Arnold Schwarzenegger 6 Rules of Success Gary Vaynerchuk - Richard mentioned him as an American entrepreneur from Belarus known for saying "I will outwork you" as part of his pathway to success example here Daniel Kahneman - Guy referenced his work on loss aversion (people feel $100 loss twice as painfully as the good feeling of a $100 gain) Wikipedia: Loss Aversion Michael Kuczynski - Economics professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge who taught both Richard and Guy; passed away in 2025 at age 84 Pembroke College: Michael Kuczynski (1941–2025) Pedro Pablo Kuczynski - Michael's brother, became President of Peru Wikipedia: Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Less Mess Storage - Guy's self-storage company operating in Poland and Czech Republic with 18 locations lessmess.storage Pembroke College, Cambridge - Where both Richard and Guy studied economics pem.cam.ac.uk Big Yellow - UK self-storage company mentioned as reference for freehold approach bigyellow.co.uk "The Founder" - Film about Ray Kroc and McDonald's history, illustrating property-based business model Wikipedia: The Founder (film) Richard’s TED-ED lesson based on The Founder link "Should Brits Come Home?" - Documentary Guy made with Patrick Ney about whether British expats should return to the UK especially from a Polish perspective. Here Patrick Ney was a guest on this NBN channel here, And gave one of the most popular TEDxKazimierz talks of all time with over 375,000 downloads here Center for Policy Studies - UK centre-right think tank Guy mentioned link Extra Space - Major US self-storage operator link Metric Capital Partners - Private equity investor in Less Mess since 2015 link1 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Stanford educator and renowned creativity expert Tina Seelig joins Richard Lucas on the New Books Network’s Entrepreneurship & Leadership channel to discuss her new book What I Wish I Knew About Luck (coming April 2026). As the host found himself agreeing with everything Tina said, he asked for examples of people who disagreed with her. First, they discussed the value of respectful disagreement, and the fact that Richard’s father, the late Oxford philosopher JR Lucas routinely took the opportunity to disagree with his son, no matter what point of view was being put forward. Tina shared that her father, aged 99, still thinks that good things just happened to him over the course of his life, whereas she outlines all the actions he took to create that good luck. Tina dismantles the myth that luck is purely random. She distinguishes fortune (things that happen to you) from luck (something you can actively cultivate), and explains why clichés such as “the harder I work, the luckier I get” or “fortune favors the prepared mind” are true but incomplete. What is the “hard work” required to create luck? What exactly is a “prepared mind”? Key highlights: Why entrepreneurship and creativity are teachable skills that everyone can improve, just like sports, music, art, math, or science. The value of keeping a “failure résumé” and viewing failure as a trampoline rather than a lava pit. Real stories of ethical dilemmas early and late in her career. Full details in the book and podcast. Why showing genuine appreciation (especially thank-you notes) is one of the highest-ROI habits for creating luck. A thank you note she wrote was read out at a funeral 20 years later. How to build trust, have difficult conversations, and surround yourself with the right “crew” The foundational role of self-awareness, values, resilience, risk-taking, and patience in manufacturing your own luck Tina also shares the inspiring origin of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program (co-founded by John Hennessy, former Stanford President, and Phil Knight, founder of Nike) and reflects on teaching leadership to some of the world’s most promising graduate students across all disciplines at Stanford University. Show Notes & Sources Pre-order “What I Wish I Knew About Luck” by Tina Seelig Tina’s earlier books: “What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20”, “inGenius”, “Creativity Rules” Tina’s LinkedIn Tina’s Bio, Books, Talks Knight-Hennessy Scholars KHS LinkedIn Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) Tina Seelig’s famous TED Talk and the legendary “$5 entrepreneurship challenge” Books mentioned: “The No Asshole Rule” – Robert Sutton; “The Course of Love” – Alain de Botton; “Radical Candor” – Kim Scott Tina Seelig’s Stanford Profile Essential listening for anyone who wants to stop waiting for luck and start building it. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Tessa explains why Olio’s mission of cutting unnecessary food waste is so important, and how her own distress at food waste led to the breakthrough insight that there had to be a better way of dealing with unwanted food. She shares her personal journey, and sets out the exciting road map ahead for Olio. Tessa Clarke is the Co Founder & CEO of Olio Linkedin Olio is a free app that connects users with unwanted food (households or local businesses) with neighbours living nearby who would like it. OLIO has over 2.5 million users who have together shared 7 million portions of food. 50,000 volunteers who are spreading the word in their local communities. Download the App and more information here https://olioex.com Twitter https://twitter.com/olio_ex Facebook https://www.facebook.com/olioapp/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/olio.app/ Linked https://www.linkedin.com/company/olio-the-food-sharing-revolution The NBN Entrepreneurship and Leadership podcast aims to educate and entertain, sharing insights based on the personal stories of our carefully selected guests in the atmosphere of an informal conversation in a bar or over a cup of coffee. About the NBN The New Books Network was founded in 2007 as a podcast interviewing the authors of academic books, and has grown to the largest author interview podcast in the world publishing 12 podcasts a day in more than 90 specialist areas, with over a million downloads a month. Read about the founder Marshall Poe and the NBN here. In recent years it has expanded beyond its “author interview origins”. Historically NBN only did audio recordings. E&L is the first NBN podcast distributed on Youtube. About Kimon Fountoukidis Twitter Linkedin Kimon is the founder of both Argos Multilingual and PMR. Both companies were founded in the mid 90s with zero capital and both have gone on to become market leaders in their respective sectors. Kimon was born in New York and moved to Krakow, Poland in 1993. Listen to his story here, About Richard Lucas Twitter Linkedin Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded or invested in more than 30 businesses, including investments in Argos Multilingual, PMR and, in 2020, the New Books Network. Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre- to business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Listen to his story in an autobiographical TEDx talk here, Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

In this episode Kimon and Richard explain why they are launching the NBN Entrepreneurship and Leadership podcast, the topics they are going to delve into with their guests and what aspects of their guests’ entrepreneurial journeys they are most interested in. What has been the role of background and upbringing, social and family pressures, education (or lack of it), and their attitudes to competition and luck. Despite their common business history Kimon and Richard highlight differences in their experiences and how they believe their varying perspectives will lead to a solid exploration of what can be learned from the guests. If you want to get a sense of what this channel is all about, and why it should be interesting to listeners who are into entrepreneurship and leadership, this is a great place to start. The NBN Entrepreneurship and Leadership podcast aims to educate and entertain, sharing insights based on the personal story of our carefully selected guests aiming for the atmosphere of an informal conversation in a bar or over a cup of coffee. Follow our channels on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. View the episode on Youtube here. You can listen to the episode on the NBN here.   About the NBN The New Books Network was founded in 2007 as a podcast interviewing the authors of academic books, and has grown to the largest author interview podcast in the world publishing 12 podcasts a day in more than 90 specialist areas, with over a million downloads a month. Read about the founder Marshall Poe and the NBN here. In recent years it has expanded beyond its “author interview origins”. Historically NBN only did audio recordings. E&L is the first NBN podcast distributed on Youtube. About Kimon Fountoukidis Twitter Linkedin Kimon is the founder of both Argos Multilingual and PMR. Both companies were founded in the mid 90s with zero capital and both have gone on to become market leaders in their respective sectors. Kimon was born in New York and moved to Krakow, Poland in 1993. Listen to his story here. About Richard Lucas Twitter Linkedin Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded or invested in more than 30 businesses, including investments in Argos Multilingual, PMR and, in 2020, the New Books Network. Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre- to business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Listen to his story in an autobiographical TEDx talk here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Family-man and serial entrepreneur, Peter Harrington has a deep interest in education. Following graduation from York University in 1989, he created his first business and over 15 years started and grew companies in the fields of research, marketing, design, print and consultancy. Since 2005, Peter has been at the heart of Venture Simulations Ltd, a company that builds digital learning solutions and SimVenture business simulation technology for people seeking to acquire business start-up/scale-up skills. Whilst his professional roles involve much travel and reading, Peter is also at home when working with students and staff as an Entrepreneur in Residence at London School of Economics and London South Bank University Peter's profile of Romano Read about Frank Dawson's centre where Peter volunteered here Request a free personal licence in exchange for feedback here Simventure website Seth Godin on "getting into a famous college" and the importance of Non-Team Activities in his Akimbo podcast here Peter Harrington twitter Peter writes the blog 'The Hitchiker's Guide to Entrepreneurship' Margaret Heffernen whose TED Summit workshop on gratitude is described. Her books and TED talks are excellent. Richard Lucas's father JR Lucas dedicated one of his books (Space, Time and Causality to all his teachers About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre- to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Mike Southon is a serial entrepreneur, best-selling business author and keynote speake on entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and sales. He specialises in teaching entrepreneurship to University students. Mike is co-author with Chris West of The Beermat Entrepreneur, The Boardroom Entrepreneur and Sales on a Beermat. He has spoken at over 1,000 live events all over the world and provided face-to-face mentoring to over 2,000 entrepreneurs. A recent media roundup: Mike Southon youtube channel Mike's website Mike's life story About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Alex Schey is the CEO and co-founder of Vantage Power, which was founded in 2011 and sold to Allison Transmission in 2019, where he is the Chief Commercial Officer for Electrification. The company pioneered the concept of converting double decker buses to a hybrid diesel electric solution to greatly reduced pollution and increases efficiency. A recent media roundup: Vantage Power Allison Transmission Racing Green Endurance  The electric racing car Alex and his team designed and built that made the journey from Alaska to Argentina. The Manager Tools podcast Contact Alex at aschey (at) gmail (dot) com About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Mark McKergow spoke at TEDxKazimierz in 2018 on the topic of host leadership. Dr. Mark McKergow brings new ideas into the world of business and management, with an inimitable combination of scientific rigour and performance pizzazz. Mark is best known for his work on introduction the ideas of Solutions Focus (2002) and Host Leadership (2014), about which he has published extensively and helped to create self-sustaining user communities. He likes ideas and approaches that make things simpler, quicker, cheaper and more respectful - particularly when they are based on something counter-intuitive and game-changing. More on Mark at http://sfwork.com and http://hostleadership.com. Mark McKergow leads Sunday Assembly in Scotland and plays a leading role in supporting the movement worldwide. Useful Links Sunday Assembly London SOLWorld Solution Focused Working Sunday Assembly Online Mark McKergow's Linkedin Host Leadership - why"hosting" is an important type of leadership | Mark McKergow | TEDxKazimierz Bringing up children the Dutch way | Michele Hutchison | TEDxKazimierz Pippa Evans and Sanderson Jones' special message to TEDxKazimierz 2018 Mark McKergow's Facebook Live video recording of the podcast About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Mel Rosenberg is a microbiologist best known for his research on the diagnosis and treatment of bad breath (halitosis). His research led to several successful commercial products addressing the problem. He is also the creator of a wildly popular TED-ED video on the topic. and is an active part of the TED-ED community. Mel is also a jazz singer and musician, an author of children's books and the co-founder of Ourboox, a platform for online publishing of digital picture books. Richard Lucas's talk on Embracing rejection at the Sabre Talk 'n Roll conference TEDxKazimierz events Michal Borkowski of brainly.com in Project Kazimierz About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Michael Sliwinski is a productivity guy - he’s the founder and CEO of Nozbe - a project management and collaboration tool for busy professionals and their teams. Nozbe is a web-based tool with apps for all the major platforms. Michael is also a speaker, author of best-selling books, a podcaster and a blogger. He is happily married to his wife Ewelina and they have three daughters. Michael is known for his un-orthodox way of running Nozbe - our company doesn’t have any physical office (#NoOffice) and we dedicate Fridays to weekly reviews and personal development (#TGIF). Links Tools 2018 Mobiconf presentation in Krakow MichaelSliwinski.com @MSliwinski on Twitter Nozbe.com - a productivity app for busy professionals ProductiveMag.com Co-author of the first post-PC book: iPadOnlyBook.com Facebook Live of the podcast Tooth Brush Test" in "To change the world - start with yourself | Richard Lucas | TEDxTarnow 91year old Wojciech Narębski at TEDxKazimierz 8 Year Old Marianna Pazhik on the TEDxKazimierz stage Lessons from when 52 year old Ray Croc sees the first Mcdonald's and meets the brothers Michael’s Linkedin Time Management from Piotr Nabielec and his TEDxKazimierz talk in Polish… Czas to nie pieniądz - dlaczego warto zarządzać swoim czasem How to organise communication TEDxKazimierz talk about parkun (free 5km inclusive runs every Saturday all over the world) parkrun - więcej niż bieganie | Jakub Fedorowicz Grzegorz Tomaszewski | TEDxKazimierz Summary of Hyram Smith’s book about time and life Management About Michael About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Marek Jankowski is the host of Mała Wielka Firma – one of the most popular business podcasts in Poland launched in 2009. He wrote two books for entrepreneurs: Mała wielka firma (Little Big Company) and Pułapki small biznesu (Small Business Pitfalls). Marek is also a former radio journalist, who in 2004 started his own business. Since 2008 he's been publishing Branza Dziecieca – the biggest opinion-forming magazine in the toys and nursery industry in Poland. A recent media roundup: Mala wielka firma website Branza dziecieca website Napoleon Hill wikipedia Dale Carnegie wikipedia About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

David Troy is a serial entrepreneur and community activist in Baltimore, Maryland. He is currently CEO and product architect at 410 Labs, maker of the popular e-mail management tools Mailstrom.co and Chuck. He has been acknowledged by the founding team at Twitter as the first developer to utilize the Twitter API, with his project “Twittervision,” which was featured in the 2008 MoMA exhibition “Design and the Elastic Mind,” curated by Paola Antonelli. He uses social network data to map cities. He is also organizer of TEDxMidAtlantic in Washington, DC and is passionate about data, disinformation, elections, cities, and entrepreneurship. He lives in Baltimore with his wife and two children. A recent media roundup: David Troy Medium profile Dave's website Dave's TED talk TEDx Midatlantic Notes from Poland Geeks on a Plane 500 Startups Be More Us Video/Campaign to End Loneliness The Chatty Cafe Scheme Alex Hoskyns – Founder of the Chatty Cafe Scheme TEDSummit 2019 The Pre -TED Summit Social Gathering About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

In this podcast interview, Richard Lucas hosts Ben Bradbury, founder of Reading Rhythms, to discuss the back story leading to founding Ben's his unique reading-themed events. Ben sharing his entrepreneurial journey, including early influences and the inspiration behind Reading Rhythms, which aims to reduce loneliness through shared reading experiences. We learn about the early role model and nudges Ben had from his mother and uncle, his first steps in entrepreneurship and work as a teenager. We hear about the positive and importantly negative lessons he learned from those experiences. We hear how Reading Rhythms emerged from Ben solving a problem he had in his own life, of finding time to read, and making connections with other readers in New York, and their “breakthrough moment when the New York Times published an article about what Reading Rhythms/ Richard and Ben explore the operational aspects of the business, highlighting its growth, revenue model, and the implementation of a management structure to address coordination challenges across multiple chapters, and work on efficiency and processes. We learn about their use of the Clifton Strengths assessment process, their rigorous and demanding approach to taking on and supporting new Group leaders and Ambassadors, and discuss similarities between Reading Rhythms, the TED-TEDx network and the NBN. The NBN as an organisation and Richard as the host of this channel, and very aligned with what RR is doing, and their enthusiasm is clear for the tone of the podcast Links: 3 steps to turn everyday get-togethers into transformative gatherings - Priya Parker Mark McKergow Host Leadership - book Host Leadership - why "hosting" is an important type of leadership | Mark McKergow  How Village-in-the-City builds micro-local communities worldwide | Mark McKergow Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Fred Schmidt (nee Fernando Klemens Jan Borys Czochralski-Schmidt) MBE is Director of International Affairs at Capital Factory, a top U.S. incubator – accelerator - investment fund nurturing over 700 tech startups in downtown Austin Texas. There he oversees Touchdown Austin, a soft landing program for foreign companies seeking to expand into the U.S. market, and Texas scaleups ready for expansion overseas. He also is a co-founder and investor in his 4th videogames tech company, Portalarium. And, concurrently, he is co-founder and CEO of a collection of unique Austin experiential retail businesses in music, fashion, toys and confectionery. Previously, Fred's career spans over 30 years of management experience in the tech and creative industries in the U.S. and Europe. Fred also serves the Mayor of Austin as a citizen ambassador in building the thriving tech and creative industries Sister Cities relationship between Austin and the London Borough of Hackney, home to the UK’s flourishing “Tech City” scene – work for which he has been awarded the honour of Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He also heads the Austin Chapter of Tech London Advocates. As a child, Fred was granted asylum in the USA as a political refugee from Poland during the Cold War… grew up in Detroit… and now has been a 28-year resident of Austin, dividing his time between that city, Los Angeles and London. Links Fred's LinkedIn profile Capital Factory Austin Monthly Article About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Alex Hoskyns - Founded the Chatty Cafe Scheme. Cafes that take part have a ‘Chatter & Natter’ table which creates a space for people to talk; whether it is for five minutes while you drink a tea or coffee, or for an hour of good conversation. We’re not trying to build friendships – just simple interactions to combat loneliness and to just maybe have a big impact on someone’s day. Although the aims of the scheme are to reduce loneliness and get people chatting they do not to use the word "loneliness" on any of the publicity that is displayed in cafes. Instead it is presented as a positive step that focuses on bringing people of all ages and from all walks of life together. - to mix everyone up! In January 2019 they were awarded the "Innovate in Aging" prize! a UK competition to find innovate solutions to an aging population and the judges liked the scheme because it is simple and effective. The Chatty Cafe Scheme (intergenerational dancing (in Polish) Dancing miedzypokoleniowy: Paulina Braun na TEDxWarsaw Secrets of Success TED talk How 'Buddy Benches' are Making Playtime Less Lonely Irish Buddy Benches Interview with Alex About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Chris Bomgaars - worked with his father to build up to a $100 million dollar revenue pig farming business from 2003-14 managing pigs on 350 farms. Based on his experience of what was needed to improve the way pig farms worked, he decided to create Everypig - a simple yet powerful pig health and production management tool. Entirely self funded, the app is used to manage more than 3 million pigs at the beginning of 2019. Successful trials of AI on pig images are soon to enhance even further the value the product offers its users A recent media roundup: Everypig main website Chris Bomgaars linkedin Bringing up children the Dutch way | Michele Hutchison | TEDxKazimierz Founder of Squash Skills on the podcast STVP Executive Director Tina Seelig Classroom Experiments in Entrepreneurship About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Jon Powell is Chair of Enterprise Educators UK - a membership organisation for Universities, Colleges and private sector organisations to support enterprise educators. Head of Enterprise and Innovation Services and resident expert on enterprise education and business Growth Hubs at Lancaster University. Jon Powell has experience in supporting technology and knowledge-based start-up companies including University spin-outs. I have worked closely with hundreds of start-up companies (including but not limited to student and graduate start-ups) providing advice, guidance and in some cases acting as a Non-Exec Director. Support varies from market research, analysis, business planning, governance structures and financial planning. Fifteen years of experience as a Director of a local SME. Employer Solutions Ltd are employee relations specialists providing consultancy, training and employee handbooks. Also Director of Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce, and member of the board for the Chartered Association of Business Schools, Small Business Charter. "It's all about creating the environment and opportunities so people can be the best version of themselves Enterprise Educators UK website Employer Solutions website Enterprise Centre on Lancaster website IEEC2019 Annaul Conference Krakow Enterprise Mondays About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Aleksandra Pedraszewska is a Co-Founder and Head of Commercial at VividQ - a UK-based start-up offering revolutionary software platform for next generation holographic display. Aleksandra co-founded VividQ when completing her MPhil degree in Technology Policy at Cambridge Judge Business School. Today, she heads up VividQ’s sales, marketing, and operations teams based in London. She manages the implementation of VividQ software framework by world-leading customer electronics and embedded systems manufacturers. Aleksandra is also involved in completing the £3m funding round (having previously raised £2.2 seed investment). Before, she gained professional experience at Rolls-Royce, HBO, and IdeaLab Ventures amongst others. Aleksandra is an avid contributor towards initiatives promoting women in tech and technologies originating from her home country – Poland (supporting the Polish innovation diaspora network PLUGin). She is a recipient of numerous prizes and scholarships, including Female Undergraduate of the Year 2015, and Cambridge Leadership Prize, and was named on the Code First: Girls “Ones to Watch 2018” list. Links Alexandra's linkedin An article about the Holographic Displays in BusinessCloud An article about the Holographic Displays in the Augmented World Expo vivid-q website Camentrepreneurs Official Alumni page of CAMentrepreneurs Masters of philosophy - technology policy About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Alex van Someren is Managing Partner of the Early Stage Funds at Amadeus and sits on the boards of several Amadeus portfolio companies. Amadeus is one of the highest profile VC funds in the UK with offices in Bangalore, Cambridge, Cape Town, London and San Francisco, Amadeus has invested in over 130 companies, and raised more than billion pounds for its portfolio companies. Investing from early stage to global growth, they are focused on AI & machine learning, online consumer services, cyber security, digital health and medical technology, digital media, enterprise SaaS, fintech, regtech and insurtech. Alex has a current investment focus on UK deep technology including artificial intelligence & machine learning, cloud computing/enterprise SaaS, cyber security, digital healthcare, medical technology and optical & quantum technologies. Alex is a co-founder of CyLon (https://cylonlab.com/), which finds, grows and invests in the world’s best emerging cyber businesses. During 2019, Alex will hold the Clore Visiting Innovation Professorship of the Royal College of Art, and will be a member of the Royal Society’s Science, Industry and Translation Committee. Alex left school to join Acorn Computers in the 1980s, where he was involved in the development of the BBC Microcomputer & Acorn Electron. He subsequently co-founded ANT Ltd in 1990 to produce networking products, including web browser software licensed to the Oracle Corporation. ANT plc was listed on the London AIM market (AIM:ANTP) in 2005 and later acquired by Espial. In 1996 he co-founded nCipher with venture capital backing to develop internet security products using advanced cryptography. The company became a world leader in IT security, counting major banks, finance companies and governments among its customers. As nCipher’s CEO he raised a total of £14 million in venture capital funding before leading the company to an IPO on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 (LSE:NCH) at a £350 million valuation. nCipher plc was sold to Thales SA in 2008 and is now Thales e-Security. Alex lives in Cambridge, UK and is married with three children. He was appointed an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge in 2005, and he is currently Chairman of the Development Committee of Kettle’s Yard, one of the University of Cambridge Museums. Links Acorn Computers Julian Treasure TED talk The 24 Hour Business Plan Terry Matthews Newbridge Networks About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Cambridge University Careers Service interviewed Richard Lucas about entrepreneurship Normally Richard is asking the questions, In this episode hear him answer a few. About Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Florian Faes is Co-Founder of Slator. Linguist, business developer, and mountain runner. Based in the beautiful lakeside city of Zurich, Switzerland. Florian had a senior job in translation company and realised he couldn’t find the news and analysis he was looking for so with a partner he launched Slator. Slator.com SlatorCon (our conference series) Slator Youtube Florian Faes Linkedin Florian Faes Twitter About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Harriet Noble is a radio journalist working for the BBC in London. She started her career on Radio 4’s flagship Today programme, where over the course of 7 years she graduated from work experience girl to Duty Editor. At the beginning of 2017 she moved to World Hacks on the BBC World Service, where she presents, reports and produces. She is also developing other radio projects for the BBC. World Hacks is a weekly radio programme, podcast and digital video platform, leading the BBC’s solutions-focused journalism coverage. Harriet’s work has received positive reviews from The Observer, the Radio Times and others, and been chosen for BBC Radio 4’s Pick of the Wick. She is particularly interested in stories about mental health, families and women’s rights. BBC World Hacks worldhacks@bbc.co.uk - BBC World hacks email BBC World hacks facebook fanpage Improvising Your Way Out of Anxiety People Fixing the World Podcast Why The World Needs Positive News | Christian de Boisredon TEDx Christian de Boisredon - Sparknews website Why we need Constructive Elements in Journalism | Cathrine Gyldensted Cathrine Gyldensted wikipedia About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here.  Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

An interview with Peter Cowley for the launch of Cambentrepreneurs in New York, recorded in April 2017. Cambentrepreneurs was founded in December 2016 to promote entrepreneurship among the alumni of Cambridge University, current Students and others. Working in a similar way to the relationship between TED.com and TEDx-es, we launch in cities where there is a local leader ready to take the initiative and organise events and activities with a minimum of support from myself and Peter. CAMentrepreneurs web page CAMentrepreneurs official listing with Cambridge University CAMentrepreneurs Facebook Group CAMentrepreneurs Facebook page CAMentrepreneurs Linkedinin page Peter Cowley's web page   About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Robert Rosenkranz was described by Bill Bowder as “the most powerful titan on Wall Street you’ve probably never heard of." As CEO of Delphi Capital Management the value of its assets under management grew to U$20 billion, and its value grew 100 fold. While his book The Stoic Capitalist (Bloomsbury, 2025) – has the tag line “advice for the exceptionally ambitious” there are powerful lessons that anyone can take from his story. In the podcast, we hear about the power and impact of the negative role models his unemployed father and communist mother played, leading to intense financial stress Robert wanted to avoid in his own life. Robert shares many aspects of how a stoic philosophy guided him and can guide others. --The positive influence of his extensive reading of the biographies of those who succeeded --The important of regarding obstacles as opportunities for growth --The value of focussing on areas we have control over --The value of time --The importance of reason over emotion, without ignoring the importance and impact of emotions on decision making processes --When and how to take risk and go “all in” --How to interview people --The important of selecting the right partners in life and business --His own approach to philanthropy, including his work supporting research into Longevity, modern art, and the debate of ideas Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

In this podcast John Lucas reflected on recruitment - his role and processes in selecting undergraduates to study at the world's finest universities. John Randolph Lucas was educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied first mathematics, then Greats (Greek, Latin, Philosophy and Ancient History), obtaining first class honours, and taking the Oxford MA in 1954. He spent the 1957–58 academic year at Princeton University, studying mathematics and logic. For 36 years, until his 1996 retirement, he was a Fellow and Tutor of Merton College, Oxford, and he remains an emeritus member of the University Faculty of Philosophy. He is a Fellow of the British Academy. John Lucas was your host's father and died in April 2020 JR Lucas's Wikipedia entry THE GODELIAN ARGUMENT by J. R. Lucas JR Lucas's web page About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here.   Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

After 10 years in IT in various roles (Developer, Scrum Master, Manager, Head of QA, Trainer) I founded Produktywni.pl, where I am a trainer and consultant and also created two online trainings - I help people, teams and companies be more productive, build positive habits, achieve their dreams and get things done. I have a blog (in Polish) and my articles can be found on Lifehack and my book "Effective Multitasking" on Amazon. 6 tips for productivity by Richard produktywni.pl Productivity step by step Piotr's course List for productivity Productivity blog productivity fanpage control your email inbox   About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Paweł Tkaczyk is a writer, public speaker and an expert in branding and gamification. He wrote two bestsellers - „Zakamarki marki” and „Grywalizacja” that focus on branding (zakamarki marki) and gamification (grywalizacja) operations. He is also a lecturer at many Polish universities such us Akademia im. Leona Koźmińskiego w Warszawie, Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza w Krakowie, Wyższa Szkoła Bankowa w Poznaniu and many companies such as Credit Agricole, Citibank, Sanofi Aventis or Hama. He is quoted in many business focussed newspapers such as Brief or Marketing w Praktyce. Paweł's website Linkedin profile About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

When his 4-year old daughter saw a plastic tub of cat litter in the woods, little did Jeff Kirschner realise that it would be the spark for creating Litterati - a global movement that’s “crowdsource-cleaning” the planet one piece of litter at a time. Featured in National Geographic, Time Magazine, Fast Company, and USA Today, Litterati has become a shining example of how communities are using technology and data to solve our world’s most complex problems. Jeff has shared the Litterati story at Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Facebook, and Uber, keynoted environmental summits at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Keep America Beautiful, as well as leading schools including Stanford, MIT, and the University of Michigan. Jeff was recently a TED Resident where he developed Litterati into an “idea worth spreading.” Jeff Kirschner's TED Talk Litterati Website Litterati Twitter Litterati Facebook TED blog post TEDx Kazimierz Building a schoold in the cloud TED talk How great leaders inspire action TED talk About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Rudradeb Mitra - Alumni of University of Cambridge. He started his first venture in 2010. Till now he has been a founding member of 5 startups - two in Silicon Valley, one in UK, one in Belgium and one in India. He is also a mentor of Founder Institute, Polska Agencja Rozwoju Przedsiębiorczości, MIT Enterprise Forum Poland. Recently he seed invested in two startups and is always looking for interesting opportunities and people to work with. The Ashton Kutcher talk and transcript Linkedin Profile On growth hacking On doing nothing (i like this post) On ethics and AI (why need to rethink on current AI approaches) Skills for future jobs On doing business with India About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

An interview with Richard Lucas by The Wall Street Lab Podcast - originally went on line here http://www.thewallstreetlab.co... is what they wrote "Richard Lucas is an angel investor who is currently involved with close to 20 different companies across a variety of industries. He has made many investments into world-class startups over the years, including deals with startups backed by the likes of Y Combinator. For example, Richard was an early investor in the company Estimote, which won the 2013 Tech Crunch disrupt in the Hardware category. Part of the reason why Richard is such a fascinating person to talk to, is that he is involved in a variety of projects outside of his main work. He is the founder of Cambentrepreneurs, an alumni network for the graduates of Cambridge University and others focusing on entrepreneurship. He is also the license holder of TEDxKazimierz, which is an independently organized Ted event in Krakow, Poland. Our interview with Richard is jam-packed with really great and practical insights into the mind of someone who, in his own words, thinks about the world in terms of problems and solutions. We touch on some of the red flags he looks for before deciding to invest in a business and the importance of building a company with an exit plan in mind: “If you don’t build a company with an exit in mind, then you don’t really prepare for it.” We also discuss the reasons why he has deliberately decided not to exited any of his business, despite having received offers to sell them: “I’ve never done an exit and that is not because I have never been offered money for my businesses, but it never seemed sensible to take money at 3x or 4x earnings, because 3 or 4 years later you have got the same amount of money if the company doesn’t fail, and you still own it.” We also talk about his early experience as an entrepreneur and the lessons he learned, which he openly shares with us. You – yes, you – are lucky for living in an era of information abundance. Don’t take our word for it: “The great advantage for listeners now is: you can be 19 and or even 10 and listen to this and think: oh, I won’t make the same mistake as Richard Lucas. I am really jealous of you guys for being able to compress all that knowledge”. And this is just the tip of the iceberg!" About your host Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Józef Kącki is the founder of Leaders Island - and organisation focused on training young managers and future leaders and a managing director of S4A. Leaders Island About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Have you ever heard of Stanford Prison Experiment? If you're familiar with it, you must recognise our today's episode guest - Prof. Philip Zimbardo who is one of the most known and respected psychologists in the world. Besides being a professor emeritus at Stanford University, he has just started a very inspiring project in Poland. Learn about the inspiring life of Prof. Zimbardo in our thirteenth Project Kazimierz episode of the second season! Have you ever heard of Stanford Prison Experiment? If you're familiar with it, you must recognise our today's episode guest - Prof. Philip Zimbardo who is one of the most known and respected psychologists in the world. Besides being a professor emeritus at Stanford University, he has just started a very inspiring project in Poland. Learn about the inspiring life of Prof. Zimbardo in our thirteenth Project Kazimierz episode of the second season! Philip Zimbardo Heroic Imagination Project About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Tom Clarke is the CEO and founder of u2i, a web technology consulting company based in Krakow, Tom found success after doubling down on his core strength – technology. Now, u2i has over 40 employees and generates millions of dollars in revenue every year. Not only that, u2i employees co-own the company, and as a result, the level of creative effort they pour into every client project leaves a big impression!  u2i Open Coffee Codility About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

As the head of Google Campus Warsaw, our guest today has had a critical role in the startup ecosystem in Poland. Rafał Płutecki started business in Poland by providing dial-up internet access to businesses that needed to be connected. Today, he’s connecting young businesses to much more than just a modem. Through the Campus he links entrepreneurs to the networks and resources they need to become global enterprises.  Google Campus Warsaw Central-Eastern European Exchange Google for Entrepreneurs The University of Delaware About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

In this podcast, Matthew talks about his late entry into entrepreneurship, taking advantage of opportunities that emerged as Kindle offered a new way to distribute books. In his career as a journalist with well known business publications he enjoyed talking to entrepreneurs, even having his editor turn down his pitch to interview Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Starting a business was something he had always been open to, but journalism came first until quite late in life. He shares how his initial idea of publishing short-form books from well-known authors pivoted into the bigger opportunity of publishing back catalogues. Matthew describes how and why larger publishers missed the boat due to conservative pricing and a feeling that ebooks might just "go away." He discusses the importance of a "problem-solving mindset," persistence, and being ready to hustle. We learn what being a fiction author has in common with being an entrepreneur, and how crucial it is to handle and manage rejection. Matthew also delves into his path to an exit, the loyalty he felt to his authors and staff, and the challenges of management and leadership. He particularly highlights the learning process of dealing with the fact that the founder is often more motivated than the people they hire. Links relevant to the interview. Matthew’s books Death Force series Lume Books  Joffe Books - acquired by Lume Books Matthew’s Bio Daily Telegraph - columnist - 2013-2024 Money Week - columnist - 2008-2024 Bloomberg - columnist - 1999-2012 The Sunday Times - Reporter and columnist - 1992-2000 Business magazine - reported - 1988-1991 Asiaweek, Hong Kong - 1986-1988 Financial Adviser magazine - 1985-1986 Founder - Lume Books - 2013- 2023 Author Death Force - Hodder Headline - 2010 Fireforce - Hodder Headline - 2011 Shadow Force - Hodder Headline - 2012 Ice Force - Hodder Headline - 2013 Insecurity - Random House - 1997 The Watchmen - Random House - 1999 Education: Balliol College, Oxford. Politics, Philosophy & Economics. Richard Lucas’s TEDx talk on Opportunity Readiness and on Why everyone should embrace rejection Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Born in the USA, Paul has been in Kraków for over a decade, and was instrumental in the explosion of Ruby on Rails popularity here, the improvement of management systems with Agile methodology and Kanbanery, as well as helping to get Kraków on the map as the perfect place to come for talent. From Paul’s point of view, the advantages of Poland and the companies operating here is abundantly clear.. LunarLogic Kanbanery Aperitif ACE Conference TEDxKraków Estimote About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Rafał Styczeń is a legend in the tech startup scene in Kraków. He helped build a hugely successful telecommunication application when he was a student of computer science at Kraków Technical University. He’s now growing Meble.pl, a furniture ecommerce store that’s proving nothing is safe from software domination, not even our sofas. Rafał brings a unique wisdom to the table that comes from a combination of innate entrepreneurial passion and the hard-graft hustle of building multiple large businesses in the modern ecosystem. Innovation Nest Google Campus Warsaw Cracow University of Technology SKK Uber AirBNB John Biggs, TechCrunch Editor Meble.pl "The World is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Sam was the co-host of Project Kazimierz, before resigning after the first years. In this episode, Sam tells listeners about a tough business decision he had to make, and how he recovered from the fallout. Who’d have guessed that consulting world-class triathlon coaches would eventually lead to arriving in Cracow? Sam talks about building a team here to expand the business, about traveling to Silicon Valley for investments, and about pivoting into a brand new market. Innovation Nest Google Campus Warsaw Michał Borkowski, CEO of Brainly Ralph Talmont, TEDxWarsaw Ania Bywanis, Regarding the Artist Project Jonathan Ornstein March of the Living Open Coffee Manager Tools Podcast "So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport Sam Cook About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

An interview with Gareth Mitchell and Bill Thompson, Gareth and Bill discuss podcasting and their BBC show, ‘Digital Planet’, and the formation of the unofficial listener "Fan Club" BBC's Digital Planet Facebook Group Economist Article Click podcast Gareth's LinkedIn Gareth's Twitter Bill's LinkedIn Bill's Twitter About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Paul Papadimitriou and Ivan Hernandez were early examples of the podcast with Richard Lucas and Sam Cook. Paul and Ivan, co-founders of Digital Loop, discuss podcasting and its effectiveness in distributing a message. Richard discusses angel investing and entrepreneurship with them. Finally, they look forward to predicting technology trends and how they judge startups to invest in. Paul's website Paul's Linkedin Paul's Twitter Paul's Facebook Page Ivan's blog Ivan's Linkedin Ivan's Twitter Digital Loop Bitspiration Freakonomics Radio LeWeb SeedLabs Age of Context by Robert Scobel About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Peter Cowley, with Richard Lucas and Sam Cook. Peter discusses angel investing and how he came to be the UK Angel Investor of the Year in 2014, later becoming President of the European Business Angels Network. Richard and Peter talk about the different ventures they’ve invested in. They also break down why Peter is much better at it. Finally, Sam looks into growing hisbusiness, while Peter and Richard explain what success means to them. Mentions and links: Peter’s website Peter’s Linkedin Peter’s Twitter Angel investor of the year, 2014 Arachnys Vantage Power Syndicate Room Michael Blakey Ela Madej Ready Steady Mums Bitspiration The Invested Investor About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

#Project Kazimierz presents Wojciech Burkot, with Richard Lucas and Sam Cook. Wojciech discusses his early companies, moving onto Google, and what he’s working on next. They examine the ways in which universities in Poland need to change and adjust to the blossoming tech community surround Krakow. Finally, Wojciech lends a few words of advice for those interested in journeying to Krakow and also to those who are already chasing the dream in Krakow. Google for entrepreneurs Hub:raum Techweek Open coffee OMGKRK Facebook Aspire AGH Mark Bradshaw Marta Rylko Piotr Wilam Dawid Ostrowski About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

This week Sam and Richard welcome Mark Bradshaw, British-African farmer who moved to Poland to escape Mugabe’s oppressive policies, and discovered the perfect place for entrepreneurship. Both a fountain of ideas, and a seasoned implementer, Mark talks us through how to choose ideas, build a great team, and build something that matters. Krakow-Life, which has become Local-Life Bidroom Eataway About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Ramón Tancinco, with Richard Lucas and Sam Cook. Ramón discusses his prophetic TEDxKrakow talk concerning Krakow as a European Silicon Valley. They analyse the reason Krakow is a hub for tech companies and how it mirrors Silicon Valley in the United States. Richard talks about the influx of billion dollar companies. Finally, Sam explains how Krakow is not Silicon Valley and why that’s not a bad thing. Table of contents, resources and links:Resources and links: Ramon Tancinco LinkedIn account KrakowIT website PB work website ASPIRE His TEDxKrakow talk - Europe's Silicon Valley? Why not! About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

We welcome Pawel Nowak, tech entrepreneur for a chat about current trends in technology-based business in Poland. Join Sam, Richard and Pawel for the discussion. Pawel’s Twitter Pawel’s Facebook Colab Appleblog Jakub Krzych Ela Madej Piotr Wilam Google Meetups Open Coffee Krakow About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-2017 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Richard interviews BBC Journalist Dougal Shaw about his book CEO Secrets based on the BBC Series CEO secrets in which he interviewed 100s of CEOs. When Dougal first began as a business journalist at BBC, he wasn’t particularly interested in the topic. Prior to his new career, he was training for doctorate in history. He began creating content for social media, interviewing CEOs who found themselves in the BBC offices. He then shifted to producing miniseries, talking to different CEOs every single week. Dougal has taken years of interviews and analyzed them for patterns in the lives and behaviors of CEOs. The pattern that stood out most was the difference between CEOs who founded their own company, and CEOs who hadn’t, what Dougal refers to as “corporate climbers.” The founders were brasher, more prone to extemporaneous speech, and sometimes quite eccentric. Meanwhile, the corporate climbers were highly-prepared and behaved like participants in a job interview. He also noticed certain traits among the younger founders. Many of them, reassuringly, appeared to be wise beyond their years. This early maturity was frequently catalyzed by a traumatic event in their family like divorce or death. Entrepreneurship for some became like a coping strategy. It was something they could throw themselves into at an early age. Dougal also discusses the challenges of interviewing CEOs, especially when they bring along their PR teams to coach them. Getting past the censors is one his goals, especially when his agenda differs from the CEO’s. Dougal views himself as somewhat of a psychologist, attempting to coax real and authentic answers out of his interviewees. The best answers for the audience are ones that surprise, not boilerplate jargon.  As well as focussing on ideas in the book they discuss who he would have liked to interview, and what Dougal is going to do next. They were introduced by Peter Cowley, whose extraordinary story was featured on the NBN a few months ago here, or go to to the Public Success Private Grief website here  Listeners can get get a 25% discount if they use the code ‘CEO25’ on the Bloomsbury website here Get the latest on the CEO Secrets series by subscribing to the newsletter CEO Secrets is now out as a book! Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Sam and Richard introduce Vincent Vergonjeanne, a French entrepreneur who takes us through how he built a successful ninety-person video game company, why he escaped it and moved to Krakow, and how he finally created his dream company producing beautiful, world-class video games, “One game at a time.” Vincent’s Linkedin Kobojo EveryDayIPlay About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

Ela Madej, co-founder of Base, a Krakow-based startup that later exited to Zendesk, as well as Hive 53, which has stood at the spear-head of the Krakow startup scene since 2011. This week, Sam and Richard hear the details of Ela’s colourful career. After she left Base she founded, European Ruby Conference Piotr Nidzynski. Co-founder of Hive Stefan Sagmeister New York city designer Jerry Colonna CEO/Executive Coach, investor in New York city Hive 53 fiftyyears.com About your host - Richard Lucas Richard is a business and social entrepreneur who founded, led and/or invested in more than 30 businesses, Richard has been a TEDx event organiser, supports the pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem, and leads entrepreneurship workshops at all levels: from pre-schools to leading business schools. Richard was born in Oxford and moved to Poland in 1991. Read more here. Sam Cook was the co-host of this podcast from 2015-17 Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership

In this episode Richard interviews not an entrepreneur but a business journalist with detailed knowledge of the Polish and British business landscape from the perspective of someone who has helped facilitate business between Poland and the United Kingdom in both directions. Listeners will learn of examples of Polish entrepreneurs acquiring British companies post-Brexit, and hear a discussion of whether the next generation of Poles will be as hungry for success as the first generation of post communist entrepreneurs. Michael Dembinski, born in London to Polish émigré parents, studied at Warwick University and The City University London; worked at the CBI, for nine years as editor of monthly magazine CBI News, before moving to Poland with his young family in 1997. In Poland he worked on several publishing projects before setting down with the British Polish Chamber of Commerce, where he’s been for over 20 years. Since 2007, Michael has been blogging about Poland and matters metaphysical on his blog, W-wa Jeziorki. Linkedin  British Polish Chamber of Commerce Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/entrepreneurship-and-leadership