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The Success or Excuses Podcast

The Success or Excuses Podcast

By: James Fleming
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About this listen

 You can have success, or you can have excuses, but you can’t have both. This isn’t just another business podcast. This is for those who are done with the fluff, the motivational soundbites, and the sugar-coated stories. This is for the ones who want the real conversations about what it actually takes to succeed, no shortcuts, no excuses, just raw, unfiltered truth. James Fleming is a multi-seven-figure business owner who’s been in the trenches, built from the ground up, and knows first-hand the discipline, resilience, and mindset needed to make it happen. But this isn’t just about his story, he’s sitting down with the people who have really been through it. The self-made entrepreneurs, the industry disruptors, the ones who have had it all, lost it all, and fought their way back. Expect straight-talking interviews with high-level business leaders and extraordinary individuals who have mastered their mindset, faced failure head-on, and come out stronger. The kind of people who don’t just talk about success, they live it. No fluff. No sugar-coating. Just real conversations, real lessons, and the reality of what it takes to build something that lasts. If you’re ready to stop making excuses and start taking action, hit subscribe. Success or Excuses, you decide.Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Leaving a £140K Salary to Start a Commercial Finance Business: Emma Ross’ Entrepreneur Journey | Episode 48

    Leaving a £140K Salary to Start a Commercial Finance Business: Emma Ross’ Entrepreneur Journey | Episode 48
    Mar 2 2026

    Emma Ross didn’t leave because she was failing. She left while earning £140,000 a year.

    After dropping out of university, Emma built her career in banking before moving into commercial finance at HSBC. Within three years she increased her income from £34,000 to £140,000, generating £500,000 net income for the company in her final year. Walking away from that security wasn’t easy.

    In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Emma Ross, founder of Ross Commercial Finance, to explore what it really takes to start again from zero. Emma shares the financial realities of brokering, knowing there could be a six to nine month income gap, and carrying significant family responsibility while making the leap.

    Emma speaks openly about the pressure of building a business just two years old. From working 6am to 2am and never leaving emails unanswered, to managing anxiety and the physical toll of stress. She reflects on being the only woman in the room in a male-dominated industry, early criticism about looking “unprofessional”, and how she’s learned to turn that into confidence.

    James brings his own experience into the discussion, drawing parallels around hiring, letting go of control, working alongside your spouse, and the realities people don’t see behind visible success.

    Together, they unpack growth, standards, awards, marriage, ambition, and the desire to build a team strong enough to eventually work a more sustainable shift.

    Key moments include: ✔️ Dropping out of university and starting in banking ✔️ Moving into commercial finance at HSBC ✔️ Increasing income from £34,000 to £140,000 ✔️ Generating £500,000 net income for her employer ✔️ The decision to start Ross Commercial Finance ✔️ Expecting a six to nine month income gap ✔️ Working 6am to 2am and never leaving emails unanswered ✔️ Anxiety, staying busy, and the impact on health ✔️ Hiring struggles and learning to let go of control ✔️ Building a team of five within two years ✔️ Being the only woman at industry events ✔️ Early criticism about appearance and professionalism ✔️ Winning Best Scottish Broker, Best Commercial Mortgage Broker, Best Bridging Broker, and Highly Commended for Northern Ireland ✔️ Being nominated for awards by lenders ✔️ Working alongside her husband Marty ✔️ Launching a finance and football podcast ✔️ The goal of building a team big enough to work a “normal shift” ✔️ Emma’s top three pieces of advice: find a mentor, build a strong network, and trust your own abilities

    Follow James Fleming:

    LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast

    Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

    Follow Emma Ross:

    Podcast → https://open.spotify.com/show/3Zv9V5zUzMCDuykaaouvTL?si=5516ec3e3c224848 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-ross-78ab5677/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/emma_ross_commercial_finance Company LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/ross-commercial-finance/ Website→ https://rosscommercialfinance.com/

    Timestamps [00:00] James introduces Emma Ross [00:00:50] Emma’s background and early career [00:01:30] The decision to leave and start her own business [00:03:00] Financial realities and income gaps in brokering [00:04:00] Work ethic, long hours, and pressure [00:06:00] Anxiety and health impact [00:07:00] Hiring challenges and letting go of control [00:11:30] Women in a male-dominated industry [00:15:20] Award wins and recognition from lenders [00:18:18] Working with Marty and balancing marriage and business [00:27:00] Vision for growth and working a normal shift [00:29:16] Emma’s top three pieces of advice [00:31:00] James closes the episode
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    31 mins
  • From Secure Salary to Sleepless Nights: Gavin Kirkwood on Building a Business | Episode 47

    From Secure Salary to Sleepless Nights: Gavin Kirkwood on Building a Business | Episode 47
    Feb 23 2026
    Gavin Kirkwood didn’t fall into business ownership, he worked his way there. From starting out in call centres to becoming a top performer in national sales teams, Gavin built his career through consistency, resilience, and graft. After years working across fleet, rental, and asset finance for major organisations, he reached a familiar crossroads: stay comfortable, or back himself. In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Gavin Kirkwood, founder of Kirkwood Asset Finance, to explore what it really takes to launch and grow a business in a brutally competitive industry. Gavin shares why leaving a secure, high-performing role wasn’t an easy decision, how early deals didn’t land the way he expected, and what the last two and a half years of building from scratch have looked like. Gavin speaks openly about the pressure of running a young business, unpredictable cash flow, sleepless nights, and learning the difference between knowing an industry and being responsible for every outcome within it. From compliance and regulation to trust, pricing pressure, and long sales cycles, this conversation cuts through the polished version of entrepreneurship. James brings his own experience into the discussion, drawing parallels with building The Power Within Training, and sharing honest reflections on leadership pressure, hiring fears, systems, and responsibility. Together, they unpack resilience, trust, and why consistency matters more than comfort. Key moments include: ✔️ Starting out in call centres and building confidence in sales ✔️ Moving into fleet, rental, and asset finance ✔️ Becoming a top national performer in large organisations ✔️ The decision to leave security and start a business ✔️ Bottling it the first time, then backing himself ✔️ Early deals not landing as expected ✔️ Learning asset finance properly once the responsibility sat with him ✔️ Compliance, regulation, and commission disclosure changes ✔️ Speed vs price in asset finance decisions ✔️ Peaks, troughs, and unpredictable cash flow ✔️ Sleepless nights and pressure as a business owner ✔️ Why honesty and customer service win long-term ✔️ Losing deals you think are guaranteed ✔️ Reputation, trust, and working with larger clients ✔️ Sales culture, KPIs, and box-ticking ✔️ Hiring fears and protecting brand standards ✔️ Systems, processes, and CRM discipline ✔️ Gavin’s top three lessons in business and life Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/ Follow Gavin Kirkwood: Website → https://www.kirkwoodassetfinance.co.uk LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-kirkwood-43a46837/ Company LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/kirkwood-asset-finance-limited/ Timestamps [00:00] James opens the episode and introduces Gavin Kirkwood [00:55] Gavin introduces himself and Kirkwood Asset Finance [01:20] What the business does and why customer service matters [03:16] Education, options, and challenging “we’ve always done it this way” [04:24] Why banks frustrate business owners [05:00] Tier one, two, and three funders explained [07:31] Speed vs price in asset finance [10:20] Early career in call centres and sales [11:00] Moving into fleet and commercial vehicles [13:59] Wanting more and outgrowing employment [14:18] Bottling the decision to go solo [14:47] Pressing the button and starting the business [15:22] Expecting early deals that didn’t arrive [16:16] Learning asset finance the hard way [17:22] Grit, persistence, and building from zero [19:23] Growth through referrals and reputation [20:17] Trust, service, and honest communication [21:40] The brutal reality of asset finance sales [23:15] Losing deals you think are guaranteed [25:16] Reputation and credibility with big clients [27:30] Reviews, referrals, and organic growth [29:02] Consultative selling and building trust [31:00] Growth fears and hiring challenges [33:19] Systems, CRM, and protecting standards [35:09] Hiring experience vs potential [36:43] Culture, honesty, and autonomy [42:23] Strategy vs day-to-day survival [44:28] Peaks, troughs, and financial stress [45:36] Resilience and trusting the process [45:55] Gavin’s top three pieces of advice [48:00] James closes the episode
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    49 mins
  • Kenneth Martin’s 21 Years in Business, Recession, Debt, and the Reality of Survival | Episode 46

    Kenneth Martin’s 21 Years in Business, Recession, Debt, and the Reality of Survival | Episode 46
    Feb 16 2026
    Kenneth Martin didn’t chase fast growth or flashy success, he built something that lasted. From discovering architecture at just 12 years old, to setting up his own practice earlier than most would dare, Kenny’s journey is one of graft, resilience, and staying true to professional standards even when the pressure was relentless. With Block Architects now over 21 years old, his story is a rare look at what it really takes to survive and evolve in a demanding industry. In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Kenneth Martin, founder of Block Architects and Interior Designers, to unpack the realities behind building and sustaining a professional practice through recessions, debt, staff cuts, personal sacrifice, and long-term leadership decisions. From working alone in his attic, to employing teams, losing them during the 2008 crash, rebuilding from debt, and starting again from scratch, Kenny shares the honest truth behind longevity in business. This conversation goes deep into what leadership actually looks like over decades, not years. Kenny speaks openly about the mental toll of responsibility, making decisions that affect people’s livelihoods, carrying debt to keep the business alive, and learning when to step back so the business can survive without you. Alongside that, James shares his own experiences of sacrifice, pressure, and why succession planning is not optional if you care about the future of your company. If you’re running a business, thinking about growth, or quietly wondering how long you can keep carrying everything yourself, this episode will resonate deeply. Key moments include: ✔️ Discovering architecture at age 12 and committing to it early ✔️ Setting up a practice only a few years after qualifying ✔️ Growing the business, hiring staff, and learning leadership the hard way ✔️ The 2008 recession and the brutal reality of paying staff off ✔️ Carrying personal debt to keep the business alive ✔️ Going back to working solo and rebuilding from scratch ✔️ Why architects feel downturns before anyone else ✔️ COVID as an unexpected turning point for growth ✔️ The emotional weight of responsibility as a business owner ✔️ Delegating, outsourcing, and building systems that don’t rely on you ✔️ Why succession planning matters long before you think it does ✔️ Balancing business ambition with family, health, and time ✔️ The danger of leaving succession planning too late ✔️ Kenny’s top three lessons in business and life ✔️ The role of hard work, discipline, and deliberate practice ✔️ Why most success stories online don’t tell the full truth Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/ Follow Kenneth Martin: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethrmartin/ Company LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/block-architects-limited/ Website→ https://blockarchitects.co.uk/ Timestamps [00:00] James opens the episode and welcomes Kenneth Martin [00:46] Kenny introduces himself and Block Architects [01:56] What it takes to reach 21 years in business [03:01] Discovering architecture at age 12 [05:15] Setting up his own practice earlier than expected [06:00] Making hard decisions and leadership pressure [08:03] Professional responsibility and industry accountability [09:19] The 2008 recession and its impact on the business [10:18] Hiring the first employee and rapid early growth [13:31] Debt, downsizing, and moving back home to survive [15:25] Clearing debt and starting again from scratch [17:10] COVID as a period of unexpected growth [18:22] Why succession planning can’t be ignored [20:21] Building a business with the end in mind [23:25] Realising how much the business relied on him [24:31] Outsourcing, systems, and reducing dependency [27:00] Why podcasting became part of leadership learning [31:24] Kenny’s top three pieces of advice [33:23] Hard work, discipline, and deliberate practice [36:11] Letting go and trusting the team [38:38] Lessons from working with family [41:20] Communication challenges with younger generations [41:57] How to connect with Kenneth [42:30] James closes the episode
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    43 mins
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