Screw It Just DO It with Alex Chisnall

Alex Chisnall
  • 4.9 (140)
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For those who decided to Screw It... and Just DID It. Ranked #1 in Apple Podcasts. Top 1% globally. 5M+ downloads Real stories from founders who took the leap. Hosted by Alex Chisnall. Learn how today’s top entrepreneurs started, scaled, & stayed true to their vision. Official podcast of the Festival of Entrepreneurs: https://www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk Twice Weekly Show every Tuesday & Thursday. If you enjoyed listening, please rate my show. And if you're really generous with your time, please also leave a review so I can help more entrepreneurs.

  1. The Best Global Beauty Expansion Strategy with Rodial's Maria Hatzistefanis

    3 DAYS AGO

    The Best Global Beauty Expansion Strategy with Rodial's Maria Hatzistefanis

    When the world shut down, Maria Hatzistefanis doubled down. In this episode, I sat down with the founder of Rodial and Nip+Fab, who shared exactly how she pivoted during the pandemic, scaled her beauty empire to 35 countries, and leveraged both old-school trade shows and new-school DTC strategies to build a global brand. Maria gets honest about the reality of expanding into international markets, the unexpected complexity of going truly global, and what it takes to stay relevant in an industry built on constant reinvention. Whether you're selling skincare or software, the lessons here are universal: stay close to your customer, stay curious, and be ready to evolve. Key Takeaways: Trade shows were instrumental in Rodial's early global strategy.Digital marketing and DTC became essential after losing wholesale revenue.Maria’s shift to Instagram Stories helped her connect directly with customers.Success came from listening to market-specific needs (e.g. product formulations for Asia vs. the US).Hiring local teams is non-negotiable for successful international expansion. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.   🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.   Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL   👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!   #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    14 min
  2. From £4,000 to £50 Million: Melissa Snover’s Sweet Revolution

    5 DAYS AGO

    From £4,000 to £50 Million: Melissa Snover’s Sweet Revolution

    I’ve spoken to hundreds of founders over the years, but Melissa Snover’s story hits different. This week, I sat down with the force behind Scripted and Nourished, two businesses that are fundamentally changing the way we approach health. From reverse-engineering 3D printers to developing patent-protected technology for personalised vitamins, Melissa didn’t just “solve a problem,” she created an entirely new category. If you’re building a product, raising capital, or trying to scale without losing your startup DNA, this episode has the blueprint. Melissa breaks down how she raised a record-breaking £2.7M as a solo female founder, what it really takes to create IP-driven businesses, and how to hold onto the startup mindset while navigating serious growth, governance, and FDA audits. Whether you’re knee-deep in fundraising or just sick of generic supplements, this one is well worth a listen. Key Takeaways: You don’t need permission to disrupt. Melissa taught herself mechanical engineering and G-code after the world’s biggest 3D printing companies said “can’t be done.”Raising capital isn’t about luck. It’s about knowing the language, doing the research, and avoiding time-wasting investor meetings.Culture is a growth engine. Every member of Melissa’s team, from factory workers to C-suite, has equity, because ownership breeds commitment.The startup mindset matters. Even with 150 employees and FDA compliance, Melissa’s team rewards Friday Fails. Innovation thrives when failure is normalised.Personalised health isn’t a gimmick. It’s the future of how we’ll consume, treat, and take care of ourselves. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.   🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.   Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL   👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!   #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    43 min
  3. Candy Kittens’ Recipe for Business Success

    21 AUG

    Candy Kittens’ Recipe for Business Success

    From a pop-up shop to a team of over 20, Candy Kittens is the top in brand building and entrepreneurial persistence. In this bite-sized episode, I talk with Jamie Laing and Ed Williams about the first hires, building a team organically, and how they launched a sweet brand with zero background in food or drink. You’ll hear how they leveraged social media and created a nationwide “sweet team” of micro-ambassadors before even having a finished product. We also talk about the importance of staying true to your brand, resisting shortcuts, and building something that lasts. If you’re thinking about starting a product business, growing a consumer brand, or figuring out your first move as a founder, this one’s for you. Key Takeaways Build your team around what the business needs, not just good intentionsGrassroots ambassadors can outperform influencers when done rightSocial proof isn’t just about follower count, it’s about the right people18 months of product development was worth it to maintain brand integrityPersistence and resilience will outlast rejection 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.   🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.   Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL   👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!   #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    14 min
  4. Scaling Bloom & Wild into Europe’s Leading Flower Delivery Brand with Aron Gelbard

    19 AUG

    Scaling Bloom & Wild into Europe’s Leading Flower Delivery Brand with Aron Gelbard

    When Aron Gelbard co-founded Bloom & Wild in 2013 with just £30,000 in savings, the online flower delivery market had no standout brands, inconsistent quality, and poor customer experience. Fast-forward to today and Bloom & Wild has delivered over 30 million flowers, raised £120M in funding, and pioneered the letterbox flower format that’s now industry-defining. In this episode, Aron shares how customer feedback shaped the business from day one, the pivotal mistakes that became turning points, and why culture and values like “Care Wildly” have been critical to growth. We dive deep into early-stage challenges, international acquisitions, scaling operations across nine countries, and building a brand people genuinely love. If you’re serious about building a scale-up that balances innovation, customer obsession, and sustainable growth, this is an episode you’ll want to study. Key Takeaways Why solving an emotional problem in a “broken” industry gave Bloom & Wild its competitive edge.How early mistakes with packaging taught vital lessons about iterative growth.The role of culture and values (“Care Wildly”, “Think Deeply, Act Swiftly”) in retaining top talent.Customer acquisition strategies that turned recipients into loyal customers.The challenges of international expansion during a pandemic and integrating acquisitions.Fundraising insights: why investors buy into a vision, not just risk mitigation.Expanding product lines beyond flowers to unlock new revenue streams. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.   🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.   Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL   👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!   #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    54 min
  5. Scaling a VC from 0 to 21 Countries with Magnus Grimeland

    14 AUG

    Scaling a VC from 0 to 21 Countries with Magnus Grimeland

    In this Bite-sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, I speak with Magnus Grimeland, founder and CEO of Antler, one of the fastest-scaling early-stage VC platforms in the world. Magnus has helped Antler grow to 21 offices across six continents, backing nearly 400 startups in the process. But this conversation focuses on something deeper than capital: community. He shares how they built a global founder network that supports collaboration, peer learning, and talent access, all with a hyper-local approach tailored to each region. You’ll hear how they’ve used tech infrastructure to support remote founders, what role community plays in startup success, and how you can apply the same thinking to scale your own ecosystem, whether you're a founder or investor. It’s a sharp, strategic look at what it really takes to scale something global without losing the intimacy and value of local connections. Key Takeaways: Founder support is more than funding, it’s infrastructureCommunity building is critical to startup successTech-enabled networks can scale trust and collaborationHyper-local execution wins in global expansionStartup ecosystems thrive on shared learning, not competition 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.   🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.   Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL   👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!   #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    14 min
  6. How Grenade Built a £200M Brand from a £500 Startup with Juliet Barratt

    12 AUG

    How Grenade Built a £200M Brand from a £500 Startup with Juliet Barratt

    How do you go from a £500 startup to a £200 million brand? On this week’s Screw It Just DO It, I speak to Juliet Barratt, co-founder of Grenade. If you've ever picked up a Carb Killa bar, you’ve seen the impact of brand, timing, and relentlessness in action. Juliet and her husband launched Grenade during a recession, built it into a market leader, and sold it to Mondelez for a nine-figure sum. But this isn’t just another glossy success story. Juliet opens up about the toll of selling your business, what she’d do differently, and why founders need to be laser-focused on product, branding, and fit. She also shares hard-earned lessons about scaling with your partner, the value of mentorship, and what the real road to a global brand looks like. Whether you're building a business, preparing for a raise, or staring down an exit, this is the unfiltered version most founders never hear. Key Takeaways Brand is everything. Distinctive packaging and positioning were critical to Grenade standing out in a saturated market.Timing matters. Launching during a recession forced focus and discipline, but also provided unexpected opportunities.The exit isn’t always a win. Juliet opens up about regretting their early sale of equity and the emotional cost of parting with the brand.Founders must protect focus. Know when to bring in professionals, and stay close to what makes the brand work.Scaling with a partner is hard. Clear boundaries and mutual respect were vital to building Grenade as a husband-and-wife team. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.   🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.   Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL   👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!   #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    45 min
  7. How Julian Hearn Took Huel from Idea to Global Brand

    7 AUG

    How Julian Hearn Took Huel from Idea to Global Brand

    In this bite-sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Julian Hearn, founder of Huel, to unpack the early days of building one of the UK’s fastest-growing food brands. How to systemise and scale from a solo startupWhy obsessing over process is the key to future growthBuilding a culture-first team and hiring for values over skillsStepping away as CEO to let others leadWhy location and work environment can be a competitive advantageJulian didn’t just start Huel, he did everything himself. Branding, packaging, fulfilment, customer service, marketing. It was a one-man operation that exploded into a £40 million business in just four years.We dive into:Julian’s story proves that you don’t need a complicated business plan or a full founding team to get started. You need focus, fast feedback loops, and the grit to keep going when the work is heavy and unrewarded.If you're a founder stuck between startup chaos and scale-up complexity, this one's for you. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes. Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    12 min
  8. How to Grow Smarter: Billionaire Strategies for Entrepreneurs with Richard Harpin

    5 AUG

    How to Grow Smarter: Billionaire Strategies for Entrepreneurs with Richard Harpin

    Welcome back to Screw It Just DO It, the show where you meet the entrepreneurs who’ve taken risks, built from scratch, and kept going when others stopped. This week I’m joined by Richard Harpin, founder of HomeServe, who scaled a plumbing insurance business into a global £4 billion empire. In this episode, Richard breaks down his 9-step blueprint for building a billion-pound business, covering everything from why copying and pivoting works, to how to find the right investor early, and why evolution always beats revolution. He also dives deep into international expansion, how he backed himself when funds ran low, and why he believes mentorship is one of the greatest competitive advantages in business. Richard’s now backing the next wave of founders through Growth Partner and Business Leader, aiming to support 10% of the UK’s mid-sized companies on their scale-up journey. There’s a lifetime of lessons in this conversation: all hard-earned, none sugar-coated. Key Takeaways: Follow the 9 steps – including copying, pivoting, getting investment early, hiring a replacement, and prioritising persistence.You need a mentor – Richard’s own journey proves that finding the right mentor can change the course of your business.Evolution wins – Businesses that constantly evolve avoid becoming the next Blockbuster or Yellow Pages.Go global, but do it right – Be present locally. Hire serious talent where it matters.Don’t overcomplicate it – Strip your business back to its core value and double down. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes. Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone. Register here for FREE: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!   #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    41 min
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4.9
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For those who decided to Screw It... and Just DID It. Ranked #1 in Apple Podcasts. Top 1% globally. 5M+ downloads Real stories from founders who took the leap. Hosted by Alex Chisnall. Learn how today’s top entrepreneurs started, scaled, & stayed true to their vision. Official podcast of the Festival of Entrepreneurs: https://www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk Twice Weekly Show every Tuesday & Thursday. If you enjoyed listening, please rate my show. And if you're really generous with your time, please also leave a review so I can help more entrepreneurs.

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