My Teacher Said I’d Never Become Anything

Roxie Nafousi went from addiction, no purpose and rock bottom… to building a global brand and selling over 1 million books.In this episode, she shares the real turning point that changed everything — and why success isn’t always linear.We also talk about:What rock bottom really felt likeThe moment everything shiftedBuilding a brand that sells out in 48 hoursAnd why her latest launch didn’t go to planListen to the full episode and let us know your biggest takeaway.

He couldn’t read. Couldn’t write. And was told he had no chance of running a business.So he started one anyway.Decades later he runs a £30 million-plus portfolio: commercial property, a luxury wedding venue, a mastermind for business owners stuck at the two million pound mark, and a growing personal brand.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with James Martin to unpack the full story. From cutting grass on a mower with a swapped-out engine to walk into contracts, to buying back his own tree surgery company from a receiver for fifty grand after a corporate buyer destroyed it, to building an entire business model around neurodiverse thinkers.We talk about growing up in a pub with a dyslexia diagnosis that felt like a life sentence, why he treats his teacher's words as fuel rather than scars, how he learned to run a business without being able to read a book, and what he now tells every founder who is stuck getting out of the van.If you are building something and feel like the system was not designed for you, this one is for you.Key TakeawaysWhy being underestimated can become leverageThe role of defiance in early entrepreneurshipWhy traditional paths don’t fit everyoneHow failure tolerance changes decision-making🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 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.👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

It was meant to be a side project. Six months. No real risk.Two years later, he had quit his job, spent his life savings, and there was no way back.In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip, to unpack how nine generations of farming, a dad in brand design, and one disgusting pink mocktail led to him creating the category of premium non-alcoholic spirits.We talk about how the business almost never existed, why naming is a horrible process, what standing at a Selfridges shelf for three weeks teaches you about customers, and the moment Ben realised he absolutely loves numbers.If you are building something and wondering whether to go all in or keep it as a side project, this one is for you.Key Takeaways- When a side project quietly becomes your main riskWhy most founders don’t notice the point of no returnThe difference between planning and commitmentWhy finishing something changes everything🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 Don't miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts.🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3-4 at NEC Birmingham. Two days of real conversations, practical insight, and founder-led growth.👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

Gurthro Steenkamp won a Rugby World Cup. He coached at the highest level in European rugby. He had every reason to stay in that world.Then his daughter asked him why she could never see him like the other children saw their dads.That broke him.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Coach G explains how he walked away from a full-time coaching role at La Rochelle at 44 and went all in on his own business, why he stopped chasing a vision and started chasing an identity, and what it actually means to be fulfilled versus just successful.We talk about the scrum of entrepreneurship, what rugby taught him that nothing else could, why authenticity is the only real growth strategy, and why vision without action just remains a dream.Key TakeawaysThe moment success stops feeling meaningfulWhy identity matters more than external achievementThe cost of staying in the wrong role too longWhy action creates clarity, not the other way around🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up.As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 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

She had no experience. No funding. And every reason to stay where she was.Instead, she chose a path where failure was almost guaranteed.In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Bonita Norris shares the exact morning she chose to explore Everest, what it actually felt like in the dead zone at altitude, and why the summit was nothing like she imagined.Key Takeaways:The decision that came before any proof or supportWhy clarity matters more than confidenceWhat extreme pressure does to your thinkingWhy the outcome rarely feels how you expectThis is not an adventure story. It is a lesson in choosing difficulty on purpose.🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 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.

He was hiding £24,000 of debt from everyone... until one question exposed everything.Sammie Ellard-King had been hiding £24,000 of debt from everyone around him. His friends. His girlfriend. His family.Then someone asked him how much he needed to retire.He didn’t have an answer. And worse, he realised how far behind he really was.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Sammie, founder of Up the Gains and the new app Gains, to unpack how a personal debt crisis became a financial education brand with millions of views, and why the gap in UK financial literacy is still dangerously wide.We cover the moment he decided to stop hiding and start learning, why the online Lambo lifestyle influencers are genuinely dangerous for young people, the six things you need to understand to be ahead of 95% of this country, and what financial freedom actually means when you strip away the noiseThis is not motivational content. It is a real conversation about money, mindset, and the decision to build something that mattersKey TakeawaysThe question that forced him to face £24,000 of hidden debtWhy most people delay learning about money until it’s too lateThe simple rule that stopped his impulse spendingHow he turned personal debt into a business and audience🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up. As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3-4 at NEC Birmingham👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

They hit December with no money left.No salary. No backup plan.Just one decision to make:quit... or remove the option to quit completely.Simon Gardiner built Carrington West from a garage during the worst recession in decades.But the real turning point wasn’t the start.It was the moment there was no way out.In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Simon shares the moment he and his co-founder James sat in a pub at Christmas with no funds, no revenue, and a stark choice: fold the business or grind it out from scratch. They chose to grind.That decision built what is now a £100 million revenue business and the UK’s recognised best employer.We talk about why Simon wants it to take 10 years, why early struggle is not something to hide from, and why building a facade of success before you have earned it is one of the most dangerous things a founder can do.Key Takeaways• Why there is no substitute for the resilience built in the early years• What happened when they reframed the entire business at Christmas with no money left• Why Simon never wants to sell and what European founders understand that UK founders often miss• The danger of flooding your environment with luxury before you have earned it🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up.As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 Don’t miss a moment of entrepreneurial insight. Subscribe to Screw It Just DO It wherever you get your podcasts.🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3–4 at NEC Birmingham👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

She sold her business.And in the process, gave away something she should never have signed over.Calypso Rose built multiple businesses from scratch with just £2,000. One became the number one product in Selfridges. Another she scaled and sold.But the biggest lesson didn’t come from building.It came from the deal she wishes she could undo.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Calypso Rose, serial entrepreneur and founder of Offscript, to talk about what three businesses built without investment have taught her, why she champions lifestyle businesses over scale-up culture, and the mistake she made at the exit table that every founder needs to hear.We talk about designing a business around your life, knowing when to walk away, and why most founders stay three years too long.Key Takeaways• Why she signed over her Instagram in a deal and immediately tried to buy it back• How she built The Institute to give her freedom, cash positivity, and flexibility from day one• The moment the boxes hit the ceiling and she knew it was time to move• Why starting with a minimal viable product will always beat building before you launch🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up.As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 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

Lain Ward was doing a medical trial for extra cash when an MRI scan found a stage three brain tumour in his head.He was 31. His prognosis was one to five years.His first reaction? Bollocks.His second? A plan.In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Iain explains how a brain cancer diagnosis became the clearest direction he had ever been given, why he calls himself the luckiest unlucky man in the world, and how he turned a prognosis into a pursuit of two Guinness World Records and a mission to raise millions for cancer charities.We talk about the difference between a diagnosis and a prognosis, why cancer gave him a road he did not have before, and what it looks like to build a following of over over nine million people one video at a time, without ever knowing how much time you have left.Key Takeaways• Why finding cancer accidentally in a medical trial MRI was the luckiest thing that ever happened to him• How he went from solutions mode to world record pursuit within a week of his prognosis• Why cancer was the best thing that happened to his life• What it looks like when every single daily action is connected to one goal🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up.As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 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

Jason thought he had already failed at 22.He was 22 years old when he found out he was going to be a father.He was living in a flat, going out every weekend, talking about the business he was going to start one day.Then everything changed.He moved 26 miles away to a town where he knew nobody, walked away from his social life, and started an electrical engineering company in a garden shed. No fanfare. No safety net. Just a decision to stop waiting.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Jason and Alex talk about what financial freedom actually means, why most entrepreneurs are chasing the wrong goal, and how Jason grew a YouTube channel to half a million subscribers with zero ad spend and generated 12 million dollars through a single funnel in under a year.Key Takeaways• Why chasing financial freedom is often the wrong goal• How one week of reading YouTube analytics changed everything• The product ecosystem thinking that generated 12 million dollars in 10 months• Why most content creators fail from day one• How to know when enough is enough🎧 This episode is powered by WorldFirst, specialists in international business payments. If your business pays overseas suppliers or receives payments from abroad, those transaction fees can quickly add up.As a Screw It Just DO It listener, you can get 50 international transactions completely fee free for 60 days.👉 Create a free account and claim the offer at worldfirst.com/screwit🎧 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