Secret Leaders

In this episode you will learn; Why he started Photobox, and what it was like running a startup over the dotcom boom and bust, within the first year of it’s inception. The complexity of their raising funds, from trying and failing; from growing fast to scaling all the way back, what that felt like for them at the time. The process of buying and selling companies as a means to grow How to manage culture when absorbing other companies What it’s like starting as CEO, then hiring someone to replace you, and becoming CTO. And lots more of course... Key Quotes I don’t see myself as an Entrepreneur because to me, they feel more like the types that do it repeatedly, and perhaps I just got lucky. I’m one startup away from feeling like I’ve earned that title You dont manage one football club and get called a ‘football manager’ so to me the same is true about an entrepreneur. Top Advice: Sit back, assess a situation, and decide what to do next, instead of making a knee jerk reaction. Figure out why you want to be an entrepreneur - do you have a problem to solve, or do you want to be your own boss, if it’s the latter, don’t go sit in WeWork - get a normal job, build up your experience and contacts, and be patient until a real problem comes up that you need to solve. Other Fun Facts: He was cautioned by US naval intelligence for hacking He worked next to Nick Leeson - the infamous Rogue Trader who brought down a whole bank -- Sponsors Vorboss - get better internet: https://vorboss.com/secretleaders Vanta - get 20% off security certifications like ISO27001 and SOC2: https://vanta.com/secretleaders Vertice - save on your SaaS or cloud spend ($5k off or a free benchmark) using the code secretleaders: https://www.vertice.one/l/secretleaders -- Newsletter Sign up here: https://secretleaders.email/ You can find our historic newsletters here: https://www.secretleaders.com/episodes

In this episode you will learn; Where the idea for Entrepreneur First came from originally, and how that’s evolved through the years How to start a business with no business model whatsoever The best and worst company ideas she’s ever been pitched. What they look for in individuals that gives them the confidence to just give them cash and help them to develop valuable ideas And lots more of course... -- Sponsors Vorboss - get better internet: https://vorboss.com/secretleaders Vanta - get 20% off security certifications like ISO27001 and SOC2: https://vanta.com/secretleaders Vertice - save on your SaaS or cloud spend ($5k off or a free benchmark) using the code secretleaders: https://www.vertice.one/l/secretleaders -- Newsletter Sign up here: https://secretleaders.email/ You can find our historic newsletters here: https://www.secretleaders.com/episodes

In this episode you will learn; How he started his career in Russia working for the infamous Mark Rich as an ‘intrapreneur’ and what that process taught him about business. The value of being a sole founder His definitions on focus, and how important that can be for someone who describes himself as ‘easily distracted’. How he started an MBA knowing he’d most likely come towards the bottom of the class but still be one of the only people to start an actual business - and he was right on both fronts. And lots more of course. -- Sponsors Vorboss - get better internet: https://vorboss.com/secretleaders Vanta - get 20% off security certifications like ISO27001 and SOC2: https://vanta.com/secretleaders Vertice - save on your SaaS or cloud spend ($5k off or a free benchmark) using the code secretleaders: https://www.vertice.one/l/secretleaders -- Newsletter Sign up here: https://secretleaders.email/ You can find our historic newsletters here: https://www.secretleaders.com/episodes -- You can listen to the other Secret Leader's interviews mentioned in this episode here: Charles Tyrwhitt – How Founder Nicholas Wheeler Went From an Aston Martin to Global Domination Just Eat – How David Buttress Co-Founded and Built a £5.5bn Company Jo Malone – The Alchemist Devoted to Spreading the Poetry of Scent Huel: How to Become a Food and Drink Millionaire with Julian Hearn Slack: Cal Henderson - An Engineer’s Fairytale Story Alain De Botton - Finding Answers to Life’s Tricky Questions Atomic Habits - Little things can transform your life DECIEM - a tale of tragedy and beauty with CEO Nicola Kilner Trinny Woodall reveals her surprising, untold startup journey - from dotcom bust to beauty boom today Myprotein: How to bootstrap a £500 overdraft into a £350m exit, with Founder Oliver Cookson After his startup IPOd in record time everything fell apart, with Eve Sleep co-founder Kuba Wieczorek MedMen:what went wrong at the cannabis industry’s first unicorn, with Founder and former CEO Adam Bierman MasterClass: how to get over a stutter and attract A-listers like Anna Wintour and Martin Scorsese, with Founder & CEO David Rogier Duolingo Founder: Being a genius, inventing CAPTCHA & getting 500m users - Luis Von Ahn