My life after my £200m exit
More Founder Stories
Having a family has shown me there’s more to life than business
London-based Wild manufactures and sells natural, refillable deodorant and soap on a subscription basis. Launched in 2019 by co-founders, chief executive Freddy Ward and chief marketing officer Charlie Bowes- Lyon, it aims to reduce plastic waste while creating products using natural ingredients. The company has secured a total of £7.6m in equity funding, including a […]
We turned £3,000 savings into a multi-million pound clothing brand
Founded by Samantha and Stephanie Frost in 2013, Pretty Lavish started their company in their Hertfordshire living room, aiming to fill a market gap for affordable, high-quality clothing. Gaining popularity, the company opened its first store in 2017 and thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on knitwear and lounge attire. Leveraging Instagram and TikTok, […]
“We’re obsessed with care”
Care is not a traditional business value. Peruse the classics and you’ll see boldness, passion, honesty and perhaps integrity, but not the C-word.
Thankfully things are changing – as Bloom & Wild demonstrates. This flower retailer meets tech company is undoubtedly growing relentlessly. Yet its business values would disorient yesteryear’s ‘manly’ entrepreneurs. “We’re obsessed with care,” says founder Aron Gelbard. “It’s vital to me and it’s a key trait I look for when hiring.”
“Plan for a new world. Don’t dwell on the negatives.”
Sixty-five-year-old Mike Clare brims with boyish enthusiasm, even over Zoom. As he chats, it’s not hard to imagine him turning a £20,000 investment into £222m Dreams Beds, which is precisely what he did. And his energy is such that it makes you believe you could do something similar – even during a pandemic…
HOW WE SCALED THE MOUNTAIN
Seven fast-growth lessons from Jeremy Harris, C0-founder and Managing Director of the Tile Mountain Group. Jeremy Harris is managing director of Tile Mountain Group, and the company he co-founded in 2013 now turns over more than £50m and is expanding fast enough to enter the FEBE Growth 100. The story starts in 2009, when Jeremy […]
Great culture is about hiring great people. Nothing else.
Dock & Bay was created in 2015 to reinvent the beach towel. The company’s lightweight towels are made from recycled plastic bottles and are quick drying, compact and sand repellent. In 2017, co-founders Andy Jefferies and Ben Muller appeared on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, securing a £75,000 investment from Deborah Meaden…