Founded & Grounded

Piers Linney is an entrepreneur and investor. He’s the Founder of Moblox (a technology and tools platform for small businesses) and is well known from his appearances on Dragons Den and Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire.On Founded and Grounded, Piers talks about his upbringing and his first money making ventures, shares his mistakes and what fascinates him about starting and growing businesses. The conversation provides a fascinating insight into Piers’ entrepreneurial mindset and how he keeps moving forward.Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

Some say the best ideas come over a drink.Today we hear from life-long friends who discovered there’s more to tequila than 3am shooters, sucking a lemon and licking salt. They sampled their first tequila and tonic - and that was the start of their journey.They quit their day jobs and went on a Mexican adventure, developing their new brand of tequila - El Rayo. How did they do it? It’s a great story of having an idea and running with it; making mistakes and learning on the go. It’s bonkers and brilliant - and likely to make you ask yourself - what am I waiting for?Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

From tragedy to triumph.  How a sister's life-saving transplant led to the creation of an award-winning skincare business called ‘By Sarah London’. Founded by sisters Sarah and Lauren Murrell, after Lauren was diagnosed with life-threatening leukaemia and Sarah became her stem-cell donor.When Lauren was recovering, Sarah began developing plant-oil formulations to restore Lauren's dry, irritated and sensitive skin, as she reacted to many natural ranges. The result is a range designed to support a variety of different skin issues. This deeply personal story has sparked a strong sense of mission and purpose when it comes to business - which shines through in this conversation.In this episode, Sarah covers:Branding and how sharing your story builds trust with customersThe benefits of selling directly to customers and growing a community to reach new marketsThe importance of keeping true to your values despite commercial and growth pressuresHow to deal with the rollercoaster of running your own businessProudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

Mark Dowds is a serial entrepreneur and investor, and his latest venture, Responsible, seeks to make the clothing industry more sustainable. Over the years, Mark has made good money, signed six-figure cheques as a super angel investor, and has lost it all - before starting over again.  With all this experience, he really knows his stuff. In this episode, Mark discusses:How to get over mistakesHow your money backstory can influence your attitude to risk and businessThe value of stepping outside your comfort zoneHow listening to your fears can help Why you need to be clear about the problem your business is solvingProudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

Why your values are key to your business successMeet Steve Mason, former Technical Director at GCHQ (the UK's intelligence, security and cyber agency).  Having defended the UK from cyber attacks, he now runs Nova Blue - supporting companies with their digital security needs.But this isn’t a tech conversation - in this episode, Steve shares the key ingredients that help him make business decisions, how he attracts clients and deals with setbacks - including the mistake that almost cost him his business. Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

Decent coffee - tick. House plants - tick. Quiet area and community hub - tick. You know what it’s like - the feeling of finding a really nice place to work. Since Covid, hybrid working has become the norm, workplaces have evolved and more of us are using co-working spaces. Laura Beales (and her co-founder Jules Robertson) saw the potential to create a platform that makes finding a workspace easy. Wherever, whenever. Tally Workspace was born during the lockdown as a side hustle but the team has grown and they secured funding through Innovate UK and angel investment. As well as on-demand workspace, Tally also has an in-house team of office experts who can find your business the perfect new home - at zero cost.In this episode of Founded & Grounded, Laura Beales shares the challenges and opportunities of constantly evolving to meet customers’ needs, advice on getting a new business off the ground, and their co-founder partnership's success. It’s a great lesson on how to get your business started. Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

‘I owed it to myself to leap and look’ Rum entrepreneur Edmund Wood quit his job to follow the dream of setting up his own business. He didn’t have a clue what it would be but decided he had to ‘leap and look’ for an idea he was passionate about - and decided on rum. Belgrove was born. Edmund joins Ollie and Laura on Founded & Grounded to share his inspiring journey. It’s a story about being bold, quick to adapt when plans go pear-shaped (thanks to Covid) and learning you have to be kind to yourself. If you have ever dreamt of quitting your day-to-day and doing something else - this is a must-listen for you.  Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

Rupal Patel, former agent, now serial entrepreneur, shares her honest and personal journey of the challenges she faced and how she kept going in high stakes, high-pressurised environments in the field and in the boardroom. Rupal reveals how the CIA mindset teaches you to be resilient and persistent to achieve your goals. She also shares some great advice on ‘tactical ignorance’ and how it can help deal with imposter syndrome and the inner critic.Her book ‘From CIA to CEO: Unconventional Life Lessons for Thinking Bigger, Leading Better, and Being Bolder’ is out now.Go to www.rupalypatel.com to find out more about Rupal. Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

Hear from Mark Panay - Co-founder and MD of one of Bristol’s most prolific software agencies , Simpleweb.Learn Mark's highs and lows of running a business, and how his natural curiosity and fascination for learning has shaped his career.  Discover what Mark thinks makes a good start-up investment, and what he sees as the biggest challenges of being the boss.Presented by Laura Rawlings, with analysis from Ollie Collard.Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer

Meet Simon Squibb, serial entrepreneur, investor and founder of The Purposeful Project. Simon’s mission is to help and inspire 10,000,000 people to startup and scale a business for free. He believes there should be a Start Up Centre to replace the Job Centre - and as an angel investor and entrepreneur, Simon’s got the credentials to make this a reality.In this insightful conversation with Founded and Grounded, Simon reveals how being homeless at 15 made him realise he had what it takes to be an entrepreneur. He shares his journey, failures and lessons learnt, including how to increase your luck and why being clear about your purpose is key to business success.Thanks to our sponsors Nova Blue and Tally Market.Presented by Laura Rawlings, with analysis from Ollie Collard.Proudly sponsored by our wonderful partner, Nova Blue, keeping businesses safe from cyber security threats, so you can concentrate on growing your startup. Claim your FREE cyber health checkhttps://nova-blue.co.uk/podcastoffer