Drive it Like You Stole It

James Summers
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  • Entrepreneurship
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Real founder stories from the trenches. Join me, James Summers, as I host entrepreneurs who made the pivotal turns, faced near-failures, and unlocked key insights that propelled them from startup to scale-up. Unfiltered, practical, and built for founders who want to build smarter. Because the best lessons come from those who’ve already driven the road ahead. To begin a growth journey with James drive to https://bloomcoach.uk/

Episodes

  1. 5h ago

    Why Be the Gambler When You Can Be the House?: Jordan Schlipf on Escaping Venture Roulette, the Goldilocks Revenue Zone and Building Hero Products Buyers Crave

    What does it take to turn around a 30-year-old British heritage brand when you have never worked in beauty? In this episode, Jordan Schlipf, CEO of Cowshed, shares a candid, humble account of stepping in as an external CEO. Jordan explains how he reverse-engineered an exit by speaking to strategic acquirers before accepting the role. He covers the revenue sweet spot buyers look for, why geography and channel mix matter, and why simplicity often beats a "sexy" brand. He also shares his turnaround playbook: listen first, decide once, communicate the why, and use the first 90 days wisely. Jordan also speaks openly about leaving investment banking, choosing to be "the casino, not the gambler", the lessons of burnout and founder accountability, and why looking after your health makes you a better leader. He finishes with the challenge ahead: creating a hero product in a blockbuster game. Key takeaways: Work backwards from what buyers want Do less to grow more Earn trust as an external CEO Protect your health to lead well Choose the game you can win Find Jordan Sclipf here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-schlipf-0b855174/ Find James Summers here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamjamessummers/ To work with James and discover growth coaching visit: https://bloomcoach.uk/

    Why Be the Gambler When You Can Be the House?: Jordan Schlipf on Escaping Venture Roulette, the Goldilocks Revenue Zone and Building Hero Products Buyers Crave

  2. Oct 27

    I Retired for About Three Minutes: Jeremy Brassington on AI Guardrails, Neurodiverse Founders, and Building Trust with 350 Institutions

    Jeremy Brassington has spent four decades investing in, building, and rescuing technology businesses, from angel investing to venture capital to hands-on operating. Now Executive Chairman and CFO of Habitat Learn Group, he's on a mission to make learning accessible to every student, not just those with disabilities. In this episode, Jeremy takes us through the seven-year wait for AI hardware to catch up with his vision, the moment ChatGPT forced a painful pivot away from proprietary AI, and how a chance introduction at Humber Polytechnic led to Habitat Learn becoming an Apple Education Ecosystem Partner. He talks candidly about managing investor fatigue, mentoring a first-time founder co-founder, building a neurodiverse team by design, and why he believes personalisation and privacy sit in constant tension. Beyond the business, Jeremy shares why he can't stop innovating, how cycling 2,600 metres of Alpine elevation gain keeps him sharp, and what "patient capital" really means after 40 years on both sides of the table. A masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and building for the long game. Contact Jeremy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/habitatlearn/ Find Habitat Learn Group here: https://www.habitatlearn.com/ Work with James Summers: https://bloomcoach.uk/

    I Retired for About Three Minutes: Jeremy Brassington on AI Guardrails, Neurodiverse Founders, and Building Trust with 350 Institutions

  3. Oct 20

    When You Stop Doing Everything You Start Scaling Everything: Brett Riley on Why Culture and Trust Are Your Most Defensible Moat

    Nine years ago, Brett Riley and his wife Jenny started Itarmi with a spreadsheet, a LinkedIn account, and an idea borrowed from a New York cab ride. Today, the business puts over 4,000 engineers into 170 countries, built on a self-funded, self-built SaaS platform that took nearly a decade to get right. In this episode of Drive It Like You Stole It, Brett talks candidly with James Summers about the pain of building tech as a non-technical founder, the moment he had to admit his sales skills were holding the business back, and why hiring a head of sales was one of the hardest but most valuable decisions he's made. He shares the story behind the company's wolf-pack culture, why he refuses to pay engineers below fair global rates, and how running a business with your spouse means facing hostile takeovers and internal battles most founders never talk about. Brett also opens up on burnout, control, attention deficit challenges, and why he's now actively trying to work himself out of a job. If you're building a team, wrestling with founder ego, or wondering how AI will reshape services businesses over the next decade, this one's for you. Reach Brett here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-riley-9235321/ Find ITARMI here: https://itarmi.com/ Contact James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamjamessummers Work with James Summers: https://bloomcoach.uk/

    When You Stop Doing Everything You Start Scaling Everything: Brett Riley on Why Culture and Trust Are Your Most Defensible Moat

  4. Oct 13

    Sheer Bloody Mindedness: Nicki Murphy on Buying Back Your Own Company, Surviving 9/11 as a Founder, and Building Female-Led Agencies

    Nicki Murphy has spent thirty-two years building River Group from a scrappy two-woman start-up into one of the UK's most enduring boutique creative agencies, surviving 9/11, 7/7, a bruising private equity deal, and a lawsuit that nearly bankrupted her before she'd even properly begun. In this episode, Nicki shares the guerrilla marketing stunt that landed her first major client, why she sold her own business and then bought it back, and the leadership philosophy that's kept her team together through recessions, restructures, and an industry now being reshaped by AI. She talks candidly about loneliness at the top, the Me Too experience that pushed her into entrepreneurship, succession planning in her sixties, and why she's about to climb Kilimanjaro for the Katie Piper Foundation. A masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and building a business you actually want to stick around for.Contact Nicki here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-murphy-212665b/ Find The River Group Here: https://www.therivergroup.co.uk/ Support the Katie Piper Foundation: https://www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk/ Work with James Summers: https://bloomcoach.uk/

    Sheer Bloody Mindedness: Nicki Murphy on Buying Back Your Own Company, Surviving 9/11 as a Founder, and Building Female-Led Agencies

  5. Sep 23

    Why This CEO Refuses to Retire: Simon Haighton-Williams on Risk, Honesty, and Building a Business You Never Want to Leave

    James sits down with Simon Haighton-Williams, CEO of Adaptivist, to unpack 15 years of high-speed company building. Simon shares how a free tool built by one obsessive developer became a $100M ARR business, why brutal honesty with clients (even when it costs you the deal) builds lasting trust, and the exact headcount thresholds (100, 400, 1,000+ people) where everything breaks and has to be rebuilt. They dig into: Why Adaptivist's growth came from "earning the right" to plan for the future by first putting out fires The emotional reality of acquisitions - and why founders often leave within two years Simon's philosophy on delegation vs. co-creation, and why he refuses to hire "yes people" Why he believes "all org charts are interim" and how his "greenhouse" model incubates new teams Balancing 30+ years in software with scuba diving, sports cars, and single parenthood Find Simon here:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonwilliams/⁠ Find Adaptavist here:⁠ https://www.adaptavist.com/⁠ Find ScriptRunner here: https://www.scriptrunnerhq.com/ Work with James Summers:⁠ https://bloomcoach.uk/⁠

    Why This CEO Refuses to Retire: Simon Haighton-Williams on Risk, Honesty, and Building a Business You Never Want to Leave

  6. Sep 23

    Why We Need Relevance, Not Just Purpose: How Anthony Willoughby is Reshaping Modern Team Dynamics and Strategic Clarity Through Indigenous Wisdom

    What if modern corporate culture is solving the wrong problem? We often hear that employees need "purpose," but after 50 years of learning from indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, and Kenya, explorer and Nomadic School of Business founder Anthony Willoughby argues that what people truly crave is relevance—the knowledge that they belong, that their contribution matters, and that they have a clear place around the collective campfire. James sits down with Anthony to explore how ancient tribal wisdom can solve modern organisational chaos. Anthony shares his journey from buying a gold Rolex in 1970s Tokyo to pioneering "territory mapping", a visual, metaphor-driven framework that helps world-class companies, non-profits, and leaders strip away corporate jargon, build trust, and align their teams. In this episode, you’ll discover: Purpose vs. Relevance: Why traditional metrics fail to make people feel valued, and how indigenous societies naturally build belonging and contribution. The Power of Territory Mapping: How drawing mammoths, rivers, and campfires helps organisations like Thomson Reuters, JLL, and the Gates Foundation clarify their real strategic threats and opportunities. Lessons from the Maasai & Papua New Guinea: What authentic, non-arrogant leadership looks like, and why leaders must earn their "spear" rather than just assume entitlement. Visual Storytelling Over Corporate Jargon: How tapping into pre-language, visual parts of the brain unlocks radical honesty and cuts through fakeness in business. Building Sustainable Communities: How to move beyond short-term transactions and cultivate social cohesion within growing companies. Whether you’re a founder looking to align your team or a leader seeking deeper clarity in an era of rapid AI disruption, this conversation offers a refreshing, grounded map for the journey ahead. Connect with Anthony Willoughby: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-willoughby-a2757511/⁠ Nomadic School of Business: ⁠nomadicschoolofbusiness.com⁠ /⁠ ⁠⁠nomadicwisdom.ai⁠ Anthony’s TedX Talks: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyrdTIKyYT4⁠ / ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CttVqsg6No⁠ Work with James Summers:⁠ https://bloomcoach.uk/

    Why We Need Relevance, Not Just Purpose: How Anthony Willoughby is Reshaping Modern Team Dynamics and Strategic Clarity Through Indigenous Wisdom

  7. Sep 23

    Why Technology Should Accelerate People, Not Replace Them: Rohit Thakral on a Coaching Culture, The Power of Letting Go and on Selling the Invisible

    Rohit Thakral, Founder and CEO of Target Integration, joins James Summers to open up the engine on nearly two decades of building a global digital transformation business. From launching in the depths of the 2008 recession with open-source software, to scaling operations across Ireland, the UK, India, and beyond, Rohit shares the pivots, people challenges, and financial lessons that shaped his journey. He talks candidly about handing over operations, sales, and business development as the company grew past 150 employees, the mentors who pushed him to prioritise his team's growth, and why he believes AI will accelerate people rather than replace them. Rohit also unpacks the art of selling intangible services, the "cost of inaction" mindset that moves clients to act, and how a coaching culture keeps his leadership team aligned. Along the way, he reveals a surprising side venture in Irish energy balls, reflects on protecting his own stamina after 18 years in the driver's seat, and offers hard-won advice for any founder stepping into his shoes. A grounded, honest conversation about digital adoption, leadership, and staying purposeful through the long haul of company building. Connect with Rohit here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitthakral/ Find Target Intgeration here: https://www.targetintegration.com Target Integration on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TargetIntegration Connect with James Summers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamjamessummers/ Work with James: https://bloomcoach.uk/

    Why Technology Should Accelerate People, Not Replace Them: Rohit Thakral on a Coaching Culture, The Power of Letting Go and on Selling the Invisible
  • 7 Episodes

About

Real founder stories from the trenches. Join me, James Summers, as I host entrepreneurs who made the pivotal turns, faced near-failures, and unlocked key insights that propelled them from startup to scale-up. Unfiltered, practical, and built for founders who want to build smarter. Because the best lessons come from those who’ve already driven the road ahead. To begin a growth journey with James drive to https://bloomcoach.uk/

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