Peer Effect

Lewis Kemp is the founder and CEO of Lightbulb Media , a creative performance agency based in Manchester. They've generated over £100 million in revenue for brands across the UK, US and Europe. You might also know him for his fluff-free business and marketing advice, with some Northern humour thrown in!  In this episode, we delve into:  The power of authenticity and embracing your unique pers...

More from James: Connect with James on LinkedIn  or at peer-effect.com 

In this episode of Peer Effect, we explore the intriguing intersection of human interaction and artificial intelligence with Chuck Rinker, co-founder and CEO of PRSONAS. From his roots as a cattle farmer to his leadership in tech innovation, Chuck's diverse background includes pivotal roles in battle management software, military simulations, and even directing EA Sports franchises like Madde...

Jeremy Parker, co-founder of Swag.com and the innovative mind behind Swag Space , joins us on "Peer Effect" to share his journey of reshaping the promotional products industry. With a knack for pivoting and scaling businesses strategically, Jeremy has navigated Swag.com from its inception to its  acquisition by Custom Ink, and beyond into new ventures.  His approach to understanding cust...

This week, we’re joined by Rob Volk, founder of Foxbox Digital, a leader in tech consultancy and digital transformation.  Rob shares profound insights on the shift from hands-on founder to strategic CEO and the crucial strategies that drive sustainable business growth. In this episode, we explore: The art of letting go of control as to empower and build trust within your team.  Managing your energ...

In this episode of Peer Effect, Nigel Thomas, founder of David to Goliath , shares his profound journey of transformation from facing life's darkest moments to rising with a new vision;  turning personal challenges into a source of inspiration for others facing their own "Goliaths." Together, we dive into: Nigel's decision to leave a secure corporate job to pursue a risky but r...

Dean Seddon, founder and CEO of MAVERRIK , steps into the Peer Effect spotlight to share his innovative approach to marketing and the undeniable power of personal branding. With a decade of steering MAVERRIK to success, Dean has mastered the art of utilising his personal brand to propel his business forward. His journey reveals the critical role of a founder in not only shaping a company's st...

Daniel Solomon, co-founder and CEO of OMNINGAGE, steps into the Peer Effect spotlight to share his journey of transitioning from a corporate role to the thrilling uncertainties of startup life.  With his rich experience, Daniel brings to the table deep insights on fostering innovation, scaling operations, and managing a globally dispersed team effectively. In this episode, we explore: Daniel'...

Kirsten Lum, CTO and co-founder of Storytellers.ai, brings a fresh perspective to the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship.  With a background as unique as starting with an English literature degree and transitioning into a leader in the tech industry, Kirsten's journey is nothing short of inspirational. Before co-founding Storytellers.ai, her experience spanned significant roles a...

As 2023 is coming to an end, so is season 2 of Future Fit Founder Podcast. Today, I am taking a moment to reflect on what I learned from the guests on this podcast. Ultimately, it all starts with you as a founder. Here are my top 5 ways to help yourself: Be patient with yourself, as a founder, the journey you are embarking on will be longer than you are planning for Be kind to yourself, the pressu...

Sharath is the Founder of Intrinsic Labs . Sharath is a recognised author and trainer on inflection points, coming up with a new book in January called “Inflection”. Sharath is no stranger to navigating tough leadership moments. He has dedicated his career to guiding organizations through inflection points. Sharath focuses on the inflection points, to guide leaders towards making informed decision...

Tim is the Founder of EchoMany . In its first year, they secured 45 blue-chip clients in the first year. But Tim had dark times ahead In February 2018, the Cambridge Analytica scandal happened.  Facebook clamped down on all data access which led to lost clients and campaign struggles. He was all in but with no way to deliver his product. He’d shut a successful tech development agency to focus on t...

Eli is the Founder of Instafloss . His company has $2.7m of pre-orders and  $1.3m in equity, with a product launch happening soon. But Eli is no stranger to big mistakes. In 2014, Eli made one of the worst decisions of his career. He believed hiring from the top down was the right move. But he was wrong… Backed by the confidence of a successful crowdfunding campaign, he made two hires that cost th...

Matt is the Co-Founder of Omneky . His company raised $11m and presented at Techcrunch Disrupt in 2022 (before the generative AI wave!) In August 2021, Matt joined Omneky as a Chief Business Officer. The first month went well. Working side by side with the founder Hikari they hit record numbers. The second month he took full responsibility. And sales crashed… The calendar was nearly empty, leads w...

Christoffer is the Co-Founder of KiteX.tech , the first truly affordable wind turbines for off-grid housing & rural homes. KiteX.tech has recently done a successful Kickstarter campaign and is about to do their product launch. In March 2020, Christoffer was navigating a challenging time. He and his co-founder Andreas were about to close down their business. He sat down with Andreas and the tea...

Veronika is the CFO of Everphone , a one-stop solution for corporate smartphones and tablets, with over 300 employees and over 350k devices out in the market. Looking back at her journey, Veronika can confirm being a CFO is more than meets the eye. Veronika opens up about the vital role of trust in her relationship with the founder of Everphone.  With her financial insights, see how marketing stra...

Dimitar is the VP and General Manager of CrossBeam , the world's first and most powerful partner ecosystem platform. Dimitar is also a two-time Founder, has been on Exec teams 3 times and is also an Angel Investor. Looking back, in the summer of 2019, Dimitar was in a different headspace. At the time, he had two young kids at the time and a company under two years old. Dimitar was juggling a...

Bryan is the CEO and Co-Founder of GreenPal , a self-funded app. Today, there are over 300,000 people using it to get their lawns mowed and it has $30M of revenue through the platform. Bryan’s platform is a real success now, but it wasn’t always the case. Looking back, around 10 years ago, things were looking a lot different. Brian had a great idea and was determined to succeed. But that was not e...

Kene is a co-founder of Millicent Labs who recently won the prestigious G20 Techsprint 2023 held by The Bank of International Settlements and Reserve Bank of India. He was struggling to drive interest in his business. People were caught up in the idea of 20% interest rates with Luna Crypto — when the concept behind Millicent Labs was the opposite . It wasn’t feasible. Traditional. And quite contra...

Dan is the CO-Founder of LinearB , which has raised $71M ($50M Series B in 2022). Dan also hosts the Dev Interrupted Podcast , the most popular show designed explicitly for software engineering leaders. Today he takes us to December 2021. Dan and his Co-Founder met and decided to do a clean slate exercise. They quickly came to a few conclusions... More competition was coming… There was a lot of po...

Sam is the Founder of Kurogo , which has built over 100 personal brands for Founders and CEOs. Sam built a 12-person agency by 24. Today he takes us to June 2022. Sam was taken by surprise when a key team member announced their departure from the agency he spent years building. That was the first time a moment of crisis happened since Sam started his business. This led to questioning his capabilit...

Bob is the CEO and Co-Founder o f Crossbeam , which has raised over $100m and 15k companies use. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Bob already built and sold 2 businesses. Today he takes us back to a board meeting in January 2016.  The subject of discussion is a company he started with his Co-Founder, Jake, in 2008. The business was a hot startup in the 2011/12 era and raised a lot of VC money.  But...

Ash is the creator of Rebel Meetups , organising 100 events, in 21 cities, 9 countries with over 5k people a year and six times angel investor. Today he takes us back to 2019. At the time, Ash was the type of entrepreneur who wanted to take on every challenge. Later on, he understood no matter what opportunity he undertook, it was going to present its unique challenges and stresses.  As he walks u...

Jeremy is the Founder of Marketplace Risk , which runs the largest marketplace conference in the world. Today he takes us back to January 2015. At the time, Jeremy was attending a business class, working towards his MBA. Jeremy was going through a professional identity crisis and kept wondering what his next move would be. Between working full-time whilst adding value to people’s lives he created...

Rajeev is the Founder of Collude . He built a 300-person business in 1.5 years, he is the host of the Plan B Success podcast and has helped 4 VC-backed companies through exit. We can safely say, Rajeev has been keeping himself busy. Today he takes us back to 1994. He began his career in India, navigating through rejection and self-doubt, only to emerge stronger and more determined than ever. At th...