The Bottleneck Podcast

Bottleneck Podcast
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  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, and Elfried Samba, CEO and Co-Founder of Butterfly Effect and former Global Head of Social at Gymshark, explore the hidden blocks that slow teams down, from flawed strategies to missed cultural signals and outdated thinking.   Each episode breaks down a real challenge through the lens of behavioural science, digital strategy, and lived experience. Through conversations with industry pioneers and creative thinkers, they unpack why teams fail and reveal secrets for driving progress.   Joined by guests who’ve built, rebuilt, or reimagined entire industries, Rory and Elfried challenge assumptions, unpack failure, and explore what moves the needle.   Powered by Sassy+ www.sassyplus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Matt Pohlson with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on flatlining, £400M growth and £120M donated

    3 DAYS AGO

    Matt Pohlson with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on flatlining, £400M growth and £120M donated

    What happens when you literally die — and come back with a completely different view on business, risk, and what actually matters? Matt Pohlson — founder and CEO of Omaze — joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to share the story behind building one of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses, and how a near-death experience changed everything. Matt recounts flatlining for four and a half minutes, the moment his mother refused to let doctors give up, and how surviving something he “shouldn’t have” forced him to rethink both his life and his company. What followed was a radical shift — away from celebrity-driven campaigns towards a model that would eventually scale to over £400M in just five years. This episode unpacks the power of storytelling in business, why making the customer the hero changes everything, how brands like Mr Beast win by showing tangible impact — and why Omaze has already given over £120M to charity while building a profitable company. Follow Rory Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried Instagram: @elfriedsamba LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/ https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Matt Pohlson Instagram: @mattpohlson X: @OmazeUK LinkedIn: in/matthew-pohlson/ https://omaze.co.uk/ A Sassy+ original podcast series

    54 min
  2. June Sarpong with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on culture, connection and staying in the game

    15 MAR

    June Sarpong with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on culture, connection and staying in the game

    What does it take to build a career that lasts three decades — and stay curious enough to keep reinventing it? June Sarpong — broadcaster, author, entrepreneur and host of Culture Conversations — joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to talk about culture, leadership, and why visibility changes what people believe is possible. June reflects on her journey from teenage work experience at Kiss FM to becoming one of the UK’s most recognisable media voices, sharing what she has learned about staying relevant, taking risks, and refusing to define herself by a single title. The conversation explores how strong cultures are actually built, why leaders must live the values they promote, how representation changes ambition, and why the most important skill in business might simply be making people feel seen. This episode unpacks why luck matters more than people admit, how great founders expand their own capacity as their companies grow, why the Kardashians might be the greatest marketers of the modern era — and why Africa has the opportunity to build entirely new systems rather than inherit old ones. Follow Rory Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried Instagram: @elfriedsamba LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/ https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow June Sarpong Instagram: @junesarpo/ X: @junesarpong LinkedIn: in/june-sarpong/ https://www.youtube.com/@Culture-Conversations A Sassy+ original podcast series

    1hr 30min
  3. Ellie Norman with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on finding fans and making them stay

    1 MAR

    Ellie Norman with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on finding fans and making them stay

    Ellie Norman — Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E and former Chief Communications Officer at Manchester United — joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to talk about her time at Honda and Virgin Media through to Formula One and now Formula E. Ellie explains how she walks into every room convinced she doesn't have all the answers, is always asking questions, and always learning. The conversation explores how constraint forces creativity, why brand defensibility matters more than impression counts, and how the creator economy is rewriting the rules of sports marketing. This episode unpacks what it really means to build fame, be easy to find, and be hard to leave — why she likes to hire people who are comfortable with uncertainty — and why common sense remains the rarest skill in any marketing department. Follow Rory Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried Instagram: @elfriedsamba LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/ https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Ellie Noman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellietory/ X: https://x.com/EllieMNorman https://www.fiaformulae.com/en A Sassy+ original podcast series

    1hr 33min
  4. Eliza Filby with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on the Bank of Mum and Dad economy

    8 FEB

    Eliza Filby with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on the Bank of Mum and Dad economy

    Dr. Eliza Filby — historian and author — joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to examine why inheritance now matters more than income. The conversation explores how the Bank of Mum and Dad has become a private financial system, why wages no longer deliver independence, and how access to family money shapes the risks people can take. It looks at why Gen Z now inhabits a world where work alone no longer leads to security or progress. This episode unpacks what happens when families quietly replace markets and the state as the real source of economic stability. Follow Rory Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried Instagram: elfriedsamba LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/ https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Eliza Filby TikTok: @eliza_filby Instagram: @dr_eliza_filby A Sassy+ original podcast series

    1hr 30min
  5. Oscar Ryndziewicz with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on DFYNE becoming the UK’s fastest-growing company

    26 JAN

    Oscar Ryndziewicz with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on DFYNE becoming the UK’s fastest-growing company

    Oscar Ryndziewicz — founder of DFYNE — joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to unpack the decisions behind one of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies. Ryndziewicz explains how DFYNE grew from a £6,000 credit card bet into a global activewear brand, why the company chose to scale from Glasgow rather than London, and how autonomy, simple metrics and trust replaced traditional management controls as the business expanded. Drawing directly from DFYNE’s growth journey — culminating in its recognition as the UK’s fastest-growing private company in The Sunday Times 100 — this conversation explores how location, culture and leadership design quietly shape scale. This episode looks at what happens when founders stop optimising for appearances, focus on outcomes instead of activity, and build systems that let people think for themselves. Follow Rory Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried Instagram: elfriedsamba LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/ https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Oscar Instagram: @dfyne.official https://uk.dfyne.com/ A Sassy+ original podcast series

    1hr 18min
  6. Clarke Ching with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on bottlenecks, leadership and progress

    13 JAN

    Clarke Ching with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on bottlenecks, leadership and progress

    Clarke Ching — author of The Bottleneck Detective — joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to unpack why progress stalls, how leaders quietly become constraints, and why fixing the obvious problem often makes things worse. Most organisations don’t fail because of a lack of effort.
They fail because effort is applied in the wrong place. From traffic systems and hospitals to founders, governments and scaling teams, this conversation explores how bottlenecks hide in plain sight — and why seeing them requires a different kind of thinking. This episode is about the uncomfortable truth that growth rarely fails where people expect it to. Follow Rory: Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried: Instagram: elfriedsamba LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/ https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Clarke: Linkedin: in/clarkeching/ https://clarkeching.com/ Follow Rory: Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips TikTok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland LinkedIn: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried: Instagram: elfriedsamba LinkedIn: in/elfriedsamba/ https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Clarke: Linkedin: in/clarkeching/ https://clarkeching.com/ A @Sassy+ original podcast series

    1hr 58min
  7. Ama Amo-Agyei with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on founders and the cost of success

    29/12/2025

    Ama Amo-Agyei with Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba on founders and the cost of success

    Ama Amo-Agye scaled Plantmade from £100 to £13m — and discovered that success changes the rules faster than founders expect. Ama joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to explore how the skills that drive early momentum can quietly become constraints as a business scales. From building in public to recognising when the company had outgrown her original operating model, this episode examines why success can become the hardest thing to manage. Follow Rory:
 Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips
 Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips
 X: @rorysutherland
 Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried:
 Instagram: elfriedsamba
 Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/
 https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Ama: Instagram: @amaa__official Tiktok: @amaamoagyei Linkedin: in/ama-amo-agyei/ A @Sassy+ original podcast series

    1hr 27min
  8. Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Lottie Whyte on founder focus and knowing your customer

    12/12/2025

    Rory Sutherland, Elfried Samba and Lottie Whyte on founder focus and knowing your customer

    Growth stalls when founders lose focus.Lottie Whyte, founder of MyoMaster, joins Rory Sutherland and Elfried Samba to unpack how simplifying the business, listening to real demand, and saying no to opportunity unlocked scale.From early trade-show insights and customer objections to near-failure and relentless focus, this conversation explores how clarity, not complexity, drives sustainable growth. Follow Rory: Instagram: @rorysutherland_clips Tiktok: @Rorysutherlandclips X: @rorysutherland Linkedin: in/rorysutherland/ Follow Elfried: Instagram: elfriedsamba Linkedin: in/elfriedsamba/https://www.butterflyeffect.xyz/ Follow Lottie: Instagram: @lottiewhyte/ Linkedin: in/lottie-whyte https://myomaster.com/ A @Sassy+ original podcast series

    1hr 15min
See All (16)

About

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, and Elfried Samba, CEO and Co-Founder of Butterfly Effect and former Global Head of Social at Gymshark, explore the hidden blocks that slow teams down, from flawed strategies to missed cultural signals and outdated thinking.   Each episode breaks down a real challenge through the lens of behavioural science, digital strategy, and lived experience. Through conversations with industry pioneers and creative thinkers, they unpack why teams fail and reveal secrets for driving progress.   Joined by guests who’ve built, rebuilt, or reimagined entire industries, Rory and Elfried challenge assumptions, unpack failure, and explore what moves the needle.   Powered by Sassy+ www.sassyplus.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Bottleneck Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Bottleneck Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Bottleneck Podcast

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