After weathering the storm that was the rural crisis of the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001, the pandemic was no problem for Corry Taylor.  The founder, CEO and MD of outdoor clothing re-seller, Bradshaw Taylor, oversees 9 iconic outdoor clothing brands including Schoffel, Le Chameu, Keen and Sherpa. In this podcast Corry joins Oliver to discuss how his board helps him keep his feet on the ground and how and why he doubled down on Shoffel’s digital presence to stay ahead during the pandemic. From losses to acquisition, crisis to stability, Oliver asks, how does one weather a storm successfully or acquire a business, and can you really learn entrepreneurism?  Exclusive Content – Business is always risky - https://bit.ly/3yR9lQJ The iconic gilet inception - https://bit.ly/3qlnNg7 We doubled down and went for it - https://bit.ly/3H446jv For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3pi2z3g Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Son of Mark Constantine founder of Lush, Simon Constantine stepped into the world of fragrance and entrepreneurialism launching ånd fragrance months before the pandemic.  In this Christmas episode, Oliver Bruce asks the big question; what even is Frankincense?! Going from one of the world’s favourite cosmetic brands to launching his own start-up, Simon Constantine brings a unique approach to his perfumery, ånd fragrance, by focusing on grassroots projects, stemming from his role as Head of Ethical Buying at Lush. Growing up with entrepreneurial parents who eventually built a billion pound brand, how did this impact Simons’ entrepreneurial flair, appetite for risk and life ambitions?  Simon is a man on a mission to help indigenous communities to preserve their endangered ecosystems by sustainably sourcing raw materials. Exclusive Content – What is Frankincense? - https://bit.ly/3EkQFdc I saw Lush grow from nothing - https://bit.ly/3edqt9V How hard is it to fill a bottle? - https://bit.ly/3qiLzcs For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3J7meLh Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

After burning out and quitting his job due to the poor selection of employee benefits when he needed support with his mental health, Ally Fekaiki founded Juno, the company reimagining how we access support from our employers.  Conscious of the seemingly accepted notion that stress, and burnout are an endemic of work, Ally set out to improve employees’ lives inside and outside of work. Replacing forced company lunches and team building torture with personalised benefits that suit the needs of individual employees has proved extremely successful so far as the wellness tech platform have experienced exponential growth with revenues up 600% during the pandemic. Believing that when advice is non-contextual it can’t add the same value, Ally shares his thoughts on doing business differently, creating a modernised working culture. Looking after mental health isn’t a “perk”, and prioritising employees’ wellbeing is on the rise... with the help of Juno. Exclusive Content – Supporting mental health isn’t a perk - https://bit.ly/3dNdPyc Sacking people isn’t always the answer - https://bit.ly/3GvE0Wu Offices aren’t collaborative - https://bit.ly/31ZScb5 For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3s51HAS Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Earlier in 2021 the co-founders of Thursday (the dating app) boldly announced to LinkedIn that over the next 12 months they would take their start-up from a valuation of £0 to some £50m; brave to say the least. Where do you even start?  What started as a dating app called HoneyPot, founded in an Officers’ Mess whilst Matt was serving in the British Army, is now undergoing a Series A fund for £20m (Dec 2021) - the two schoolmates (co-founders) George and Matthew have seen over 250,000 downloads in just 9 months. This Thursday (a unique day for us to release a podcast) Oliver Bruce chats to co-founder Matt McNeill Love about the ‘pointless pints’ behind the company’s infamous guerrilla marketing techniques and how they built a brand on just £500! Why did they rename their app ‘Thursday’ and why focus solely on 1 day of the week and not the remaining 6?  It’s not all cardboard signs, pink balloons and reactive marketing in London, in fact most of what the team at Thursday do is incredibly proactive. From ensuring people get home safe on the night tube via push notifications to hosting parties for singletons in venues throughout the city, Thursday are 100% on the ‘ones to watch’ list…! Enjoy.  Exclusive Content – How to fuel guerrilla marketing - https://bit.ly/31BgKaj Top 10 apps in the App Store - https://bit.ly/3y0Hc9m How to get the best when developing tech - https://bit.ly/3DBpt9M For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3lDwH76 Sponsor - Capsule Insurance - https://bit.ly/3oroa96

How do you build what is fast becoming the nation's favourite nut butter brand? With a creative mind, dyslexia but no clear career plan, founder Pip Murray launched her business off the back of a Government Startup grant. With a love for marathons, nut butter and health, the three go hand in hand and Pip & Nut was born!  Founder of Pip & Nut launched her nut butters into the relatively untouched market in the UK. Wanting to introduce people to her healthy, protein filled product was one of her first challenges. This, followed by a lack of commercial knowhow, cash flow problems, and years of hard graft didn’t sway Pip from growing what is fast becoming the nations favorite nut butter brand.   Even though the start-up life isn’t glamorous, Pip & Nut has recently been going from strength to strength, with new investors, advisors, supporters and team members Pip & Nut has seen significant growth over the past 18 months! With the CEO of Vita Coco, Giles Brook, on her board, Pip has built Pip & Nut to an authentic, B Corp Certified consumer brand that is still scaling. Pick up a jar of nut butter and see how it’s done better. Exclusive Content – Dyslexia helped me! - https://bit.ly/3G5yGsN Getting over imposter syndrome - https://bit.ly/3d1rEbI Business is a marathon - https://bit.ly/3d0PUuz For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3d4JhHS

With aspirations of becoming a dinner lady, Cathy Moseley was born into a family with very little. Poverty however didn’t stop her, Cathy forged a career in the City trading commodities. Working her way up the corporate ladder Cathy eventually decided to pack her job of 25 years in and follow her passion for food... What began as a kitchen experiment due to a diagnosis affecting her gut health turned into a flourishing healthy snack brand, Boundless Activated Snacking. Boundless produces Amazon’s No.1 gut health snack and is stocked in the likes of Sainsbury’s, Selfridges and Holland & Barrett. Cathy Moseley doesn’t forget her working class roots, and recalls how her parents enforced a strong work ethic in her. Gaining a rhinoceros thick skin from taking the ‘banter’ during her 25 years in the city, Cathy’s idea of success is now firmly rooted in teamwork making the dream work. Exclusive Content – Rob from Peter to pay Paul - https://bit.ly/3l1ufHl Beg, borrow, try not to steal - https://bit.ly/3xfFXCO Cock-up or Start Up? - https://bit.ly/3xhgEQM For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3r2CtTp

From a milkround to Cambridge University and now founder and CEO of one of Europe's largest energy providers, Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy knows a thing or two about disrupting a market. A 21st century energy provider, Octopus put innovation and sustainability at the forefront of everything they do to drive a faster, green and cheaper solution for their customers. It’s clearly an approach that is working, as their new market valuation of $4.6bn makes them the highest valued brand we’ve welcomed onto the podcast! As a business that puts the planet, customers and their staff first (despite not having an HR department), Oliver talks to Greg about the power of disruption, how to scale and what the future of energy might look like. Exclusive Content – Are you wedded to an established customer pattern? - https://bit.ly/3wOQswZ Do you really need a Human resources department? - https://bit.ly/3qIbPic Is your gran your target customer? - https://bit.ly/3cf7cnF For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/31TtAkv