Conversations with Nickleby

Nickleby Capital
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Conversations with top business leaders, family offices, and investment managers on the art of building, preserving, and passing down wealth and legacy.

  1. Aug 11

    Building brands people love - Conversations with Rohan Blacker

    Rohan Blacker is a serial entrepreneur behind three of the UK's best-known direct-to-consumer brands. After training as a lawyer and deciding it wasn't for him, he co-founded Deliverance in 1996, one of London's earliest food delivery businesses, long before “dark kitchens” had a name. He went on to found sofa.com, built on a $200k domain name bought back in 2005, which he and his co-founder sold to private equity a decade later.  He then built and sold lighting brand Pooky, and is now building Schplendid with sustainability at its core. In this episode, Rohan shares the story of buying sofa.com before anyone valued URLs, why he'll only ever run businesses he actually enjoys, the vertical integration lesson that cost him at exit, and how he's thinking about money, inheritance and legacy with three daughters of his own.

    Building brands people love - Conversations with Rohan Blacker

  2. Jul 8

    The £6bn idea nobody else saw – Conversations with Harry Hyman

    Harry Hyman founded  Primary Health Properties from a simple observation: GP surgeries were backed by one of the strongest covenants in the country, the NHS. Nearly 30 years later, that insight has grown into a £6 billion healthcare property portfolio, over 1,100 properties and one of the UK's most successful specialist REITs. In this conversation, Harry shares the story behind PHP, the lessons learned from navigating multiple economic crises, why discipline beats diversification, how he evaluates founders and investments, and what he believes the future holds for healthcare, property and quantum computing.A fascinating discussion on conviction, capital allocation, long-term thinking and building a business that compounds over decades.

    The £6bn idea nobody else saw – Conversations with Harry Hyman

  3. Jun 15

    The Comeback King - Conversations with Dan Wagner

    Dan Wagner is one of Britain’s most remarkable, pioneering entrepreneurs. From building one of the world’s earliest internet businesses in the 1980s, to becoming the youngest CEO of a London-listed company, to losing almost everything after the collapse of a multi-billion-dollar venture, Dan’s story is one of extraordinary resilience. In this conversation, Dan reflects on four decades of entrepreneurship, the rise and fall of Powa, the lessons learned from public failure, and why he believes AI represents the biggest technology shift of his lifetime. He also shares how Rezolve AI has emerged from the ashes to become one of the fastest-growing AI commerce businesses in the world.

    The Comeback King - Conversations with Dan Wagner

  4. Apr 22

    We did 40 acquisitions in 10 years - Conversations with Mike Jatania

    Mike Jatania, CEO and Chairman of The Body Shop, co-founder of Aurea Group and previously CEO of Lornamead, joins us to share a career built on brands, acquisitions and long-term conviction. From starting in a family trading business to completing 40 acquisitions and building a global portfolio across 65 countries, Mike explains how to scale through M&A, why control matters, and what it takes to revive legacy brands. We also discuss the turnaround of The Body Shop, building a modern beauty platform, and how to create value through clarity, speed and execution.

    We did 40 acquisitions in 10 years - Conversations with Mike Jatania

  5. Mar 17

    I started Dreams with £15k and a credit card - Conversations with Mike Clare

    Mike Clare, founder of Dreams, joins us to share the story behind building the UK’s largest bed retailer from a single store and £15k of cobbled-together capital. Over 21 years, Dreams grew into a national brand, increasing revenue and profit every single year before being sold in a landmark deal just before the financial crisis. Mike reflects on the early days of relentless hard work, creative retail thinking, and the realities of scaling a business from salesman to CEO. We also discuss life after exit — the challenges of sudden wealth, lessons from investing, philanthropy through the Clare Foundation, and why sometimes the best advice for entrepreneurs is simply: just get on and do it.

    I started Dreams with £15k and a credit card - Conversations with Mike Clare

  6. Mar 11

    Compromise is the price of real influence - Conversations with Roland Rudd

    Roland Rudd, founder and Global Chair of FGS Global - $2bn straetgic communications firm, joins us to reflect on a career spent at the intersection of business, politics and reputation. From building one of the world’s most influential strategic communications firms to advising FTSE 100 CEOs, Roland shares lessons on leadership, messaging and influence in an increasingly polarised world. We discuss the power of clear communication, why business leaders must sometimes speak out, and how geopolitics, AI and public scrutiny are reshaping corporate leadership.

    Compromise is the price of real influence - Conversations with Roland Rudd

  7. Jan 22

    Focus is what gets you to a billion - Conversations with Ryan Howsam

    From selling door-to-door at midnight to building a billion-pound insurance brand, Ryan Howsam shares the grit, focus and mindset that powered his journey. We cover how to spot overlooked markets, why most entrepreneurs give away equity too early, and what he learnt from meeting Trump, Starmer, and losing millions along the way.

    Focus is what gets you to a billion - Conversations with Ryan Howsam

  8. Jan 21

    Recurring revenue is the holy grail - Conversations with David Sanger

    From hot dog machines in sandwich bars to owning every major UK theme park concession, David Sanger built and sold two brilliant businesses — Rollover (the UK’s largest hot dog brand) and ScentAir (a global leader in scent marketing). A conversation on sales instinct, scaling without overcomplication, and why recurring revenue beats a business plan every time.

    Recurring revenue is the holy grail - Conversations with David Sanger
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Conversations with top business leaders, family offices, and investment managers on the art of building, preserving, and passing down wealth and legacy.

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