Focus on Founders

Duncan built a broadband company from the worst point in his life - and most founders won't tell you a story like this one. After burning out running his first business, Duncan was diagnosed with anxiety and depression just as lockdown hit. During a broken therapy session - interrupted by the very broadband provider that had been overcharging him for months - he decided to build something bett...

Jared Keir, founder of Fellow Humans, joins Focus on Founders to discuss building a global community movement designed to tackle modern loneliness through real-world events. From growing up near Glasgow to launching events across 20+ cities, Jared shares how rejection, travel, and self-reflection led him to build a business centred around connection. This episode explores: The loneliness epidemic...

Joshua Adams started a tutoring business at 17 while still in school. In this episode of Focus on Founders, we break down: How to start a tutoring business as a teenager Getting your first paying clients Building trust with parents Managing school and business Lessons from launching an education startup If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, tutoring, or starting a business young, this episode...

Adam Stewart, founder of Waves the Agency, joins Focus on Founders for a brutally honest conversation about what it really takes to build a marketing agency - without pitching, cold outreach, or traditional networking. Adam didn’t set out to start a business. He fell into social media at 17, built relationships before he understood their value, and quietly created an agency powered by collaboratio...

What does it really take to build a modern consumer brand? In this episode of Focus on Founders , Matthew Adams sits down with Ricardo Napolitano , co-founder of 2B Tanned , to unpack a founder journey defined by risk, resilience, and radical honesty. Ricardo shares how he went from growing up with very little, struggling in school, and rejecting traditional work, to building one of the UK’s faste...

What happens when the one thing you’ve built your identity around disappears overnight? In this episode of Focus on Founders , host Matthew Adams sits down with Marc O’Brien - serial founder and the force behind Make It Happen , MOBO Sports Arena , and MOBO Sports Academy - to explore the reality of rebuilding from zero and creating momentum when there’s no obvious path forward. Marc was on the ve...

What does it really take to leave a successful corporate career and build a brand from nothing? In this episode of Focus on Founders, Matthew Adams sits down with Fraser Wilson, founder of dussl, a fast-growing UK skincare brand redefining simplicity, UV protection, and gender-neutral skincare. Fraser opens up about: ​ Walking away from a high-level corporate role ​ Burnout, pressure, and the ment...

In this episode of Focus on Founders, we sit down with Gareth Sandler, Founder & CEO of ORRJO, to break down how he bootstrapped a B2B sales and marketing business to seven figures in annual recurring revenue in under three years. About Gareth:Gareth Sandler is the Founder and CEO of ORRJO, a B2B sales and marketing organisation based in Glasgow and London. Since launching in 2022, he has grow...

In this episode of Focus on Founders , host Matthew Adams sits down with Aditya Mahapatra , founder of Augmentum Media , to unpack the real journey behind building a 7-figure health & wellness influencer management agency before the age of 21 . Aditya’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin with a business plan — it began with a serious injury that forced him to question his future, his identit...