I Accidentally Lost 20kg In Corporate Life | Darren O’Reilly

Darren O'Reilly spent his early years on the professional rugby pitch, representing giants like Leinster and Harlequins and playing in an underage World Cup for Ireland. In that world, his nutrition was meticulously managed by club staff; every meal was tailored for recovery and performance.Then he made the transition to corporate life, and the system broke.Without a team of nutritionists, Darren found himself skipping breakfast and relying on "nutritionally disastrous" meal deals, leading to an unintentional 20kg weight loss. He realized he wasn't alone; the corporate office was a breeding ground for poor nutritional habits that affected focus and energy.In this episode of ScrewItJustDoIt, Darren explains why he teamed up with senior nutrition lecturer Dr. Brian Carson to launch Wholesup, how they spent two and a half years bootstrapping the business before seeking investment, and the massive logistical hurdles they faced navigating Brexit shipping between the UK and Ireland.We also unpack the science behind functional superfoods like organic cherries and beetroot, the decision to invest in home-compostable packaging that costs two-thirds more than plastic and why being "all in" is the only way to survive the manufacturer "plug-pulling" of the startup world.This is not just about a protein shake. It is about redefining the ritual of functional food for the modern lifestyle.Key Takeaways • How to transition the discipline of a professional athlete into the startup world • The reality of bootstrapping a physical product for over two years • Navigating the "silent pandemic" of poor nutrition in the corporate environment • Why sustainability and B Corp values must be built into the brand from day one🎧 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.ukConnect with Darren: Email: [email protected] Website: wholesup.com Socials: @wholesupTimestamps:00:00 Global Obesity Pandemic 00:40 WorldFirst Partner Ad 01:25 Business Origin Story 02:40 Professional Rugby Career 03:55 Flexitarian Market Trends 05:15 Scientific Formulation Process 06:40 International Expansion Strategy 07:35 New Product Development 08:35 Choosing Expert Co-founder 09:45 Manufacturing Resilience Journey 11:10 Future Company Vision 11:45 Official Podcast Outro----------------------------Connect with me:👉🏼 https://www.festivalofentrepreneurs.co.uk👉🏼 Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/screw-it-just-do-it-with-alex-chisnall/id1236788872👉🏼 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6zGHXSlJZSzaYEvDAIVYmT👉🏼 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-chisnall/👉🏼 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alexchisnall_/👉🏼 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/alex.chisnall/👉🏼 X - https://twitter.com/alexchisnall👉🏼 Threads - https://www.threads.net/@alexchisnall_👉🏼 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@alex_chisnall?lang=en👉🏼 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@alexchisnall/

In this episode of Screw It Just Do It, I sit down with Nishant Sharma, founder of Rutland Square Spirits and the mind behind Rutland Square Gin.Nishant didn’t arrive in Scotland with investors or a master plan.He arrived with £500 in his pocket and the determination to build a life from scratch.He had a roof over his head and food on the table, but no real direction. What followed was years of hustling, questioning what success actually means, and learning that sometimes achieving the things you dream about still leaves you asking one powerful question — what’s next?In this conversation, Nishant opens up about the relentless pressure of entrepreneurship, the moment he pushed himself so hard it resulted in a heart attack, and the mindset shift that forced him to rethink everything.We talk about believing in yourself before anyone else will, why founders sometimes need to be shameless in pursuing opportunity, what investors are really betting on when they back a startup, and the deeper philosophy behind ambition, money, and purpose.This is a raw conversation about risk, resilience, and the reality of building something meaningful from almost nothing.⸻Key TakeawaysBelief comes first.If you don’t believe in yourself, no investor or partner will either.Investors bet on people.Numbers, charts, and projections matter — but ultimately investors back the founder.Relentless hustle has a cost.Entrepreneurship demands everything, and ignoring your health can push you to dangerous limits.Success doesn’t end the journey.Even when you achieve the things you once dreamed of, the bigger question often becomes: what’s next?Nishant Sharma didn't plan to build a spirits empire.He was on a lucrative corporate path, working as a high-paid contractor for global giants like HSBC and BlackRock. He was "living the dream" with a big SUV and a comfortable salary, but he felt like a misfit without a true purpose.Then, the death of his grandmother in 2017 changed everything. During his trip home to India, he discovered his family’s "inception story": his great-grandfather had run an illegal spirit-blending "side hustle" with a Scottish officer decades earlier.That was the spark.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Nishant shares how Rutland Square Spirits was born "from the fire of a cremation," how he arrived in Scotland as a student with only £500, and how he survived failing three times before his brand took flight.We talk about the "brutal reality" of startup stress—including the heart attack that nearly killed him—the power of "shameless" tenacity, why he cold-emailed 1,000 people in a single weekend to save his business, and how he eventually landed a major celebrity investor.This is not a story about chasing a quick payout.It’s about building a legacy, refusing to have an "exit plan," and the sheer grit required to turn a family story into a global brand.Key TakeawaysThe "Shameless" Founder: Why you must keep "paddling" even when you're drowning.The Heart Attack Warning: The physical and mental cost of the "hustle".Story-Led Branding: Why modern consumers are choosing meaning over "Big Alcohol".Tenacity vs. Desperation: How sending 1,000 emails can change your business trajectory.The India Opportunity: Why the world's youngest population is the next frontier for craft spirits.🎧 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

Most founders focus on raising capital.Dom focused on timing, expertise and people.In this Bite Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Dominic McGregor, co founder of Social Chain and founder of Fearless Adventure. Dom started Social Chain at just 20 years old and helped scale it into one of the most influential social media agencies in the world before exiting through a $200 million IPO.But the journey was not built on hype or overnight success.Dom explains the moments that mattered. The decisions that changed the trajectory of the company. And the lessons founders miss when they focus too much on capital instead of capability.We also discuss sobriety, personal discipline and why scaling a company is ultimately about people and timing rather than ideas alone.If you are building something and wondering what it really takes to scale, this conversation offers a rare look behind the scenes of a founder who did it before turning thirty.Key TakeawaysTiming matters more than ideas: Many founders obsess over originality. Dom argues timing is often the real difference between success and failure.Expertise beats capital: Raising money is not the hardest part of scaling. Building the right team with real experience is.People determine scale: The fastest growing companies are rarely built by one person. They are built by strong teams aligned behind the same mission.🎧 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

They didn’t grow up in the drinks industry. They didn’t have investors lined up. They had £12,000, two corporate jobs, and a spicy margarita made on a balcony during lockdown.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Alice Parmiter and Wynter Karo, co-founders of Pimentae, to unpack how they turned a tequila knowledge gap into one of the UK’s fastest-growing tequila cocktail brands.From discovering real tequila culture in Mexico to spotting a gap in UK supermarkets, they bootstrapped their first 1,400 bottles, hand-delivered influencer hampers, and then put £20,000 down to run a festival bar with no safety net.That decision funded their business.Since then, they’ve raised £2 million, scaled into grocery, travel and festival spaces, navigated a product recall, and built a brand rooted in community and authenticity.This is not a “glam startup” story. It’s about blind optimism, operational mistakes, difficult fundraising conversations, and staying aligned as co-founders.Key Takeaways• Why blind optimism is often required at the start• How bootstrapping builds stronger commercial discipline• The risks of taking the wrong investor too early• Why festivals became their most powerful customer acquisition tool• How authenticity protects your brand as you scale🎧 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

Claire Warner helped build Belvedere Vodka for 15 years.She created 13 expressions. She climbed the ranks inside LVMH. She understood how premium alcohol brands scale.Then she made a call most people would avoid.She decided the world did not need another vodka.In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Claire explains why she left a secure leadership position to build Æcorn Drinks, how a forgotten 16th century acorn wine recipe became the foundation of a modern aperitif, and why launching three complex products at once was a risk worth taking.We also unpack what it means to build your own identity as the sister brand to Seedlip, how Covid disrupted their first real summer, and why innovation in this space has to be flavour-led, not alcohol-led.This is not about sobriety. It is about redefining the ritual.Key Takeaways• Why experience in a category can become a reason to leave it• The strategic risk of launching multiple SKUs at once• How to build brand distinction when linked to a market pioneer• Why aperitif culture matters more than alcohol percentage🎧 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

Rory MacFadyen never planned to run an apparel brand.He was on a solid corporate trajectory in sport. Middle East sponsorship deals. Major events. A comfortable path.Then he saw the scale of waste in sportswear.At the same time, his best friend Pete discovered how to turn unlimited plastic waste into performance fabric.That was the spark.In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, Rory shares how Reflo was born, why they spent two and a half years developing sustainable performance fabrics before launching, and how they went from being doubted to landing partnerships with the Australian Open and the WM Phoenix Open.We talk about rejection, tall poppy syndrome in the UK, raising growth capital, bringing Harry Kane in as an investor, and why entrepreneurship is far harder than people think.This is not a fast-fashion story.It’s about long-term thinking, graft, resilience, and trying to flip an industry on its head.Key Takeaways• Why there is never a perfect time to launch• How to build credibility before you look big• Why founders must sell, not just manage• The truth about hustle culture and burnout• How to build a brand rooted in mission, not marketing🎧 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

When Dr Leah Totton applied for The Apprentice, she was a full-time NHS doctor with no business experience and a clear career path ahead in Obstetrics and Gynaecology.She didn’t expect to win.But winning meant walking away from certainty and stepping into the unknown with Lord Alan Sugar as her business partner.In this episode, I sit down with Leah to unpack what really happened after the cameras stopped rolling. The cash flow stress. The competitor who copied her business model before she even opened. The shock of realising that even after national TV exposure, nobody was queuing outside the clinic.This is the reality of building a service-based business.Leah shares the mindset shift from doctor to entrepreneur, the discipline of sector expertise, and why quality control matters more than rapid scale. We also dive into her seven-year journey to launch a skincare line that she refused to rush, despite pressure to “just put something out”.If you are thinking of starting a clinic, a product brand, or any service-led business, this conversation is a masterclass in resilience and execution.Key TakeawaysGetting customers is harder than launching: Opening the doors is easy. Building trust takes years. Especially in health and aesthetics.Sector expertise protects your business: If you cannot deliver the core service yourself, scaling becomes fragile.Thick skin is not optional: Business is not personal. The sooner you understand that, the faster you grow.Quality compounds: Short-term speed can damage long-term trust. Leah chose slower growth with stronger foundations.🎧 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

When I sat down with Robert Hanna, I did not hear a story about failure. I heard a story about comfort.He was a director at a legal recruitment firm. Well paid. Progressing. Respected. By most standards, successful.But approaching his 30th birthday, he realised something uncomfortable. He was building someone else’s legacy, not his own.That realisation led to a decision. Start his own legal recruitment agency. Then take a bigger risk. Launch The Legally Speaking Podcast, not as a hobby, but as a long-term personal branding strategy.Today, that podcast is a global legal careers platform. It attracts high-quality clients, builds community in the legal industry, and has secured sponsorship from a $5bn legal tech unicorn.In this episode, we break down how personal branding, niche community building, strategic partnerships and content repurposing can transform a professional services business.If you are a founder thinking about building authority, launching a podcast, or turning content into commercial leverage, this conversation is practical and direct.Key TakeawaysComfort can quietly limit ambition. Ownership changes everything.Personal branding is not vanity. It is commercial leverage.Niche communities outperform broad audiences in professional services.Evergreen content becomes an asset when treated strategically.Strategic partnerships accelerate growth faster than going alone.🎧 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

Jay Morton spent 14 years in the British military, including 10 Jay Morton spent 14 years in the British military, including 10 years in the SAS Special Air Service.Then one quiet moment in the Alps changed everything.In this Thursday Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Jay shares the exact moment he realised there was more to life than chasing promotion inside the Special Forces.Standing on a mountain ridge, eating a sandwich, he made a decision that would take him from elite military operator to two-time Mount Everest summitier and high performance expedition leader.We talk about:Leaving a high-status career without a rigid planWhy Everest became the next proving groundThe difference between physical toughness and mental resilienceWhy growth only happens when you deliberately make life hardJay reflects on summiting Everest twice, guiding clients through extreme pressure, and why he refuses to reach the end of life with regret.🎧 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

In this episode of Screw It Just DO It, I sit down with Dr. Raphael Sofoluke, founder and CEO of the UK Black Business Show.Raphael didn’t start with funding.He didn’t start with a team.He didn’t even start full-time.He had an idea, six months, and a belief that representation mattered.From a 500-person event at the QE2 Centre to a week-long series attracting 16,000 attendees, Raphael shares the real story behind building one of the UK’s most impactful business platforms.We talk about speed over perfection, juggling a full-time job while building something bigger, why being audacious matters, and how the new partnership with Stephen Bartlett and Flight Story aims to drive £100 billion in economic impact over the next decade.This conversation is about execution, ambition, and refusing to think small.Key TakeawaysSpeed beats perfection. First to market with strong execution wins.Learn and earn before you leap. Industry experience compounds.Longevity matters more than hype. Execute with excellence consistently.Impact is the real metric. Revenue follows vision and representation.🎧 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