How Bulk Built a £100m Business with No Investment

In this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It episode, I sit down with Adam Rossiter and Elliot Dawes, co-founders of Bulk, one of the UK’s biggest sports and active nutrition brands. What started as two university friends buying supplements from the US turned into a £100 million company built without a single penny of outside investment.Adam and Elliot share how they started with £3,000 on a credit card, packed their own boxes, handled customer service themselves, and slowly built traction through word of mouth and online forums. They talk about the point when they realised they had to grow beyond being two founders doing everything, and how one competitor’s sale changed their mindset about scaling.This segment is a raw and honest look at the early grind of building a business and how discipline, persistence, and belief turned a side hustle into one of the leading names in nutrition.Key Takeaways:How £3,000 in credit card debt became the foundation for a multimillion-pound brand.Why doing every role in your business teaches lessons no MBA can.How to recognise the moment to move from startup chaos to structured growth.The power of reinvesting profit and keeping control instead of chasing funding.Why comparison can push you to level up your business vision.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way.🔥 Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs at the NEC Birmingham. What an incredible two days of ideas, connections, and real business insights. If you missed it, stay tuned, we’ll be sharing highlights and conversations from the event on the podcast.Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events.Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies.👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It! #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

What drives someone to launch a sushi restaurant with robots, conveyor belts, and a million-pound setup when they’ve never worked in hospitality?In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Simon Woodroffe OBE, the visionary founder behind Yo! Sushi and YOTEL, to talk about risk, creativity, and why going bigger can sometimes be safer.Simon shares how he went from designing rock and roll stages for the likes of Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones to opening the UK’s first conveyor belt sushi bar in 1997. With no investors and limited cash, he pulled off one of the boldest brand launches in modern British food history, financing it through creative deals with Sony, Honda and All Nippon Airways.From those early days in Soho to building YOTEL and beyond, Simon’s story is one of relentless curiosity, self-belief, and calculated risk. He reflects on what drives entrepreneurs, how to balance creativity with operations, and the importance of raising money with confidence.If you’ve ever questioned whether to take the leap on your idea, this episode proves that vision backed by persistence can build an empire.Key TakeawaysRaise money with conviction. Confidence sells your vision as much as the business plan itself.Spend on experience, not advertising. Word of mouth built Yo! Sushi faster than any marketing budget could.Go bigger, not safer. The larger the ambition, the more belief and accountability it attracts.Creativity and execution go hand in hand. Simon’s background in showbiz gave him the tools to design unforgettable customer experiences.Luck favours those who act. Every bold decision opens another door.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday, so make sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs at the NEC Birmingham. What an incredible two days of ideas, connections, and real business insights. If you missed it, stay tuned, we’ll be sharing highlights and conversations from the event on the podcast. Stay connected at www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and follow @festivalofentrepreneurs for news, updates, and future events. Real entrepreneurs. Real stories. Real strategies. 👉 Follow the show. Keep showing up. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

What does it take to start a billion-dollar company during a financial crisis? In this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It episode, I sit down with Oscar Höglund, co-founder and CEO of Epidemic Sound, to hear how he turned a broken music licensing industry into a global platform used by millions of creators. Oscar shares how he and his co-founders launched Epidemic Sound in 2008 at the height of the recession, why they decided to rewrite the rules of music licensing, and how their vision to “soundtrack the internet” fuelled their growth. His story is a powerful lesson in resilience, timing, and taking risks when others hold back.Key Takeaways:Why starting in a recession can be an advantage for bold entrepreneurs.How Epidemic Sound spotted a broken system and built a solution creators needed.The importance of unrestricted music licensing for the creator economy.Why conviction in your mission matters more than playing by old industry rules.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

When most graduates were applying for traditional jobs, Darcy Laceby made a different choice. At 20, she co-founded Absolute Collagen alongside her mum, Maxine, transforming bone broth experiments at their kitchen table into a £50 million challenger brand. In this conversation, Darcy shares the reality of building a beauty business from scratch, navigating early investment decisions, scaling a direct-to-consumer brand, and working in a family-run business. We also explore the challenges of being a young female founder, how to stand your ground with investors, and why belief in yourself can accelerate growth.Key Takeaways:The early days of Absolute Collagen and how a kitchen-table idea became a £50M brandNavigating the challenges of scaling a family businessThe importance of belief, persistence, and trusting your own expertiseLessons in investment, growth, and leading a fast-scaling teamDarcy’s vision for the future of health, nutrition, and personalised wellness🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.ukRegister her for FREE: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

On this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Indistractable, to unpack the real reason entrepreneurs get stuck. Nir shares how distraction doesn’t come from phones, emails, or social media, but from within. He explains how boredom, stress, and loneliness drive us towards procrastination and how learning to manage internal triggers can change everything. Nir also reveals his simple mantra of consistency over intensity, showing how small, repeatable actions compound into real change in business, health, and life. Whether you are scaling a startup or just trying to stay focused through the noise, this is a practical, no-nonsense framework you can use straight away.Key Takeaways:Distraction starts from internal triggers, not external interruptions.Time management requires pain management, you must address the discomfort you’re trying to escape.Consistency over intensity builds lasting progress in business, health, and creativity.You can’t outsource focus, you must decide how to spend your time and attention.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

On this episode of Screw It Just DO It I sit down with Boris Diakonov and Eduard Panteleev, the co-founders of ANNA Money, the UK-based business account built to make life easier for small business owners. ANNA combines finance, admin and tax tools in one AI-powered platform, complete with its trademark humour and cat logo. In this conversation we cover the “screw it” moment that pushed them to launch, how they chose the UK market despite being newcomers, and what it took to overcome major setbacks like the Wirecard crisis. We also explore how ANNA grew to 50,000 customers, nearly £30 million in annual recurring revenue, and an 80% gross margin. This is a real look at scaling a fintech startup, balancing co-founder dynamics, and keeping customers front and centre.Key Takeaways:Why the UK market was the right place to launch ANNA despite early fearsHow a bold brand identity helped them stand out in a crowded sectorLessons from surviving the Wirecard collapse and keeping customers onsideThe importance of listening, adapting and maintaining trust as co-foundersHow ANNA scaled to £30m ARR and what that means for the future of small business finance🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.ukRegister her for FREE: https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

There are moments in life when everything falls apart. For Lewis Howes, it was a combination of his father’s serious accident, a career-ending sports injury, and the global financial crash. He found himself broke, directionless, and living on his sister’s couch.In this Bite-sized Screw It Just DO It episode, Lewis shares how those challenges forced him to think differently. He began seeking mentors, learning business skills, and experimenting with ways to earn money during one of the toughest economic climates in recent memory.What followed was the first step towards building a multi-million dollar business, the launch of The School of Greatness podcast, and bestselling books that have inspired millions worldwide. His story is a practical reminder that setbacks can push you to create entirely new opportunities if you are willing to act.Key Takeaways:Setbacks can create the urgency needed to find a new path.Mentorship accelerates learning and helps you avoid obvious mistakes.Start small, test ideas, and build resilience through action.Tools like LinkedIn can be leveraged to build communities and credibility.Reinvention is possible when you stop waiting and commit to learning.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

This week on Screw It Just DO It I sit down with Pip Murray, the founder of Pip & Nut, the UK’s fastest-growing natural nut butter brand. Pip’s story starts with a marathon training run that sparked an idea for a better product, free from palm oil. That idea turned into Pip & Nut, now stocked in over 8,000 stores and recently crowned the number one nut butter brand in the UK.We cover how Pip went from working at the Science Museum to living rent-free in a shed after winning the Escape the City competition, raising £120,000 through crowdfunding, and navigating the early challenges of scaling a food and drink brand. We also talk about resilience, culture, and why purpose and sustainability matter more than ever when building a business today.This is a raw and honest look at the realities of entrepreneurship: the pressure of being a solo founder, the importance of consumer feedback, and how to hold onto a challenger mindset even after hitting scale. If you’re looking for lessons on leadership, funding, branding, and staying resilient in competitive markets, this episode is for you.Key TakeawaysHow Pip used crowdfunding and guerrilla marketing to launch Pip & NutThe value of challenger brand thinking in crowded FMCG marketsWhy sustainability, B Corp certification, and purpose strengthen brand loyaltyThe leadership challenges of moving from startup to scale-upHow resilience in business mirrors the mindset needed to run marathons🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

When I sat down with Mike McDerment, founder of FreshBooks, his story reminded me why narrowing focus is often the smartest path to growth. In this Bite-sized episode, you’ll hear how Mike turned a small design problem into a billion-dollar company by obsessing over one specific customer segment.Mike shares how he resisted the temptation to serve everyone, instead targeting only web designers for seven years. That focus built a loyal base and drove word-of-mouth growth far beyond the niche. He talks about bootstrapping from his parents’ basement, raising small angel rounds, and running lean until the first big $30m investment a decade later.If you’re stuck wondering how to get your business moving, this conversation is a blueprint: start small, serve one customer type brilliantly, and let focus fuel scale.Key Takeaways:Identify one clear customer and understand their pain better than they do.Avoid the trap of believing “everyone” is your customer. Focus creates growth.Bootstrapping forces discipline and builds resilience before raising big capital.Word of mouth is powerful when you serve a niche exceptionally well.Scaling requires patience and deliberate planning, not shortcuts.🎧 New episodes of Screw It Just DO It drop every Tuesday & Thursday - so makes sure you follow wherever you listen. You’ll hear real conversations with founders who’ve taken a risk, built something from scratch, and figured it out along the way. 🔥 Want to take things further? Join me in person this October at the Festival of Entrepreneurs on the 8–9th October at the NEC in Birmingham. The Festival of Entrepreneurs is where 5-10,000 ambitious founders come together to learn from the people who've actually done it. I'm giving my listeners free 2-day passes.  Real entrepreneurs, real stories, real strategies – exactly like what you're hearing right now, but live and in person. Go to www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk and grab your free pass before they're gone.  https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/FestivalOfEntrepreneurs2025.aspx?TrackingCode=ACHISNALL 👉 Follow the show. Turn up in October. Screw It Just DO It!  #ScrewItJustDoIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship

This October we’re bringing together the UK’s most ambitious founders, investors, and business leaders for two days of no-fluff insights, practical workshops, and high-value networking at the Festival of Entrepreneurs 2025.In this episode, I’ll walk you through what the festival is, who it’s for, and what you can expect when you join us at the NEC Birmingham. From scaling strategies to funding opportunities and stories you won’t hear anywhere else, this is your chance to learn directly from the entrepreneurs shaping the future of business.Limited free two-day passes are available now on a first-come, first-served basis. Register today at https://www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.ukDon’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight—subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts.And if you’re serious about growing your business, join us on October 8–9 at the NEC Birmingham for the Festival of Entrepreneurs. Two days packed with practical workshops, world-class speakers, and the chance to connect with the UK’s most ambitious founders.Subscribe now. Show up in October. Be part of the movement.#ScrewItJustDOIt #FestivalOfEntrepreneurs #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife