Building The Brand with James Burtt

He Got Ripped Off For Millions But Still Built a £50M+ Property & Business Empire - James Martin On Dyslexia, Shame and Making A Fortune

Can you build serious wealth without academic success, qualifications or even being able to properly read a contract? James Martin who is an entrepreneur, investor, mentor and commercial landlord who has amassed a huge net worth through business and property certainly thinks so!  Watch more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial [https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial] Want more from Building The Brand - connect here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter [https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter] In this episode of Building The Brand, James shares the brutally honest story of growing up with severe dyslexia, leaving school at 14 with no qualifications, turning rejection into opportunity, building his first business before the age of 18, selling and buying back that company, moving into land, planning and commercial property, and eventually building a multi-million-pound property portfolio. James explains how dyslexia shaped the way he thinks, why he built teams around him from a young age, how a trusted business partner ripped him off for millions, what that taught him about contracts, partnerships and control, and why founders need to understand the rooms they are operating in before the stakes get too high. He also shares how he built Ruskins from cutting grass and hanging baskets into a serious commercial business, how he sold it, bought it back for a fraction of the price, then sold it again, before moving into planning, land acquisition, wedding venues, commercial estates, container storage and business mentoring. Connect with the brilliant James Martin on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jamesmartinentrepreneur/ [https://www.instagram.com/jamesmartinentrepreneur/] IN THIS EPISODE: ▪️Growing up with severe dyslexia and the shame of not being able to read properly ▪️Leaving school at 14 with no qualifications ▪️Why James hired a PA at 18 and built his business around his weaknesses ▪️Turning rejection from drama school into his first real client ▪️Building a landscaping and tree surgery company before the age of 20 ▪️Winning pub, brewery, council, MOD and commercial contracts ▪️Selling Ruskins, buying it back, then selling it again ▪️Why being good at a business does not mean you should stay in it ▪️How James moved from trading businesses into land, planning and property ▪️Getting ripped off for millions by a trusted partner ▪️The importance of shareholder agreements, contracts and exit clauses ▪️Why commercial property became James’s favourite business model ▪️How he uses delegation, management and expert operators across multiple businesses ▪️The mindset shift required to go from £2M turnover to the next level KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 — James on shame, scars, trust and being ripped off for millions 1:00 — Why the positive should be primary 2:14 — Growing up severely dyslexic 3:34 — School, shame and becoming the “cheeky chappie” 8:38 — Trusting solicitors, PAs and people around him 9:30 — PAUSE POINT: Build around your weaknesses 12:41 — The business partner who ripped him off for millions 15:10 — Leaving school at 14 with no qualifications 18:32 — How drama school became his first client 20:01 — PAUSE POINT: Rejection can become market research 21:36 — Winning 35 pubs before the age of 18 23:20 — Building Ruskins and growing into tree surgery 31:07 — Breaking into council and commercial contracts 34:39 — Brokering international rights and licensing deals 36:39 — Selling Ruskins for the first time 42:00 — Buying the business back from receivers 46:39 — PAUSE POINT: Does the business still fit the life you want? 49:39 — Moving into land, planning and development 51:39 — Why contracts and partnership agreements matters when millions are involved 59:28 — Why James loves commercial property 1:01:00 — Delegation, management and expert operators 1:04:54 — Baby steps, risk and learning before diving in 1:08:02 — Why James created the Baddow Park Mastermind 1:10:34 — Helping entrepreneurs think bigger 1:11:57 — James’s ambition: buying property until the day he dies

PREVIEW: How Do You Build a £50M Business & Property Empire... James Martin Reveals All

If you love this short clip, you will LOVE the full episode where James Martin shares how he went from leaving school at 14 and being unable to read contracts, got ripped off for millions, bought back the business he sold, and built a £50M+ property empire from lessons that nearly broke him. FULL EPISODE OUT NOW ON YOUR FAVOURITE PODCAST PLAYER [https://pod.link/1883368447]

Built & Sold A Multi-Million Tech Startup In Just 3 Years: Karolina Pelc Made A Fortune Without Luck!

Can you start at the bottom of an industry, back yourself before anyone else does, raise millions, build a fast-growth startup and sell it within three years? FOR THE FULL STORY GET KAROLINA’S NO.1 BEST SELLING BOOK ‘HER PLAY’ [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Play-Make-Your-Luck/dp/1918271194⁠] Karolina Pelc is an entrepreneur, investor, advisor, author and the founder of BeyondPlay, the iGaming startup she launched in 2021, raised £6.1 million for, and sold to FanDuel within just three years. Want more BTB goodness!? Connect Here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter [https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter] Karolina’s journey started far from the world of startup exits, venture capital and acquisition deals. At 19, she trained as a casino dealer in Poland, worked in tough casino environments, moved to London, lived in difficult conditions, worked on cruise ships, and eventually fought her way into the online gaming industry from the very bottom of the career ladder. In this episode of Building The Brand, Karolina breaks down how she turned lived experience in real-world casinos into a powerful insight about the future of online gaming. She explains how she raised £1.2 million from a pitch deck, built BeyondPlay through the pandemic, scaled the team to 50 people, navigated product pivots, licensing complexity, investor pressure, founder burnout and eventually sold the company to FanDuel. She also shares why she does not believe in luck, why starting again can be a strategic move, why founders cannot make everyone like them, and why hustle only works when it is intentional. Karolina shares: ▪️ Why she does not believe luck created her success ▪️ Why she was willing to start again in a junior role ▪️ How real-world casino experience shaped the idea for BeyondPlay ▪️ Raising £1.2 million from a deck during the pandemic ▪️ Why approval cannot be the operating system for founders ▪️ Selling BeyondPlay to FanDuel within three years ▪️ What really happens during a fast acquisition process Find out more about Karolina Pelc here:https://karolinapelc.com/ [https://karolinapelc.com/] Key Moments: 0:00 — Karolina Pelc on quitting, growth, pressure and selling BeyondPlay 1:07 — Why Karolina does not believe in luck 3:16 — Starting, funding and selling BeyondPlay within three years 6:57 — The brutal training process to become a dealer 8:00 — Her first major casino customer and early resilience 12:19 — Arriving in London and the reality of starting again 17:35 — Homelessness and learning the hard way 21:20 — Reality distortion filter, belief and ambitious goals 24:05 — Understanding the different levels of the casino world 30:47 — Moving from casinos and cruise ships into online gaming 34:35 — The idea that eventually became BeyondPlay 37:21 — Raising £1.2 million during the pandemic 44:18 — What BeyondPlay actually built 50:33 — Regulation, licensing and startup complexity 52:21 — The risky second product that changed the company 57:00 — Founder mode and transparent leadership 59:00 — Why CEOs cannot have everyone agree with them 1:00:12 — Work-life balance, values and startup reality 1:06:40 — People pleasing, burnout and founder pressure 1:09:30 — Building BeyondPlay with an exit in mind 1:11:13 — Selling the company in two months 1:14:54 — What the day of signing the deal actually felt like 1:17:13 — Leaving the company after acquisition 1:19:49 — Achievement addiction, writing the book and what comes next 1:24:14 — Who Karolina wrote the book for

From Repossession To £1.9 Million Launch: Caroline Strawson On Narcissistic Abuse, Debt & Repossession To Building The UK's Fast-Growing Franchise

Can you rebuild your life after narcissistic abuse, trauma, anxiety, depression, debt and losing almost everything? Caroline Strawson is a trauma therapist, nervous system expert, author, coach and founder of The Mental Wellbeing Company and TIDAL. After experiencing narcissistic abuse, anxiety, depression, PTSD, self-harm, chronic illness, £70,000 of debt and having her house repossessed, Caroline rebuilt her life as a single mum and went on to create one of the UK’s fastest-growing trauma-informed mental wellbeing brands. Watch more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial [https://www.youtube.com/@buildingthebrandofficial] Connect Here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter [https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter] Caroline breaks down how she went from rock bottom to building a multi-million pound business helping people heal from trauma, narcissistic abuse, emotional abuse and toxic relationships. She explains why traditional talk therapy was not enough for her recovery, why the nervous system is the missing piece in mental health, and how trauma can impact business, leadership, relationships, health and self-worth. She also shares how she built a powerful personal brand, launched trauma-informed coaching certifications, created The Mental Wellbeing Company, generated £1.9 million at launch and learned to lead a growing team without losing the compassion at the heart of her work. Caroline shares: ▪️ How she rebuilt her life after narcissistic abuse, debt and repossession ▪️ Why narcissistic abuse is a form of domestic abuse and trauma ▪️ Why talk therapy helped her understand her pain but did not change how she felt ▪️ How nervous system healing became the missing piece in her recovery ▪️ How she turned lived experience into a trauma-informed business ▪️ Why The Mental Wellbeing Company took £1.9 million at launch ▪️ Why founders and leaders need nervous system capacity, not just strategy ▪️ How stress, struggle and chaos can become addictive for entrepreneurs ▪️ Why trauma-informed leadership requires both compassion and boundaries ▪️ How Caroline is evolving from personal brand to business empire Find out more about Caroline Strawson here:https://carolinestrawson.com/ [https://carolinestrawson.com/] Key Moments: 0:00 — Caroline Strawson on narcissistic abuse, trauma and rebuilding her life 1:13 — Anxiety, panic attacks and sitting in a repossessed house 3:55 — Why her children became the driving force behind her recovery 5:14 — Building a business around motherhood 14:13 — What narcissistic abuse actually means 16:49 — Googling “narcissistic sociopath” and understanding her experience 18:30 — £70,000 of debt, repossession and single motherhood 20:08 — Why counselling helped but did not fully heal her 21:12 — Discovering nervous system healing 23:31 — The £58,000 launch that changed what felt possible 25:05 — Creating trauma-informed coaching certifications 27:05 — Taking £1.9 million at launch 29:42 — Listening to your audience without abandoning your beliefs 32:45 — Building a trauma-informed business with integrity 34:00 — Victimhood, responsibility and healing 38:01 — Why founders can become addicted to stress 42:24 — Functional freeze, burnout and business performance 45:04 — Caroline’s Capacity Plus framework 52:21 — Using nervous system capacity in business 57:38 — Handling hard conversations as a leader 1:02:30 — Why you cannot lead beyond what your nervous system can hold 1:05:56 — Lessons from a difficult team exit 1:11:00 — Empathy, codependency and trauma-informed leadership 1:16:15 — Moving from personal brand to scalable companies 1:19:07 — Challenging the traditional mental health system 1:22:51 — Becoming visible as the woman she is today 1:25:56 — Why doing your own healing is a gift to your children

Build A Brand The Creates Freedom: Phil Graham Reveals How To Build A Seriously Profitable Business That Gives You Freedom, Not Burnout

Phil Graham is an entrepreneur, business strategist, investor, mentor and founder of the multi-million pound brands Fitness Entrepreneur and Expansion Partners. After being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 16, Phil refused to accept the limitations placed on his life. He rebuilt his health through bodybuilding, nutrition, training and self-education, before turning that knowledge into one of the most successful fitness business coaching companies in the UK. Connect Here: https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter [https://buildingthebrand.co.uk/newsletter] He breaks down why most entrepreneurs are not really chasing revenue - they are chasing freedom, peace, control and options. He also explains why many founders build businesses from fear, scarcity and external validation, then wonder why success still feels unfulfilling. Phil shares:  ▪️ How he became one of the UK’s leading fitness business coaches ▪️ Why skills come before cash when building a profitable business ▪️ Why most founders are really chasing freedom, peace and control ▪️ How to build a business around your life, not a life around your business ▪️ How emotional mastery affects business growth, leadership and decision-making ▪️ Why customer success, retention and repeat revenue create real wealth ▪️ How to scale a business with a lean, high-performance team Find out if Phil’s Expansion Partners is right for your business https://phil-graham.com/expansion-partners/ [https://phil-graham.com/expansion-partners/] Key Moments:  0:00 — Phil Graham on defiance, freedom and success 6:00 — Being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 16 10:23 — Bodybuilding, nutrition and self-mastery 13:27 — Getting his first client and discovering business 15:18 — Moving from personal training into business coaching 17:23 — Scaling from one-to-one to one-to-many 18:37 — Building Fitness Entrepreneur 20:06 — Why clarity comes from action 21:12 — Business as personal development 25:05 — Emotions as a tool for growth 34:31 — Phil’s near-death experience 39:24 — Building from scarcity versus abundance 42:24 — Building a business around the life you want 45:49 — Why founders want freedom more than revenue 46:42 — The founder operating system 50:27 — Why skills lead to cash 54:19 — The Founder’s North Star 58:26 — The five growth drivers 1:00:24 — Why retention creates real wealth 1:02:46 — Leaving the laptop at home 1:05:28 — The lean team behind a profitable business 1:08:40 — Why big teams can create bloat 1:13:45 — Scaling without creating a monster 1:18:22 — Authority, profit and freedom 1:19:39 — The 90-day execution model 1:22:39 — Boutique versus mass-market growth 1:26:06 — Why profit matters more than turnover 1:27:20 — Business as the key to freedom