How Richard Harpin Built a £4bn Business

This episode features Richard Harpin MBE, founder of HomeServe and one of the UK’s most experienced scale up operators. Recorded before his recent MBE award, this conversation shows exactly why his contribution to British business has been recognised.Richard shares how he grew a simple plumbing insurance idea into a global business valued at over £4 billion. He breaks down his nine step framework for building and scaling companies, from copying and pivoting early, to securing the right investor, replacing yourself as founder, and choosing steady evolution over dramatic change.We also cover international expansion, backing yourself when capital is tight, and why mentorship has played a defining role throughout his career. Today Richard is focused on helping the next generation of founders through Growth Partner and Business Leader, with a clear ambition to support a significant share of the UK’s mid sized businesses.Key takeawaysFollow a clear framework and focus on execution not ideasSecure the right mentor early and listen to themEvolve constantly to avoid becoming irrelevantExpand internationally with local leadership in placeStrip your business back to its core value and commit fully🎧 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.FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. 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

Scaling a startup into a national or international brand is rarely clean, predictable, or glamorous.Recorded live at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, this panel brings together founders who have scaled in very different industries but faced the same uncomfortable decisions along the way. From compliance and capital to branding, product reality, and investor relationships, this conversation focuses on what actually holds when growth accelerates.Guests:Mark Rushmore, Co-founder of SURI Laura Fullerton, Founder of monk Claire Warner, Co-founder of Aecorn Melissa Snover, Founder of Remedy Health & Nourished Jeannette Linfoot, Host of Brave Bold Brilliant (moderator)In this episode, you’ll learn:Why compliance and financial clarity cannot be delayedWhen rebuilding is the real growth decisionHow to think about scale before demand explodesWhat raising capital really looks like in tougher marketsIf you are building something you want to last, this episode will help you see scale more clearly.🎧 Don’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts.🔥 If you’re serious about growing your business, join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, 3–4 November 2026 at the NEC Birmingham.👉 Subscribe now and be part of the movement.00:00 Welcome to the Festival of Entrepreneurs  00:12 What It Really Takes to Scale a Startup  01:25 Meet the Founders  04:17 Early Scaling Lessons  05:48 Strategic Bets vs Rushing to Scale  07:04 Building Compliance Before Growth  08:18 Choosing a Market That Can Scale  10:25 Lessons From Before This Business  13:20 When Customers Reject the Product  16:40 Branding Before the Product Exists  18:14 Understanding the Numbers  20:57 The Reality of Raising Capital  21:55 The Screw It Just DO It Moment  24:35 Handling Rejection as a Founder  27:51 Choosing the Right Investors  29:58 Scaling With the Right Partners  32:17 Building a Brand in a New Category  34:43 Final Thoughts From the Panel 

Piers Linney MBE has spent years operating at the sharp end of business, investment, and technology. In this episode, recorded before his recent MBE award, Piers lays out a clear view of where AI is taking founders and why waiting is the biggest risk.He explains how AI already outperforms humans in speed, cost, and consistency across many cognitive tasks. The advantage now comes from knowing where humans still matter and where machines should take over. Founders who treat AI as a daily operating layer will move faster, build leaner teams, and make better decisions. Those who delay will struggle to catch up.This conversation is practical, grounded, and focused on action. It reflects why Piers was recognised with an MBE for services to business and entrepreneurship.Key Takeaways:• AI increases capacity without extra cost• Personalised content and voice agents boost revenue• AI uncovers insights hidden in everyday conversations• Founders who act early gain a long term advantage🎧 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.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 happens when you stop chasing money and start building around who you are. This episode breaks down mindset, performance, and discipline for founders who feel stuck and want control back.Leaving the Special Forces should have been a clean transition. It was not. Simon Jeffries walked away from military life into a corporate role that felt wrong, chased online business ideas that failed, and ended up broke and back at his parents’ home.That low point forced a reset. Simon stopped chasing money and built around what he understood best. Mindset, performance, and discipline under pressure. In this conversation, we break down how founders train mindset as a skill, why small consistent changes beat radical overhauls, and how leadership fundamentals still matter in an AI driven world.This episode is for founders who feel overwhelmed, reactive, or stuck in their own heads and want a practical way forward.Guest: Simon Jeffries is a former Special Forces operator and co founder of The Natural Edge, where he works with founders and leaders on mindset and performance under pressure. Key takeawaysDiscipline is a trained skill and beats raw talent over timeMindset works when treated like physical training with structureSmall consistent changes create lasting performance shiftsLeadership basics matter more than tools or technology🎧 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.FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. 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

James Haskell shares the realities of leaving a structured career for entrepreneurship and the discipline needed to build something on your own terms.Stepping out of professional sport and into business forces you to confront how you work, who you trust and what you want your life to look like. In this bite sized episode, I speak with James Haskell as he breaks down the shift from a highly structured rugby environment to the chaos that often defines the corporate world. He talks about the importance of boundaries, the trap of pointless meetings and the need to value your time as much as you value your effort. His honesty cuts through the noise that surrounds entrepreneurship and highlights a simple truth. You either take responsibility for your next chapter or someone else writes it for you.Guest note: James Haskell is a former England rugby international and entrepreneur.Key Takeaways:Discipline replaces structure when you leave a fixed careerBoundaries stop you wasting time on meetings that add nothingFocus on fewer ventures to reduce burnout and increase clarityA clear exchange of value builds better business relationships🎧 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.FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. 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

Every year, I take one episode to step back and reflect. This is the countdown of the 10 Screw It Just DO It episodes you listened to most in 2025.This episode is a reflection on what really resonated with you in 2025. From founders starting in kitchens to building global brands, these conversations cut through the noise. We revisit lessons on resilience, timing, discipline, leadership, brand, AI, and long term thinking. Each guest earned their place by sharing honest stories about risk, doubt, growth, and momentum. This countdown is not about hype. It is about substance. If you want real insight into what it takes to build something meaningful, this episode brings together the voices that defined the year. It also marks a personal moment of reflection on a challenging year and a clear focus on what comes next.Guest note: This episode features highlights from ten previous guests including Pippa Murray, Aaron Gelbard, Julian Hearn, Richard Harpin, Piers Linney, Nell Daly, Richard Reed, Boris Diakonov, Juliet Barratt, and Al Barratt.Key TakeawaysYou do not need permission to startLong term thinking beats short term winsBrand and culture shape scaleResilience compounds over time🎧 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.FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. 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

Rebranding a company is rarely neat, and James Clark makes that clear in this conversation. He talks through the pressure of changing a long established name, the internal tension that came with it and the need to build something that reflects future ambition rather than past comfort. His breakdown of stakeholder alignment, intellectual coherence and disciplined decision making gives founders a practical view of how to manage identity change at scale. It is a calm and honest look at the work behind a brand that now represents a fast growing venture capital firm with global reach.Guest note:James Clark is the Marketing Director at Molten Ventures, known for leading one of the most complex rebrands in European venture capital.Key TakeawaysA rebrand must reflect where the organisation is going, not where it has been.Stakeholder alignment matters more than visual design.Intellectual coherence gives a brand long term strength.Risk is part of the process but it must be managed with structure and clarity.🎧 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.FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. 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

Recorded live at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, this panel brings together founders who are actively implementing AI in real businesses. We cover what AI first actually means in practice, how to start small without breaking existing operations, and why governance and visibility matter more than speed alone. The conversation moves beyond theory into workflows, automation, data, compliance, and personal brand growth. We also explore where AI is already creating new revenue models and how founders can future proof visibility as AI search replaces traditional discovery. This is a grounded discussion for operators who want clarity, not noise, and results that show up on the balance sheet.Guest panel: Piers Linney, James Smith, Dominic Kos, Sabrina Stocker. Hosted by Rob Hanna.Key takeawaysStart AI adoption with clear workflows and measurable ROIGovernance and visibility create confidence and safe scaleAI works best when paired with human judgementFounders must adapt content and branding for AI search🎧 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.FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. 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

In this Bite-Sized episode, I revisit my conversation with George Kruis, former England international rugby player and co-founder of fourfive. George explains how he and Dom began building their wellness brand while recovering from operations, sitting on physio beds and asking themselves how to take control of their recovery. This clip focuses on the early execution stage. He talks openly about setting up the company, learning how to operate outside the structure of professional sport, and why delegation, speed, and clarity are essential when you move into business. His honesty about the transition and the steep learning curve will resonate with anyone starting something new.Guest: George Kruis, co-founder of fourfive and former England rugby player.Key Takeaways:The first version of any business requires fast learning and deliberate action.Delegation is a skill founders must develop early.Your network is an asset only if you use it intentionally.Co-founders need different strengths to build momentum.🎧 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.FOE returns to NEC Birmingham on November 3-4, 2026. 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