Screw It Just DO It with Alex Chisnall

Alex Chisnall
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  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. We Spent 2.5 Years Developing Fabric Before Selling One Item | Rory MacFadyen of Reflo

    1D AGO

    We Spent 2.5 Years Developing Fabric Before Selling One Item | Rory MacFadyen of Reflo

    Rory MacFadyen never planned to run an apparel brand. He was on a solid corporate trajectory in sport. Middle East sponsorship deals. Major events. A comfortable path. Then he saw the scale of waste in sportswear. At the same time, his best friend Pete discovered how to turn unlimited plastic waste into performance fabric. That was the spark. In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Rory shares how Reflo was born, why they spent two and a half years developing sustainable performance fabrics before launching, and how they went from being doubted to landing partnerships with the Australian Open and the WM Phoenix Open. We talk about rejection, tall poppy syndrome in the UK, raising growth capital, bringing Harry Kane in as an investor, and why entrepreneurship is far harder than people think. This is not a fast-fashion story. It’s about long-term thinking, graft, resilience, and trying to flip an industry on its head. Key Takeaways • Why there is never a perfect time to launch • How to build credibility before you look big • Why founders must sell, not just manage • The truth about hustle culture and burnout • How to build a brand rooted in mission, not marketing 🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days. 👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Screw It Just DO It 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    42 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Winning The Apprentice Was Just the Start

    When Dr Leah Totton applied for The Apprentice, she was a full-time NHS doctor with no business experience and a clear career path ahead in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She didn’t expect to win. But winning meant walking away from certainty and stepping into the unknown with Lord Alan Sugar as her business partner. In this episode, I sit down with Leah to unpack what really happened after the cameras stopped rolling. The cash flow stress. The competitor who copied her business model before she even opened. The shock of realising that even after national TV exposure, nobody was queuing outside the clinic. This is the reality of building a service-based business. Leah shares the mindset shift from doctor to entrepreneur, the discipline of sector expertise, and why quality control matters more than rapid scale. We also dive into her seven-year journey to launch a skincare line that she refused to rush, despite pressure to “just put something out”. If you are thinking of starting a clinic, a product brand, or any service-led business, this conversation is a masterclass in resilience and execution. Key Takeaways Getting customers is harder than launching: Opening the doors is easy. Building trust takes years. Especially in health and aesthetics. Sector expertise protects your business: If you cannot deliver the core service yourself, scaling becomes fragile. Thick skin is not optional: Business is not personal. The sooner you understand that, the faster you grow. Quality compounds: Short-term speed can damage long-term trust. Leah chose slower growth with stronger foundations. 🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days. 👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit 🎧 Don’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts. 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    12 min
  3. Robert Hanna: I Didn’t Want The Wage To Be The Cage

    MAR 3

    Robert Hanna: I Didn’t Want The Wage To Be The Cage

    When I sat down with Robert Hanna, I did not hear a story about failure. I heard a story about comfort. He was a director at a legal recruitment firm. Well paid. Progressing. Respected. By most standards, successful. But approaching his 30th birthday, he realised something uncomfortable. He was building someone else’s legacy, not his own. That realisation led to a decision. Start his own legal recruitment agency. Then take a bigger risk. Launch The Legally Speaking Podcast, not as a hobby, but as a long-term personal branding strategy. Today, that podcast is a global legal careers platform. It attracts high-quality clients, builds community in the legal industry, and has secured sponsorship from a $5bn legal tech unicorn. In this episode, we break down how personal branding, niche community building, strategic partnerships and content repurposing can transform a professional services business. If you are a founder thinking about building authority, launching a podcast, or turning content into commercial leverage, this conversation is practical and direct. Key Takeaways Comfort can quietly limit ambition. Ownership changes everything. Personal branding is not vanity. It is commercial leverage. Niche communities outperform broad audiences in professional services. Evergreen content becomes an asset when treated strategically. Strategic partnerships accelerate growth faster than going alone. 🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days. 👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Screw It Just DO It 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    1h 5m
  4. From SAS To Everest: The Decision That Shifted Everything

    FEB 26

    From SAS To Everest: The Decision That Shifted Everything

    Jay Morton spent 14 years in the British military, including 10 Jay Morton spent 14 years in the British military, including 10 years in the SAS Special Air Service. Then one quiet moment in the Alps changed everything. In this Thursday Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Jay shares the exact moment he realised there was more to life than chasing promotion inside the Special Forces. Standing on a mountain ridge, eating a sandwich, he made a decision that would take him from elite military operator to two-time Mount Everest summitier and high performance expedition leader. We talk about: Leaving a high-status career without a rigid plan Why Everest became the next proving ground The difference between physical toughness and mental resilience Why growth only happens when you deliberately make life hard Jay reflects on summiting Everest twice, guiding clients through extreme pressure, and why he refuses to reach the end of life with regret. 🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days. 👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit 🎧 Don’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts. 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    12 min
  5. Do It Before Someone Else Does | From 500 to 16,000 with Dr. Raphael Sofoluke

    FEB 24

    Do It Before Someone Else Does | From 500 to 16,000 with Dr. Raphael Sofoluke

    In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Dr. Raphael Sofoluke, founder and CEO of the UK Black Business Show. Raphael didn’t start with funding. He didn’t start with a team. He didn’t even start full-time. He had an idea, six months, and a belief that representation mattered. From a 500-person event at the QE2 Centre to a week-long series attracting 16,000 attendees, Raphael shares the real story behind building one of the UK’s most impactful business platforms. We talk about speed over perfection, juggling a full-time job while building something bigger, why being audacious matters, and how the new partnership with Stephen Bartlett and Flight Story aims to drive £100 billion in economic impact over the next decade. This conversation is about execution, ambition, and refusing to think small. Key Takeaways Speed beats perfection. First to market with strong execution wins.Learn and earn before you leap. Industry experience compounds.Longevity matters more than hype. Execute with excellence consistently.Impact is the real metric. Revenue follows vision and representation. 🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days. 👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Screw It Just DO It 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    48 min
  6. The Day Redundancy Forced A Decision with Timo Mullen

    FEB 19

    The Day Redundancy Forced A Decision with Timo Mullen

    Timo Mullen is the co-founder of Foam Life, a sustainable flip flop brand built after he and his co-founder lost their six-figure jobs during the pandemic. In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Timo shares the moment they stopped waiting for certainty and chose action instead. From designing their first product in a week to securing pre-orders, raising investment, and expanding into international markets, this conversation breaks down what really happens when founders remove the safety net. Timo also explains why regret became a bigger risk than failure, how accountability drives momentum, and why word of mouth matters more than paid marketing when you are building something real. Key Takeaways Regret is heavier than failure when you do not actRemoving the safety net forces clarityMomentum comes from action, not planningSustainability works when it is built in from day one 🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days. 👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit 🎧 Don’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts. 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    7 min
  7. She Walked Away From Law And Built Coffee Republic

    FEB 17

    She Walked Away From Law And Built Coffee Republic

    In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Sahar Hashemi OBE, co-founder of Coffee Republic and the force behind Buy Women Built. Sahar shares the moment that changed everything. Trapped in a legal career that did not fit, she was forced to confront how short life really is. Instead of waiting for clarity, confidence, or permission, she acted. We talk about why most founders overthink instead of starting, why customer experience always wins, and why small, doable steps matter more than perfect plans. Sahar also explains why female entrepreneurship in the UK still lags behind other developed countries and what Buy Women Built is doing to change that. This conversation is for anyone sitting on an idea, feeling restless, or waiting for the right moment. Key Takeaways Why waiting is often riskier than taking actionHow starting small creates momentum and clarityWhy customer obsession builds resilient businessesHow visibility and role models change belief and behaviour 🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days. 👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit 🎧 Listen to the full episode of Screw It Just DO It 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    49 min
  8. The Rocking Chair Test That Changed Everything

    FEB 12

    The Rocking Chair Test That Changed Everything

    In this bite-sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, I speak with Cemal Ezel OBE, CEO and founder of Change Please. Cemal shares the defining moment that reshaped his life and career. On a long bus journey in Vietnam, a stranger asked him a question that forced deep reflection. Sitting in a rocking chair at ninety, what legacy would he leave behind. That question led Cemal to build Change Please, a social enterprise using coffee to tackle homelessness. Today, Change Please trains homeless people as baristas, pays a living wage, provides housing support, and reinvests all profits into reducing homelessness. The business is stocked nationwide in Sainsbury’s and is expanding internationally while maintaining strong environmental standards across its supply chain. This episode explores purpose-led entrepreneurship, building the right team, choosing mentors carefully, and why founders must take time to recognise progress. Key Takeaways Why reflecting on legacy clarifies decision makingHow small actions can scale meaningful impactThe importance of surrounding yourself with experienced mentorsWhy founders must pause to acknowledge progress 🎧 Don’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts. 🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at the NEC Birmingham. 👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

    11 min
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4.9
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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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