Stephanie Melodia answers your questions! Tune into this special solo episode to hear how she'd do things differently with Bloom, how to successfully exit a business, thoughts on AI, and more.

Want your question featured next time? Make sure to follow Steph on Instagram here: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

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Steph Melodia and special guest, Johnny Khaira, share their main reflections and top takeaways on last week's interview with Mike Stevens, Co-Founder of Peppersmith - the beloved mints brand with 20 million packs sold on supermarket shelves, coffee shops, and health stores.

Tune in to hear what resonated with them both as they debrief on last week's interview.

Let us know your thoughts! Follow on social:

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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/strategyandtragedy

Mandy Nyarko MBE is the Co-Founder of Startup Discovery School & Managing Partner of Sahara Impact Ventures.In this episode, Mandy shares:

👩🏾‍💻 Her story from bank cashier to investor, now fund manager and trailblazing impact leader👩🏾‍💻 The power of spirituality and manifesting (which goes hand in hand with effort, hustle, hard work!)👩🏾‍💻 Her work to achieve net zero in the fight against climate change 👩🏾‍💻 The agricultural landscape and how this is negatively impacting African women👩🏾‍💻 The importance of resilience - keep getting back up!Learn more about Startup Discovery School here: https://www.startupdiscoveryschool.com/

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Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/strategyandtragedy/

Bianca Rangecroft is the Forbes 30 Under 30 Founder & CEO of Whering, the AI-enabled digital wardrobe and personal styling app with the mission of upending the buy-use-dispose model by helping Gen-Z fashionistas get the most out of their wardrobe.

Bianca has raised over £2.5 million in venture capital and now has 14 full-time employees, 150 brand partners and - most importantly - over 4M users.In this episode, you'll hear about:👗 Bianca's experience on BBC's Dragons Den👗 Going from scrappy bootstrapped startup to lean, mean, metric-focused scale-up machine👗 Hire slow, fire fast: the mindset shift needed with talent and most overlooked aspect of dismissing staff👗 Successful growth hacks with viral marketing (organic social done right!)👗 The power of networking and Bianca's advisory board for life👗 PLUS! What Victoria Beckham had to do with Whering!Download the app here: https://whering.co.uk/

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Mark Chaffey is the Co-Founder and CEO of hackajob, the candidate-centric platform for tech talent that puts the power back in the hands of the job seekers. 

He co-founded the business straight out of university aged 20 and now leads the HRtech scale-up with $35M in Series B funding under his belt, a team of 150 staff, and turning over £10M ARR with world domination firmly on the cards!

Key points in this episode you'll hear about:

🚀 Biggest challenges as a young entrepreneur & first-time CEO 🚀 The sales strategy that took this business to $10M ARR 🚀 Expanding to the US and dangers of hiring too fast 🚀 Where Mark turns to for guidance & inspiration 🚀 Fundraising journey - 78 meetings to get to 5 term sheets - including a deal falling through at the last minute 😱

“This is NOT the TechCrunch article”

Learn more about hackajob here: https://hackajob.com/

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Liv Ferdi is the Co-Founder of TRIP, the UK’s number 1, best selling CBD drinks brand stocked in 25,000 stores around the UK including the likes of Selfridges, Ocado, Boots, Planet Organic, Harrods… Also in chains like The Ivy, Brewdog, Leon, Benugo, AND is the exclusive CBD supplier to Soho House!

TRIP holds 88% UK market share, has raised £10M in external investment and hired a team of 50 staff!Tune in to hear about:

💛 The benefit of coming in from the outside - from Liv's career in corporate legal to FMCG founder and the advantage of fresh perspectives💛 How to win in becoming *category-defining* - even when you’re not the first💛 How TRIP overcame performance marketing challenges as a CBD brand💛 Building a 'cool' brand that respects the customer 💛 Cultivating an authentic, mission-driven business💛 PLUS Strategy & Tragedy exclusive new announcement!

Get 20% off your TRIP order with the S&T podcast code: TRIPCALM20 Shop online here: https://drink-trip.com/collections/all or in-store at various retailers

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Emily is the Founder of Untangle, the go-to app for all of life's hard events. From sorting the mess of paperwork after a bereavement, to finding a community of other grief-stricken individuals, Untangle is there to help everyone get through the tough times. Featured in the Evening Standard and boasting <500k followers, Untangle is going from strength to strength as they now embark their new crowdfunding campaign.

But of course, it wasn't always that successful... In this episode, Steph and Emily discuss:

👼 Building a business around lived experience vs the market opportunity 👼 The validation process and data-driven tests along the way👼 Emily's accelerator experience and reason for choosing Zinc👼 Decision-making around tech stack for new startup (hint: Emily went with OTS)👼 Finding PMF (product-market fit)

Untangle is crowdfunding! Get in on the action here: https://untanglegrief.com/coowners-club/

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En este episodio especial, Stephanie Melodia reflexiona en las varias conversaciones con empresarios de los últimos 20 episodios.

Escucha para descubrir las TOP lecciones del empresarialismo!

(¿Puedes adivinar cuales son?)

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'Estrategía y tragedía' es el podcast de Stephanie Melodia, orador y fundadora Top 20 en el Reino Unido, donde entrevista empresarios, inversores, y expertos relacionados al mundo de startups. El propósito fundamental de este show es compartir las mayores lecciones de los grandes errores que otros han cometido - otros que están en unos pasos mas adelante de ti - para que puedes aprender de ellos, y tener la mayor posibilidad de éxito con tu negocio.

También esperamos que puedes encontrar inspiración de estas anécdotas, y terminar los episodios sintiendo que tu vision es completamente posible realizar.

Quieres más? Sigue Steph en las redes:

🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/

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🎧 No olvides en subscribir y compartir con tu amigo empresarial!

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Stephanie Melodia founded Bloom, an award-winning marketing consultancy, in London of 2017.

Last summer, she announced the closure of her successful business, and - in this episode - she recounts what happened, and reflects on what went right, and what went wrong.

(After all, Strategy & Tragedy is about sharing *both* the highs and lows of business, the reality behind closed doors, the ugly truth behind the glossy veneer, and - most crucially - the lessons learnt from the experience. None of this is to put anyone off entrepreneurship, instead it's about empowering early-stage entrepreneurs to go in with eyes & ears wide open, learning from other people's mistakes who are a few steps ahead of you. Tune into Episode ZERO to hear more!)

What you'll learn in this solo episode:

🥀 What led Steph to ultimately close the Bloom chapter🥀 Top 10 business lessons - 5 things that worked + 5 things that didn’t 🥀 Being "allergic" to stagnation, the concept of control, and importance of progress🥀 The importance of carrying out a “pre-mortem” exercise on your own business. 🥀 Embracing a portfolio career post-Bloom

I'd LOVE to know, what resonated most with you here? Join the conversation: 

Follow Steph on social media:

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Justin Fitzpatrick, the co-Founder & ex-CEO of Duedil, now FullCircl post-merger. Justin is now Founder of Outpost Advisors, the firm that helps PE- & VC-backed B2B software companies accelerate profitability.

In this episode, Justin and Steph discuss:

👉 The unexpected way Justin met his co-founder 👉 Key lessons learnt from scaling the B2B SaaS DueDil, which raised a combined $53.4 million in funding across 11 rounds👉  Evolving B2B SaaS growth strategies - including 'slowing down to speed up' and overcoming painfully long buying cycles with enterprise clients👉 The importance of UI and investing in your product👉 The "wildcard" choice of Justin's university degree (tune into find out what he majored in!) and how it's helped him now👉 The importance of value proposition refinement when it comes to effective business development.

Are you a leader at a B2B software company curious to learn more about boosting profitability? Connect with Justin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-fitzpatrick-83a783/

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Maya Raichoora, the CEO and Co-Founder of Remap Mental Fitness, who envisions a world where mental fitness is as common as physical fitness. She helps CEOs, athletes & performers become the top 1% in their field through the power of visualisation.

Tune in for an interactive visualisation exercise and all of the below...

🧠 MAYA'S STORY:

✨ From being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis to being the most healthy and confident she’s ever been

✨ Self-confidence as a young brown woman without formal qualifications

✨ Her philosophy around 'compassionate discipline'

🧠 SCIENCE:

✨ The neuroscience behind visualisation

✨ Study examples in sport

🧠 RISKS:

✨ The difference between 'being confident' and 'having confidence'

✨ Avoid breaking promises to yourself at all costs!

✨ The trap of falling into victimhood

🧠 PRACTICAL TIPS:

✨ How to make space to practise visualisation

✨ How *detachment* to your current state can help achieve your desired identity

✨ Physical behaviours: look people in the eye, pause before you speak, stand a little taller

✨ Treat your time as valuable currency

Discover more here: https://www.remapmentalfitness.com/

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Farhan Lalji is the Founder & General Partner of LTV Capital, a platform for emerging managers & investors in world-changing ventures. He is also a Teaching Fellow at London Business School and Entrepreneur in Residence at King’s College.

In this episode, Steph and Farhan discuss:

📈 The UK as a player on the global stage

📈 Thoughts on venture capital scout networks (and who’s doing well)

📈 When his business got acquired *during* a crowdfunding campaign (hint: it was a bit awks)

📈 His view from the boardroom table (he sat on EIGHT!!)

📈 Privilege in entrepreneurship

📈 How to successfully pivot

For more information on what Farhan is building, take a look at https://medium.com/ltv-capital/ltv-capital-so-why-the-lion-8071d3ec7dfb

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Mike Stevens is the exited founder of Peppersmith, the confectionery brand you'll  recognise on supermarket shelves, in coffee shops and in health food stores. 

Responsible for a total of over 20 MILLION of packs sold worldwide, Mike led the company from its inception to a successful exit, achieving over £4M in annual retail sales from the likes of Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrisons, Whole Foods... 

Mike is also the bestselling author of The Direct-to-Consumer Playbook and now advises challenger brands looking to scale.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

🌿 The genesis of Peppersmith at Innocent HQ, Fruit Towers
🌿 Selecting a Co-Founder, the key traits to look for, and transitioning away from co-founding team to solo founder-led scale-up
🌿 The importance of product development, solving a real customer need, and building a business around a high-frequency purchase rate
🌿 Practical realities of finances (paying a team while scaling) and privilege in entrepreneurship
🌿 The Peppersmith exit journey and steadying the ship during the biggest turmoil the brand experienced

PLUS: 
👉 Most common missteps for early-stage founders
👉 Perspective on the investment landscape for consumer brands
👉 From a successful exit to winding down a failed business

Building a D2C brand? Purchase Mike Stevens bestselling book, 'The Direct to Consumer Playbook' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1398605425/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

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From 1984 in Cairo to 2024 in London, Stephanie Melodia interviews Charlotte Ayoub of TLC Sport, the inclusive sportswear brand featured in the likes of Cosmopolitan, The Times, Marie Claire, The Independent, The Guardian, and more.

In this episode Steph and Charlotte discuss:

🧘🏽‍♀️ Building a body positive brand that connects with women’s empowerment

🧘🏽‍♀️ The importance of product development in line with customer needs

🧘🏽‍♀️ Marketing an anti-trend product in a trend-led industry

🧘🏽‍♀️ Retailer partnerships including lessons from fashion buyer c*ck-ups 

🧘🏽‍♀️ No (wo)man is an island - the importance of a good team

🧘🏽‍♀️ Learning that 'perfect' is the enemy of 'good' - thanks to Black Friday catastrophe!

Discover more about TLC Sport: https://tlcsport.co.uk/

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Richard Hadler is the 3x exited co-founder of Founders Capital, angel investor in 20 companies (including Spacegoods, Odin, Freja) and author of 'Marketing: The Bottom Line.' 

In this episode, Steph and Rich discuss:

🚀 Hiring strategies

🚀 Lessons from a D2C cocktail brand

🚀 The role of boards and gaining diverse perspectives 

🚀 Rich's role as an advisor, helping to provide a helicopter view to gain perspective

🚀 Leaning into your entrepreneurial gut instinct

Learn more about Founders Capital here: https://www.founders-capital.com/

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Ziv Reichert is a VC Partner at LocalGlobe, the seed stage venture capital firm behind the likes of Citymapper, Wise and Zoopla.

In this episode, Steph and Ziv discuss:

💰 Top tips on getting a busy investor's attention

💰 A VC’s perspective on the fundraising environment ("we’re an easy scapegoat")💰 What gets Ziv excited as an investor (top themes and specific breakdown of favourite companies)💰 How Ziv tries to stay ahead of the curve and cultivate a futurist "crystal ball" mindset

💰 The key ingredients for startup success 

💰 Thoughts on AI

Learn more about LocalGlobe here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/localglobe/

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Norma Cassius is a Money Management Consultant and Psychotherapist with 20+ years' experience in the financial Sector and 17+ years' as a qualified Psychotherapist in Harley Street, London.

Our finances and mindset are so intertwined that it makes perfect sense that Norma has combined her financial and psychotherapy expertise with her mission to help people manage both their money and their mindset.

Norma has successfully helped hundreds of people and delivered financial education talks to over 16,000 individuals in 2024 alone.

In this episode, Steph and Norma discuss:

💸 Norma's background, including the influence of her Jamaican parents and raising three kids under the age of 6 while working part-time

💸 How Norma discovered her "ikigai" and now living her best life in her 60s

💸 The fundamentals of money management including financial language and basic terminologies💸 The links between personal finances and your mental health

💸 How to take the leap into entrepreneurship financially

💸 How to use money as an empowering tool

Learn more about Norma Cassius here: https://www.normacassius.com/

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Vanessa Jacobs is the exited Co-Founder of The Restory, a luxury aftercare service named as one of Walpole’s Brands of Tomorrow in 2019. She is now on her third venture with Circulo, harnessing her passion & expertise in the circular economy space to deliver her mission of reducing fashion waste.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

👗 Converting a personal pain point into a viable business

👗 Putting the customer first via a concierge MVP (think "mechanical turk")

👗 Startup pivots and increasing success with each new business venture

👗 How demand and funding and all the good stuff *still* doesn’t equate to huge success IF you haven’t got your unit economics nailed!

👗 Biggest lessons learnt from a sour marriage...

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Daniel Hegarty is the Founder & ex-CEO of Habito, the proptech scale-up which raised <$90M in venture capital, and now Founder & CEO of Communion, the mobile-first fintech on a mission to help people build a financial buffer against the world and fix their relationship with money.

In this episode, Steph and Daniel discuss:

👉 The power of brand & the importance of storytelling

👉 Having the balls to take big, brave bets

👉 Founder mental health, especially as an introvert 

👉 How entrepreneurship can make a difference to people’s lives

👉 Solving the anxiety of personal finances with Communion - from being at the whim of capitalism to galvanising yourself with a tiny act of defiance every day.

Learn more about Communion here: https://www.communionsaves.com/

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In this special solo episode I wanted to reflect on the different conversations I’ve had with entrepreneurs over the past 20 episodes, and share with you the most common themes and top lessons learnt that have come up on the show so far… Tune into to find out what they are!

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Anu Obe is the Founder of To All My Black Girls, a D2C ecomm business that specialises in naturally textured hair extensions for Afro-Caribbean hair types.

In this episode, Steph and Anu discuss:

👩🏾‍🦱 The importance of self-belief and optimism - your reality is not your identity!

💜 Having a clear mission, identifying a gap in the market, and solving one fatal customer problem

👩🏾‍🦱 The idea of whether or not entrepreneurship is for everyone?! 

💜 The power of self-confidence, and where that came from for Anu

👩🏾‍🦱 The top books that impacted Anu the most. (Hint: one of them is a religious text).

💜 How Anu went about finding her very first customers

Learn more about To All My Black Girls here: https://toallmyblackgirls.com/

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Emmie Faust is the 3X exited entrepreneur-turned-angel-investor, now Founder of Female Founders Rise - the supportive and inspiring resource for female founders to help them succeed with their businesses.

Emmie invests exclusively in female founders and her portfolio includes ONEWAYX, RunYourself, and Mamma Wellbeing among others, as well as her role with Ventures Together.

In this episode, Steph and Emmie discuss:

✊ The impact of motherhood on self-confidence✊  Female role models, including Emmie's first powerhouse boss!✊ The power of mindset shifts in order to serve a more personally fulfilling mission✊  How entrepreneurship can lead to financial freedom, and why women need to consider this path for empowerment✊ Angel investing, including Emmie’s portfolio and what she looks for in a deal (hint: numerology features!!)

Learn more about Female Founders Rise here: https://femalefoundersrise.com/

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🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Access special perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Mona Tiesler is an investor at tokentus, a leading VC firm in the German blockchain ecosystem, where she invests in startups that leverage blockchain technology globally.  She has several years of experience in venture capital, and has been involved in pre-seed to Series A deals across Europe, USA, UAE and Asia.

With a background in strategy consulting, venture building, and entrepreneurship, Mona has a passion for supporting innovators who are building the decentralized future of the internet. She has co-founded and led companies in Fintech, Edtech, and Foodtech, and has an MBA from INSEAD. 

In this episode, Mona and Steph discuss:

🌐 How to re-invent yourself while navigating huge career changes

🌐 The mental reframe required when facing rejection (after rejection, after rejection... )

🌐 Practical tips on learning the key skill *every* entrepreneur needs; SALES!

🌐 The importance of strategy and how each step helps the next

🌐 PLUS! What Mona looks for now as an investor

Mona is passionate about breaking down barriers to access - both for fundraising founders and equalising gender opportunities. In-line with her mission, Mona is a member of Global Women in VC, the world's largest community for women in venture capital to connect, collaborate, and create opportunities for each other. Discover more here: https://www.women-vc.com/

Mona is also the Co-Founder of Distributed Funding, a platform for underrepresented founders in the Web3 space to submit pitch decks and a short survey in just a few minutes. Learn more here: https://roomy-tailor-258.notion.site/Distributed-Funding-b49508c6d2484d62b3c0ca1ab286a132

Fundraising? Learn more about what tokentus looks for in their investments here: https://tokentus.com/targets

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, rate, review, and share it with a friend!

Want more?

Follow Steph:

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🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517 

In this shorter episode, Steph Melodia shares her reflections on last week's interview with Marla Shapiro of HERmesa, the angel investing syndicate for female founders.

From solving the gender disparity in fundraising to business advice and top fundraising strategies, Steph shares her reflections on last week's interview with the trailblazing leadeer. 

Tune into hear what stuck with Steph from the interview and the key lessons to underscore for all you budding or early-stage entrepreneurs!
 
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Want more?
 
Follow Steph:
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/
 
🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/
 
🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Access special perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Nick Telson-Sillett is the exited Co-Founder of DesignMyNight (acquired for $30M) and now Co-Founder of Trumpet, a buyer enablement tool that enables sales teams to drive revenue.

In this episode, Steph and Nick discuss:

🎺  Founder journey from leaving the day job to growing a $30m biz🎺  Exactly when and why he raised external funding (plus comparisons between VCs vs angels vs bootstrapping)🎺  The importance of your first 10 hires as you grow🎺  What worked for DesignMyNight 10+ yrs ago vs now (hint: it's free!)🎺  How to exit - practical financial tips and the metrics to focus on🎺  What Nick now looks for as an angel investor (via Horseplay Ventures)🎺  How building in public has helped his personal brand (and how to encourage team members to do the same!)🎺  The trendy new term in sales, "buyer enablement"

Learn more about Trumpet's digital sales rooms here: https://www.sendtrumpet.com/

Follow Steph:

🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Access special perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Kristin Cardwell is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sourcerie, the world’s first community-powered intelligence engine. She and her team managed to raise £1.8m in pre-seed funding during one of the toughest times ever, but it was not without its trials & tribulations! (Tune in for all the tea ☕😏)

As a fierce feminist too, Kristin is also a co-founder of Alma Angels (https://www.alma-angels.com/), and advisor to Women for Women International (https://womenforwomen.org.uk/)

In this episode, you'll hear all about:

🎢 The transition from corporate to startup

👯‍♂️ How Kristin met her Co-Founder, and how they cultivate a successful working relationship

😩 The trials & tribulations of pre-seed funding during a touch macroeconomic environment

🎓 The benefits of a top education (Kristin studied at NYU Stern and her Co-Founder, Alex Beyer, is ex-Cambridge and MIT - okuurrrr)

😍 What it was like to be taught by Scott Galloway!

Learn more about Sourcerie here: https://sourcerie.co/

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Follow Steph:

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🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

-

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

-

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

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🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Access special perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Andy Ayim MBE is the Founder of Angel Investing School which has trained 500+ angels who have invested $5M globally - including the Black Angel Group spun out of Google's Black Network which has invested over $3.5M in 30+ startups.

Andy has personally invested in 17 startups, including Farmlend, Patch and Unplugged, with 70% of his angel investment portfolio led by diverse founders.

In this episode, Steph and Andy discuss:

👼 The importance of relationship-building in a "humanistic" approach to investing

👼 The education gap that Andy and his team are plugging with Angel Investing School

👼 Red flags to watch out for while doing your due diligence (both as a fundraising founder and as an investor looking to make a deal)

👼 Impact and happiness beyond the buzzwords. (Hint: embrace your authentic self and do good in the world) 

👼 The concept of “second mountains” - and how the loss of Andy’s dad played a part in his self-development

👼 Optimising our limited time with pressure-free habits (leaning into what feels right and embracing the ebbs & flows with heart)

👼 On getting an MBE and the assumed credibility to build a trustworthy position - especially for someone educating financial literacy

Learn more about Angel Investing School here: https://angelinvestingschool.com/

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Follow Steph:

🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/

🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

-

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

-

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

-

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Access special perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Nina Mohanty is the Silicon Valley-born, London-bred founder of Bloom Money, the fintech startup that supports migrant communities with the mission of accelerating intergenerational wealth.

Bloom Money is also 2X regulated and backed by the likes of January Ventures, Octopus, and Pact VC.

Nina Mohanty bucks the trend as a young, female, brown entrepreneur who has backing by top venture capitalists and operates in both the finance & tech fields.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

🌍 Nina's upbringing in Silicon Valley and how that shaped her entrepreneurial drive

🌍 How to take care of yourself as a mission-driven founder building such an impactful startup

🌍 Identifying your guiding light in a squiggly career + how to find satisfaction

🌍 Bloom's investor strategy (think about who you're making rich)

🌍 PLUS! What it was like to meet Michelle Obama 😍

Discover more about Bloom Money here: https://bloommoney.co/

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Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

-

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

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Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Access special perks by supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Tom Adeyoola is the exited founder of Metail, the leading virtual try-on platform, now advisor, investor and Co-Founder of Extend Ventures and Capital Angel Network.

In this episode, Steph and Tom discuss:

🎙 Tom's journey leading up to Metail, and how he secured investment (including "£10k from a random guy at the top of the gherkin" LOL 🤣 )🎙 His exit story and big lessons learnt along the way - including a huge deal collapse right near the end 😫 🎙 Tom's grieving process and appreciation for health now 🙏 🎙 How he's promoting diversity in investment and what he looks for now as an investor 🤑 🎙 The importance of TIMING! ⏰ 

PLUS! What Tom has in common with TV celeb Richard Ayoade 😂 

Hope you enjoy listening to this episode and that you can take away a nugget of wisdom from Tom Adeyoola's story that helps you in your own entrepreneurial endeavour. If you liked this one, please rate & review the show! (Oh, and don't forget to subscribe to weekly episodes of course! 😉)

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Download the latest report from Extend Ventures on Diversity Beyond Gender (UK 2023), here: https://www.extend.vc/reports

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Thanks to our supporters at 50Pros.com, the no-noise platform where you can find highly-vetted partners in the creative industries. Learn more here: https://www.50pros.com/

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Follow Steph on social for more updates:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cCqckngoEeE

Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Get access to special perks and support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

In this episode, Steph and Alex take their business brunch chats over to the podcast and discuss...

🖤 The highs and lows of entrepreneurship (hint: frustrations vs freedom)

🖤 The danger of "procrasti-planning" (listen to find out more!)

🖤 The importance of authenticity with your brand (business or personal)

🖤 The benefits of working with a business coach

🖤 Money mindset and overcoming limiting beliefs

I hope you enjoy this special episode and find business value in the entertaining chat between two friends too!

Don't forget to subscribe to listen to weekly episodes 🎧

👉🏼 Ready to kick start your side hustle? Get your FREE 7-step action plan here: https://www.buildyourmaverickbusiness.com/kick-start-hustle

🎥 Watch the show on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

💖 Follow Steph on social:

LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/

Access perks and support the show on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Geoff Wright is the CTO of Tembo, the only place in the UK where you can go to get a complete picture of your property purchasing power.

His path leading up to this position was anything but ordinary. Entrepreneurial as a kid, Geoff forged his own, alternative path. Instead of doing the usual by completing his studies, going to uni, and getting a job, Geoff realised he could make money doing what he loved...

Of course, there were lots of lessons along the way - the kind you DON'T get taught at school!

Ultimately, what Geoff has developed a deep appreciation for - across his various ventures and positions in eventual employment - is THE PROBLEM.

The bigger the problem, the more your customers will want it. The more painful the problem, the more they'll pay for it. And the more they'll forgive you flaws. (Particularly helpful in the early days when the tech is somewhat lacklustre!)

Tune into Geoff's fascinating story to hear how he went from schoolboy dropout to seasoned entrepreneur and now C-suite at a fast-scaling proptech.

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Discover more about Tembo, the online digital mortgage broker focused on helping first-time buyers, movers & remortgagers overcome the affordability gap: https://www.tembomoney.com/

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Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the episode on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

Support the show on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Access special perks by supporting the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Tanya Saha Gupta is the Founder & CEO of Resale Future, a fashtech SaaS product that enables fashion brands to add a P2P resale platform to their e-commerce store.

(Shoppers can easily resell their garments; the retailers get a cut where it would otherwise be sold on Depop, Vestiaire Collective, Vinted or eBay, and; it encourages everyone to get involved in the circular economy - win win win!!)

In this episode, Steph and Tanya discuss:

👗 The transition from cushty corporate life to uncertain entrepreneurship. (Hint: Tanya was pretty savvy about the steps she took);

👗 The impact of fast fashion, how the circular economy can help, and what we can all do to minimise our carbon footprint;

👗 The lessons learnt from Resale Future's early days, including a tech team that disappointed, and Tanya figuring things out the hard way.

Hope you enjoy listening to this special fashtech episode! Did you learn something new? Do you feel inspired by Tanya's story? Then hit the subscribe button to support the show and stay in the loop for new episodes published weekly 😉

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Are you a fashion brand keen to generate revenue from the circular economy AND reduce your carbon footprint? Discover more about Resale Future here: https://www.resalefuture.com/

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Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the episode on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos

Support the show on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

Dom Fendius, now the Founder & CEO of Kiirsh, is a 5X serial entrepreneur - with the battle scars to show for it!

But the truth is, despite experiencing some real tragedies, Dom retains a surprising amount of kindness, patience, and optimism to keep going.

In this episode, Dom and Steph recap his venture timeline - from starting a magazine at uni to getting recognition for an exciting fashtech, from going into business with a risky partner, and everything in between.

We discuss the realities of entrepreneurship, what to look out for when starting a company, and how to stay positive when the going gets tough. (From one of the happiest entrepreneurs ever!)

About Kiirsh:

Kiirsh (https://kiirsh.co/) is a mobile-first tool that empowers content creators to monetise their own brands.

Interested in the concept? Kiirsh is currently fundraising, so get in touch if you're interested in owning some equity in this exciting startup. 

Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the video episodes on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7YZDoaGQU&list=PLlV8JoK2z-iiFOW5Gw-FISA6rvBdR853z

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!! 🙏🏼💖

Heinin Zhang, co-founder of private chef hire platform, yhangry, recounts the highs and lows of her entrepreneurial journey; from CO-LIVING with her co-founder during lockdown, to going on BBC's Dragons' Den; from all their bookings drying up, to getting accepted to the lauded Y Combinator startup accelerator in San Fran 🎢

In this episode, Steph and Heinin discuss:

🍣 Heinin's transition from a corporate career in finance

🍣 Co-founder relationships (nothing like living together to bring you closer!!)

🍣 Overcoming setbacks like lockdowns and bookings drying up

🍣 The strategies that have paid off for her business. (Hint: MIC influencer marketing still works 😉

I hope you enjoy this episode of Strategy & Tragedy and PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!! 🙏🏼💖

Learn more about yhangry here:

https://yhangry.com/

💸 Use the code HEININ or simply click below to get £60 off  your next order 💸

https://yhangry.com/booking/ref/heinin

Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the video episodes on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7YZDoaGQU&list=PLlV8JoK2z-iiFOW5Gw-FISA6rvBdR853z

Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/strategyandtragedy

Marla Shapiro is the founder of HERmesa, the 2X nominated Angel Group of the Year - an angel investing syndicate supporting female founders. She is also the winner of the UKBAA 2023 Diversity Champion award.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

💸 How to get started with angel investing
💸 The ROI of investing in women (why female founders are simply "a better bet")
💸 Marla's path into impact investing
💸 Top tips for fundraising founders

Join the HERmesa angel investor syndicate and start impacting gender equality here: https://hermesa.co.uk/new-investors


Want more?

Follow Steph:
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/
 
🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517


🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Who would guess being a professional swimmer and climate activist would make you a successful startup founder?

Thomas Panton, Co-Founder & CEO of Canopey, embodies ALL the characteristics of a true entrepreneur. Determined, passionate, strategic, charismatic, and insightful, Thomas was always bound to be a success.

In this episode, Steph and Thomas discuss the following themes:

• How athleticism applies to entrepreneurship
• The solutions for climate change
• Founder mental health and mindset
• Entrepreneurship is not for everyone (and that's ok!)

Learn more about Canopey here: https://canopey.com/

Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the episodes on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7YZDoaGQU&list=PLlV8JoK2z-iiFOW5Gw-FISA6rvBdR853z

Inspirational Womxn of the Year, Melissa Chambers shares her strategies and tragedies in business - from being pushed out of her own company during a time of personal polycrises, to running a successful cybersecurity business that built the world's fastest nanosecond encryption latency. Yup.

In this episode, Melissa and Steph discuss topics such as:

• Hiring and firing - what to do when one bad apple spoils the bunch
• The importance of contracts (hint: it's worth it to pay a lawyer) 
• Founder resilience and how to cope setback after setback

Learn more about Sitehop: https://www.sitehop.co.uk/

Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the episodes on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7YZDoaGQU&list=PLlV8JoK2z-iiFOW5Gw-FISA6rvBdR853z

From interviewing startup founders in the back of a van to being interviewed himself in one of his very own studios, this episode is NOT one to miss!

Graham Hussey recounts his entrepreneurial journey including a failed business which made £3 profit, the early days of Startup Van, and how he built Dream Factory to a flourishing 350-member business with various locations and multiple revenue streams.

In this episode, Graham and Steph discuss topics such as:

• Monetisation inc. pricing strategies and multiple revenue streams
• How to foster a positive team culture in a fast-growing company
• Taking external investment - when it makes sense to take other people's money
• The importance of market research (picking up the buzzer and calling people!)
• Scrappy inspiration (how to achieve your goals in creative ways)
• What GaryVee is *really* like off-camera!

Discover more about Dream Factory here:

https://www.dreamfactory.ventures/

Follow Steph:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/stephmelodia/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

Watch the episodes on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7YZDoaGQU&list=PLlV8JoK2z-iiFOW5Gw-FISA6rvBdR853z

Bobby Idogho is a Forbes 30U30 Founder of Radically Digital.

In this episode, Bobby shares how he developed his resilience muscle, how he navigates the “feast & famine” cycle of agency life, and how his background helped propel him further in life.Please enjoy this episode and subscribe to the show!

Varun Bhanot is the Co-Founder & CEO of MAGIC AI, a connected fitness product that combines physical hardware with fitness technology to provide tailored workouts - just like your very own, at-home personal trainer.

Following a career in corporate law, Varun took a severe pay cut to join the founding team at Hubble HQ to learn the ins & outs of startup life. This entrepreneurial ambition combined with his own health in decline birthed the business idea for MAGIC, the smart home fitness system.

After many highs and lows, MAGIC is now stocked in Selfridges with press coverage in the likes of the Evening Standard, SheerLuxe, The Times and TechNation. Varun and his team are going from strength to strength following a successful fundraise - including angel investment from the likes of former CPO of Spotify, CEO of JustPark, former GM of Stripe, CEO of OLIO, former President of Citymapper, CEO of Heights, Dan Murray-Serter, Co-Founder of Signal AI and the former CMO of Tough Mudder - during one of the hardest times to secure venture capital investment.

Tune in to hear how he did it and learn the valuable lessons along the way.

Enjoy the show and don't forget to subscribe!

Charlotte Morley is the Founder & CEO of thelittleloop, the UK's first shared wardrobe for kids. (https://thelittleloop.com/)

Founded in 2019, Charlotte has achieved some enormous successes (like making history on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, winning the Junior Design and Made for Mums awards consecutively, negotiating a groundbreaking retail partnership with John Lewis, securing external investment as a solo female founder, and reducing the environmental impact of children's clothes by 80%) as well as some serious lows (like co-founder break-ups, investor rejections, last-minute let-downs, disappointments... )

If anyone knows the true GRIT behind entrepreneurship, it's Charlotte. Mission-driven, strategic, empathetic, warm, smart, and extremely likeable - Charlotte has all the ingredients of a successful business leader.

Tune into the full episode to hear her story and how she made it through those tough times.

Hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to subscribe!

Tune in and subscribe to Strategy & Tragedy: CEO Stories with Steph Melodia, the new business podcast which spotlights the highs, the lows, the strategies and tragedies of what it *really* takes to build a successful business today.

***THANK YOU GIFT DETAILS BELOW***

About Strategy & Tragedy

This podcast is created based on three core beliefs:

1. The world of entrepreneurship has been overly glamorised

...and the truth is that building a business is often far from glamorous! Within this is the belief that often the best lessons can come from our biggest mistakes. So the interviews presented to you here on this show are raw, authentic, warts 'n' all accounts of the trials & tribulations of start up and scale up life.

2. There is no rule book when it comes to entrepreneurship.

Whether you took business studies at school or invested in an MBA, the truth is nothing compares to doing it for real. That's why these interviews are kept as down to earth as possible, sharing real world accounts (which I think also just so happen to make for the best stories!)

3. There has been a significant shift in the business landscape

...particularly for early stage tech, and now is the time to learn from others who have been there, done that so that you can shortcut your path to success. We've seen the rise and fall of some glorified unicorns, it's harder than ever before to raise venture capital investment, and huge world events have shaped our macroeconomic environment.

This all means that there's been a natural reckoning which is weeding out the tourist entrepreneurs and discouraging unorthodox business strategies. The silver lining to all of this is that the bar being raised means that we'll have better players in the space, many of whom I hope are listening to this exact podcast and coming on to that.

Upcoming guests include Simon Squibb, Nina Mohanty, Thomas Panton, Heinin Zhang, Charlotte Morley, Dom Fendius, Varun Bhanot... and many, many more incredible leaders.

***THANK YOU GIFT***

As your reward for being an early adopter and subscribing to my new business podcast, I am pleased to partner with Hussle, the singular fitness platform that enables access to gyms, pools, spas and health apps to help you work out in the most flexible way possible, and Huggg, who made the gifting possible.

FREE GYM + SWIM PASS: https://launch.huggg.me/super/25Z7mbFc90D7l2o

Select from your preferred location across 200 plus gyms nationwide. T&Cs apply.

Thank you all so much again for being here right from the very beginning.

Please subscribe and enjoy the show!

Access special perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

In this shorter episode, Steph Melodia shares her reflections on last week's interview with Kenny Ewan, the Founder & ex-CEO of WeFarm, now director at Nesta Studio.

Tune into hear what stuck with Steph from the interview and the key lessons to highlight for all you entrepreneurs!

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Want more?

Follow Steph:
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Support the show: https://ko-fi.com/strategyandtragedy

Kenny Ewan is the Director at Nesta’s Mission Studio, the venture studio creating impactful solutions for the UK’s most pressing problems, from obesity to climate change. He is a highly experienced entrepreneur who led Wefarm from idea stage to become the world’s largest farming network with over 3.5 million users, 120 employees, and $35m in venture capital.

In this episode, Steph and Kenny discuss:

🌱 The importance of focus for early customer adoption🌱 Baking in product network effects to + proactively driving growth🌱 How validation changed the game at the heady heights of a buzzy startup🌱 Venture capital funding - what sort of business should raise and when it goes wrong🌱 Due diligence in fundraising 🌱 And much more!

Learn more about Nesta here: https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/mission-studio/-

Want more?

Follow Steph:

🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Access special perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

In this shorter episode, Steph Melodia shares her reflections on last week's interview with Saasha-Celestial One, the Co-Founder & COO of the sharing app, Olio.

What started out as a food-sharing app has now artfully grown into the go-to solution for all unused household items. A lot easier said than done; they managed to expand their offering without losing sight of their core mission in sustainability & circularity.

Tune into hear what stuck with Steph from the interview and the key lessons to underscore for all you budding or early-stage entrepreneurs!

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Want more?

Follow Steph:

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Saasha Celestial-One, the Co-Founder of Olio, the carbon negative sharing app with over 7M members & counting which has succeeded in saving our planet from 181,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

♻️ How Saasha met her Co-founder - and how they now cultivate a successful relationship♻️ The benefits of serial entrepreneurship, including increased risk tolerance, trained instinct, and practical lessons learnt ♻️ Following customer demand in the evolution from a niche food-sharing app to now all things for local communities♻️ Team or market: can you win with a great team in a downturn?♻️ The personal tragedies that can affect you in your business journey (💔)

👉 Have items in your household you'd like to share with your local community? Download the Olio app: https://olioapp.com/en/

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Stephanie Melodia fundó Bloom, una consultora de marketing galardonada, en Londres en 2017.

El verano pasado, anunció el cierre de su exitoso negocio y, en este episodio, cuenta lo que pasó y reflexiona sobre lo que salió bien y lo que salió mal.

(Después de todo, Strategy & Tragedy se trata de compartir *tanto* los altibajos de los negocios, la realidad detrás de puertas cerradas, la fea verdad detrás del barniz brillante y, lo más importante, las lecciones aprendidas de la experiencia. Nada de esto es (Para disuadir a cualquiera de emprender, se trata de empoderar a los emprendedores en etapa inicial para que entren con los ojos y los oídos bien abiertos, aprendiendo de los errores de otras personas que están unos pasos por delante de usted. ¡Sintonice el Episodio CERO para escuchar más!).

Lo que aprenderás en este episodio:

🥀 ¿Qué llevó a Steph a cerrar finalmente el capítulo de Bloom?🥀 Las 10 mejores lecciones de negocios: 5 cosas que funcionaron + 5 cosas que no 🥀 Ser "alérgico" al estancamiento, al concepto de control y a la importancia del progreso🥀 La importancia de realizar un ejercicio “pre mortem” en tu propio negocio. 🥀 Adoptar una carrera profesional en cartera después de Bloom

Me encantaría saber, ¿qué es lo que más te resonó aquí? Unirse a la conversación: 

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🎧 ¡No olvides suscribirte, opinar y compartir con un amigo!

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In this solo debrief episode, Steph Melodia shares her main takeaways from last week's interview with Gina Farran, the Founder & CEO of the innovative nail brand, Glaize.

From a career in corporate to taking the plunge, tune into hear what stuck with Steph from the interview and the key lessons to underscore for all you budding or early-stage entrepreneurs!

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Gina Farran is the banker-turned-entrepreneur and star of BBC's Dragons' Den. She is the Founder & CEO of Glaize, a tech-enabled D2C brand producing made-to-measure gel manicures that are chip-free, long lasting and vegan. Easy to apply, even easier to remove.

In this episode, Steph and Gina discuss:

💅 Going viral on TikTok
💅 Finding validation early on
💅 Behind the scenes of Dragons' Den
💅 Sales lifecycles
💅 And so much more!

PLUS! Get 15% OFF your order! Use the code STRATEGY15 https://glaize.co/

Want more?

Follow Steph:

🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
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🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/

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Steph Melodia and Liz Painter debrief on last week's interview with Anthony Pierri of Fletch PMM, who has built up a highly profitable service-based business by honing in on one niche, to one customer segment, doing one thing, promoted on one channel!

Naturally, in this episode, Steph and Liz debrief on the power of niching down; what that does to your creativity in the process (how to avoid going stale); and what resonated most with us about marketing, personal brand, messaging, and strategy.

Tune in and get involved in the conversation! Send us a message via social:

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