Explore every episode of the podcast The Ownership Journey
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How He Helped Owners Do 50 M&A Deals With No Money Down | Paul Avins | 07 oct. 2026 | 01:14:53 | |
This M&A conversation reveals how Paul Avins helped owners do 50 deals with no money down plus scale to seven and eight figures and exit for sizeable amounts. You will learn why business exit strategy starts with clear strategic planning plus optimized money models plus strong senior leadership that buyers trust. If you want to understand how to sell a business for maximum value, this episode gives proof from £148 million in client exits in six years plus over 1000 entrepreneurs trained past seven figures. Paul shares his SCALE model covering strategic plan plus sales plus channels plus cash plus automation plus leadership plus exit. He explains why business valuation rises when recurring revenue grows plus talent depth improves plus partnerships create durable growth. You will also hear why mergers and acquisitions demand focus plus capital discipline plus an identity shift from operator to CEO. James Lamb digs into real stories including scaling to 415 people and selling in your 20s plus Ada robot earning £80 million in free PR plus a client doing £5 million with 4 people plus AI agents. Whether you are selling your business or buying a business or planning succession, you will get practical moves to avoid burnout plus deploy capital wisely plus exit on your terms. Key topics covered:
Chapters: (00:00) Introduction Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: Visit our website Guest: Paul Avins Follow for weekly conversations with people who have built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| What Happens To Your Business If You Die Tomorrow? | Carl Jaffer | 30 sept. 2026 | 00:36:55 | |
Business succession planning is central to What Happens To Your Business If You Die Tomorrow? In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits with Carl Jaffer, founder of Legacy Vault Pro, to explore what happens to business value, staff, family and clients when an owner dies or loses capacity without a clear plan. This episode is built for buyers, sellers, scalers and exit planners who want stronger control over value, risk and legacy. Carl shares why 1 in 4 small businesses would stop at once if the owner died or faced critical illness and why 52 percent of owners still have no exit planning in place. You will hear real cases from the transcript including brothers locked in court over missing shareholder agreements, a 3.8 million turnover firm with 14 staff that had no cover if the founder missed Monday, a 15 million glazing company led by a single director, plus the emotional cost when families cannot find accounts, pensions, crypto, contacts for solicitors, accountants and wealth managers. Carl also explains why wills and lasting powers of attorney miss digital assets, how 100 personal accounts plus 50 to 60 business accounts create chaos, and how a LinkedIn anniversary post for someone who had passed showed the need to manage digital footprints with care. You will also learn how buyers view missing paperwork during diligence and why clean records support higher value when you sell my business or position for buying a business growth. Finally Carl walks through Legacy Vault Pro, built for buying a business, selling a business and scaling toward a clean exit. The platform records bank accounts, savings, pensions, crypto, key documents, advisor contacts and clear operating instructions, flags gaps in business exit strategy and business continuity, supports intergenerational wealth moves with timestamped gifting, and lets you appoint a digital executor for business, personal and social accounts without storing passwords. Carl also shares focus on process, onboarding guides with video help, plus plans to work with advisors, membership groups and employers across the UK before expanding abroad. If you plan to sell my business in future, buy companies through mergers and acquisitions, or simply protect staff and family, this conversation gives you a practical path to stronger business succession planning, smarter estate planning and sellable value that survives the unexpected. Key topics covered:
Chapters
Show: The Ownership Journey Guest: Carl Jaffer Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Daniel Priestley’s CFO & Dealmaker on What Happens Behind the Scenes | David Horne | 23 sept. 2026 | 01:17:41 | |
This Daniel Priestley focused episode with dealmaker David Horne reveals what happens behind the scenes when owners fund acquire consolidate and exit real businesses in the £2M to £20M sweet spot. Host James Lamb explores buying a business business exit strategy and mergers and acquisitions through £60M raised and 7 acquisitions that scaled turnover from £1.1M to £27.7M. You will learn why fractional CFO discipline business valuation and fundraising rigor protect price legacy and family wealth for anyone planning to sell my business. David breaks down Fund Acquire Consolidate Exit plus his 13 transactions across buy sell and spin out as CFO across Daniel Priestley companies since 2017. He explains business acquisition at 6 to 8 times earnings monthly accounts 13 week cash flow removing founder dependency and business broker ready financials that lift business valuation. He also shares due diligence lessons exit readiness reality where less than 10 percent that go to market actually sell and how business growth discipline protects value. On fundraising David shares a clear 12 to 15 slide pitch deck with elevator pitch team problem solution traction competitors financials use of funds ask and exit plus how waitlists prove demand and data rooms speed venture capital decisions. He addresses the venture capital gap where all female teams receive less than 1 percent of funding and contrasts promotion versus prevention questions. He closes with practical business growth and fundraising steps to fund acquire consolidate and exit with confidence. Key topics covered:
Chapters (00:00) Introduction with David Horne Show: The Ownership Journey Guest: David Horne Follow for weekly conversations with people who have built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| How He Sold His Business for 8x Profit | Leigh Wells | 16 sept. 2026 | 00:52:51 | |
Leigh Wells sold his business for 8x profit after building Comma Group from a bootstrapped start in 2016 to 80 headcount and a trade sale to Amplify in March 2021. This episode of The Ownership Journey with host James Lamb breaks down how to sell your business with real numbers on business exit strategy, business valuation and deal structure. If you want to buy, sell, scale or exit, you will hear exactly what worked, what went backwards in year three and what made due diligence fast and clean. You will learn how three cofounders funded growth by reinvesting profit, used software vendor partnerships for leads and delivery, scaled to 50 to 60 perm plus 20 to 30 consultants, and ran a 5 to 7 year exit plan with reviews every six months. You will also hear why the US move failed, why redundancies followed, why a European private equity roll up offer was declined, and how a corporate finance introduction led to the Amplify trade sale. Leigh then explains payment in full. Day one check, two year earn out cut from four, equity rolled into top Co, 8x on his sale versus 16.5x on the private equity buy in, plus removal of the contingent element after year one numbers landed. He then shares The Founders Exit, his platform to make founders exit ready with valuation guidance, deal structure education, data room prep and a strategic journey plan from pre revenue to 30M. Key topics covered:
Chapters (00:00) Introduction Show: The Ownership Journey Guest: Leigh Wells | |||
| From £10k Order to Million-Pound Contracts: Scaling BMS Services | Viv Sullivan | 08 sept. 2026 | 00:44:09 | |
Scaling BMS Services from a £10k Order to Million-Pound Contracts is the blueprint Viv Sullivan reveals in this episode of The Ownership Journey. Founder of BMS Services, Viv built a specialist busbar installation and construction business from a single £10,000 hotel order to signing Million-Pound Contracts with hyperscale clients like Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft and Vantage Data Centres. If you are scaling a business in construction, this business growth strategy deep dive shows how repeatable systems, City & Guilds accredited training and engineering quality create real enterprise value for buying a business, selling a business or planning a business exit strategy. In this candid conversation with host James Lamb, Viv breaks down the critical gap in the UK construction business: up to 80% of busbar failures are caused by poor installation, not manufacturing. He shares hard lessons from being called to failures at the Houses of Parliament, The Gherkin and a Liverpool hospital built by Carillion, why 5000m+ of busbar installation in a modern data centre carrying 800 to 6300 amps at 10-100MW cannot afford error, and how his team at BMS Services engineered written procedures for every element of the job to guarantee repeatability. You will hear how the company grew from £150,000 in year one to £3.5-4M at peak with 40 staff, navigated cash flow and supplier leverage during COVID, turned Schneider and Siemens manufacturer partnerships into a competitive moat, and why copper at 800-900 degrees melting and 1000 degrees explosion risk means governance matters more than ever for construction company owners. Viv also explains why business growth only works when you systemize before you scale — from the City & Guilds assurance qualification achieved in June 2022 covering busbar installation method, busbar connection and electrical installation, to the mechanical and electrical skill blend that busbar trunking demands. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHW0 Guest: Viv Sullivan Host: James Lamb Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| How High Performers Get Trapped by Their Own Success | Tayabba Jordan | 02 sept. 2026 | 00:56:13 | |
High performers often look unstoppable from the outside yet many high performers feel trapped by their own success inside. In this powerful episode of The Ownership Journey, executive coaching expert Tayabba Jordan reveals why business success can quietly create misalignment between ambition, identity and wellbeing and how that misalignment fuels founder burnout, drains company culture and blocks sustainable high performance. Drawing on her Alignment Method and real world stories from boards and founding teams, Tayabba shows why achievement without alignment leads to a success trap that keeps even the most driven leaders stuck, exhausted and disconnected from joy. This conversation goes beyond surface level leadership coaching advice to explore the psychology behind leadership mindset and the hidden costs of constant doing. Tayabba shares her journey from acclaimed television set design on major UK shows to becoming a sought after leadership coaching and executive coaching authority after navigating personal upheaval and deep research into human performance and burnout recovery. You will hear how dopamine driven high performance culture, poor employee retention and toxic company culture patterns signal deeper misalignment and why buying a business or preparing a business exit strategy without addressing leadership mindset and cultural alignment dramatically raises the risk of value erosion and succession planning failure. For owners thinking about succession planning, business exit strategy or buying a business, this episode delivers proof driven tools you can use immediately. Learn the two minute reset to calm adrenaline and protect decision quality, the seven minute morning delay to set intention and rebalance happy hormones, and how to dilute dopamine dominance with endorphins serotonin and oxytocin rituals that improve sleep, focus and resilience. Tayabba also explains why employee retention, clarity of direction and honest dialogue are leading indicators of business success and how her Fast Reset and Lead Like a Human principles help founders and teams stay aligned, human and ready for what comes next. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Guest: Tayabba Jordan Follow for weekly conversations with people who have built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| 91 Properties, £3M Raised & The Price of Success | Louis Jackson | 26 août 2026 | 01:17:56 | |
How to buy a business with no money sounds impossible, but Louis Jackson did exactly that while living in a hostel. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Louis shares how he went from homelessness and addiction to buying a debt recovery business for £100,000 with no capital, no business experience, and no safety net. He reveals the exact conversation that convinced the owner to lend him the money, and how he repaid every single penny. Louis's story does not start in a boardroom. Raised around organised crime, he witnessed violence and drug use from the age of four. By his late teens he was battling cocaine and alcohol addiction, suffered an overdose that nearly killed him, and was sectioned for his own health. A reactive depression followed the loss of a pregnancy at 26 weeks, and in 2017 he was homeless with his ex-wife and two daughters, moving from hostel to hostel. It was in that rock bottom moment he decided there had to be another way. From there Louis built an ecosystem spanning property, data, and media. He scaled the debt collection business by hiring himself out of day to day operations, acquired 91 properties in three years using a rent to rent model, and launched the Next Level Podcast as a form of therapy that grew into a platform for real connection. Today he mentors founders, takes equity stakes in businesses like Collections Cloud, and shares hard won lessons on buying a business, hiring for consistency, the fallacy of work life balance, and the TRUST model investors actually care about. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHp0 Guest: Louis Jackson Host: James Lamb Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| How an Ex-Army Soldier Built a £27M Business Buying Companies | Robert Felters | 19 août 2026 | 00:59:03 | |
Buying a business is the fastest route to business ownership, and Robert Felters explains exactly how to buy a business the right way. As founding partner of Wolfgang Capital, he has spent six and a half years acquiring eight profitable B2B companies, scaling his first deal from a £750,000 turnover medical lighting business into a portfolio he plans to hold forever. This episode is a masterclass in business acquisition for anyone who wants to buy, sell, or exit a business. Robert breaks down business exit strategy, exit planning, and business valuation with the numbers to back each one. You will hear how the group grew from zero to £27 million across three businesses, then collapsed when interest rates spiked from 1.6 percent to 6 percent, and how a third generation business died in just four weeks because the owner ran out of time to find a buyer. James Lamb presses Robert on the real mechanics: what makes a good acquisition target, how he structures deals with debt and his own cash, the first 100 days after you buy, and the US acquisition that went badly wrong. Whether you want to sell your business, scale one, or start buying businesses yourself, this conversation on mergers and acquisitions, business growth, and entrepreneurship is a proven, numbers first playbook for anyone who wants to own, grow, or exit a business. In this episode:
Show: The Ownership JourneyOur Website: eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHW0 Guest: Robert Felters Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| 52% of business owners have no exit plan | Adam Strong | 12 août 2026 | 01:17:31 | |
Over 52% of business owners have no exit plan in place, and with the biggest wealth transfer in history already underway, the window is closing fast. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Adam Strong breaks down exactly how to build a business that runs without you — the kind of company acquirers actually want to buy. If you are searching for a proven business exit strategy, this conversation delivers the blueprint to exit on your terms. Adam Strong is a strategic advisor and high performance business coach who has helped hundreds of founders scale, prepare, and exit their businesses for maximum value. He shares why founder dependency is the single biggest business valuation killer, how to use an exit plan to identify gaps in your company, and the mindset shifts required to overcome the revenue ceilings that trap most entrepreneurs. Whether you are exploring selling a business now or building toward a future exit, the frameworks in this episode will change how you think about business growth and sell your company timing. This conversation goes far beyond traditional exit planning and business strategies. Adam opens up about his personal journey from elite distance runner to McDonald's store manager to trusted advisor, revealing how high performance business habits replaced his unsustainable hustle mindset. You will learn why entrepreneurship demands rest and recovery as much as it demands output, how to pre qualify clients using diagnostic tools, and why Adam calls his approach "business to human" instead of B2B or B2C. For any founder ready to scale your business, exit strategy business frameworks, and build toward exiting your business, this episode is your starting point. Adam also unpacks the key differences between business exit approaches across the UK and international markets, and why building a business acquisition strategy early changes everything. Key topics covered:
Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Why 100+ UK Businesses Are Adding Bitcoin to Their Balance Sheets | Jordan Walker | 05 août 2026 | 00:54:46 | |
Bitcoin for business is no longer a fringe idea. It is a rapidly growing movement among UK entrepreneurs. Bitcoin entrepreneur Jordan Walker, founder of the Bitcoin Collective and the Bitcoin Business Network, joins James Lamb on The Ownership Journey to break down what Bitcoin actually is, why over 100 UK companies are now holding BTC on their balance sheets, and how business owners can start accepting bitcoin as payment. From explaining the bitcoin protocol and self custody to demystifying volatility and intrinsic value concerns, this episode is a practical guide to understanding digital assets for any entrepreneur. Jordan shares his journey from launching a podcast during Covid to hosting the UK's first major bitcoin conference in Edinburgh with over 550 attendees, featuring speakers from Coutts Bank, Fidelity, and members of Parliament. He reveals how the bitcoin business network grew from a single event into a nationwide community of business owners interested in cryptocurrency, investing, and using bitcoin as collateral for quick capital. The conversation also tackles the decline of fiat currency, with the British pound losing 95 percent of its purchasing power since 1970, and why scarcity makes bitcoin a compelling store of value. For business owners and entrepreneurs still on the fence, Jordan addresses the top objections head on: volatility, environmental concerns around bitcoin mining, and the question of intrinsic value. He outlines practical steps for dollar cost averaging into bitcoin, the difference between hot wallets and cold wallets, and why the blockchain matters. With institutional giants like BlackRock now recommending 1 to 3 percent portfolio allocation to bitcoin, the question for businesses is no longer why bitcoin but how fast you can learn. In this episode:
Show: The Ownership Journey Guest: Jordan Walker Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| From £5,000 Debt to Owning 12 Companies | Andy Hopper | 29 juil. 2026 | 01:26:25 | |
Andy Hopper reveals his business acquisition strategy that took him from £5,000 in credit card debt to owning 12 companies across the globe. In this raw conversation on The Ownership Journey, the founder of Expand unpacks the exact frameworks, deal structures, and business systems he used to build his empire through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), starting businesses where it made sense and acquiring businesses when opportunity struck. James Lamb digs into the moments that matter most for any entrepreneur: how to buy a business without millions in cash, why scaling a business through acquisition beats organic growth, and the STEMS framework that lets you step away from daily operations without the whole thing collapsing. Andy also breaks down the pre pack administration deal that turned a six figure company into a five figure acquisition, paid entirely on day one. If selling a business is on your radar, his approach to business valuation and deal structure is required viewing. This entrepreneur podcast episode covers the OATS integration process, the 6-10-10 metric system for tracking business growth, minority equity stakes in warehouses, and the infamous "wanker test" for choosing business partnerships. Whether you are buying a business, building a small business acquisition portfolio, or designing your business exit strategy, Andy delivers the kind of candid, numbers driven advice that leads to genuine financial freedom. From entrepreneurship through side hustles to running a global group of 12 companies, this is the playbook you did not know you needed. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHW0 Guest: Andy Hopper Follow for weekly conversations with people who have built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| From Redundancy to £22M in Deals: The Acquisition Entrepreneur Playbook | Lee Smith | 22 juil. 2026 | 00:48:05 | |
Lee Smith is the ultimate acquisition entrepreneur, a deal maker who went from redundancy at Ratner to closing over £22 million in business acquisitions. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, he reveals the exact mergers and acquisitions playbook that took him from a struggling IT company to owning a £12 million roofing business and a £10 million HVAC company in the same year, one of them through a leveraged buyout with zero of his own capital. This conversation covers the full acquisition journey: sourcing deals, negotiating deal structure, navigating due diligence disasters, and scaling through a buy and build strategy. Lee breaks down how he used an LBO to acquire a multi million pound business, why integrity is the most undervalued currency in dealmaking, and the critical post acquisition moves that determine whether a deal becomes a legacy or a liability. If you've ever wondered how to buy a business with no money, this episode gives you the exact blueprint. Beyond business growth, this episode dives deep into wealth building and asset protection. Lee shares his personal investment thesis on physical gold, silver, and Bitcoin: why he believes the financial system is broken, how to hedge against inflation, and why owning hard assets is no longer optional. Whether you're an aspiring acquisition entrepreneur looking to buy your first business, a seasoned operator learning how to scale a business toward a business exit strategy, or an investor evaluating gold vs bitcoin, this episode delivers the tactics, entrepreneur mindset frameworks, and investing insights you need. Key topics covered:
Chapters: Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHW0
Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| The LinkedIn Lie: Why Most LinkedIn Marketing Doesn't Generate Leads | Niall Ratcliffe | 15 juil. 2026 | 01:07:18 | |
Is LinkedIn marketing really about going viral? Or have most businesses been sold the wrong strategy? In this episode, James Lamb sits down with Niall Ratcliffe, founder of one of the UK's fastest-growing LinkedIn marketing agencies, to uncover The LinkedIn Lie. Most businesses treat LinkedIn like any other social media platform chasing likes, impressions, and viral posts. Niall explains why that's costing companies leads and why the real opportunity lies in B2B lead generation, customer acquisition, and strategic relationship building. From LinkedIn content strategy and personal branding to Sales Navigator, outreach, and AI-powered marketing, this conversation is packed with practical advice for founders, business owners, marketers, and sales leaders looking to generate more business through LinkedIn. Whether you're building a personal brand, growing a B2B business, or looking for a better LinkedIn strategy, this episode will change how you think about the platform. Chapters (00:00) – Introduction — UK's #1 LinkedIn Agency Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHW0 Guest: Niall Ratcliffe If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a rating, and share it with someone who wants to generate more leads and grow their business using LinkedIn. | |||
| Your Employees Can Just Walk Out Tomorrow — Here's Why | Laura Tutt | 08 juil. 2026 | 00:55:50 | |
What if your best employees walked out tomorrow — and there was nothing you could do to stop them? In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits down with Laura Tutt, founder of The Partnership, to break down why people and culture aren't just an HR checkbox — they're the single biggest lever in business ownership, employee retention, and long-term growth. Laura spent 20 years building an HR consultancy that goes far beyond compliance. From mergers and acquisitions due diligence to succession planning and the new Employee Rights Act, she shares hard-won lessons on what founders get wrong about leadership, why servant leadership matters more than ever, and how to build high-performing teams that actually stay. Her journey started at a dining table — today she and her team are the confidants that business owners call when the stakes are highest. With flexible working, the Fair Work Agency, and shifting employee expectations reshaping the landscape, her insights on people management have never been more relevant. This conversation covers the practical side of team management that every founder, small business owner, and entrepreneur needs to hear: how to handle employee engagement post-COVID, what employment law changes mean for your business, why most "mergers" don't actually exist, and the one employee retention strategy that costs nothing but changes everything. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHW0
Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Selling Your Business for Millions: 3 ATMs to £100M Empire | Mark Mills | 01 juil. 2026 | 01:28:44 | |
Selling Your Business for Millions begins with a single observation in a New York corner store — and ends with a £250 million exit. Mark Mills turned 3 ATMs into Carpoint, a £100M Empire dispensing nearly half a billion pounds monthly across 6,500 machines in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Mark shares the complete entrepreneur success story — the business growth tactics, the business acquisition strategy, and the serial entrepreneur mindset that took him from spotting an idea to building a business from scratch that achieved £98.2 million in revenue and £19.8 million in profit. For any UK entrepreneur seeking business motivation, this episode delivers the full arc of an entrepreneur journey: the controversial HBOS acquisition of 860 machines that put him before the Treasury Select Committee, the Daily Mail attack campaign that backfired into record transaction volumes, and the Securicor deal that handed him 1,232 locations overnight. Mark openly discusses managing £75 million in debt, listing on the AIM stock market, and the business exit planning discipline required when you're fielding a £250 million offer while your wife asks you to bring in the washing. This is exactly how to sell your business — and how to exit a business — from someone who lived it. Packed with actionable lessons on scaling, selling, and what comes after, this conversation is a complete business growth crash course from a serial entrepreneur who turned 3 ATMs into a £100M Empire — then walked away to teach others how to build a business and execute their own founder story. Key topics covered:
Timestamps:
Show: The Ownership Journey Our Website: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0xgcHW0
Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| How to Grow an Accounting Firm 5x in 5 Years (Acquisitions & AI) | Edmund Cartwright | 24 juin 2026 | 01:01:17 | |
How to grow an accounting firm is one of the most pressing questions for practice owners in today's rapidly consolidating market. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits down with Edmund Cartwright, Partner at Acumen — a firm that has scaled from 15 staff to nearly 90 and revenue from £1.2 million to over £9 million in just five years. Edmund unpacks the dual-engine strategy behind this explosive accounting firm growth: a sophisticated mix of organic marketing (revamping a near-dead LinkedIn presence, working with an ex-Google marketing expert, and refining lead quality) and three strategic accounting firm acquisitions sourced through brokers and personal connections. He reveals how deal structures typically involve roughly half upfront with the rest spread over years — incentivising sellers to ensure smooth client handovers — and breaks down why private equity's entry into the accounting sector has pushed valuations from 0.8–1× revenue to 8–10× EBITDA, fundamentally reshaping the buying an accounting firm landscape for independent operators. The conversation also dives deep into the firm's proprietary AI-powered practice management software, built in-house to automate admin-heavy workflows. Edmund explains why Acumen chooses to hire solely in the UK rather than outsource offshore, how they integrate acquired teams without losing key talent, and the critical importance of regular price increases and formal employment contracts when preparing your accounting firm valuation for sale. Whether you're an accountant eyeing your first acquisition, a small business owner curious about exit planning, or a firm leader navigating post-merger integration, this episode delivers actionable, data-backed strategies from someone who's lived every stage of the journey. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| How This Entrepreneur Lost His House & Built It Back Bigger | Andrew Scott | 17 juin 2026 | 01:10:41 | |
What does it take for an entrepreneur who lost his house and everything he owned to rebuild a multi-million pound property empire? In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits down with Andrew Scott — founder of Ascot Group, serial entrepreneur, and business turnaround specialist — who reveals how he overcame £100,000 in debt after 9/11 destroyed his business overnight and built it back bigger than anyone thought possible. Andrew shares the raw, unfiltered story of overcoming business failure at its most brutal level — losing his home, facing personal guarantees, and battling imposter syndrome while rebuilding from rock bottom. He breaks down the PERPLEX framework (Purpose, Plan, Execute) that became his comeback blueprint, the Sam Score system (Skills, Attitude, Momentum) he uses to assemble high-performance teams, and the VCOA marketing model (Visibility, Credibility, Offer, Action) that drives consistent business growth. This conversation also explores Andrew's property investment strategy and build-to-rent model for wealth creation, the lessons learned from selling Business Leader to Richard Harpin, the critical mistakes entrepreneurs make with personal guarantees and banking covenants, and why he believes the UK's attitude toward entrepreneurship needs a reset. Whether you're scaling a business, navigating a business acquisition, or searching for an entrepreneur mindset shift, this episode delivers hard-won lessons from someone who has been to the bottom and built it back bigger. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Business Acquisition Strategy: How I'm Building Zero to £150M in the Built Environment | Sam Turner | 10 juin 2026 | 01:16:19 | |
Sam Turner's business acquisition strategy is reshaping how specialist technical services companies in the built environment get scaled. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Sam shares his complete roadmap for buying a business, integrating it, and repeating the process until his group hits £150M. After 22 years in global corporate roles — including scaling a travel tech business from €750M to €6B — Sam left it all behind to start his entrepreneurship journey as a group CEO building from scratch, without taking a salary for three years. The reality of business acquisitions in the built environment is far messier than any M&A course teaches. Sam's first acquisition nearly killed the group: a post-Ukraine inflation crisis, fixed contracts with soaring costs, and poor diligence on culture exposed how dangerous it is to rush a small business acquisition. In this conversation, he breaks down his deal structure (3x EBITDA, 60–70% on completion, deferred consideration over 3–4 years), his debt and equity funding model, and why mergers and acquisitions in technical services require a fundamentally different approach to how to buy a business in other sectors. He also addresses the roll up strategy and plug-and-play integration playbook he's developing to create a credible, founder-friendly platform for scaling a business through acquisitions rather than organic growth alone. Beyond the mechanics of M&A, Sam goes deep on the human side: people and culture as the core driver of business growth, building a board with non-executive advisors who challenge conventional thinking, centralising finance, HR, and legal without eroding technical depth, and the buy and build strategy that positions his group for a private equity exit at a significantly higher valuation multiple. His personal development habits — gym four times a week, no alcohol, continuous learning during every commute — reflect the same performance-first mindset he applies to every HVAC business or electrical firm he acquires. For any entrepreneur serious about scaling a business and building a group from the ground up, this is the most honest, data-backed conversation on James Lamb's show to date. Chapters:
Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Buying a Business: The 5-Step M&A & Acquisition Strategy That Built a £3.5M Empire | Guy Barlett | 03 juin 2026 | 01:24:16 | |
Buying a business is one of the most powerful — and most misunderstood — paths to entrepreneurial wealth. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, serial acquirer and M&A coach Guy Barlett reveals exactly how he went from an accidental Army career and a gap-year sales job to building and acquiring multiple companies — including a £3.5M national services firm and a £3.5M construction business. Guy is the creator of "The Blueprint," a 12-month coaching programme built around his proven 5-step acquisition strategy, and in this conversation he holds nothing back. This is the complete, unfiltered story behind his battle-tested approach to buying a business the right way. From a catastrophic 2008 acquisition that collapsed due to weak due diligence, to mastering vendor finance and invoice financing as lean, bank-free alternatives, Guy's journey is a raw, real-world masterclass in small business acquisition. He explains why recurring revenue business models must be the central filter in every deal, why passive income is a complete myth, and why 90% of business owners he's met don't understand their own balance sheet — which is exactly what makes them vulnerable when it's time to sell. Guy also makes it clear: buying a business is never purely transactional. It's life-changing for both the buyer and the seller, and it deserves to be treated that way. This episode is a deep-dive into entrepreneurship through acquisition — a faster, lower-risk path to business ownership than starting from scratch. Guy walks through the emotional psychology of M&A deals, explains how AI is being used as a force multiplier in modern mergers and acquisitions, and reveals why deal flow and seller rapport matter far more than the headline numbers. Key topics covered:
Chapters: Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Why I Bought an Architecture Firm Instead of Starting One | Nick Johnson | 27 mai 2026 | 00:50:31 | |
What does it really take to own an architecture firm — and is buying one smarter than building from nothing? In this episode of The Ownership Journey, James Lamb sits down with Nick Johnson, architect and owner of Johnson Pinney Architects, to unpack the reality of running an architecture business, from surviving the 2008 financial crisis to buying into an established practice and transforming it from within. Nick's story is anything but conventional. After studying biology, geography, and maths, a single school lecture about architecture — described as the perfect blend of artistic pursuit and scientific rigour — changed the trajectory of his life. He qualified as an architect, but the 2008 crash nearly ended his career before it began. Competing against 500 applicants for a single role, Nick landed the job — only to face the spectre of redundancy week after week as the studio's Middle Eastern clients defaulted on payments. Five years later, he was offered a directorship, becoming the youngest director by 15 years. But instead of settling in, Nick resigned, rode a motorbike through Argentina and America for 18 months, and wrote a business plan for his own studio. What happened next is a masterclass in entrepreneurship and business succession. Rather than launching solo, Nick found a mentor in Mark Penny — a seasoned architect open to fresh ideas — and gradually took over his practice. Their partnership became a model for how architectural businesses can evolve through mentorship rather than collapse when founders step away. The firm, rebranded as Johnson Pinney Architects, now works with globally leading luxury brands on London's Bond Street and beyond. This episode goes deep on the harsh realities of the architecture business model — which Nick's own father, a management consultant, called absolutely horrendous. The conversation covers why architectural practices often have no real saleable value, the fragmentation of the architect's role in today's built environment, the broken planning system in the UK, the confusing Building Safety Act 2022, and the genuine threat and opportunity that AI presents to the profession. Nick also shares the personal side: how he manages the relentless stress of running an architecture firm, his philosophy on work-life balance, and why he believes the best business decisions come from clarity, transparency, and honesty — the same principles behind his planned studio name, Claro. Whether you are an architecture student wondering about career paths, an architect dreaming of running your own architecture firm, or an entrepreneur navigating business ownership and succession, this conversation is packed with hard-won insights about the business of architecture, interior design, architecture AI, and the built environment that you will not hear in architecture school. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Buying A Business: What Every Seller Gets Wrong | Saul Cohen | 20 mai 2026 | 01:01:33 | |
Buying a business is one of the most complex decisions an entrepreneur can make — and most sellers get the process completely wrong. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Saul Cohen, a chartered accountant and M&A specialist who has worked on over 150 deals, unpacks what really happens when you buy or sell a business. From unrealistic valuations to deferred consideration traps, Saul reveals the hard truths that brokers won't tell you. If you're thinking about selling a business, buying a business, or simply want to understand how business valuation and M&A deals actually work, this episode is essential listening. Saul breaks down valuation multiples by business size, explains why 80% of businesses never result in a sale, and shares the exit readiness checklist every owner needs before going to market. Whether you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned entrepreneur, the insights here will save you from costly mistakes. The conversation also dives deep into the baby boomer retirement wave — a massive economic shift that's creating more sellers than buyers in the SME market. Saul explains why succession planning is failing, how deal structures like deferred consideration work in practice, and why trust is the single most important factor in whether a deal closes or collapses. His front-line perspective from 150+ transactions cuts through the noise and gives you the real playbook. Beyond the numbers, the episode explores Saul's own journey from PwC and BT to founding his M&A firm, his upcoming book "Finding Gold," and his plans to launch a private equity fund focused on a buy-and-run model. The discussion also covers the impact of AI on accounting, the difference between business due diligence tiers, and why business owners consistently undervalue their own role. This is a masterclass in business acquisition strategy from someone who lives it every day. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Business Exit Strategy: Selling a Business & Entrepreneur Journey | Sarah Jane | 13 mai 2026 | 00:48:53 | |
Knowing your business exit strategy before you need one can be the difference between a life-changing sale and a costly mistake. Selling a business requires legal foundations most founders overlook — and that's exactly what corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur Sarah Jane breaks down in this episode of The Ownership Journey. From building Firing for Legal with 30 team members across four continents to advising on M&A deals worth up to £35 million, Sarah shares the entrepreneur journey lessons she learned the hard way — including why her first business collapsed after COVID, why 75–80% of her clients are female founders, and the critical legal documents every business partner needs from day one. Whether you're building, scaling, or preparing to sell, this conversation covers what most lawyers won't tell you about business exit strategy, mergers and acquisitions, founder dependency, deferred consideration traps, and how AI is transforming the legal profession. If you're an entrepreneur at any stage, this episode will change how you think about protecting what you've built. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Entrepreneur Resilience Under Pressure: Corporate Career to Recruitment Empire | Angela Middleton | 06 mai 2026 | 00:59:38 | |
Entrepreneur resilience under pressure is the defining theme of this powerful conversation with Angela Middleton, who left a secure corporate career at BP Oil and Barclays to build a recruitment empire from scratch. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Angela shares the unfiltered reality of what it takes to pivot from employee to entrepreneur — and how resilience under pressure became the skill that saved her business more than once. Starting with nothing but corporate experience and determination, Angela launched her recruitment company in 2001 with no prior industry knowledge. She walks us through the gritty early days: building a temp desk, battling squeezed margins, managing cash flow crises, and making the painful but strategic decision to fire unprofitable clients. Her story of corporate to entrepreneur transition is a masterclass in business resilience and knowing when to pivot rather than persist. Angela also dives deep into the world of apprenticeships, having built Middleton Murray into the largest provider of apprenticeships and traineeships for young people in the UK. She explains why apprenticeships often outperform graduate hires, how degree apprenticeships are changing the game, and why parents and young people should think carefully before defaulting to university. This is essential listening for anyone interested in starting a business after 40, navigating a career change, or understanding the future of work in an AI-driven world. Beyond business strategy, Angela is refreshingly honest about personal branding, the new paradigm of entrepreneurship, and why lower barriers to entry are both an opportunity and a threat. She also shares her approach to physical and mental well-being — revealing that at 63, her metabolic age is just 32. From invoice finance to AI replacing finance roles, from lobbying for looked-after children to building a personal brand that attracts clients, this episode is packed with actionable business tips for aspiring and established entrepreneurs alike. Whether you are contemplating a corporate to entrepreneur leap, trying to build resilience in your own business, or simply want to hear from someone who has truly walked the ownership journey, Angela's story will inspire and equip you in equal measure. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| From Council Estate to £100M Exit || Andrew Hulbert | 29 avr. 2026 | 01:23:47 | |
Business growth doesn't require a silver spoon — it requires relentless execution, creative sales tactics, and the courage to start from nothing. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, James sits down with Andrew, the founder of Pareto, who built a facilities management business from his bedroom to a £50 million turnover before exiting at just 37 years old. Andrew's story is one of the most compelling entrepreneurship journeys you'll hear. Raised on a council estate with working-class roots, he climbed the corporate ladder to become a director at 24 — only to realise the corporate world wasn't for him. In August 2014, he left it all behind and started Pareto from his bedroom with nothing but his network, his reputation, and an unshakeable belief that he could be the best, not the cheapest. The first month brought in £10,000. The second? £70,000. From there, it was a rocket ship. But what makes this conversation truly unmissable is the sheer range of business growth strategies Andrew reveals. You'll hear about his legendary "doughnut strategy" — using branded, vegan and gluten-free doughnuts to create unforgettable first impressions with clients — and how it became a competitive advantage no competitor could copy. You'll learn how he won 8 out of 10 bids by being ruthlessly selective, personally showing up to site walk-arounds when competitors sent junior staff, and promising hands-on operational involvement from day one. Andrew also pulls back the curtain on the financial mechanics of building a business from scratch. He explains how facilities management is one of the most cash-generative, AI-proof, and fragmented industries in the UK — and why billionaires are pouring money into hard services while everyone else chases software. He breaks down his approach to cash flow management, including negotiating quarterly advance payments from clients while paying suppliers on 30-day terms, and how that cash engine fuelled organic and acquisitive growth. The conversation goes deep on M&A and business acquisition strategy — from Pareto's first acquisition of a £2 million soft services subcontractor, to the private equity deal that took the business from £18 million to £50 million in just three years, growing staff from 200 to 500. Andrew shares what he learned about due diligence, integration, and the emotional weight of selling a business you built from nothing. Finally, Andrew opens up about work-life balance, legacy, and what happens after the exit. From giving away 20% sweet equity to his team, to personally handing shares to people who helped him along the way, this is a story about building a business with soul — not just a balance sheet. Whether you're starting a business from your bedroom, scaling through acquisition, or planning your own exit, this episode is packed with actionable insights you won't hear anywhere else. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Buying a Business: Serial Entrepreneur Reveals Turnaround Strategy | Sacha Jak | 22 avr. 2026 | 01:17:32 | |
Buying a business is one of the most powerful wealth-building strategies available — and in this episode of The Ownership Journey, serial entrepreneur Sacha reveals exactly how he does it. From his very first hustle selling photocopied football autographs at school, to acquiring distressed companies and turning them around in as little as a week, Sacha's story is a masterclass in buying a business and scaling it fast. If you've ever wondered how to buy a business without putting your personal assets on the line, or what it really takes to build a portfolio of acquired companies, this conversation is packed with actionable insights. Sacha's approach to buying a business is refreshingly pragmatic. He doesn't chase trendy sectors — he looks for two things: staff and revenues. Whether it's an electrical security company in Brighton, a computer business up north doing £20 million in revenue, or a string of facilities management and commercial cleaning operations, the principles remain the same. Audit the suppliers, renegotiate the contracts, eliminate complacency, and watch the margins improve almost overnight. His first acquisition stake — a distressed electrical security firm — was turned around in a single week through nothing more than a ruthless supplier audit that saved between £50,000 and £200,000 immediately. But what makes this episode truly unmissable is Sacha's revelation about how he funds his acquisitions. Frustrated by lenders demanding personal guarantees for every penny of commercial funding, Sacha took an extraordinary step: he listed a bond on the Vienna Stock Exchange. This move gave him access to capital without personal guarantees and completely changed the scale of businesses he could pursue. He walks through the entire process — the ISIN, the LEI, the listing market requirements — and explains how tools like ChatGPT helped him draft the documentation that would normally cost thousands in legal fees. The conversation also dives deep into the realities of business ownership that most people never hear. Sacha pushes back hard against the "fat cat" stereotype, sharing that he has never made a single employee redundant across any acquisition. He talks about the weight of responsibility — 200 staff members, each with their own reasons for showing up to work — and why that motivates him more than any profit figure ever could. His philosophy on recurring revenue, the E-myth distinction between technician and entrepreneur, and Jay Abraham's three ways to grow a business all come together into a coherent framework for anyone serious about buying a business and building lasting wealth. Whether you're a first-time buyer exploring acquisition entrepreneurship, a seasoned operator looking for your next deal, or simply fascinated by the mindset of someone who buys boring businesses and makes them extraordinary, this episode delivers. Sacha's story proves that you don't need a tech startup or venture capital — you need discipline, a framework for finding deals, and the courage to take the first step. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations. | |||
| Small Business Tax Efficiency: R&D Credits, Structures & Succession | Ben Crampin | 15 avr. 2026 | 00:50:05 | |
Tax efficiency is the single most important lever small business owners can pull to protect profits in 2026 — and most are leaving thousands on the table. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Ben Crampin, Managing Partner of Folio Partners, breaks down exactly how SMEs can use R&D tax credits, choose the right business structure, and plan for succession in an increasingly hostile tax environment. From sole traders to limited companies, LLPs to employee ownership trusts, this conversation covers the structures that matter and the tax efficiency strategies that actually work. With corporation tax rising, dividend tax increasing, and employer NICs hitting harder than ever, the margin for error is shrinking. Ben explains how small business tax planning has shifted from optional to essential — and why relying on yesterday's advice could be costing you dearly. Whether you're a sole trader weighing up incorporation, a limited company director timing your dividend extraction, or a partnership considering your liability exposure, this episode maps out your options with clarity. The conversation also digs into Novel, the R&D tax platform Ben and his team built to help SMEs claim R&D tax credits more efficiently. Ben shares the story of building and selling Pay Circle, a payroll software product, and what that taught him about product development inside a professional services firm. The discussion spans AI in accounting, the outsourcing debate, group structures and holding companies, and the baby boomer succession wave that's about to reshape UK business ownership. If you run a business — or are thinking about starting one — this episode is your roadmap for making smart structural and tax decisions before the next budget changes the rules again. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Serial Entrepreneur Bought & Sold Multiple Businesses | Richard Woods | 08 avr. 2026 | 01:16:31 | |
Serial entrepreneur Richard Woods has bought and sold multiple businesses — and his journey from schoolyard hustler to acquisition entrepreneur is packed with lessons for anyone looking to buy a business, scale with virtual assistants, or master lead generation. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Richard shares how a financial crash forced his first pivot, how appearing on The Apprentice supercharged his marketing agency, and why the "Power of One" strategy is the single most important framework for any entrepreneur starting out. If you've ever wondered whether buying a business beats starting one from scratch, Richard walks through every deal — from the management buyout of his marketing agency to acquiring a boiler servicing company and selling a WordPress support business. He breaks down the creative deal structures (deferred payments, debentures, seller financing) that make business acquisition possible even when you don't have all the capital upfront. These are the business tips and entrepreneurship insights that most people only learn after making expensive mistakes — and Richard lays them out with complete transparency. Richard also dives deep into building Sprint Group — his current venture that combines business coaching, community, and virtual assistant services under one roof. He explains why most entrepreneurs fail at delegation, how Sprint Group's VA infrastructure (team leaders, floating VAs, an academy) differs from platforms like Upwork, and how AI is reshaping the virtual assistant industry without replacing the human touch. Whether you need help with lead generation, LinkedIn marketing, or just getting more hours back in your day, this episode delivers practical strategies you can implement immediately. Richard's book Digital Trailblazer is the backbone of much of this thinking — and you'll see why. From the 13-week content cycle to Daniel Priestley's Key Person of Influence methodology, from climbing Everest to running the Marathon des Sables — Richard's story proves that serial entrepreneurs don't just build businesses, they build lives of adventure and intention. Tune in for actionable business tips on buying a business, virtual assistant services, entrepreneurship coaching, business growth, and the mindset that separates deal-makers from dreamers. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Buying a Business Changed Everything: From Family Collapse to M&A Deals | Steven Pettigrew | 01 avr. 2026 | 00:53:46 | |
Buying a business is one of the most powerful ways to accelerate wealth — but it can also destroy you if you get it wrong. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Steven reveals how his family business collapsed after reaching £35 million in revenue, and how that devastating loss became the foundation for his career in business acquisition and M&A. Steven grew up sweeping warehouse floors at 13 and eventually helped run a family business with 400 staff, £35M revenue, and £4M profit. But when it all came crashing down, he learned the hardest lesson in business growth strategy: never put all your eggs in one basket. That moment shifted his entire mindset from organic growth to buying a business, diversifying through minority equity stake positions, and building a portfolio instead of a single company. If you want to understand how to buy a business the right way, this episode is your blueprint. Today, as a partner at High Value Exit, Steven helps small business owner clients in the £500K to £5M revenue range grow, scale, and execute a business exit strategy. He specialises in home services and professional services — stable, cash-flow-positive businesses that are often ignored by private equity but offer incredible returns when approached with the right business acquisition strategy. Whether you're preparing to sell your business or actively pursuing a business acquisition, Steven's framework will change how you think about business partnerships, risk, and long-term value creation. The conversation also goes deep on the unregulated world of business brokers — why most set unrealistic business valuation expectations, why the majority of selling a business listings never close, and what founders should do instead to achieve a high value exit. Steven doesn't hold back on what's broken in the mergers and acquisitions space and how to navigate it safely. Finally, Steven breaks down practical AI for SME applications that most small business operators are ignoring — from using Gamma for instant sales presentations to deploying AI agents for M&A deal sourcing and outreach. If you want to leverage business growth strategy tools available right now to increase leads, close more sales, and boost your business valuation before a business exit, this is essential listening. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Power Dialogues: The Conversation Skill That Closes Deals | Des Vadgama | 25 mars 2026 | 01:06:31 | |
Power dialogues are the single most important skill for anyone serious about business acquisition, deal making, and closing deals. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Des Vadgama reveals how mastering the art of conversation — not spreadsheets, not pitch decks, not legal templates — is what actually gets deals done. If you've ever wondered why some entrepreneurs convert leads into deals while others watch opportunities slip away, the answer lies in the quality of their dialogue. Des shares his remarkable journey from the seminar industry of the mid-90s, where he worked alongside Tony Robbins and eventually connected with the legendary Dan Pena. He recounts how he first discovered Pena in an affluent magazine, attended a £10,000 event at Guthrie Castle in Scotland, and then became the bridge that brought Pena's high-ticket seminars to the UK — convincing a skeptical Pena to test the British market with a London event that drew 60 attendees. This was all before the internet, built entirely through phone calls, sales letters, and the kind of power dialogues Des now teaches. The conversation dives deep into what Des calls "power dialogues" — conversations that lead to a decision, whether that's a yes or a no, and that progressively move toward a client or a deal. He explains the critical difference between lead flow and deal flow, and why most entrepreneurs have a massive disconnect: they generate plenty of leads but fail to convert them because they skip the rapport, trust, and understanding that only quality dialogue can build. Des shares a striking example of someone who spent £10–15K on a program and £20K on letters — with zero deals completed — because the conversation never happened. Des also explores the philosophy behind minority vs majority stakes, drawing on the principle of having "1% of the efforts of 100 men rather than 100% of the efforts of one man" — the same approach used by Tony Robbins and Jay Abraham, who hold equity in dozens of ventures. He breaks down why deals really break down (misalignment, misunderstanding, and mismatched expectations), what sellers need to know before exiting (realistic valuations, clarity on what they want, and post-exit planning), and why enjoyment of the industry you're investing in isn't optional — it's essential. His closing advice is deceptively simple: do more dialogues. Talk to people. Stop hiding behind screens. The transformative power of a real conversation might just change your life — as it did his, from convincing Dan Pena to launch in the UK to winning over his wife Elena despite a language barrier. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Business Rescue: How to Save a Company from Insolvency | Nick Simmonds | 18 mars 2026 | 00:51:20 | |
Business rescue is the critical process that can mean the difference between a company surviving or closing its doors forever. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, insolvency practitioner Nick pulls back the curtain on how business rescue actually works — from liquidations and administrations to Company Voluntary Arrangements and moratoriums. Whether you're a business owner facing financial trouble, a director worried about personal guarantees, or simply want to understand how business restructuring and business turnaround strategies operate in the real world, this conversation delivers practical, no-nonsense advice. Nick shares his experience handling hundreds of insolvency cases, the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, and why burying your head in the sand is the worst thing you can do when your business is in distress. The episode opens with Nick's own career journey — from employee to partner, selling his business, and returning to employment — and how that entrepreneurial experience shaped his approach to business rescue. He explains that the goal of an insolvency practitioner isn't just to shut companies down; it's to rescue and save them wherever possible. Nick walks through the sheer volume of work his firm handles, including approximately ten liquidations and four to five administrations every single month, giving listeners a sobering picture of how many businesses face financial difficulty at any given time. The conversation then dives into the mindset gap between business owners and employees. Nick highlights how too many business owners are skilled technicians who lack the financial management skills — like tracking KPIs, reconciling billing, and controlling overheads — that keep a business profitable. He shares a blunt truth: if the jobs don't make any money, don't do them. The discussion covers external influences that hit businesses hard, including legislative changes, economic boom-and-bust cycles, and the particular devastation felt in the construction and hospitality industries — from supply chain failures and contractor contagion to reduced consumer spending and staffing crises. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| The Free Childcare Lie That's Bankrupting Nurseries | Allan Presland | 11 mars 2026 | 00:48:40 | |
In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits down with Dr. Allan Presland — an entrepreneur who was told off in corporate life for being too profitable, and went on to build Parental, the largest independent provider of vocational training, software, and marketing services to the childcare business sector in the UK, with nearly 200 staff. Allan shares his entrepreneurship journey from qualified engineer to disillusioned corporate manager to building a childcare business empire. He reveals why 74% of UK nursery settings are loss-making, how government "free childcare" funding falls below operating costs, and why private-paying parents are forced to subsidise government-funded places. He also breaks down the strategies that make successful nurseries profitable — from aggressive lead generation to automated fee collection — and explains his philosophy that companies don't make money, ecosystems do. Beyond business, Allan discusses his PhD in M&A, his acquisitions strategy, his move from the UK to Singapore and Dubai, and his philanthropic mission to build 100 schools for orphaned children in Uganda. Whether you're interested in the childcare business, building a business empire through acquisitions, or the entrepreneurship journey from employment to ownership, this episode delivers real numbers, honest insights, and actionable business strategy. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Selling Your Business: 7 Figure Business Exit Strategy & Entrepreneurship Journey | Colin Harding | 04 mars 2026 | 00:54:46 | |
In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Colin Harding shares his entrepreneurship journey from founding Q Building Services in 1990 to executing a 7-figure business exit strategy. Colin built an MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Public Services) consulting practice from scratch — no external funding, halved salaries, and working 16-hour days — and eventually navigated the complex process of selling his business to a larger firm. Colin discusses every phase of his entrepreneurship journey: the early startup years, surviving two recessions, partnership dynamics including multiple buyouts, shifting from contractor-led work to direct clients for better margins, and ultimately executing his business exit strategy. He reveals the emotional toll of making staff redundant during the 2008 recession, the health scare that changed his lifestyle, and the hard lessons about selling a business — including why integration between companies is essential and what he'd change about the deal structure. Whether you're building a 7-figure business or planning your own business exit strategy, Colin's story offers practical, honest insights on selling a business that textbooks won't teach you. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Engineer to Entrepreneur: Gauri's Entrepreneurship Journey, Entrepreneur Mindset & Bold Factor | Gauri Talathi Lamb | 25 févr. 2026 | 00:29:31 | |
Gauri went from engineer to entrepreneur through a deliberate, gradual transition — dropping from 5 corporate days down to 1 before going full-time into business ownership. In this entrepreneurship journey episode, she shares how her mother's beauty therapy business taught her people management and financial literacy, while her father's struggles initially made her fear entrepreneurship. She introduces her Bold Factor formula (Vision + Consistency + Risk-taking + Experimentation − Fear of Failure) and explains why the entrepreneur mindset is a "way of life" applicable inside corporate roles too. Whether you're considering a career transition from corporate to entrepreneur, or already navigating startup founder challenges like business scaling, business valuation, and business exit strategy — this conversation delivers real insight on business ownership, overcoming fear of failure, and the coaching and mentoring that accelerates growth. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Starting a Business? What 20 Years Taught Me | Simon Rogers | 20 févr. 2026 | 00:23:42 | |
Starting a business is one thing — keeping it alive for 20 years through economic crashes, a pandemic, and a cost-of-living crisis is another. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits down with Simon Rogers, founder of Fiducia, a commercial interiors company that has weathered every storm the UK economy has thrown at it. Simon's business ownership journey is a masterclass in resilience, trust, and the relentless attention to detail that separates survivors from statistics. From scaling to £15 million in revenue with over 100 staff, to the deeply personal reasons he chose to go it alone, this conversation pulls no punches about what business ownership really demands. Simon opens up about the early years — the financial sacrifices, the sleepless nights over problems he never saw coming, and the uncomfortable truth that nothing goes according to plan. His story is not the polished entrepreneurial highlight reel; it's the real, unfiltered account of business ownership — the risks, the hardship, and the compounding rewards of doing the right thing when no one's watching. If you're on your own business ownership journey, or even thinking about starting a business, this episode delivers hard-won wisdom you won't find in any textbook. The conversation explores why trust and integrity aren't just values on a wall — they're the operating system of a business that lasts. Simon explains how relationships built in 1998 still deliver value today, why he asks every client "do you want a Ford or a Ferrari," and how value engineering isn't about cutting corners but about cutting waste. He shares the parable of "maybe so, maybe not" — a powerful reminder that the things you fear most in business ownership often turn out differently than you expect. This episode also dives into the evolution of the construction industry, the importance of compliance and learning from mistakes, and the personal disciplines that keep a business owner sane — from 5am wake-ups to Monday night football and snowboarding focus. Simon's parting advice is unforgettable: "You need to be a little bit nuts. This is not a normal job." Whether you're a construction entrepreneur, a small business owner, or simply fascinated by what it really takes to build something that endures, this is a conversation that will reframe how you think about business ownership, resilience, and the power of staying calm and keeping going. Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Why This £15M Business Owner Refuses To Micromanage | Lee Brownlie | 20 févr. 2026 | 00:32:43 | |
Lee Brownlie started as a 16-year-old apprentice carpenter at Jubilee Projects. Today, he is the business owner of a UK-leading hospitality and commercial fit-out contractor generating £15M in annual revenue with a 50-year legacy. In this episode of The Ownership Journey, Lee explains why he refuses to micromanage — and how building trust, a no-blame culture, and empowering his team became the foundation of his leadership philosophy. He walks through every stage of his journey: leaving Jubilee to study construction management, gaining experience at Sir Robert McAlpine, returning as a project manager, becoming a director, and ultimately taking business ownership when the founders stepped away. Lee opens up about the weight of being a business owner responsible for 25 internal team members and up to 200 operatives on site, how Jubilee Projects survived COVID-19 without furloughing a single person, and the leadership skills that turn a construction business into a place people never want to leave. He also shares the mentorship he received from founder David W, his daily success habits for mental and physical wellbeing, and his long-term vision for succession — passing leadership to the next generation. Whether you are a small business owner, a construction business owner, or someone building a business and struggling with delegation, this conversation delivers honest insight into what business ownership really demands — and why micromanagement kills growth. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| LinkedIn Personal Branding That Generated 300M Impressions | Shoaib Ahmed | 20 févr. 2026 | 00:57:18 | |
In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits down with Shoaib Ahmed — the solopreneur behind a LinkedIn personal branding company that has generated over 300M impressions across LinkedIn, all as a one-person business with zero employees. Shoaib reveals the LinkedIn personal branding strategy that took him from geography graduate to solopreneur freedom. After building an agency (Yellow Hippo) and hitting his biggest revenue month, Shoaib walked away because he felt shackled to something that cost him his health and freedom. He rebuilt as a solo LinkedIn personal branding company, and the last 12 months have been his best ever — sometimes matching his agency income through LinkedIn lead generation with zero overhead. This conversation covers how personal branding drives 10x more engagement than corporate content on LinkedIn, how to use AI content creation tools like ChatGPT without losing your voice, why vulnerability drives more direct leads than success posts, and the LinkedIn strategy that converts 300M impressions into real revenue through LinkedIn profile optimization. Shoaib also shares his philosophy on owning your day, untraining the 9-to-5 mindset, and how personal branding compounds over time through LinkedIn content strategy and LinkedIn marketing. Whether you want to learn how to grow on LinkedIn, build a one-person business using the solopreneur business model, or turn your personal branding into a LinkedIn growth engine and LinkedIn authority — this episode gives you the blueprint. Key topics covered:
Chapters:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||
| Selling a Small Business: From Startup to £9M Exit | Business Broker Ken Gorman | 20 févr. 2026 | 01:06:13 | |
What does it really take to turn a small business into a £9M exit? In this episode of The Ownership Journey, host James Lamb sits down with Ken Gorman — equity partner and global business broker at Transworld Business Advisors — to break down the real process of selling a small business, business exit strategy, business valuation, and business acquisition that most owners never hear about. Ken has over 15,000 hours of selling a business experience and runs 28 active projects from his Guildford office. Transworld, the world's largest business broker with 250+ offices globally, closes 80% of deals vs the industry average of just 25%. Their secret? No upfront fees — they only get paid when the deal closes — and they focus on finding the right new owner, not just the highest bidder. Whether you're exploring business exit planning, buying a business, or understanding mergers and acquisitions in the small business sector, this conversation covers the full journey — from the emotional "switch in the heart" that makes an owner decide to sell, through business valuation methods and deal structuring, all the way to closing a multi-million-pound exit. Key topics covered:
Timestamps:
→ Show: The Ownership Journey Follow for weekly conversations with people who've built, bought, and sold real businesses. | |||