‘To be extraordinary you need to be ‘extra’ ordinary’
More Unemployables
MyFirst: Starting an Insurance Company With ZERO Experience
James Noble, founder of MyFirst, joins us to share the incredible story of building one of the UK’s fastest-growing insurance businesses from absolutely nothing. Starting with just £10,000 from investors he met while caddying at Wentworth Golf Club, James left behind a career in professional golf to tackle one of the biggest frustrations facing young […]
How my side hustle became a multi-million pound business
Lucy Locket Loves makes colourful fitness clothing and accessories for women. The Derbyshire business caters for a wide range of body shapes, with sizes spanning six to 26. Former personal trainer Lucy Arnold founded the company in 2018 after suffering a back injury. While recovering, she created leggings to sell to former clients. Customers include Made In Chelsea star Rosie Fortescue and the company launched a collection with Strictly’s Dianne Buswell last year.
From battling alcohol at 12 to building a multi-million pound business
In 2014, whilst on vacation in Thailand, three friends from London noticed the amount of rubbish and plastic bottles on a remote island. Founders Josh White, who had previously launched an events company, Perry Alexander, a self taught graphic designer, and Ariel Booker, a headhunter, started researching and discovered that cans are more recycled than […]
From start-up to Europe’s largest online florist
London based Bloom & Wild delivers flowers and plants to households across Europe, and was launched in 2013 by Aron Gelbard and Ben Stanway. It acquired Dutch rival bloomon and France’s Bergamotte in 2021, consolidating its position as Europe’s leading online florist, operating three brands across eight countries. To date the company has raised over £100m in funding from leading global investors including Index Ventures and General Catalyst.
From Dragons’ Den to a £12m business
Startup Logistics provides services including shipping, bulk storage, and website support to e-commerce brands. The company was founded by Udhi Silva and Nick Coleman, who previously founded online healthcare supplier Medical Supermarket in 2011 and snack company Snaffling Pig in 2013. As a result of their experience building Snaffling Pig, they understood what consumer brands […]
‘WE’RE FOUR YEARS IN AND WE’VE JUST TURNED DOWN AN £85M BID’
Until last year, Wayne Starkey still filed his own VAT returns. Many co-founders of four-year-old companies do – old habits die hard and it saves a few quid in accountancy fees. What VAT-DIYers don’t do, however, is turn down £85m buy-out bids. Ever. Yet that’s the jaw-dropping offer Wayne and co-founder James Whiting rejected just a few months ago. Those facts indicate how far and how fast The Skinny Food Co has come since its 2018 launch. They also reveal how down-to-earth yet ambitious these two entrepreneurs are.