D.Louise was founded in 2021 by Olivia Jenkins, who named the direct-to-consumer jewellery brand after her late mother, Deborah Louise. Olivia co-founded the business with serial entrepreneur Jack Zambakides and former professional cricket player Oliver Smithson. The South London company has gained attention for its high-quality, waterproof jewellery made from stainless steel, designed to withstand daily wear without tarnishing. In 2023, D.Louise received investment from Steve Hewitt, former chief executive of Gymshark, to help facilitate the brand’s international expansion. In March 2024, Olivia completed a 313km charity walk from Cardiff to Wandsworth in memory of her mother.
From £0 to £4 in 3 years: Our secret to success…obsession!
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My teacher told me “you’ll either go to prison or be a millionaire”
Universal Partners is a financial services firm for businesses and high-net-worth individuals. Co-founded by Oliver Carson and Dhaval Patel in 2017, the company specialises in cross-border payments and bespoke risk management services. Universal Partners has earned recognition for its growth, including a nomination for the Scale-Up Business of the Year at the Lloyds British Business […]
‘Why all great leaders are vulnerable’
Offering exotic escapes, from jungle adventures to beach retreats and ‘big five’ safaris, this online tour operator specialises in the luxury travel market. Chief executive Nena Chaletzos founded the company after becoming frustrated with the complexity of tailor-making a luxury holiday. The company developed technology that makes the process of multi component trip building easier. […]
“When you keep banging your head and it bleeds, stop banging and move on”
“I banged my head against a brick wall for 10 years. I tried every which way to make it work, but there comes a point when…you have to stop.” We spoke to Sally to uncover how she successfully bounced back from a decade of disappointment and frustration to build an extraordinary global brand worth £27m…
How I kept my business alive when demand evaporated
WeFlex provides car finance and rental to ride-hailing drivers, focusing on electric vehicles. Founder Nicko Williamson is a serial entrepreneur, who launched his first eco-friendly venture, ClimateCars, in 2007 aged 23 and sold it to Addison Lee in 2015 for an undisclosed sum. WeFlex has raised £2m of investment and £27.5m in debt to date. London-based WeFlex plans to have an all-electric fleet of 5,000 vehicles by 2025.
“The five insights I’ve used to build two multimillion-pound brands”
“If you’re waking up in the middle of the night because you’re scared, that’s powerful,” says Roger Wade. “As an entrepreneur, it’s that fear that keeps you alive, so embrace it.” Boxpark’s founder and CEO is no stranger to sweaty internal monologues in the early hours. He experienced plenty of night-time terrors while growing British […]
“It feels like we cheated the system – entrepreneurship is meant to be risky”
Charlie Green doesn’t believe he ever took a risk while co-creating his £500m business, The Office Group. “We just did what made sense,” he says. And he has some simple advice for anyone thinking of following in his footsteps. Starting with ‘Step one: use a proven business model’…