Entrepreneurs in the Wild Ian Millner

Today Ian is joined on the Wild Side by organisational psychologist John Amaechi. When John takes us on his career journey, we quickly feel his sporting entrepreneurial spirit coming through. Simply being told “you can’t” inspired one kid from Stockport to be the first Brit to make it in the NBA and the other, Ian Millner to co-found one of the world’s best advertising agencies, Iris. 
After a decorated NBA career, John got back in tune with one of his lifelong passions - psychology. Pursuing this formally at Penn State, John then formed his consultancy, APS Intelligence.
Things get really interesting when Ian and John delve into the psychological aspects of the workplace and the biases we may have in place when we picture certain roles. Together they unpack the misconceptions around the ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ and the associations the term ‘entrepreneur’ brings to mind. John then shares his view on the traits he thinks should be celebrated versus the ones that are currently held in high regard.
They then move on to call out some of the business terms that may actually be detrimental to the entrepreneur, ultimately attracting the wrong following.
John brings his unique view on work to the table and how he thinks, balanced with our own self-awareness, we can find that harmony between our job and our lives.
 
Having lived and worked in both the UK and US, John shares his views on the differences between those two cultures - from perception of failure to even the very definition of work and the unrealistic expectations that are often set.
 
When it comes to “talent”, it’s never been more important to know the skills we’re looking for.
Especially with the nature of the jobs we do always in flux. 
 
Regardless of market, John then talks about “the cascade of consequences” we can create if businesses jump on trends too quickly.
 
We then hear John’s insightful definition of what “being on a team” actually means. 
Many of us may think we’re in teams - but drawing analogies from his NBA career, John suggests we might need to adjust our definition or what teamwork really is.
 
John leaves us with his two cents - if you want to succeed, there’s a level of mundanity that comes with it.
John Amaechi
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amaechi/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurs_inthewild/ 
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneursinthewild 
X: https://twitter.com/EitW_podcast 
 
Executive Producer Addi: https://addi.london/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/addi-merrill/ 
 
Iris Worldwide: https://www.iris-worldwide.com/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iris/ 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/irisworldwide/ 


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As the pivotal producer behind British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN showspace since 2016, an initiative central to London Fashion Weeks, Sara Blonstein extends a far-reaching cultural impact over the industry. The founder of Blonstein Creative Productions, Sara has helped launch the careers of Gareth Pugh, Henry Holland, Richard Quinn, Saul Nash, and LABRUM (the latter three all winners of The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design) and catwalk producer for designers Molly Goddard, Roksanda, and has taken over Harlem for Ozwald Boateng OBE. For British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN, she excels at nurturing young designers, including 2022 LVMH Prize winner S.S. Daley.
Sara challenges expectations, collaborates with new talent, and brings her passion for repurposing derelict spaces to deliver events that leave guests feeling blown away. Her 30-year career has flourished with immersive and experiential events for brands like MAC Cosmetics, TikTok, and Netflix.
In this Entrepreneurs In The Wild episode, Sara shares extraordinary tales from her fashion industry experiences with host Ian Millner. Her stories range from her early days as a stylist for Bros to the groundbreaking post-feminist Pussy Posse party with exclusively female staff.
Discover why Davina McCall credits Sara with landing her first big break at MTV, how she gave Graham Norton his first paid commercial job, and what happened when she took Ozwald Boateng and a 90-strong cast to Harlem for a fashion spectacle at the Apollo Theater.
Sara also recounts her experiences with the late Queen Elizabeth II, involving Richard Quinn’s first major show, Anna Wintour, gimp masks, motorbike helmets, and thrash metal, nearly missing a career highlight.
Sara hails Gen Z’s versatility and dogged determination, and praises influencers for bringing something fresh to the entrepreneurial spirit. She shares her truths, seeing fashion as a fusion of culture, art, and history that evolves and provides an escape from our existence. Entrepreneurship, she says, is about following passions and desires, with expertise unlocked by trial-and-error. Her philosophy is simple: “I hate anything boring!”
Sara Blonstein:
LI: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sara-blonstein-15a357
IG: https://www.instagram.com/blonners_sarablonstein/
Ian Millner:
IG: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianmillner/
 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurs_inthewild/
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneursinthewild
X: https://twitter.com/EitW_podcast
 
Executive Producer Addi: https://addi.london/
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/addi-merrill/
 
Iris Worldwide: https://www.iris-worldwide.com/
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iris/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/irisworldwide/

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Should the entrepreneur wait for the perfect opportunity, or create their own?
Andy Day, founder and CEO of Capital A & agencies.co joins Ian on the Wild Side today. As a serial entrepreneur, let Andy take you on a rollercoaster journey from aspiring 90s band member to moving to London with nothing to disrupting the M&A industry today.
Andy’s entrepreneurial spirit has always been there - perhaps without always knowing it himself. We hear about Andy starting out at MTV new music sourcing, and getting a flavour for the music business. That led to Andy founding Gigwise.com - the first online music media hub of its kind. Being an out and out entrepreneur, it grew into a leading UK online magazine for fourteen years. Alongside this, Andy founded Giant Digital, a media and marketing company with over 9 million monthly users. At one point, Giant powered the entertainment news for AOL, MSN and Yahoo!
In the studio, Andy shares how he cut his teeth in M&A scenario, successfully exiting from big businesses. Now having experience growing big business and navigating M&A, this led to Andy becoming an advisor to others on how it can be done; his message being it’s more accessible than we think.
Ian and Andy then move on to talk about one of the most important aspects of the entrepreneur: drive. Having both been there and done it, drive combined with “bounce-back-ability” is what you need during the inevitable ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
There’s definitely a difference between an idea in your head and turning it into business. We see how greatly Andy believes in just starting, instead of waiting for the perfectly formed thing or the perfect moment. Even in his own podcast, we see his entrepreneurial trait of “just trying it” shine through again.
Where Andy is most entrepreneurial today is in his approach to M&A. There’s certainly an advantage to not coming from a conventional “super serious” background. Backed by his team of expert investment bankers and ex-agency founders, we see how his focus is the initial relationship and protection of creativity above all else.
We then hear Andy’s views on the importance of kindness as an entrepreneur. Kindness will only create more opportunity. When this philosophy is combined with Andy’s infectious approach of “give it a go and see what happens”, we’re left with a killer cocktail.
Finally, being the disruptor that he is, we hear about Andy’s other company Agencies.co…and how he’s on a mission to not only transform the M&A space for marketing companies, but level the playing field too.
Andy Day
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andydday/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurs_inthewild/
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneursinthewild
X: https://twitter.com/EitW_podcast

Executive Producer Addi: https://addi.london/
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/addi-merrill/

Iris Worldwide: https://www.iris-worldwide.com/
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iris/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/irisworldwide/

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How do ambitious businesses land investor backing?
Daina Spedding joins Ian on the Wild Side to help answer this fundamental question. As an Investor at BGF passionate about bringing more diversity and inclusion to the whole industry, Daina tells us how picking companies to back can sometimes be like speed-dating. She shares that ‘gut-feel’ has such an important part to play along with her four measures of business success.
Beyond investor ‘red flags’, Daina has very clear ideas on the traits of successful
entrepreneurs. She shares which traits she and BGF look for most, as they are most needed to navigate the pressure and uncertainty of today - especially in a world where almost half of founders are considering leaving to try something less stressful.
She also shares the insight that entrepreneurs are more likely to succeed if they’re not from the country where their business is and potentially how you’re at your best when everything’s on the line.
Daina and Ian then discuss the importance of purpose, the entrepreneurial spirit and ensuring you hold on to it as your business scales. They have a shared belief that openness to risk is a good thing and it’s only when you step outside of your comfort zone that you really learn what you’re made of as an entrepreneur.
When it comes to female representation in the investment arena, Daina doesn’t hold back. She gives us the real numbers and current industry issues, along with the things that need to happen to make it a level, more inclusive playing field for female founders.
Finally, we’re reminded of the importance of just keeping going. Never losing that ambition and surrounding yourself with people who will help you thrive is so important - and is sometimes the difference between success and failure.

Daina Spedding
LI:https://www.linkedin.com/in/daina-spedding-a763592/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurs_inthewild/ 
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneursinthewild 
X: https://twitter.com/EitW_podcast 
 
Executive Producer Addi: https://addi.london/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/addi-merrill/ 
 
Iris Worldwide: https://www.iris-worldwide.com/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iris/ 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/irisworldwide/ 

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If we train AI so well it sounds like us, who does the IP belong to?
Today Ian welcomes Professor Michael G Jacobides from the London Business School to join him on the wild side. As a leading business mind globally, and expert in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship, he reveals his journey to the studio today.
Starting in economics, Michael moved into the strategy and entrepreneurship space because he was fascinated by the reasons why there are so many different approaches to business and why some succeed, some skyrocket and some fail.
Having experience in both, Michael then identifies the shared traits of the entrepreneur and the academic, pointing out that the paths they’re on and the methods applied share many similarities..
Ian and Michael discuss what really drives the entrepreneur, and we learn it isn’t always profit. As a globally recognised thinker, Michael goes into detail on the other motivating factors behind some of the world’s most successful business people. With their practical caps on, Ian and Michael also discuss where an entrepreneurial culture thrives and argue that maybe not all types of business need it….
Michael then puts innovation under the microscope, zeroing in on the stark differences between Mark I,  II and III innovation types. You might have thought it's a case of ‘us’ and ‘them’, but there can actually be a symbiosis between large Fortune 500 firms and entrepreneurial ones in their orbit.
Iris always being front of mind, Ian then compares his agency structure to the Mark III innovation model - a stable core with lots of subsections in a frantic orbit of relentless change.
Ian and Michael then focus their attention on AI and the entrepreneur. As a key voice when it comes to future business scenarios, with an alternative position to marketing, Michael reveals his thoughts on AI and how it can create great disparity between companies, and quickly.
When it comes to training generative AI, Michael also shares his concerns on the risks that AI can bring, and how we must be careful what we let AI know about us.
Michael G. Jacobides
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-g-jacobides-b9302a8/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurs_inthewild/ 
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneursinthewild 
X: https://twitter.com/EitW_podcast 
 
Executive Producer Addi: https://addi.london/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/addi-merrill/ 
 
Iris Worldwide: https://www.iris-worldwide.com/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iris/ 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/irisworldwide/ 


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Today Ian welcomes IPA Director General, Paul Bainsfair to the wild side.
With almost forty years in the industry, Paul takes us through his advertising journey. From starting out at Saatchi & Saatchi (yes, the 80s really happened!) to founding his own agencies, all the way to championing diversity at the IPA today.
Entrepreneurs are everywhere across the creative economy. Ian and Paul pull apart the differences between owning your own business and applying that same entrepreneurial spirit successfully within big agencies and the good habits that come from both.
Having been in the industry since the 70s, Paul is witness to the rapid changes triggered by technology.
From what was a glossy, glamorous industry generating newspaper headlines to the ever-evolving media landscape today, Paul tells all. And leads the debate on how AI will shape the nature of creativity, along with the risks.
Paul then talks about his current role at the IPA and the mission he’s on to increase diversity within the industry. As marketing has become more professional, it’s our job to lift up the weird and wonderful personalities. In order to make big creative leaps forward, we need these people with us.
If we create a culture where everyone’s free to approach things differently, world-famous ideas will follow.
Finally, Paul shares the traits of the successful entrepreneurs he’s worked with over his career. We learn that there’s no one-size-fits-all method, along with the things he’d wish he’d known before starting in Advertising.
Paul Bainsfair
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-bainsfair-828ba2233/ 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/entrepreneurs_inthewild/ 
TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@entrepreneursinthewild 
X: https://twitter.com/EitW_podcast 
 
Executive Producer Addi: https://addi.london/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/addi-merrill/ 
 
Iris Worldwide: https://www.iris-worldwide.com/ 
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iris/ 
IG: https://www.instagram.com/irisworldwide/ 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.