Founded & Grounded Ollie Collard & Dr Becky Sage

Meet the power couple who quit their jobs and made Dragons' Den history, by giving away 5% of their business for £5. 

Introducing Charlene Mitchell-Hood and Simon Hood, the founders of Sooper Books. Hear their incredible journey, which started as a simple idea to aid their daughter’s bedtime routine, which quickly turned into the world's number one bedtime story streaming service and saw all five Dragons invest. 

Their journey will inspire you and arm you with valuable insights for your own startup. Don't miss this masterclass on how you can turn your passion into a category-defining leader.

Sooper Books is a storybook streaming service offering hundreds of world-class stories and audiobooks to millions of families around the world, completely free of charge.

Key Takeaways

- Value of relationships over money. Learn why and how they prioritised connections over cash, which has opened doors and fostered significant growth for Sooper Books. This illustrates that sometimes, who you know is as important as what you know.

- Authenticity in pitching and brand building. Learn how their genuine approach in the Dragon's Den and beyond has not only differentiated them from competitors but also helped build a brand that's beloved by families worldwide.

- Balancing business and personal life. Discover the delicate art of managing a business with your spouse, the importance of delegation, having clear boundaries in place and the pivotal role of learning from failures to ensure both business and personal growth.

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A teaser for Season 5. We deep dive into the minds of early-stage founders, who are only a couple of steps ahead.

Our unique podcast format, blending interviews with analysis, brings you closer to the action. Our hosts, Dr Becky Sage and Ollie Tiramuragan Collard unpack the business lessons for you.

Join us as we tackle taboo topics and feature a diverse range of guests, with over 1 in 3 being female founders and 1 in 4 being from an ethnic minority background since the podcast was launched in 2019.

We delve into Ashleigh Tennent's journey in the coaching industry. We also hear about Andy Welsh's financial struggles. Eric Fulwiler shares his career journey, marketing insights, and experiences with Gary Vaynerchuk.

Have questions about our podcasts? Ask our hosts, chat now via our website
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Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:

National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact


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The untold story of how one woman's mental health crisis led her to create a revolutionary mindset company for women.

Meet Kim Palmer founder of Clementine, a company on a mission to free women from unhelpful thoughts, feelings & expectations.

Kim's very personal crisis led her to champion mental well-being and create a movement for women. Clementine is reimagining mental health and paving the way for digital therapeutics. Kim risked it all as the main breadwinner, giving up her well-paid job in strategy to follow her dreams. 

Key Takeaways

- Expansion and growth: Explore Clementine's strategic shift from an App to a mindset company

- Founder well-being: Kim discusses the critical role of self-care, the power of trusting one's intuition, and maintaining emotional well-being amid the demands of startup life

- The Importance of Customer Discovery: How to effectively use customer insights to validate your business model, fuel growth and build an engaged community

Have questions about this episode? Ask our hosts, chat now via our website
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Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:

National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact


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Get a rare insight into one entrepreneur's remarkable journey to a $1.5B market cap. 

Discover John Williams's insider strategies and personal challenges as he co-founded and scaled Kudan from startup through to IPO. John's next chapter is building SCVC, a deep tech VC he and partner Harry Destecroix wished they had as founders.

This episode is a must-listen for every entrepreneur and tech enthusiast.

Key Takeaways

- Insider IPO Strategies: from leading Kudan through to a historic IPO, John shares his untold story of the strategic manoeuvres and personal challenges of scaling a company to achieve a billion-dollar-plus valuation. 

- Venture Capital Reimagined: discover SCVC's unique approach as a deep tech VC firm that supports early-stage founders, focused on transforming academic research into commercial spinouts.
 
- Technology product fit, learn how a deep understanding of your technology can guide you to the right product and market.

Investor mindset -  hear how SCVC is helping early-stage founders navigate the complex and long journey from academic research to spinout success. 
Hear how John hopes to leave a legacy and go beyond his massive IPO milestone,  by backing the best technical founders who are creating the fourth industrial revolution.

Have questions about this episode? Ask our hosts, chat now via our website
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Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:

National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact


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Meet Conal Cunningham, a music industry veteran turned pet food innovator, and discover his remarkable business journey of perseverance and innovation.
We deep-dive into the origins of Mr Bug, a company redefining pet nutrition through sustainably bred insect protein. 


This startup story has everything from kitchen experiments to funding struggles and scaling triumphs. 


Whether you're a founder, an eco-conscious individual, or simply curious about the intersection of sustainability and business, this episode is a must-listen. 


Key Takeaways:

- Understand how starting small and bootstrapping can be leveraged as a strategic advantage for learning, evolving, and growing your business

- How to engage with your customers early on and how this can lead to immediate sales and traction when you launch your startup

- The framework for building a stand-out brand in a crowded marketplace

- The potential of insect protein to contribute to food security and the circular economy.


Have questions about this episode? Ask our hosts, chat now via our website
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Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:

National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact


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Entrepreneurship is a lot like dancing; both require resilience, adaptability, and the courage to step outside your comfort zone.

Find out how one startup, SOS Dance Global, is combining these elements to reach the top of the industry. This is a story of empowerment, resilience, and defying the odds.

Bonnie Parsons, shares her remarkable journey from professional dancer to pioneering entrepreneur, and how she's empowering a generation of women through the universal language of dance.

Key Takeaways

- How to confront challenges head-on. Hear the harsh truths behind the obstacles facing female founders and the keys to success in balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood. 

- Empowerment as strategy. For Bonnie, she's clear on her mission to positively impact lives globally, providing strength and confidence to women. 

- Scaling up requires a transformative mindset, implementing systems, and spreading culture and processes for business growth

- Persistence pays off. Building a startup is a long game where patience, strategic planning, and understanding your worth are essential ingredients for success.
Have questions about this episode? Ask our hosts, chat now via our website
Text us your feedback and feature on the show
Support the Show.
Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partners:

National Protective Security Authority - NSPA: The Secure Innovation campaign helps you take steps to protect your business from hostile threats. Don’t leave it too late. Use the link to download the quick-start guide now:

NPSA.gov.uk/innovation

Hexa Finance: Hexa provides business finance to help you grow from start-up to success. To access your free consultation, simply go to:

hexafinance.co.uk/contact


Have questions about our podcast or an episode? Ask our hosts, chat now