How To Start Up by FF&M

Once you’ve secured investment and used it to build and scale a profitable business, the time might be right to exit. However, when is the right time to sell?  In this episode, I speak with Asher Moses , founder & CEO of Sherbet London , the capital’s leading electric taxi company. A serial entrepreneur, Asher grew his original small fleet of London taxis into one of London’s leading transport...

With Sifted reporting that European startup funding plummeted by 40% in 2023, maintaining open and transparent communication with your investors is vital to maintain such an important relationship.  In this episode, I hear from Michelle Kennedy , co-founder and CEO of Peanut , one of the fastest-growing social media apps for women. Michelle launched Peanut in 2017 to help women combat the loneline...

With over 225 episodes of Dragons’ Den recorded so far, thousands of entrepreneurs have pitched their business ideas to leading investors. However, the show offers a lot more than just investment.  In this episode, I hear from Déj Doherty , founder of The Wholeleaf Company , the sustainable palm leaf tableware brand. Déj co-founded his company to reduce the amount of plastic tableware going to lan...

With episodes of Dragons’ Den often reaching millions of UK viewers, the show is a brilliant platform for entrepreneurs to seek investment while promoting their businesses.  So in this episode, I wanted to speak to someone with first hand and recent experience of the show.  Rohan Radhakrishnan , is one of the co-founders of Quarter , the acclaimed quarter-strength spirits brand. Having founded the...

UK angel investors collectively invest £1.5 billion per year and are believed to be the largest source of investment for start-up and early-stage companies. Angel investors can bring cash to your business along with contacts and advice too.  In this episode, I hear from Mathilde Lacombe , founder of French skincare and supplement brand AIME . Having previously co-founded beauty subscription servic...

It has been reported that the value of UK venture capital deals in quarters one to three of 2023 fell by 43.1% year-on-year while the number fell by 25.9% in the same period. However, VC deals are still being struck by innovative businesses.  In this episode, I speak with Steve Tidball , co-founder and CEO of Vollebak , the material science-driven clothing brand. Having co-founded in 2015 with his...

When raising investment, it’s important to present prospective investors with your financial information as clearly as possible. This is where a data room comes into play.  In this episode, I speak to Laura Fullerton , the founder and CEO of Monk , creators of the world’s first smart ice bath and cold water therapy app. After discovering that ice baths helped her regain control of her physical and...

According to Seedrs , investors spend an average of 3 minutes and 44 seconds reviewing a pitch deck so clearly, it’s crucial to create one that is sufficiently brief yet still conveys your business proposition to your target audience. In this episode, I hear from Venetia Archer , founder & CEO of Ruuby , the UK's leading at-home beauty & wellness service founded in 2015.   After ident...

Although securing cash is the key objective when raising investment, money isn’t the only thing to consider. Many investors can offer vital support and advice too.  Michael Tobin OBE is a serial founder, author and non-executive chairman of several international businesses and CEO of technology company Telecity from 2002 to 2015, Michael grew the company from a market cap of £6 million into a FTSE...

Having decided to raise investment for your business, it’s important to prepare your financials so that prospective investors can assess the inner workings of your company. Given everyone can find business finances complex to get their heads around, I wanted to talk to someone who didn’t come from a financial background but has totally smashed it in raising investment efficiently for their busines...

Valuing your business is one of the most important yet challenging aspects of raising investment. It’s important to be realistic while also not underselling your proposition.  In this episode, I hear from Ed Lee , founder & director of investment and consultancy firm Bowbridge Capital .  Ed and his team work alongside business owners to implement growth strategies, build infrastructure, delive...

One of the most challenging aspects is knowing when the right time is to seek investment for your company. If too early your business may not be ready, however, if too late you may slow down its growth potential.  In this episode, I speak with Jo Fairley , co-founder of the renowned chocolate company Green & Blacks . Jo co-founded the business in 1991 with her partner, Craig Sams , to create t...

Approaching and meeting investors can be one of the most daunting aspects when growing a company. From knowing where to find the right ones to crafting your elevator pitch, there is a lot to consider.  In this episode, I speak with Francesca Smith , founder of Frankie’s : a membership for businesswomen that helps them connect, collaborate and engage with finance. As an experienced strategic financ...

With Barnardo's reporting that on average clothing items are only worn 7 times before they are thrown away, the fashion industry is clearly responsible for overproduction and excessive use of resources. However, many emerging brands are encouraging their customers to shop more mindfully to reduce their personal environmental impacts so I was keen to speak to an expert to find out more. In thi...

When building a business from scratch, founders have an opportunity to consider the environmental impact of all their activities, including work travel. According to Statista research, 81% of global travellers believe sustainable travel is important, however, 43% of respondents to a Booking.com survey said they “never, rarely or sometimes” manage to travel in a sustainable way.  In this episode, I...

When starting and scaling your business, it’s important to consider the impact of your supply chain on not only the planet but also people too. 88% of respondents to an OpenText survey said ‘they prioritise buying from companies that have ethical sourcing strategies in place’, while 64% of 18-24 year-olds surveyed said they would never buy from a company again if it were ‘accused of working with u...

When starting a business, founders have the opportunity to start with a clean slate as well as start as they mean to go on. So the aim of this season is to share as much as we can on how businesses can start with ethical practice at their core.  We’re all aware of how certain industries do a lot of damage. For example, fashion is responsible for 10% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions [ BB...

Sustainable and ethical behaviour isn’t limited to environmental practices. It translates into all areas of business including providing opportunities for people who may find themselves excluded from the workforce.  Alex Head is the founder of the leading sustainable catering company, Social Pantry . As one of the first 15 UK companies employing ex-offenders to be awarded the prestigious YOUNITED...

The amount of plastic produced in a year is roughly the same as the entire weight of humanity. EarthDay.org reported that humans use about 1.2 million plastic bottles per minute in total.  Approximately 91% of plastic is not recycled.  Everyone is aware that we need to use less plastic every day and new founders have the opportunity to lead the way on this.  So for this episode, I wanted to speak...

A lot of people comment about how lonely becoming self-employed can be. Leaving behind regular structure and income is one thing, but also a lack of community of support can be significant too. In this episode, I speak with two founders who know the importance of community as they’ve built their whole business around it.  Diana Stenbolt and Gemma Estrela are the co-founders of the skincare and wel...

In this episode, we hear from Jenn McGarrigle , Mica Janiv & Aisling Connaughton : the co-founders of  sustainability consultancy CYD Connects . With extensive backgrounds in beauty, technology and sustainability, the team came together in 2019 to help other founders and businesses become more sustainable and benefit a wider group of societal stakeholders other than just shareholders.  As expe...

In this episode, we hear from Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience and the Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford as well as the author of Life Time which explains how our body clocks work. Through his work, Russell has made great advances in our understanding of how the circadian rhythm is generated and how it suffers under societal press...

In this episode, we hear from Hamish Mackay-Lewis , founder of a leadership coaching company. Through his work, Hamish supports individuals to step into leadership roles as well as working with teams to support their growth. Hamish shares his advice on how to understand your imposter syndrome, explains why it is actually an experience rather than a syndrome and some simple things you as a founder...

In this episode, we hear from Le’Nise Brothers , a leading nutritionist and yoga teacher specialising in women’s health, hormones and the menstrual cycle. Le’Nise develops nutritional programmes through her Eat Love Move consultancy to empower and educate women to understand their bodies and advocate for better healthcare.  Le’Nise’s first book, You Can Have A Better Period , was released in March...

In this episode, we hear from Nina Nesdoly , founder of Workplace Clarity .  As a workplace stress and burnout prevention consultant, Nina draws on her management and neuroscience background to deliver workshops and training courses to help her clients overcome workplace stress, prevent burnout and improve their workplace performance.  Nina shares her advice on maintaining a work/life balance, ide...