Why I Walked Away From a £1m-a-Year Career | Founder Classic

They were already at the top of their sport. Then they removed the safety net.The Athertons had spent decades becoming one of mountain biking's most successful families.But rather than simply continuing with the security of a global bike sponsor, they took an enormous risk: build their own.Atherton Bikes launched in 2019. They developed and raced their own 3D-printed bikes, bought a mountain and forest to create their own bike park — and ultimately put a World Champion on a British-built Atherton bike.In this Founder Thursday Classic, Rachel Atherton, Dan Atherton and Atherton Bikes CEO Dan Brown talk about obsession, resilience, calculated risk and why sometimes success requires committing everything.The lesson?There comes a point where you can't make the outcome certain.You calculate the risk.You commit.And you Screw It Just DO It.

At 17 years old, Thomas Robson-Kanu was told his football career might be over.Instead of accepting it, he researched natural nutrition with his father, created a raw turmeric formula, and went on to play in the Premier League and represent Wales at Euro 2016.When customers started reporting life-changing results from his homemade blend, he decided to launch The Turmeric Co. When manufacturers said his product couldn't be made at scale, he built his own factory. And when football clubs offered him new contracts, he walked away to build a lasting legacy.Key Takeaways• How to pivot when experts tell you your dream is over• Why building your own manufacturing can be the ultimate competitive advantage• How to shift leadership styles from "master chess player" to "master gardener" as you scale• Why over-analysis causes paralysis and how to take immediate actionThis episode is powered by Molten Ventures, a leading European venture capital firm backing ambitious founders from seed through growth.Find out more at https://moltenventures.comJoin us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, 3 and 4 November at the NEC Birmingham.https://festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

Before Deliciously Ella became one of the UK's best-known wellness brands, it was simply a community.In this Founder Classic, Matthew Mills, CEO and co-founder of Deliciously Ella alongside Ella Mills, explains why building trust came before building products—and how putting the community first shaped every stage of the company's growth.

Everyone is talking about AI.But this conversation isn't really about AI.It's about something far more valuable.How founders spot opportunities.How they recover from failure.Why they pivot.And why the best entrepreneurs don't fall in love with their solution—they fall in love with solving a real problem.In this episode Sammy shares lessons from multiple startups, fundraising, scaling and building Mucka AI.If you're building a business, the founder lessons in this conversation are far more valuable than the technology itself.This episode is powered by Molten Ventures, a leading European venture capital firm backing ambitious founders from seed through growth.Find out more at https://moltenventures.comJoin us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, 3 and 4 November at the NEC Birmingham.https://festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

Dom McGregor helped build Social Chain into one of the UK's most talked-about businesses.Behind the success, he was struggling.In this Founder Classic, Dom opens up about addiction, hitting rock bottom, rebuilding his life and why the hardest day he ever experienced ultimately became the most important.

Charlotte Lee and Olivia Bishop didn't set out to build a swimwear brand—they were simply frustrated customers.After struggling to find stylish, high-quality swimwear without paying expensive shipping and import duties, one simple question changed everything:"Why don't we just do it?"In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, they share how they built Toco Swim with no fashion background, while working full-time as accountants, and why taking action before feeling ready made all the difference.In this episode, we discuss:Starting before you're ready.Building a business alongside full-time jobs.Learning an industry from scratch.Growing through customer feedback.Choosing sustainable growth over outside investment.If you've ever had an idea but questioned whether you were experienced enough, this conversation is for you.🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3-4 at NEC Birmingham👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

Most people would never walk away from a secure, high-paying career.Piers Linney did exactly that.In this Founder Classic, Piers shares why he left investment banking to become an entrepreneur, how Richard Branson influenced one of the biggest decisions of his life, and why backing yourself is often the hardest—but most rewarding—decision you'll ever make🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3-4 at NEC Birmingham👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

Pete has spent decades helping elite athletes, entrepreneurs and business leaders perform at their best.But this conversation isn't about performance.It's about grief.It's about identity.It's about what happens when life forces you to stop.After losing his wife Hannah, Pete realised he'd spent years helping everyone else change their lives without ever stopping long enough to understand his own.This became one of the most honest conversations we've ever had on Screw It Just DO It🎧 This episode is powered by Molten Ventures, a leading European venture capital firm backing ambitious founders from seed through growth. 👉 Find out more at https://moltenventures.com🎟️ Join us at the Festival of Entrepreneurs, November 3-4 at NEC Birmingham👉 www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk

From the outside, Dan Murray-Serter had everything: awards, recognition, and a fast-growing startup. He was being invited to Buckingham Palace every couple of months. His company had just been nominated for Best Mobile Company in Europe.Behind the scenes, he knew he was building the wrong life.In this Founder Classic, Dan shares the moment everything changed — a slide about Ikigai at a random event, a burnout he mistook for something else, and an honest conversation with his co-founder on a trip to Sweden that ended with them telling their investors to shut the company down. What happened next surprised everyone, including Dan.This is the moment he walked away from success — and why it became the best decision he ever made.🎧 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

Adam Stott left school with one GCSE. He was told, repeatedly, that he was never going to achieve anything. His dad lost everything when Adam was ten, and they moved from a six-bedroom house and private school to living behind a transport café, with his mum getting up at 4:30am every day to keep it running.He had ambition. He had desire. He had absolutely no idea how to close the gap.Then he walked into a sales job at Powerhouse, discovered commission for the first time, sold a cooker to a stranger without knowing anything about it, and found the thing that would change his life.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Adam tells the full story. The transport café. The burger van he bought and never opened. The £50,000 he pulled from his house at 25 and nearly lost entirely. The friend who helped him fix his messaging and get in the right rooms. And why, if he could go back, the one thing he would tell his younger self is simply: build your skills.Adam now runs Big Business Events, a £15 million a year business coaching company. He has generated £186 million in revenue across all his businesses. But the episode is not about that. It is about what came before all of it, and why confidence can only ever come from competence.Key Takeaways- Why losing everything as a child created the frame of reference that drove everything after- How discovering commission for the first time at a Powerhouse cooker counter changed Adam's life- Why motivation without skills is just noise — and how to fix that- The two skills Adam tells everyone to learn first: sales and marketing🎧 This episode is powered by Molten Ventures, a leading European venture capital firm backing ambitious founders from seed through growth. 👉 Find out more at moltenventures.com🎧 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