They’re Just Wonderful – Carmen and Kieron James
Celebrating Small Family Businesses · Kuder Consulting Group
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Show Notes
In this episode of Celebrating Small Family Businesses, hosts John and Connie Kuder interview Kieron and Carmen James, father and daughter co-founders of two businesses named Wonderful. Wonderful.org began as an online charity giving platform and the success of that led to expanding into a FinTech payment business, Wonderful.co.uk, leveraging open banking to eliminate card processing fees for donations.
They share the inspiration behind their ventures, the journey from frustration over traditional fundraising platforms to developing a completely fee-free service for charities, and how they navigated transforming this solution into a broader payment processing system for small businesses.
The discussion covers the origins of Wonderful, their venture into open banking, insights on running a family business, and their experiences with technology and regulatory challenges.
Additionally, Kieron shares his hobby in deep house music, illustrating the diverse interests that enrich the entrepreneurial journey.
Their charitable giving platform, free for charities to use, is https://wonderful.org/
Their e-commerce payment platform is https://wonderful.co.uk/
The Wonderful Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wonderful-podcast/id1731346923
00:00 Welcome to Celebrating Small Family Businesses!
00:08 Introducing Wonderful.org: A Journey from Charity to FinTech
01:14 The Genesis of a Fee-Free Fundraising Platform
04:33 Embracing Open Banking: A Game-Changer for Fundraising
06:55 Navigating the Early Stages of Open Banking Adoption
15:33 The Family Dynamic in Business: Roles and Relationships
22:18 Transitioning the Team to a New Industry
24:24 The Remote Work Revolution and Startup Culture
24:46 The Early Days of Internet Entrepreneurship
26:20 The Unique Dynamics of Working with Family
28:45 Navigating the Challenges of Family Business
30:59 Future Plans and Open Banking Expansion
32:44 Leveraging Past Experiences for New Ventures
38:25 Advice for Small Family Businesses
42:44 Exploring Personal Passions: Deep House Music