Screw It Just DO It with Alex Chisnall

Alex Chisnall

Screw It Just DO It is the podcast for entrepreneurs, founders and business builders who are ready to stop waiting and start building. Hosted by Alex Chisnall, the show features honest conversations with people who’ve faced uncertainty, taken risks and built businesses that matter — from kitchen-table side projects to global brands and billion-pound companies. Real stories. Real decisions. Real progress. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

  1. TikTok Growth Tactics Founders Ignore

    5 DAYS AGO

    TikTok Growth Tactics Founders Ignore

    Growing on TikTok becomes easier when you understand how the platform thinks. Timothy Armoo explains the system with complete clarity. Most founders post on TikTok without understanding how the platform decides who sees what. In this Bite sized Screw It Just DO It episode, Timothy Armoo strips away the guesswork. He explains why niche dominance matters, how to warm the algorithm, and why video level performance beats follower count every time. His approach is built from running campaigns for global brands and seeing what actually drives reach. These insights apply to any founder trying to grow an audience, test messaging or build trust online. His view of TikTok as a behaviour engine rather than a social network gives you a clearer way to work with the platform instead of fighting it. Guest Note: Timothy Armoo is the co founder of Fanbytes, one of Europe’s largest Gen Z marketing agencies. Key Takeaways Warm the algorithm before posting to improve distribution.Build content for one niche to help TikTok identify your audience.Create episodic content to increase watch time and return visits.Use trends to give the algorithm a shortcut for matching your videos to intent. 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make 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. FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    11 min
  2. How Richard Harpin Built a £4bn Business

    15 JAN

    How Richard Harpin Built a £4bn Business

    This episode features Richard Harpin MBE, founder of HomeServe and one of the UK’s most experienced scale up operators. Recorded before his recent MBE award, this conversation shows exactly why his contribution to British business has been recognised. Richard shares how he grew a simple plumbing insurance idea into a global business valued at over £4 billion. He breaks down his nine step framework for building and scaling companies, from copying and pivoting early, to securing the right investor, replacing yourself as founder, and choosing steady evolution over dramatic change. We also cover international expansion, backing yourself when capital is tight, and why mentorship has played a defining role throughout his career. Today Richard is focused on helping the next generation of founders through Growth Partner and Business Leader, with a clear ambition to support a significant share of the UK’s mid sized businesses. Key takeaways Follow a clear framework and focus on execution not ideas Secure the right mentor early and listen to them Evolve constantly to avoid becoming irrelevant Expand internationally with local leadership in place Strip your business back to its core value and commit fully 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make 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. FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    10 min
  3. The Decisions That Took These Founders Global

    13 JAN

    The Decisions That Took These Founders Global

    Scaling a startup into a national or international brand is rarely clean, predictable, or glamorous. Recorded live at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, this panel brings together founders who have scaled in very different industries but faced the same uncomfortable decisions along the way. From compliance and capital to branding, product reality, and investor relationships, this conversation focuses on what actually holds when growth accelerates. Guests: Mark Rushmore, Co-founder of SURI Laura Fullerton, Founder of monk Claire Warner, Co-founder of Aecorn Melissa Snover, Founder of Remedy Health & Nourished Jeannette Linfoot, Host of Brave Bold Brilliant (moderator) In this episode, you’ll learn: Why compliance and financial clarity cannot be delayed When rebuilding is the real growth decision How to think about scale before demand explodes What raising capital really looks like in tougher markets If you are building something you want to last, this episode will help you see scale more clearly. 🎧 Don’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts. 🔥 If you’re serious about growing your business, join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, 3–4 November 2026 at the NEC Birmingham. 👉 Subscribe now and be part of the movement. 00:00 Welcome to the Festival of Entrepreneurs   00:12 What It Really Takes to Scale a Startup   01:25 Meet the Founders   04:17 Early Scaling Lessons   05:48 Strategic Bets vs Rushing to Scale   07:04 Building Compliance Before Growth   08:18 Choosing a Market That Can Scale   10:25 Lessons From Before This Business   13:20 When Customers Reject the Product   16:40 Branding Before the Product Exists   18:14 Understanding the Numbers   20:57 The Reality of Raising Capital   21:55 The Screw It Just DO It Moment   24:35 Handling Rejection as a Founder   27:51 Choosing the Right Investors   29:58 Scaling With the Right Partners   32:17 Building a Brand in a New Category   34:43 Final Thoughts From the Panel

    37 min
  4. The Truth About AI And Why Founders Cannot Wait with Piers Linney MBE

    8 JAN

    The Truth About AI And Why Founders Cannot Wait with Piers Linney MBE

    Piers Linney MBE has spent years operating at the sharp end of business, investment, and technology. In this episode, recorded before his recent MBE award, Piers lays out a clear view of where AI is taking founders and why waiting is the biggest risk. He explains how AI already outperforms humans in speed, cost, and consistency across many cognitive tasks. The advantage now comes from knowing where humans still matter and where machines should take over. Founders who treat AI as a daily operating layer will move faster, build leaner teams, and make better decisions. Those who delay will struggle to catch up. This conversation is practical, grounded, and focused on action. It reflects why Piers was recognised with an MBE for services to business and entrepreneurship. Key Takeaways: • AI increases capacity without extra cost • Personalised content and voice agents boost revenue • AI uncovers insights hidden in everyday conversations • Founders who act early gain a long term advantage 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make 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. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    6 min
  5. How Founders Train Mindset Under Pressure with Simon Jeffries

    6 JAN

    How Founders Train Mindset Under Pressure with Simon Jeffries

    What happens when you stop chasing money and start building around who you are. This episode breaks down mindset, performance, and discipline for founders who feel stuck and want control back. Leaving the Special Forces should have been a clean transition. It was not. Simon Jeffries walked away from military life into a corporate role that felt wrong, chased online business ideas that failed, and ended up broke and back at his parents’ home. That low point forced a reset. Simon stopped chasing money and built around what he understood best. Mindset, performance, and discipline under pressure. In this conversation, we break down how founders train mindset as a skill, why small consistent changes beat radical overhauls, and how leadership fundamentals still matter in an AI driven world. This episode is for founders who feel overwhelmed, reactive, or stuck in their own heads and want a practical way forward. Guest: Simon Jeffries is a former Special Forces operator and co founder of The Natural Edge, where he works with founders and leaders on mindset and performance under pressure. Key takeaways Discipline is a trained skill and beats raw talent over time Mindset works when treated like physical training with structure Small consistent changes create lasting performance shifts Leadership basics matter more than tools or technology 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make 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. FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    58 min
  6. James Haskell on Focus, Discipline and Building a Life After Sport

    1 JAN

    James Haskell on Focus, Discipline and Building a Life After Sport

    James Haskell shares the realities of leaving a structured career for entrepreneurship and the discipline needed to build something on your own terms. Stepping out of professional sport and into business forces you to confront how you work, who you trust and what you want your life to look like. In this bite sized episode, I speak with James Haskell as he breaks down the shift from a highly structured rugby environment to the chaos that often defines the corporate world. He talks about the importance of boundaries, the trap of pointless meetings and the need to value your time as much as you value your effort. His honesty cuts through the noise that surrounds entrepreneurship and highlights a simple truth. You either take responsibility for your next chapter or someone else writes it for you. Guest note: James Haskell is a former England rugby international and entrepreneur. Key Takeaways: Discipline replaces structure when you leave a fixed careerBoundaries stop you wasting time on meetings that add nothingFocus on fewer ventures to reduce burnout and increase clarityA clear exchange of value builds better business relationships 🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make 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. FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

    11 min
4.9
out of 5
142 Ratings

About

Screw It Just DO It is the podcast for entrepreneurs, founders and business builders who are ready to stop waiting and start building. Hosted by Alex Chisnall, the show features honest conversations with people who’ve faced uncertainty, taken risks and built businesses that matter — from kitchen-table side projects to global brands and billion-pound companies. Real stories. Real decisions. Real progress. New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.

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