Startup Secrets

In this episode we had the amazing opportunity to speak with Rory Sutherland: Vice Chairman, Ogilvy Group, Author of "The Wiki Man" & "Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense", writer of The Spectator's Wiki Man column and public speaker. We had great fun speaking and learning from Rory about all things ideas, decision making, entrepreneurialism, culture and much more.  We're sure our viewers and listeners will learn a lot from the exciting and fast paced Ad man and he gives us insight into many different concepts, stories and how businesses and entrepreneurs can look at the world differently and how to think outside the box. As he says "Ask yourself, what isn't this data telling us. What the data leaves out, may be more important that what it leaves in." Enjoy the episode and it was a great pleasure speaking with Rory and we know you will all enjoy it.  We talk about: 0.20 - Intro 0.35  Zoom 02.05 - Tech hardware  03.29 - Perceptions / substitutions  07.10 -

In this exciting episode, we head to Krush Brands HQ and sat in their podcast studio to chat with the Founder and CEO: Ian Ohan. Ian is a powerhouse when it comes to running and operating several successful food & beverage brands and has a varied portfolio of brands across the UAE. KRUSH Brands own and operate several well-known food delivery names such as Freedom Pizza, Salad Jar, Coco Yogo, Wildflower Hapi and also own the tech behind the platforms to make sure they always give their customers the best user experience.    Ian Ohan talks about his journey into entrepreneurship, his values, and his beliefs on what makes a good business and how to treat your customers right. He talks about opening up the best Pizza Takeaway business in Dubai: Freedom Pizza, and shares his thoughts on workplace culture, challenges, health trends and mindsets.    We really enjoyed recording this episode and we hope that you all can learn a thing or two from Ian. Thanks again to Ian for coming on, and we h

We're back with another exciting episode featuring 2 entrepreneurs who started The Middle East's Leading International Fitness & Bodybuilding Exhibition. While in Dubai, Nick & Craig started The Dubai Muscle Show. This sell out event has been running from 2016, and has gone onto win awards, grow in capacity, and inspire the big health & fitness and bodybuilding community within Dubai and beyond.  Seb met them in Dubai and now we find out about their journey on the 3.5X Podcast. From start, to growth to selling, this is a great story of entrepreneurship between 2 friends and an exciting journey. Listen to the business success, challenges and everything in between.  Find out more at their website: https://www.dubaimuscleshow.com/ https://dubaimuscleclassic.com/ Thanks again to Nick and Craig for coming on, and we hope you enjoy this latest 3.5X episode.  You're 3.5 times more likely to succeed when you work with a mentor on your business idea. We want to be an extension of this and as

We're back with another exciting episode featuring 3 entrepreneurs who managed to build the biggest and best gym in the United Arab Emirates in under 3 years! GymNation founders Loren Holland, Frank Afeaki and Ant Martland have disrupted the health and fitness industry in the UAE with affordable, high quality, 24/7 facilities across the country. Many multinational franchise chains have been overcharging UAE consumers for the last decade and GymNation spotted the gap in the market and have now changed the game in their favour by offering a great product at a great price.  We were lucky enough to sit down with the three owners to discuss how they got here, what's worked and what's in store for the future. With over 1 million members passing through their doors they are proving this is just what the UAE consumer wanted. Starting off with 1 gym in Dubai, they have now built GymNation up to 8 locations across the UAE, across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Raz Al Kaimah. They have been voted the best gym

We're back! In this exciting new episode we talk to Reece Land. He is a successful entrepreneur/football agent based in the North of the UK and is the Founder and Managing Director of Next Gen Sport Solutions. Having represented over 100 athletes and being a former professional footballer himself, Reece shares his story on how he got started and what sparked him to start the business.  Next Gen are one of the leading sports management companies in Europe and are one of the only management companies, Worldwide, that specialise in women's football. Although known predominantly for elite professional women footballers, Next Gen also represent a number of athletes across multiple disciplines and sports such as Rugby, and Boxing.  "We pride ourselves on the trusting and holistic environment that we have created at Next Gen Sport Solutions. We have made sure that our infrastructure is at the highest possible standard for our clients. We truly believe that our infrastructure sees us as the industry leader

In this episode of the podcast we look back at some of the new guest's that we've had on the show and play some of the highlights. This will be out last podcast before the Christmas break, so please enjoy and get ready for 2021 with a huge lineup of amazing entrepreneurs and brands from across the globe.   It's been a really interesting year with lots of change. All episodes are now in video and we'll be stepping it up in 2021 with great guests, different types of interviews and resources to help you on your journey of entrepreneurship.    You're 3.5 times more likely to succeed when you work with a mentor on your business idea. We want to be an extension of this and assist you in building and scaling better businesses through the guests that we're speaking to and giving you insight into some of the most successful brands and entrepreneurs in the world.    Thanks again and we hope you enjoy.    Timestamps:   0:00 - Intro   2:33 - #064 Alan & Juliet Barratt: CEO

In this interesting episode we speak to a key figure within the UK Automotive Industry, Chris Hakwen. This Auto Industry leader has managed to turn Skoda from ridicule to cool within the UK market through bold advertising and creative. Chris has held senior positions in a wide array of international automotive Brands such as Audi, Volkswagen, Subaru, Isuzu, Vauxhall, Hyundai and now consults on various projects consisting of electric, autonomous vehicles amongst others. Seb talks with this "intrepreneur" all about marketing, the fundamentals, the frustrations and his story throughout business. It gives us a behind-the-scenes view of the Automotive marketing industry in the UK & Europe. This episode also covers the current pandemic business climate and thoughts for the future of the industry and the economy. Chris also shares tips, tricks and advice for any budding marketers. Reach out to Chris via his LinkedIn Page if you enjoyed the episode. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hawken-1508011/ In this episo

In this episode we are changing things up a little and answering your questions. Seb breaks down his journey and shares some tips and tricks to get yourself started in business. The 10 questions from the audience focussed on Seb starting his edTech business; Titus Learning. Seb as always gives an honest account of what he's experienced in the hopes that you can all learn and take inspiration from it. We'll be releasing more content like this as well as our usual interview podcasts. Questions asked by the audience: 1. How did you come up with the idea for your business? 2. How long have you and your business partner worked together? 3. Did you need lots of money to start the business? 4. Did you write a business plan and do your market research. 5. What is the best way to do a business plan? 6. How do Virgin Startup loans work? 7. What did you spend your startup capital on and how long was it before your team grew? 8. Did you start the business without an office? 9. Do you hire Freelancers in your business? 10

In this episode we are joined by a fellow Yorkshire Man; Harjit Moore. Harjit is the CEO & Founder of Freeze Debt which is an app that aims to take people in the UK out of debt. He knows that many people at the moment are struggling with debt and going through a tough time and he's created the app to help people get out of bad situations and regain some control over their lives. Harjit is super straight talking and super frank, so luckily for us we get an unfiltered view of his entrepreneurial life and story. It was hard to fit it all in this episode so we'll be sure to do another episode with Harjit and find out more about his as an individual with his interesting past. This episode covers a topic that people often shy away from talking about and this app seems to be trying to break the stigma and norms surrounding debt. We hope you enjoy the episode and be sure to let us know in the comments what you thought about the episode. Taken from the Freeze Debt website: Freeze Debt: The FREE Debt Advice & S

#71 "In business, you've got to catch the energy!"Diana Geldenhuys -CEO gulfHR & OPS  In this weeks amazing episode, we do another in-person recording with Dubai-based HR & Payroll entrepreneur; Diana Geldenhuys: The CEO & Founder of OPS (Outsourced Payroll Solutions) & gulfHR.ae Diana is from South Africa originally and came to the UAE in 1998. Since then, she has been the Emirates Women Winner 2016 in overall business category & a successful leader who owns and manages two companies: OPS and gulfHR. This episode covers Diana's journey of entrepreneurship and the various business adventures she has been on. They talk about the various stages of risk taking in business and also the importance of building relationships around you to help yourself. Diana talks about her new eco-tourism business: Lands Edge and her and Seb discuss commercial enterprises and social enterprises and how they are not mutually exclusive. I'm sure everyone will learn something from the podcast and inspired to

In this week's amazing episode we speak with Sam Dey from deytips.com. Sam is a London based Marketing Consultant, Content Creator and is the Founder of deytips.com. Sam has a very successful YouTube channel that guides people through marketing, website development and is also part of the YouTube community. He is also an Author and Instructor for LinkedIn Education and he talks about the story of how he got there in this episode. Seb and Sam go through his journey of entrepreneurship, talking about his early days and how he first entered the world of Marketing, eCommerce, and content creation. Sam works with the likes of small businesses as well as global brands such as Wix and Hostinger and also has a range of courses available on sites such as Udemy.  His website is: https://www.deytips.com/ and his His YouTube channel is: https://www.youtube.com/c/SamDeyTips/featured DeyTips was founded by Sam Dey. An online marketing consultant, YouTuber, LinkedIn Learning Author and best selling online course creato

In this special episode we talk to CEO & Founder of Kapes: Matthew Benjamin alongside our very own Seb Francis who is also a Co Founder of Kapes. See the Episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/SfCS2NNZTfQ "If you want a business that's going to be thriving in 20 ,30, 40, 50 years from now, then you got too, from a logical point of view, get sustainability in there from the start"! As you can see this episode is slightly different for two reasons. One, it's our first face to face interview as both founders are now based in Dubai. Two, Seb has invested in this company and is also the Co Founder working alongside the other Co Founders Matthew Benjamin and Michael Bennett. We learn in this episode all about Kapes and it's CEO Matthew and we see why Seb was attracted to the investment opportunity. Kapes is the world's most sustainable school uniform company. This is their WHY: "Kapes was born from wanting to find a way to fight the climate crisis and revolutionise the school uniform market at the same time.

New podcast episode: 3.5X Podcast#068"This is the moment to start a business!"Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones aka THE BLACK FARMER Please view here: https://youtu.be/eunhx69Awqw This week we chat to Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE aka THE BLACK FARMER! We were really excited to speak to this passionate and lively entrepreneur. Wilfred is such an interesting character with bags of life experience, stories and a diverse pathway into his current business venture: The Black Farmer brand which makes premium farm food and drinks. "The key thing in achieving anything you want in life is, first of all, having the audacity to dream it!" His entrepreneurial and life journey has seen him born in Jamaica, grow up in Birmingham, get kicked out the British Army, start a food & drink marketing agency, work in the Television Industry, Owning his own piece of countryside and farm in Devon on the South Coast of England, battling with health issues, starting the Black Farmer Brand and much more! "I always embraced being an outsider"! Wil

New Podcast episode - Please view here: 3.5X Podcast#067"Nothing can not be overcome" Jared Brown, Sipsmith London Co Founder. https://youtu.be/k4GLIpVZL_M In this weeks podcast, Seb catches up with the very lively and the Gin mastermind himself; Jared Brown of Sipsmith London. The company has seen rapid growth over the last few years, with no signs of slowing down. You can really see the passion, knowledge and flair that Jared oozes in all things Gin related. As well as an entrepreneur, he is also known as a: Drinks historian, Underwear model, Book publisher, Bon Viveur, Cotswold gardener, Gin lover, Creative genius, Master Distiller. Sipsmith Gin is made in London's first copper distillery in 200 years. The brand is all about Old School Gin Crafting and using traditional methods. As a traditionalist, Jaded talks all things Sipsmith, entrepreneurship as well as history, books and has some great stories along the way. Seb certainly enjoyed the interview and you can see him soaking in the advice and stories t

3.5X Podcast#066 with Raphael Sofoluke. Founder of the UKBBS (UK BLACK BUSINESS SHOW). In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Raphael Sofoluke, the CEO and founder of the UK Black Business Show. Please view the link to the episode here - https://youtu.be/RKlJD5s6sYA The annual conference and exhibition highlights and promotes businesses founded by people from the black community. The 2019 show had over 2,500 attendees and 110 businesses from across Europe and Africa. The 2020 show was due to go ahead in the upcoming weeks but unfortunately it has been rescheduled to October 2021 due to the current covid uncertainty and regulations in public spaces. Raphael has been recognised by Forbes as one of the 25 leading Black British Business people to follow alongside 24 other remarkable role models. He has also recently launched the Black Tech Achievement Awards, sponsored by J.P. Morgan, to celebrate and acknowledge black role models and innovators within the tech sector and to help illumi

I'm In! This week we have Piers Linney, most known from BBC's Dragons Den & The Secret Millionaire. Entrepreneur, Investor, Adviser, Speaker and Creator of the #StartUp#ScaleUp course, it's fair to say Piers Linney has had his fair share of business experience and adventures! Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Piers grew up in a former mill town in Lancashire where he attended the local comprehensive school. His mother is from the Parish of St. Philip in Barbados and came to the UK in the early 1960s and spent her career working for the NHS before retiring and starting her own business. His father is from working class Manchester and was one of the first to earn an academic scholarship to attend Cambridge University in the 1950s. The host Seb also shares a similar upbringing in Leeds and in this episode they talk upon the current BLM movement and diversity and inclusion within entreupenurship and workplace culture. Piers is often referred to as an entrepreneur and a TV personality following his appearances as an inv

Grenade is one of the fastest growing companies in the UK. Founder Alan Barratt states: "I want us to be the redbull of sports nutrition". Based in Solihull, Grenade now employs more than 60 staff, and retails in more than 80 countries around the world. Next Grenade plans to expand its international presence, following the opening of its new offices in Dubai. A married couple who launched their first product with just £27 in their bank account and sold it for £72 million seven years later, have been named recently as the National Great British Entrepreneur of the Year. With an initial focus on high performance sports nutrition products, Grenade®  In this episode we discuss: Idea generation & formation  Building a brand not just products Focussing on best taste and exploiting gaps in market Marketing a premium product Constant improvement And much more...  

Who doesn't love ice cream!? If you answered 'me', you're only lying to yourself and don't need to read any further :) well, it's up to you whether you read further, but you really should get some more frozen goodness down you!   In this episode I speak with Douh Bouton, co-founder of Halo Top ice cream. For those of you not familiar with the brand, Halo Top is a light ice cream with fewer calories, less sugar, and more protein than traditional ice cream. And it's delicious!   In August 2017, Halo Top became the #1 selling pint of ice cream in the U.S. beating out long-term industry giants including Hagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry's. In November 2017, Time Magazine named Halo Top one of its top inventions of the year, and their sales are in excess of $350million!   In this episode we discuss: Being "lean by design" Customer feedback and product design International expansion Marketing a premium product What does and exit look like And as always, plenty more...

Quorso exists to provide companies and management teams with the information they need to make smarter decisions, ensuring their business run more effectively and more economically.    5 years in the making, Quorso now works with the likes of National Express, Radisson Blu Hotels, Chiquito, and Marks & Spencers, to name but a few. The client base of Quorso turns over in excess of $20bn!   We talk at length about how they validated their initial idea, grew the team (not just in the UK but internationally), raised funding, and continued to improve and develop their software.     In this episode we discuss:   Idea validation Collaborative and remote working  Team culture Fundraising Branding and messaging Measuring customer satisfaction And as always, plenty more…

I'm lucky enough to chat with plenty of companies and entrepreneurs, the majority of which have had great success, but there's always a little something extra when they've done it without funding, which is exactly what Jennifer and her team at Digital Voices have done!   We cover a whole load of topics in this chat, but particularly focus on doing it without funding, some of the challenges, and how those have been overcome.   We also touch on the importance of building an ethically aware company, and how social impact is becoming an increasing part of a company's strategy.   In this episode we discuss:   The first 6 months and biggest challenges YouTube and other content channels Time management and balancing workload Lean startup methodology Creating and ethically driven company And as always, plenty more...