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Joanna Jensen is the founder of Child's Farm, the hugely successful baby and child skincare company that was recently sold for £40m.

This is one of the most inspiring conversations I’ve had since we launched the podcast. Joanna is a fabulous storyteller, and her enthusiasm is infectious!

Hers is an amazing story of grit, resilience, and sheer determination to succeed against the odds.

Joanna battled cancer, surgery, and a divorce, all while building her business.

She funded it in the early days with credit cards, renting out rooms in her house, and even selling jewellery!

She started the business out of necessity. In fact, 99% of female consumer brand entrepreneurs created their company out of a personal need. They needed something in their own lives that didn't exist, so they started a business to fill the gap in the market—and that’s what Joanna Jensen did to help one of her children who had very sensitive skin.

• Joanna discusses the importance of sheer hard work, taking complete responsibility for one's decisions, and not blaming others.
• She explains why it’s important to build your ‘tribe’. She found that many other people had similar issues with their children’s skincare and leveraged the press and social media to create a movement of like-minded advocates.
• And as we’re now in the campaigning period for the general election, Joanna has some words of advice for all politicians about the vital importance of SMEs and entrepreneurship in the UK to ensure a vibrant economy—she doesn't mince her words!

There were so many gems of wisdom in this conversation and it should be shared with as many business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs as possible.

Business can be tough and this conversation could just be the inspiration they need.

I give you Joanna Jensen, one of the UK’s greatest female entrepreneurs.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannajensenuk/

https://www.childsfarm.com/

https://buywomenbuilt.com/

https://femalefoundersrise.com/

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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Welcome back to the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast, where we delve into the minds of experienced entrepreneurs and uncover their secrets to success.

I’m your host, Alan Smith, and I’m really excited to bring you my conversation with today’s guest, Alexis Sikorsky.

Alexis is an entrepreneur who built a software business from the ground up and eventually negotiated a sale to private equity for over $100m.

I’ve just read his new book, "Cashing Out: A Business Owner’s Guide to Selling to Private Equity".

It’s a great book, as he dives deep into the details of life as a founder—the downs as well as the ups. I encourage you to buy it immediately and read it cover to cover!

During our conversation, Alexis shares lots of great stories, such as

• How he agreed to a sale valuation based on a multiple of his very ambitious future forecasts at a time when his company was barely breaking even.
• He explains Why he thinks that raising capital should be avoided at all costs for most businesses — a very different view from the one held by the VC world,
• He also outlines the vital importance of being a ‘benevolent dictator’ when growing your business, as democracies simply don't work!

These are only a small sample of the wisdom he shares, forged at the coal face of real-life business building.

It's a master class for all business owners, and we’re privileged to learn from his experiences.

So now, let’s go over to the conversation with my brilliant guest. ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr Alexis Sikorsky.

Links:

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alexis-sikorsky-consulting

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cashing-Out-business-selling-private-ebook/dp/B0CZ148DCJ

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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If you’re a business owner who plans to sell your business one day, this episode is essential listening.

Picture this: You've poured years of your life into a business, helping to build it from the ground up, and then the business is sold.

As a result, you receive a seven-figure sum, and you’re financially secure.

Or at least you hoped so.

But then you take the proceeds, decide to invest in a new company, and lose it all.

That’s the situation today’s guest, Jim McLaughlin, experienced when he made an exit several years ago.

If you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you’ll have heard entrepreneurs share their journeys of scaling, successfully exiting, and creating economic security for themselves and their families.

But not every story has a happy ending, and I’m grateful for Jim's candid sharing of his story.

It reminded me of the time I met a client who had just sold his company, and I asked him what his biggest financial concern was now - he looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Losing it all’

Founders know a cash sum at exit often represents years of grind, hard work, and sacrifices. However, they’re immediately faced with big decisions about what to do with the capital.

Unfortunately, Jim made a few errors and is keen to ensure that others learn from them.

• Jim talks about the importance of knowing your numbers and the 3 KPIs he tracked weekly.
• How he was able to be resilient in the face of incredible challenges.
• He also shares the work he’s doing now to help small business owners and the buzz he still gets from it.

He also outlines the most important thing you must do if you sell your business for a significant sum—that advice alone is worth listening to the episode for!

Contact details and Resources Mentioned

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-mclaughlin-b227975/?originalSubdomain=uk

Content hubs | FSB, The Federation of Small Businesses

Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

The Wolf of Wall Street eBook : Belfort, Jordan

Think And Grow Rich: Amazon.co.uk: Hill, Napoleon: 978

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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Peter Cowley is one of Europe’s best-known angel investors and active supporters of entrepreneurship. He studied computer science at Cambridge and founded his first company in 1984.

Since then, he’s launched no less than 12 companies, some of which he exited from successfully, some of which failed, and one that is still going over 40 years later.

As one of the UK’s most successful business angels, he’s invested in 76 technology companies, and his book, The Invested Investor, is widely recognised as the business bible for the startup and entrepreneur communities.

But behind his incredible success are a series of dreadful experiences in his private life.

A personal battle with alcoholism, the loss of close family members and tragically, the death by suicide of two of his children.

Sadly, Peter is currently battling Stage 4 cancer and has just published what he expects to be his last book, Public Success, Private Grief, in which he documents his journey, both business and personal.

Peter still has an immense passion for the entrepreneurial community. During our conversation, he offered invaluable advice and insight to anyone building a business or planning to start their journey.

He also details the challenges he’s faced and how he’s managed to keep going despite unfathomable life experiences.

A truly inspiring man and I was honoured to speak with him and share the conversation with you.

Links:

Peter Cowley

Public Success Private Grief: The extraordinary life of an angel investor, cancer patient and dad

Project Cancer — Peter Cowley

Papyrus

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13019244/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alancapital/

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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I’m pleased to share a fascinating conversation I had recently with Jeremy Harbour, one of the most successful and experienced entrepreneurs around.

Jeremy is a born entrepreneur who started selling jeans, watches, and even Cadbury creme eggs at age 11!

He left school at 15 and has gone on to build, buy, and sell multiple companies. He’s currently more active than ever through his company and network, The Harbour Club.

Jeremy has deep insight into the strategies and tactics needed to build value and think beyond the traditional model of organic growth, one client at a time.

During our conversation

• He described the three levers of business growth and introduced a fourth, often overlooked lever, which can be a game changer for many entrepreneurs.
• He talks about business failure and the two vital lessons he learned when things didn't work out as planned. As any business owner knows, disappointment is an inevitable part of the journey, so knowing how to manage it is vital.
• He also shares the specific tactics you can deploy as you prepare your business for a successful sale, including one idea that any entrepreneur can use that could increase your profits by 40%. That idea alone will ensure that this episode will be an excellent investment of your time.

A high-energy entrepreneur and a wonderful storyteller, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr Jeremy Harbour.

Links

Jeremy Harbour

Harbour Club

The Harbour Club by Jeremy Harbour - LEARN HOW TO BUY AND SELL BUSINESSES FOR A LIVING | LinkedIn

Jeremy Harbour (@harbour.jeremy) • Instagram photos and videos

Go Do Deals: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Buying & Selling Businesses eBook : Harbour, Jeremy: Amazon.co.uk: Books

https://www.bizbuysell.com/

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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Let me set the scene by telling you that one of my all-time favourite TV shows is "Succession”. It's a fascinating tale of a wealthy family wrapped up in the complexities of their business empire led by the founder and patriarch, Logan Roy, brilliantly portrayed by the actor Brian Cox.

If you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommend you do. But let me give you a quick overview: "Succession" is not just about wealth and power; it's a saga of business intrigue, sibling rivalry, and the delicate art of succession planning.

Now, while most of us may not hail from billionaire clans in New York, family businesses are a cornerstone of our economy.

90% of private enterprises in the UK are family-run, employing nearly 14 million people and generating over £1.7 trillion in annual turnover. They're the backbone of British entrepreneurship.

These businesses may be owned and managed by a couple, there may be siblings or other generations involved, or they could simply be run by one owner-founder who will usually bring with him or her some level of personal family dynamics.

Yet, despite their prevalence, the intricacies of family businesses often remain unexplored. That's why I'm excited to introduce today's guest, Russ Haworth.

Russ is the UK’s leading authority on family businesses. A former financial planner who now runs his own consultancy business, providing advice and insight to families as they navigate the inevitable challenges faced by business owners and those closest to them.

• During our conversation, Russ shares his experiences exploring the human side of the business which is even more important than the financial side of an organisation.
• We discuss the tricky subject of wealthy business owners and their choices about whether or not to help their children financially - or to allow them to carve out their own path in life. This is something that comes up regularly in my conversations with successful entrepreneurs and is an important issue.
• And Russ explains why it’s important to have what he calls a ‘lifeboat drill’ - a form of dress rehearsal to make sure that the family and the business can be well prepared to meet any future challenge, expected or unexpected.

Family businesses exist at the intersection of money, business, emotions - and the family itself, so there are few more complex and challenging institutions.

And there are millions of them across the country!

It’s a fascinating and important subject, and Russ is a proven expert in all the nuances and complexities.

Now, discussing everything you need to know about the family business, ladies and gentlemen I give you Mr Russ Haworth.

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/russellhaworth/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://familybusinesspartnership.com/

https://www.questforlegitimacy.com/

https://fambizpodcast.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wealth-3-0-Future-Family-Advising-ebook/dp/B0CBJ41FYR

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Family-Wealth-Bloo

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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Let me start by sharing some statistics with you, which I find rather shocking.

• 90% of SMEs are unsellable
• 50% close down for zero value
• Only one in 2,000 are sold for the full market value.

It was today’s guest, Christine Nicholson, who shared that data with me, and as awful as the numbers are, the good news is that she’s developed a business owner’s toolkit to ensure that you’ve got the best chance of being that 1 in 2000 who do have a successful exit.

Christine is an extraordinary lady. Having left school at 16, she quickly realised that working in a bank was not for her. So, she qualified as an accountant and embarked on her own entrepreneurial journey, which involved multiple businesses, several exits, and many lessons learned along the way.

During our conversation, Christine talks about;

• Why you need to start planning for your exit much earlier than you think - and the dangers of leaving things late.
• The steps to take to massively increase your business valuation – some of which may surprise you. She shares the details of how she helped a business increase its sale value 12x in less than 2 years.
• She explains the process she uses to ensure you’ve got the right people on your team, allowing you to spend time working on your business strategy more effectively.

Towards the end of the conversation, Christine shares the details of some amazing tools and online services available to you as a podcast listener free of charge.

Now, for a masterclass on how to successfully build scale, sell and exit your business, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Christine Nicholson.

Resources and Contact Details

https://christinenicholson.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-nicholson/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://getexitready.co.uk/

Ted talk re timing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNpx7gpSqbY


Business Made Simple

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Business-Made-Simple-Leadership-Marketing-ebook/dp/B085XNKHMB

John Cleese on creativity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5oIIPO62g

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management

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Alex Chisnall is the creator and host of one of the UK’s leading podcasts called Screw It Just Do It and is now a highly successful entrepreneur in the content creation space.

The name of his podcast is a reference to the time he spent working at Virgin and observing his then-boss, Sir Richard Branson, at close quarters. Screw It Let’s Do It was a phrase often used by Sir Richard and the title of one of his books.

• During our conversation, Alex talked in depth about the resilience needed to be a successful entrepreneur and how he needed to dig deep to get through some really difficult challenges, some of which he described as the worst time of his life - and he has some words of encouragement to share that I think you’ll find valuable.
• He discusses the vital importance of maintaining strong physical and mental health and his strategy for dealing with tough times. These are vital lessons for us all.
• And he shares his thoughts on the impact that building a personal brand can have for any business owner and his belief that every entrepreneur should have their own podcast together with some practical first steps to get started.

Towards the end, having experienced a personal and business rollercoaster ride over the last 20 years or so, his one-word definition of True Wealth is worth hearing and reflecting on.

If you’re building a business, I'm sure you’ll be able to relate to his wise words.

So, once again, thank you for being a loyal supporter of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur.

Please hit the subscribe button, but for now, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr Alex Chisnall.

Links:

Alex Chisnall

Podpreneur

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-chisnall?originalSubdomain=uk

Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!

How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No (Acquisition.com $100M Series Book 1) eBook : Hormozi, Alex: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

How I Built This

BossBabe

This podcast is produced by GR Media
Sponsored by Capital Asset Management