Building The Brand with James Burtt

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Building The Brand is a Top 50 business podcast for people who don’t just want success stories - they want to understand how success is actually built. Hosted by James Burtt, each episode features in-depth conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, and creators behind standout brands. This isn’t surface-level storytelling. This is a tactical break down of real decisions, trade-offs and lessons behind standout brands Past guests include world-renowned business and entrepreneurial figures Gary Brecka, Grant Cardone, Joe Foster, Mark Victor Hansen and John Lee Dumas. Not how to. This is how you.

  1. 4d ago

    Business Exit Strategy: How Howard Kosky Built and Sold His Company for Millions

    How to sell your business for £50M? Howard Kosky built his specialist PR agencies over 32 years then sold it for £50M - and says leaving felt like grief. So, what is a business exit strategy really? Howard who is considered to be a broadcast PR pioneer sits down with James Burtt on Building The Brand to break down selling a business in the UK, how to value a business beyond EBITDA, and how private equity really buys companies. How much is my business worth? Howard's answer: Your value is not your profitability. Buyers pay for future-proofing, niche dominance, and runway. In this episode he reveals his first IPO windfall at 28, engineering a management buyout in 2001, buying Cue Sheet magazine to own the market, building 5 interconnected companies, and why he chose PE investment for his final exit. He also breaks down due diligence survival, vendor due diligence, why buyers chip price, and the emotional support gap no advisor warns you about.If you want a UK founder playbook for business valuation, exit planning, and life after selling a business — this is it. 🎙️ Guest: Howard Kosky — Founder, Markettiers4DC 🎙️ Host: James Burtt — Building The Brand 👇 KEY MOMENTS: Selling a Business & £50M Exit Strategy: 0:00 — How to sell your business for £50M? The day after the deal 0:54 — Why does selling a business feel like grief? 2:13 — Radiators vs drains: What founders get wrong after exit 8:02 — What is life after selling your company really like? 13:13 — Business exit strategy: What is your right to win? 15:50 — How did Marketeers for DC start in broadcast PR? 20:29 — What happens in your first IPO at 28? 24:46 — How does a management buyout from a PLC work 30:39 — How to spot digital opportunity early in business? 42:39 — Should you buy a competitor to own your niche? 54:34 — Where do you really make your fortune? Fame vs fortune 57:11 — When is the right time to sell your business to private equity? 01:04:50 — How do buyers value a business? Future-proofing vs profit 01:10:21 — How to survive due diligence when selling a business? 01:24:49 — Why is there no emotional support when you sell your company? ABOUT BUILDING THE BRAND:Building The Brand is the business podcast for people who don't just want inspiration - they want to understand how success is actually built. Hosted by James Burtt, each episode goes beyond the headline with in-depth conversations and signature pause moments that tactically break down strategy. FOLLOW for weekly interviews with UK founders on selling a business, scaling, and brand building.

    Business Exit Strategy: How Howard Kosky Built and Sold His Company for Millions

  2. Oct 21

    How to Build a Personal Brand: 400 Days of Content, Instagram Growth & Brand Deals | Layton Woodcroft (Layton Video)

    What happens when you post a video every single day for 243 days and STILL can't break 1,000 views on TikTok? Layton went from working as an electrician to building a successful personal brand, growing an audience of nearly 250,000 followers and securing brand partnerships with companies including Sony, DJI and Adobe. But his success didn't happen overnight. He committed to posting content for 400 consecutive days, learning how to create better videos, build audience trust and turn social media attention into a profitable creator business. Today, Layton helps entrepreneurs, founders and businesses master short-form video content, Instagram growth, storytelling and personal branding through online courses, workshops and brand collaborations. In this episode of Building The Brand, Layton sits down with James Burtt to explain why most businesses get their content strategy wrong, why views don't necessarily equal sales, how to create engaging videos without expensive equipment and how he turned his content into multiple income streams. He also shares the practical formula behind his viral videos, why brands should prioritise storytelling over selling, how to negotiate paid UGC and influencer brand deals, and why consistency is one of the most underrated tools in building a successful personal brand. Connect with Layton: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/layton_video/ Want more from Building The Brand? Connect here:https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 — Posting 400 Days in a Row: The Reality of Building a Personal Brand 01:46 — Why Most Businesses Get Their Video Content Strategy Wrong 03:01 — Content Consistency vs Batching: How to Get Better at Making Videos 19:22 — Overcoming Camera Anxiety and the Fear of Posting Online 21:22 — 243 Days Without Going Viral: Why Persistence Builds Audience Trust 27:38 — How Businesses Can Create More Video Content In-House 30:13 — Monetising Your Personal Brand With Online Courses and Digital Products 35:15 — How to Get Brand Deals and Build Multiple Creator Income Streams 40:50 — How Consistent Content Builds Trust, Followers and Brand Awareness 45:11 — Brand Storytelling, Social Proof and UGC Marketing That Converts 51:45 — How to Negotiate Influencer Brand Deals, Fees and Usage Rights 54:26 — Do Talking Head Videos Still Work? Creating Authentic Content 01:04:30 — Finding Original Content Ideas and Avoiding Social Media Comparison 01:10:17 — How to Film Better Instagram Reels: The 15-Shot Video Formula 01:12:07 — Viral Videos vs Valuable Content: Building a Social Media Sales Funnel 01:22:35 — Instagram vs Email Marketing: What Actually Converts Into Sales? 01:30:43 — The One-Brick-a-Day Mindset for Building a Successful Business

    How to Build a Personal Brand: 400 Days of Content, Instagram Growth & Brand Deals | Layton Woodcroft (Layton Video)

  3. Oct 14

    From Terraces to Palaces: How Guy Phoenix Built a Brand Around a Luxury Empire

    Guy Phoenix builds £25M super homes for billionaires complete with shark tanks and helipads! The Channel 4 star reveals how he went from terraced houses to Monaco mansions. How do you go from building standard terraced houses to building some of the most extravagant luxury homes in the world for billionaires? Guy Phoenix - luxury home builder, star of Building Britain's Superhomes on Channel 4, and founder of Guy Phoenix Luxury Developments - sits down with James Burtt for an unfiltered conversation on Building The Brand. Guy doesn't call himself a builder. He calls himself an artist. In this episode he breaks down how the Guy Phoenix name became synonymous with luxury and extravagance over 20+ years, why he once built ONE super home on a plot where he could have built six houses, why a client paid him £50,000 just for a conversation, and why his future billionaire project will cost hundreds of millions. You'll hear how his son Jack took the brand to another level with YouTube and TV in the last 3 years (90% of growth), his on-site design process with spray paint and string, 585 lighting circuits vs 23 in a normal house, six-figures-a-month interest bills, £300k planning fees, Monaco, Miami, Beverly Hills expansion, and his take on the UK property market, wealth exodus and tax. If you want to understand luxury property development in the UK, how to build a personal brand in construction, and the mindset of the ultra-wealthy who buy Guy Phoenix homes - this is it. KEY MOMENTS:  0:00 - How Guy Phoenix Accidentally Built a Luxury Brand  01:54 - I Am Not a Builder. I Am an Artist.  04:01 - Shark Tanks, Lagoons, Helipads & Football Pitches: Client Wish Lists  06:06 - How His Son Jack 10X'd The Business With YouTube & TV  0:40 - The Hundreds-Of-Millions Billionaire Super Home  12:23 - From Terraced Houses To £25M Mansions: The Stepping Stones  13:41 - Designing With Spray Paint & String: Guy's Process  27:02 - UK Wealth Exodus, Tax & Stamp Duty Truth 29:14 - Moving to Monaco: Why He's Relocating  30:50 - The £50,000 Chat & Hugh Grant Story: Fame & Clients  32:59 - Impenetrable Homes: Security For Billionaires  50:00 - 585 Lighting Circuits: His Lighting Superpower  51:00 - Hard Work, Resilience & Short Temper: Work Ethic  52:35 - Legacy: Homes That Live On After He's Gone  53:12 - Strip Billionaires Naked & They'd Get Rich Again: Wealth Mindset Want more from Building The Brand? Connect here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter

  4. Oct 7

    How to Grow Your Brand With Short-Form: Lessons From Diary of a CEO

    Former Diary of a CEO Head of Trailers Ant Smith - one of the first 10 key hires who helped build the world's fastest growing podcast - reveals his short form content strategy  for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and podcast trailers.  Ant goes full tactical on how to go viral short form. Ant made 450+ trailers for Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, turning 90-second  podcast trailer cuts into miniature movies.  In this episode of Building The Brand with James Burtt, he breaks down exactly how to grow a podcast with short-form: why disconnection kills retention, how to sell the guest in 10 seconds, the psychological effect behind cliff-hangers, eye-lines for retention, perfect imperfection cuts, and his ai video editing workflow that turned 4 hours into 20 minutes. If you want  podcast growth , a proven youtube shorts strategy and real storytelling psychology from inside DOAC, this is the playbook.  This is Ant Smith x Building The Brand Part 2 - more stories, all tactics. Perfect for podcasters, video editors, and founders using short-form to grow.👇  CHAPTERS - Diary of a CEO Short-Form Tactics: 0:00 — Hook: Why 90 seconds decides if they watch 2 hours 02:50 — Who is Ant Smith? Early DOAC hire to Head of Trailers 11:20 — He'd never heard of Steven Bartlett: joining Diary of a CEO 13:00 — Not a podcast, a show: the trailer philosophy that changed podcasting 29:40 — How Ant used AI in DOAC trailers (guest intros in 20 mins) 32:30 — Disconnection kills retention: the #1 retention rule 34:00 — Perfect imperfection: the authenticity cut that builds trust 38:00 — Quantity vs quality: AI for marketing teams 41:00 — Best AI tools for video creators (Artlist, Envato) 44:00 — Human-led ideas, AI for brutal feedback (Claude workflow) 46:00 — Psychology of cliff-hangers & the Zeigarnik effect 50:00 — Eye-lines for retention in YouTube Shorts 53:40 — Why story is king for brands and creator Connect with Ant via https://www.linkedin.com/in/antedits/ Building The Brand hosted by James Burtt - new episodes weekly on business, podcasting & brand building. Subscribe for tactical breakdowns.

    How to Grow Your Brand With Short-Form: Lessons From Diary of a CEO

  5. Oct 1

    Hannah Williams: How We Built Tiny Rebel, Scaled to 120 Staff & Started Again With Lucky No.7 Coffee

    How do you help build one of the UK’s best-known challenger beer brands, walk away from the business you helped create and then start all over again in a completely different industry? Hannah Williams helped build Tiny Rebel from a home-brewing experiment into a major independent brewery employing around 120 people, while acting as CFO and helping scale the company through rapid growth. Today, she is CEO of the Alacrity Foundation, working with technology startups and entrepreneurs, while simultaneously building Lucky No.7 Coffee alongside her husband Mo. And she’s doing it with many of the same principles that helped Tiny Rebel grow: move quickly, test the market, build a distinctive brand, surround yourself with great people and learn as you go. In this live episode of Building The Brand from Ideas Fest, Hannah shares the entrepreneurial lessons behind building Tiny Rebel, launching a coffee brand, scaling a startup, building a team and creating a brand people actually remember. Want more from Building The Brand?Connect here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter In this episode, Hannah reveals: How Tiny Rebel went from home brewing to employing around 120 people Why they ignored advice that the business needed a traditional marketing budget and backed social media marketing instead How Tiny Rebel hit its original three-year forecast within just nine months Why Hannah believes naivety can sometimes be more powerful than confidence when starting a business Why knowing when you are no longer adding value can be critical as a founder or senior leader How simply asking successful entrepreneurs for help led to mentorship and advice from people behind businesses including Gymshark and Grenade Why she hires for “will over skill” and believes attitude can be more valuable than experience Why great businesses require partnerships, co-founders and complementary skill sets How Hannah and Mo created the Lucky No.7 Coffee brand around their blended family of seven Why Lucky No.7 used events to test its branding, products and customer response before expanding Why moving into physical retail earlier than planned can sometimes create unexpected growth opportunities How Hannah combines startup thinking, technology and ecommerce with a traditional physical product business Hannah also explains the personal side of entrepreneurship: leaving Tiny Rebel after more than a decade, growing up around entrepreneurial parents, raising children around business and why financial success means less to her than creating experiences and making a difference to other people. Lucky No.7 Coffee: https://www.instagram.com/lucky.no7coffee/ Alacrity Foundation: https://alacrityfoundation.co.uk/ Ideas Fest: https://ideasfest.uk/ Under The Canvas: https://underthecanvas.co.uk/ 0:00 — From Tiny Rebel to Building Lucky No.7 Coffee 03:35 — How Tiny Rebel Started With Beer Brewed at Home 04:45 — Ignoring Traditional Marketing Advice & Betting on Social Media 05:25 — Hitting a Three-Year Business Forecast in Nine Months 06:30 — Why Naivety Can Be an Entrepreneurial Advantage 08:00 — Why Hannah Walked Away From Tiny Rebel 09:25 — How to Get Successful Entrepreneurs to Mentor You 11:00 — Knowing When You’re No Longer Adding Value to a Business 15:55 — “Will Over Skill”: Hannah’s Approach to Hiring Great People 22:00 — Why Entrepreneurs Need the Right Partner Around Them 26:45 — Building the Lucky No.7 Coffee Brand From Scratch 30:30 — Launching Into Retail Without a Traditional Business Plan 32:00 — Testing Your Brand Before Trying to Scale It 35:00 — Why Moving Too Early Can Sometimes Create Your Biggest Opportunity 36:25 — “Slow Down to Speed Up”: Balancing Momentum With Strategy 40:45 — Building a UK Coffee Brand Beyond Physical Stores 41:30 — AI Search, GEO & the Future of Ecommerce Discovery 43:25 — Why Hannah Never Feels Like She Has Done Enough

    Hannah Williams: How We Built Tiny Rebel, Scaled to 120 Staff & Started Again With Lucky No.7 Coffee

  6. Sep 23

    James Sinclair: How To Build a £50M Business Empire, Buy Businesses & Scale Without Giving Up Equity

    How do you build a £50 million business empire, operate more than 30 companies, employ 3,000 people and keep acquiring businesses without giving away equity to investors? James 'Jimbo' Sinclair has spent his career buying businesses, building management teams, acquiring commercial property and turning struggling or overlooked companies into valuable assets. Starting out as a teenage children’s entertainer and magician, James has built a portfolio spanning leisure attractions, childcare, food service, hospitality, commercial property and self-storage. In this live episode of Building The Brand from Ideas Fest, James breaks down the business acquisition strategy, management systems and entrepreneurial mindset behind his £50m group. Want more from Building The Brand?Connect here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter Big thanks to our much-loved partners for this pod - go show them some love: Ideas Fest https://ideasfest.uk/ Lucky No.7 Coffee https://luckyno7coffee.co.uk/ Under The Canvas https://underthecanvas.co.uk/ In this tactical breakdown, James reveals: Why entrepreneurs should build a business to sell even if they never intend to sell it His Entrepreneurship + Management = Success framework for scaling beyond the founder The acquisition strategy he uses to understand a company before he even completes the purchase Why he refuses to give away equity to investors but is comfortable using bank debt to grow How content marketing has helped him recruit employees and find business acquisition opportunities Why James believes a newsletter can generate more business value than a podcast or YouTube channel How to identify businesses with protected leverage, strong margins and lower labour requirements Why self-storage and commercial property have become increasingly attractive parts of his portfolio Why grit can be more important than talent when building a successful business The reality of cash-flow problems, losing millions and carrying responsibility for thousands of employees James also opens up about the darker side of entrepreneurship: why success can become increasingly lonely, why his brain never switches off and why entrepreneurs often create new problems the moment everything starts going well. This is a masterclass in how to buy a business, business acquisitions, scaling a company, entrepreneurship, business management, business growth strategy, content marketing and building wealth through business ownership. James Sinclair: https://www.youtube.com/@jamessinclairspodcast Ideas Fest: https://ideasfest.uk/ Lucky No.7 Coffee: https://www.instagram.com/lucky.no7coffee/ Under The Canvas: https://underthecanvas.co.uk/ Questions answered in this episode: How does James Sinclair buy and grow businesses? How do you scale a business without giving away equity? Why should you build a business as if you are going to sell it? How do entrepreneurs transition from operating a business to leading one? KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 — Inside James Sinclair’s £50M Business Empire 03:40 — The Reality of Running a Business in the UK in 2026 06:00 — How James Chooses Businesses to Buy 08:25 — Why Your Business Needs Growth to Keep Great People 09:32 — Entrepreneurship + Management = Business Success 12:48 — The Businesses James Sinclair Has Bought This Year 13:12 — Build Your Business to Sell — Even If You Never Sell 17:03 — Why Entrepreneurship Gets Lonelier as You Scale 18:38 — Grit vs Talent: What Actually Creates Successful Entrepreneurs? 27:31 — James Sinclair’s Business Acquisition Hack Before Buying 29:08 — How Content Marketing Generates Deals and Recruitment 30:00 — Why James Refuses Investors but Uses Bank Debt 33:46 — Why Newsletters Can Beat Podcasts and YouTube for Business 38:47 — Why James Sinclair Is Investing in Self-Storage 43:56 — The Entrepreneur’s Curse: Why Happiness Can Feel Boring 45:55 — Losing Millions, Cash-Flow Problems and Building Resilience 47:16 — Does Building a £50M Business Actually Make You Happy?

    James Sinclair: How To Build a £50M Business Empire, Buy Businesses & Scale Without Giving Up Equity

  7. Sep 16

    How BLD BRO Built a 7-Figure DTC Skincare Brand From 250 Followers | Tariq Kazemi

    How do you build a multi-million pound ecommerce brand  without white-labelling, without forcing subscriptions, and without a big ad budget? Tariq Kazemi, co-founder of BLD BRO, did it by building a community before he had a product. What started as an Instagram page to change the narrative around hair loss has become a 7-figure skincare brand for bald men, stocked in their own warehouse, funded by the community that asked for it. Check our BLD BRO via https://bldbro.com/ This episode of Building The Brand goes beyond inspiration to break down how success is actually built. Want more from Building The Brand? Connect here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter In this tactical breakdown, Tariq reveals: How to build a brand community that validates your product before you manufacture (the 90% matte vs shiny test) Why BLD BRO refused to white-label and built a bespoke formula from scratch How to launch a DTC brand building strategy on a 1,000-unit self-funded first order The retention playbook: Why 50% repeat customers beats forced subscriptions How a £1K budget Christmas ad ended up being a high-performing TV campaign that drove direct attribution  This is a masterclass in brand building strategy, how to build a community around an underserved niche, how to start a business uk  the community-led way and business growth strategy for a physical product brand. Questions answered in this episode:  How did Bald Bros build a community-led skincare brand? How a to validate a product idea with your audience before launching? How to build an ecommerce brand without paid advertising? What is a community to commerce strategy for DTC brands? Key Moments:  0:00 - Why This Bald Skincare Brand Became a 7-Figure Community 00:18 - How to Build a Brand From Community: The Bald Bros Origin Story  02:22 - From Hair Loss Anxiety to Brand Purpose: Tariq's 10-Year Journey 07:40 - Shaving His Head: The Moment That Built Bald Confidence 12:48 - The £8 Billion Hair Loss Industry Lie Every Founder Should Know  14:36 - Finding a Market Gap: Why No Skincare Existed for Bald Men 18:55 - App vs Physical Product: How to Choose Your First Business Idea 20:22 - How to Validate Your Product Idea With Your Community (The 90% Matte Test)  23:29 - Why We Didn't White Label: Building a Bespoke DTC Product 34:06 - Launch Day to Sold Out: How to Launch an Ecommerce Brand on 1,000 Units  47:31 - The Content Hire That Scaled Us: Hiring Jake Massey (Ex-LADbible)  53:01 - Bald Fest: How Community Events Build Brand Better Than Ads 57:36 - The £1K TV Advert That Drove Real Brand Awareness

    How BLD BRO Built a 7-Figure DTC Skincare Brand From 250 Followers | Tariq Kazemi

  8. Sep 12

    Suhit Amin Built & Sold a 7-Figure Influencer Marketing Agency Before 25... here's exact how he did it!

    How do you start an influencer marketing agency at 17 whilst battling stage three Hodgkin's lymphoma, scale it to 7-figures and sell it for millions by 24?  Suhit Amin did exactly that. WATCH THE FULL PODCAST NOW ON YOUTUBE In this episode, host James Burtt sits down with Suhit Amin, founder of Saulderson Media, to deconstruct the tactical playbook behind building an influencer marketing agency from scratch, winning clients with cold outreach on LinkedIn, doubling revenue with the right advisor, and navigating the full M&A process to a multi-million pound exit to Journey Further. If you want to understand how to build an agency from scratch, how to sell your business in the UK, or how to turn cold outreach strategy into compounding revenue - this is your blueprint.  In This Episode You'll Learn: How Suhit turned an MCN sub-network into a talent management business making £100k in 6 months at 16 The cold LinkedIn DM system he used when LinkedIn was quiet - and why manual reps beat automation early Why talent management evolves into an influencer marketing agency for higher margins and scale The exact M&A process: from teaser and information memorandum to 5 offers, due diligence, and the 24-hour wait for money to land Why he chose a lower multiple from Journey Further over a higher US offer and what founders get wrong about business brokers and valuation Connect with Suhit Aminhttps://www.suhitamin.com/ Want more from Building The Brand? Connect here:https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter Key Moments: 0:00 - Introduction: How a 17-Year-Old Built a 7-Figure Influencer Marketing Agency  02:31 - Why Starting a Business Young Was Suhit Amin's Unfair Advantage  04:11 - From Gaming Videos to 37K Subscribers: Learning YouTube MCNs and Sub-Networks  07:04 - Why Talent Management Beat Being a Creator: Spotting the MCN Decline  09:40 - How to Start an Influencer Marketing Agency From Scratch With 5 Clients  15:35 - Cold Outreach Strategy That Worked: Turning LinkedIn DMs Into Revenue  19:25 - Consistency & Manual Reps: Why Volume Beats Automation When Starting Out  31:47 - Thinking Like a Founder: Why He Always Planned to Sell His First Business  37:18 - Doubling Revenue in 12 Months: How Advisor Simon Penson Restructured the Agency for Sale  44:15 - How to Sell Your Business: The Full M&A Process, Due Diligence & Keeping It Secret  53:54 - Choosing the Right Buyer: Why He Took a Lower Offer From Journey Further  01:04:03 - What Happens When the Money Lands: Telling the Team and Calling His Parents  01:26:14 - Battling Stage Three Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 16 While Starting a Business  01:36:26 - How Cancer Changed His View on Business, Risk and Resilience In this show we answer:  What is this episode about? This episode of Building The Brand features Suhit Amin explaining how he built and sold a 7-figure influencer marketing agency (Saulderson Media) before age 25, detailing his cold outreach on LinkedIn, transition from talent management to influencer marketing, and the step-by-step process to sell a business including valuation, buyer outreach, and due diligence. Who is Suhit Amin? Suhit Amin is a UK entrepreneur who founded influencer marketing agency Saulderson Media at 17, scaled it to over £100k revenue in six months, doubled revenue with consultancy Scaled, and achieved a multi-million pound exit to Journey Further - all after undergoing chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma at age 16. How did Suhit Amin get clients for his influencer marketing agency? He used cold outreach on LinkedIn, identifying brands working with similar creators, connecting with marketing managers, and moving conversations from DMs to calls. He posted daily when LinkedIn was unsaturated and treated outreach like volume-based reps to learn what messaging converts.

    Suhit Amin Built & Sold a 7-Figure Influencer Marketing Agency Before 25... here's exact how he did it!
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Building The Brand is a Top 50 business podcast for people who don’t just want success stories - they want to understand how success is actually built. Hosted by James Burtt, each episode features in-depth conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, and creators behind standout brands. This isn’t surface-level storytelling. This is a tactical break down of real decisions, trade-offs and lessons behind standout brands Past guests include world-renowned business and entrepreneurial figures Gary Brecka, Grant Cardone, Joe Foster, Mark Victor Hansen and John Lee Dumas. Not how to. This is how you.

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