Confessions of an Entrepreneur

In this episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur , Carl sits down with entrepreneur and business leader Andrew Hulbert, a founder who has built, scaled and sold multiple businesses, achieving financial independence before the age of 40. Andrew shares the journey from his early corporate career to founding Pareto, the business that would become the foundation of his entrepreneurial success. Long b...

In this special extended episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur, Carl sits down with entrepreneur, campaigner and philanthropist Heather Mills for a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation about business, resilience and creating positive change. Many people will know Heather from her time in the public eye, but what is less widely understood is her remarkable entrepreneurial journey. From fou...

In this episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur , Carl sits down with North East entrepreneur Chris Carroll, a founder who has built, scaled and sold multiple businesses, while navigating life-changing health challenges that completely reshaped his perspective on success, business and life itself. Chris shares his journey from leaving a secure role as a marketing executive within a large corpora...

In this episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur , Carl sits down with North East entrepreneur and investor David Lynch, a founder who built a business from his spare bedroom into a global healthcare manufacturing exporter, before successfully exiting for millions and going on to acquire and invest in multiple businesses. David shares his journey from leaving school with modest qualifications and...

In this episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur , Carl sits down with North East entrepreneur, author and CEO Sophie Milliken MBE, a founder who has built, scaled and successfully exited a business, and now dedicates much of her time to helping others achieve success in their own careers and ventures. Born and raised in the North East, Sophie shares the journey that led her to leave her role as...

In this episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur , Carl sits down with entrepreneur, investor and BBC The Apprentice interviewer Linda Plant - a business leader whose career spans decades of building, scaling and exiting companies across many sectors. Many will recognise Linda as Sir Alan Sugar’s trusted aide and one of the programme’s most formidable interviewers, but behind the television perso...

In this episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur , Carl sits down with serial entrepreneur, business coach and mentor Mike Ames, a founder who has built, scaled and exited multiple businesses worth tens of millions of pounds, and now dedicates his time to helping other entrepreneurs achieve their own value events. Mike shares his journey from launching and growing his first business through to it...

In this short end-of-season episode of Confessions of a… , Carl Swansbury takes a moment to say thank you to everyone who has tuned in, listened, shared and supported the podcast over the past year. Across the 2025 season, Confessions of a… has welcomed an inspiring mix of founders, leaders and entrepreneurs, each sharing their stories with honesty, humility and insight. This wrap-up episode bring...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of a…’, Carl meets with businessman, politician, media commentator and charity campaigner, Andy Preston, an entrepreneur who places philanthropy and community at the heart of his personal ethos. Born in Middlesbrough, Andy has become one of the North East’s entrepreneurs who’s drive and enthusiasm for life and business, has not only made him successful, but helped h...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of a…’, Carl discovers a unique, moving and inspiring story from entrepreneur and North East personality Anthony Hutton. Best known as the winner of TV’s Big Brother, Anthony has also had a successful career in business. From his humble beginnings in the North East, and despite not succeeding at school, he was always ambitious. With his heart set on a career as a pr...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of a…’ Carl sits down with Kevin Fasting to discover an entrepreneurial story that is weighted heavily by selflessness and influenced by a tragic family experience. Born and raised in Liverpool, serial entrepreneur Kevin has founded and invested in a large portfolio of businesses, also supporting a number of first-time founders in building their enterprises. His bus...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl sits down with global recruitment specialist Steve Rawlingson. Founder of Samuel Knight, Steve overcame a challenging childhood to become a trailblazer in the recruitment industry, carving a significant niche in the international renewable energy sector. He has embraced ADHD as a ‘superpower’ to drive him to the success he is achieving and...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl sits down with the North East ‘super connector’ Paul Lancaster. The man behind the hugely successful UK Start Up and Scale Up Week, held earlier this year, Paul is a highly charged entrepreneur, driven to help others succeed in business. Focussed, creative, tenacious and brave, all of Paul’s career has been focussed on starting up, scaling...

In this latest episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl chats with one of North East England’s best-known businesspeople, Bill Scott OBE DL. Often the ‘voice for business’ in the region, Bill has become a highly recognised ambassador in the North East and is a champion of entrepreneurialism and philanthropy. As the CEO of Wilton Engineering, which builds large, complicated structures for...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl sits down with enigmatic entrepreneurial charity fundraiser Sergio Petrucci MBE. Founder and CEO of North East England-based Red Sky Foundation, which each year raises millions of pounds to help people with heart defects and life threatening illnesses, Sergio also has a number of other business interests. A true life saver, who was awarded...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl chats with Nigel Mills CBE, a champion for business and entrepreneurialism in the North of England. Like Carl, Nigel began his career as a Chartered Accountant. He qualified at PriceWaterhouseCoopers before leaving to buy an independent convenience store business, which he scaled to a portfolio of 77 stores, before selling it to Tesco PLC....

In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl chats with inspiring global recruitment specialist Steve Carter. Australian entrepreneur, who has been in the UK for almost 30 years, Steve rose from recruitment industry novice to a CEO position and subsequently become a board advisor helping firms in the sector from start-ups, scale-ups and those looking to internationalise their operatio...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of a CEO’, Carl sits down with straight-talking, networking and recruitment specialist entrepreneur Helen Trueman-Howe. Helen is the co-founder of Northeast Network, a thriving networking hub in North East England, and the founder and Managing Director of Heels & Brogues Group, which specialises in recruiting talent across manufacturing, engineering, renewables,...

In this episode of ‘Confessions of a…’, Carl has a unique entrepreneur in the hot-seat; broadcaster, TedTalk speaker, author, comedian, impressionist, artist and business founder, Alfie Joey. Having spent 15 years practicing as a priest in his native North East, Alfie made the decision to take a unique path that has led to him being behind a BBC microphone, becoming a successful comedian, comperin...

In this episode of Confessions of a CEO, Carl sits down with the fascinating and sometimes controversial Gary Goldsmith. A multi-millionaire from his business career in IT recruitment, Gary is known to most people as uncle to Catherine, Princess of Wales and the first evictee from the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2024. However, his story goes much deeper than that and in this detailed and frank...

In this episode, Carl Swansbury chats with Paul Cheetham Karcz, founder and Managing Partner of Sedulo, to discuss his remarkable journey from humble beginnings to building a respected and privately owned independent accounting advisory business. Paul shares how his working-class background and early education shaped his ambition and fuelled his drive to build a successful business. He reveals why...

In this episode of Confessions of a CEO, Carl chats with internationally renowned keynote speaker and author, Geoff Ramm. Geoff’s journey is one of grit, creativity, and an unwavering passion for exceptional customer experiences. From his humble beginnings in the North East of England to running a successful agency, OMG Marketing, and becoming a globally sought-after speaker, he understands the po...

Ever wished you could get some top business tips from a real-life Dragon? Carl Swansbury sits down with TV star and business icon Sara Davies to delve into her extraordinary journey from launching her crafting business Crafters' Companion, to becoming a household name in our stores and on our screens. Sara opens up about her entrepreneurial triumphs, the challenges she faced in overcoming self-dou...

In this episode Carl Swansbury sits down with entrepreneur Peter Kirkham. A former professional footballer, Peter built a property portfolio before losing it all and being declared bankrupt due to the ‘credit crunch’. He bounced back to build a successful business which he sold for millions of pounds just a few years later. This is a fascinating insight into the challenges of overcoming adversity...

In this episode Carl sits down with serial entrepreneur and investor Jeremy Middleton. Co-founder of the multi-billion-pound Homeserve, Jeremy established a private equity business, Middleton Enterprises, supporting founder-led entrepreneurial businesses across a range of sectors including tech, hospitality and leisure. During the podcast Jeremy tells his story and offers insight into business suc...