Startup Breakdown

Caroline Sumners, Milly Barker
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Scaling a business can feel like a rollercoaster - and Startup Breakdown is here to ride it with you. Hosted by Caroline, a marketing strategist and Milly, a strategy and operations expert, this podcast combines real-world business advice with the hilarious and messy reality of running a startup. With decades of practical experience, more than a few war wounds, and hundreds of millions of pounds raised between them, Milly and Caroline bring you the insights you need to grow your business - without losing your mind. Expect practical tips, candid stories, and plenty of laughs.

  1. 9h ago

    Startup Breakdown Episode 76: This is TMI btw

    ow to design a remote Operating System that keeps human connection going but isn’t giving everyone video call fatigue, for a fully remote team. Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

  2. Aug 6

    Startup Breakdown Episode 75: No Go Go In My Brain Anymore!

    In this weeks episode Milly has big news, as she gives up caffeine. Caroline spent the day at the emergency vet (again) We also talk about the impending arrival of Milly's new pup, Betty. In questions we talk about How do you approach using AI in an ethical way and what and how should you disclose to clients.   Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

  3. Jul 30

    Startup Breakdown Episode 74: The Zeigarnik Effect

    In this episode of Startup Breakdown we talk about coffee on a laptop, broken glasses and other disasters that have plagued us recently. We talk hot weather exhaustion, day trips and other things. We also talk about AI and academic writing and the issues that now poses. In the startup element of this week, Milly answered "I feel like my brain is like a web browser with 50 tabs open. What are simple things I can do on a daily basis so that I can actually sleep at night?" Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

  4. Jul 23

    Startup Breakdown Episode 73: Arse is as wide as a small country

    In this episode we talk about context shifting when you have multiple clients, Milly's holiday, and an interesting coach journey to the airport. The hot weather continues and so we talk about the Bernoulli Principle. We discuss this and other hacks for cooling down our houses - there was a lot of breakdowns in this episode.! In questions Caroline answered "We know we need to get a CRM and email system in place. We were thinking about Hubspot but it is very expensive. What recommendations do you have for a small business just starting out with email marketing?" Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

  5. Jul 16

    Startup Breakdown Episode 72: It's hot as F**K

    Harry Styles chat #2, practical summer show tips for the heatwave, yoga teacher training, backhanded compliments, oat milk powder and other fun stuff. We cover it all! Y In actual business questions we answer, our tech stack has become a complete monster - we’re paying for 15 different SaaS tools, half of which don't talk to each other. How do I audit and streamline without screwing up our workflow? Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

  6. Jul 9

    Startup Breakdown Episode 71: Rejoice. It is Holiday Packing Spreadsheet Time

    It is Harry Styles Fever #1 here on Startup Breakdown Episode 71 and a recap of the exhibition of Caroline's masters work in progress and pub quiz updates and the importance of a multi generational team. A hot topic is the social media ban for under 16s. Listen in to our thoughts on this. And Milly is off on vacation so we delve into her packing process again! We also answer whats the number 1 mistake we see founders make with marketing. Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

  7. Jul 2

    Startup Breakdown Episode 70: The dose decides the poison

    We are rocking onto episode 70, high off the back of an actual in person meet up for the 2 of us. In TV talk we discuss Interior Design Masters and the lack of congruence to the prize and availability. We also talk about how much support you do (or don't get) from friends and family. In questions we discuss what to do when you realise you a 'Start-up Founder' but might not be a 'Scale-up CEO.' Realistically, what shifts do you need to make in your role to stay relevant to in your own company? Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

  8. Jun 25

    Startup Breakdown Episode 69: Better Than Nothing

    Tech woes plague us yet again. Listening back to schedule this whilst in the middle of a heat wave but rediscovering that we were having biblical rain as we recorded reinforced what we already know - climate change anyone? We also talked about Vibe Coding with Loveable and creating a customer scorecard. In questions we talked about what advice we had for how much marketing you should do over the summer when attention is potentially not as much. Who are your hosts? Milly: I'm a serial COO with an MBA from Imperial College London. I'm the ultimate cheerleader for early-stage companies and I've got the knowledge you need to take your brilliant ideas from the drawing board to the board room. I help companies across all industries build simple strategic frameworks to help them grow by focussing on the most important tasks without breaking the bank. If you’re looking for help to fight the overwhelm, communicate with your team, or raise money for your business give me a shout and we can have a free, no-strings Discovery Call over at www.payasyougocoo.com.  Caroline: I’m  a marketing strategist and coach with a passion for making marketing simple, effective, and actually fun. I help entrepreneurs and small business owners cut through the noise, get crystal clear on their messaging, and create smarter strategies that actually move the needle. If you’re ready to build a marketing plan that feels good and gets results, you can work with me 1:1 through coaching or join the Smarter Marketing Club,  my community packed with training, support, and real-world marketing know-how. Head over to carolinesumners.com to find out more and book a free Discovery Call. This podcast is expertly edited by James Ede. You can check out his services at beheardproductions https://www.beheard.org.uk/ If you’re scaling your business or just surviving your latest breakdown, we’d love to hear from you, send us a message at startup.breakdown.podcast@gmail.com.

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About

Scaling a business can feel like a rollercoaster - and Startup Breakdown is here to ride it with you. Hosted by Caroline, a marketing strategist and Milly, a strategy and operations expert, this podcast combines real-world business advice with the hilarious and messy reality of running a startup. With decades of practical experience, more than a few war wounds, and hundreds of millions of pounds raised between them, Milly and Caroline bring you the insights you need to grow your business - without losing your mind. Expect practical tips, candid stories, and plenty of laughs.

Information

  • Creator
    Caroline Sumners, Milly Barker
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    78
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Caroline Sumners, Milly Barker
  • Show Website
    Startup Breakdown