From Dragons' Den to Olympic Gold: How Chris Rea Built Y1

What does it take to turn a university side hustle into a multi-million-pound sports brand used by Olympic champions?Chris Rea started out selling onesies from his student bedroom. Fourteen years later, he and his co-founder Tom have built Y1 into an international hockey brand, with athletes competing at the highest levels of the sport.But the journey was far from straightforward.After appearing on Dragons' Den and receiving an offer, Chris knew it was time to take his business seriously. Yet rapid early growth eventually gave way to challenges, burnout and a difficult decision to step back into employment.That apparent setback became one of the most valuable experiences of his entrepreneurial career.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Chris shares how he rediscovered his direction, learned from ambitious founders, raised investment from his own community and transformed a broad fashion business into a specialist sports brand.We explore the importance of knowing when to pivot, why being exceptional in a niche can beat trying to appeal to everyone, and how Y1 went from testing hockey sticks with international players to celebrating Olympic gold medals.In this episode:● The Dragons' Den moment that changed everything● Building a business while studying at university● Burnout, setbacks and returning to employment● Why specialising in hockey transformed Y1● Raising investment from customers and supporters● Building a sports brand trusted by Olympic athletes● Expanding into padel and international marketsSubscribe to Screw It Just DO It for more conversations with founders and entrepreneurs who stopped waiting and took action.🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, helping ambitious businesses make international payments, pay overseas suppliers and collect payments from around the world.🌍 Doing business internationally? Create your free WorldFirst account at: https://www.worldfirst.com

Charles Black had an idea as a teenager that seemed almost impossible.He wanted to put cameras in space and broadcast live views of Earth for everyone to see.The problem? It was around 1990. There was no consumer internet, no streaming technology, broadcasting required government licences, and launching satellites was prohibitively expensive.Everything was against him.But Charles never let go of the idea.In this Founder Classic episode of Screw It Just DO It, I revisit my conversation with Charles Black about the extraordinary journey from a teenage dream in Yorkshire to eventually getting cameras into space.Charles shares why he remained committed to an idea that was decades ahead of its time, how a chance encounter with a four-leaf clover reinforced his belief that he was on the right path, and why he chose to build other businesses while waiting for the opportunity to pursue his original vision.Along the way, he qualified as a barrister, decided against practising law and launched an internet company from his bedroom.He even sold his first website before he knew how to build one.That business eventually became part of a company acquired for around £90 million.But the dream of putting cameras in space never disappeared.We discuss how Charles found his way into the space industry, secured an opportunity involving a Russian spacecraft company, and eventually received his first images from space, including a beautiful photograph of Italy.For Charles, it was the realisation of an idea he had carried with him for decades.What stayed with me most from this conversation was his willingness to keep moving forward, even when the path was unclear.Charles also shares his thoughts on resilience, challenging convention, building something from nothing and why ambitious ideas often demand years of persistence.His advice to anyone sitting on an idea and waiting for the perfect moment?“Do it. Go for it.”If you've been putting off starting a business, questioning whether your idea is possible or wondering whether you've missed your opportunity, this conversation is worth hearing.Sometimes the idea is right. The world simply needs time to catch up.Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs and people who turned ambitious ideas into reality.Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts, and discover the decisions, challenges and turning points behind their journeys.🎟️ Ready to turn your own big idea into action?Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, 3–4 November at NEC Birmingham, for two days of founder stories, practical business insights and opportunities to connect with entrepreneurs who are building and scaling businesses.👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

Jonny Plein left a comfortable corporate career in his mid-twenties and went from earning around £50,000 to £60,000 a year to paying himself £500 a month to build his first startup.That business, Pouch, went on Dragon's Den, received offers from all five Dragons and was eventually acquired.But just months before the sale, everything nearly disappeared.A £1 million corporate deal collapsed on the day it was supposed to be signed. Jonny and his co-founders had to cut half the team, money was running out and he gave himself six months to either change the trajectory of the company or walk away.He kept going.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Jonny shares what happened next, why he believes founders are often “three feet from gold”, why starting his second company was psychologically harder than the first, taking a 70% pay cut to go again and what happened when £1 million of funding commitments disappeared in a single day.We also talk about Dragon's Den, learning to make your own luck, getting comfortable with failure, knowing when to quit, building resilience and why the downside often becomes less frightening once you actually confront it.Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It for more conversations with founders and entrepreneurs who stopped waiting and took action.🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, helping ambitious businesses make international payments, pay overseas suppliers and collect payments from around the world.Jonny and Yaso are themselves a WorldFirst client, making this a particularly relevant conversation about helping Western brands build and scale their businesses in China.🌍 Doing business internationally? Create your free WorldFirst account at: https://www.worldfirst.com

Sabrina Stocker realised she wasn't afraid of hard work. She was simply working hard at the wrong thing.After losing her tennis-events business during lockdown, Sabrina found herself running a new PR company from her local coffee shop.Then she realised: if she could work from there, she could work from anywhere.Within a month she'd sold her car, given up her flat, sold everything and moved to Egypt.In this Founder Classic, Sabrina shares the mindset behind that decision, why staying where she was felt scarier than leaving, and her approach to creating financial, location and time freedom.🎧 Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It for more conversations with founders and entrepreneurs who stopped waiting and took action.🎟️ Festival of Entrepreneurs | 3-4 November | NEC BirminghamJoin thousands of founders and entrepreneurs for two days of ideas, connections and action.

Kim Antoniou has built businesses, lost a fortune, started again and spent years developing technology that didn't exist when she first had the idea.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Kim shares the story behind Auris Tech and Fonetti, the reading platform using voice technology to help children develop their reading confidence and skills.We talk about losing a business, starting again when she thought she was finished with entrepreneurship, building technology from scratch, failing publicly, ignoring advice, finding purpose around the age of 50 and why sometimes you simply have to keep going when everyone else thinks you should stop.Kim also explains why she believes improving literacy can change a child's life, and why purpose still has to work commercially if you want to create impact at scale.If you're building something difficult, starting again after failure or still wondering whether it's too late to find the thing you're meant to do, this conversation is for you.Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It for more conversations with founders and entrepreneurs who stopped waiting and took action.

Jay Morton wanted Air Troop when he joined the SAS.Instead, he was sent to Mountain Troop. It was the last posting he wanted and, at the time, he was gutted.Looking back, that unwanted decision became one of the defining moments of his life. Mountain Troop introduced Jay to climbing, exploration and adventure, eventually taking him towards Everest and a life in the mountains. What felt like the wrong direction turned out to be the one he needed.In this Founder Classic episode of Screw It Just DO It, I revisit my conversation with Jay about that sliding doors moment, the fear of unfulfilled potential, vulnerability and what happens when achievement stops giving you the answers you expected.Jay also shares what he would tell someone who feels directionless: listen to what you actually want, get outside your comfort zone, make a decision and give yourself enough time to see where it leads.His Screw It Just DO It moment comes down to something deceptively simple: stick to the decision. Stop obsessing over what you might have lost by choosing one path. Have some faith in what you want and crack on with it.Key Takeaways✦ Why getting Mountain Troop instead of Air Troop changed Jay’s life✦ How an unwanted SAS posting led to his passion for mountains and exploration✦ Why vulnerability became harder for Jay than physical challenges✦ The danger of becoming directionless when you do not know what you want✦ Why leaving your hometown and experiencing different cultures can change your perspective✦ How sticking to a decision creates momentum✦ Why your plan does not need to be complicated to give you direction🎧 Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs and people who took the decision to stop waiting and act.🎟️ Festival of Entrepreneurs, 3–4 November at NEC BirminghamJoin thousands of founders, business owners and leaders for two days of practical insight, honest conversations and connections that can move your business forward.

They had the careers most people dream about. Then they moved back in with their parents.Dom and Phil Kwok had followed the conventional path through top universities and prestigious careers in law and finance.Then they walked away.They moved back home, built the first version of EasyA from their childhood bedrooms and spent their early days delivering flyers themselves.At 3am, covered in bike grease with no revenue coming into the business, they found themselves asking:“What are we doing?”Today, EasyA has around 1.3 million users. Dom and Phil say they have raised no external funding and still own 100% of the company, and they have announced plans to take it public.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, we talk about betting on yourself, taking risk, building a network from nothing, the years nobody sees before the “overnight success”, AI and the future of entrepreneurship, and the philosophy that captures their journey perfectly: Action produces information.In this episode:Walking away from prestigious careers Moving back in with their parentsBuilding EasyA from their childhood bedrooms Flyering at 3am with zero revenue Why they didn't raise external fundingBuilding a network from nothing The chance encounter that changed EasyA's trajectoryWhy they believe most people don't take enough risk Why long-term business plans can fail startups🎟️Festival of Entrepreneurs | 3–4 November | NEC BirminghamJoin me and thousands of founders and entrepreneurs for two days of ideas, connections and action.Get your FREE ticket: festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

Laura Fullerton hated being cold.Then she discovered thousands of people converting chest freezers into DIY ice baths because the product they wanted simply didn't exist.That was her Screw It Just DO It moment.Despite never having built hardware or software before, Laura decided:“I've got to create it.”In this Founder Classic, we revisit Laura's journey building Munk and the reality behind turning an idea into a physical product.We get into spotting genuine customer demand, building something you've never built before, fundraising, why your network can become one of your greatest founder assets, relentless drive and the sacrifices people rarely see behind an early-stage business.In this episode:• How Laura spotted the opportunity behind Munk• Why existing customer behaviour can reveal a market• Building hardware and software for the first time• The blood, sweat and tears behind getting into production• Why fundraising became one of her hardest challenges• Why Laura deliberately invests in her network• What happens when you actually just go for it• Developing the relentless drive to keep going• What founder life really demands behind the scenes🎟️ Festival of Entrepreneurs | 3–4 November | NEC BirminghamJoin me and thousands of founders and entrepreneurs for two days of ideas, connections and action.Get your FREE ticket:festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk#LauraFullerton #Munk #Entrepreneurship #FounderStory #Startups #BusinessIdeas #FemaleFounder #TakeAction #ScrewItJustDoIt #SIJDI

What does more than 50 years in business teach you about knowing when to grow, when to pivot and when to walk away?In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Brad Aspess MBE, founder of Rarewaves, whose career has taken him from the music industry to high-street retail and ultimately global e-commerce.Brad started at Decca Records in 1973, just after they'd lost the Rolling Stones, and went on to build and scale retail businesses generating more than £60 million annually, before ultimately building Rarewaves into a global e-commerce business selling millions of products around the world.We talk about what five decades in business have taught him about spotting opportunities, following the cash flow, scaling without relying heavily on debt, empowering people rather than micromanaging them, and adapting before the market forces you to.One of Brad's central philosophies is simple:Play to win. Don't play not to lose.In this episode:• 50+ years of lessons from music, retail and e-commerce• Starting at Decca Records in 1973• Building and scaling major retail businesses• Why an opportunity only matters if you can expand and grow it• Why Brad believes you don't need heavy debt to build a business• Following the cash flow• Knowing when to shut something down and move on• Empowering people rather than micromanaging them• Sticking to what you're great at and outsourcing the rest• Adapting and pivoting before disruption catches you• Building Rarewaves into a global e-commerce business🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, helping ambitious businesses make international payments, pay overseas suppliers and collect payments from around the world.Brad and Rarewaves are themselves a WorldFirst client, making this a particularly relevant conversation about building and operating an international business.🌍 Doing business internationally? Create your free WorldFirst account at: https://www.worldfirst.com/🎟️ Festival of Entrepreneurs | 3–4 November | NEC BirminghamJoin me and thousands of founders and entrepreneurs for two days of ideas, connections and action.Get your FREE ticket:festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk#BradAspess #Rarewaves #WorldFirst #Entrepreneurship #Ecommerce #BusinessGrowth #Bootstrapping #Leadership #ScrewItJustDoIt #SIJDI

 Thinking about doing something isn't doing it. Planning it isn't doing it. Talking about it isn't doing it. Eventually, you have to do the thing.In this Thursday Founder Classic episode of Screw It Just DO It, Antony “Staz” Stazicker, former Special Forces operator and co-founder of ThruDark, shares his uncompromising philosophy on overcoming hesitation and executing under pressure.Staz spent 13 years in the military—including 10 years in the Special Boat Service (SBS) as a Sergeant and Chief Sniper Instructor—before walking away at age 33 to start from scratch in a field he knew nothing about.In this hard-hitting, 6-to-7-minute Founder Classic, Staz breaks down:• Why thinking, planning, and talking are not substitutes for execution• Leaving Special Forces at the top of his game to embrace a white-belt beginner mindset• The birth of ThruDark on a desert drop zone and starting in a front room with a borrowed whiteboard• Why building a business proved far harder than expected and why "people invest in people"• The military concept of "battle prep": defining the mission, working backwards, and executing without overthinking• The single factor behind making the leap and sustaining success: peopleKey Takeaways• Leap of faith: You don't need all the answers before taking action—commit first• Eliminate Plan B: Committing 100% to Plan A removes the temptation to settle• Battle prep your goals: Break intimidating missions down into progressive, executable steps• People over everything: High performance relies entirely on surrounding yourself with passionate, dedicated teammates🎧 Listen to the full episode of Screw It Just DO It🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk