How She Spotted Grenade, BrewDog and Tangle Teezer Before They Were Household Brands! Great British Entrepreneur Awards Founder Frankie James On The State Of Business In The UK Right Now!

He Lost His Fashion Empire… Then Raised £4M To Build A Brazilian Beer Brand Taking On The Drinks Industry Giants

Can you lose a multi-million-pound fashion business almost overnight… and still come back to build a brand in a completely different industry? Charles Gay is the founder of Favela, the Brazilian-inspired beer brand [https://www.favelacerveja.com/]bringing sunshine, culture, gluten-free lager, hospitality partnerships and premium party energy into the UK and European drinks market. 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, Charles shares the incredible story of going from fashion entrepreneur and brand creator to launching Favela Cerveja, a Brazilian beer brand built around culture, community, purpose and one very clear gap in the market. But this conversation is not just about beer, hospitality or building an alcohol brand. It is about losing everything, having to shut down a successful fashion business almost overnight, dealing with the pressure of staff, suppliers and cancelled orders, rebuilding from scratch, raising investment, learning a new industry, cold-calling bars, driving beer across Europe himself, and proving that brand-building principles can transfer across completely different markets. He also breaks down the realities of the drinks industry, from brewery partnerships, wholesalers, distributors and hospitality groups through to premium venues, football sponsorship, Ibiza activations, Amazonico, Dubai, Marbella, O Beach Ibiza and the strategic move into aluminium bottles. Connect with Favela:https://www.favelacerveja.com/ [https://www.favelacerveja.com/] IN THIS EPISODE: ▪️How Charles Gay went from fashion entrepreneur to beer brand founder ▪️Why Brazil inspired the creation of Favela Cerveja ▪️Spotting the gap for a Brazilian beer brand in the UK drinks market ▪️Creating a gluten-free, vegan and purpose-led beer brand ▪️The role of brand design, packaging, IP and trademarks ▪️How Charles raised his first £1M to launch Favela ▪️Why investors backed the founder, the story and the purpose ▪️How to build a drinks brand through bars, restaurants and wholesalers ▪️Why cold-calling and hand-delivering product still matters ▪️How Favela partnered with O Beach Ibiza and Amazonico ▪️The strategic importance of aluminium bottles in beer ▪️The difference between on-trade, off-trade and supermarket distribution ▪️Why the right venue partnerships matter more than being everywhere KEY MOMENTS: 0:00 — Charles Gay on raising £1M, Ibiza and building Favela 1:05 — From fashion entrepreneur to Brazilian beer brand founder 3:15 — Creating a gluten-free, organic, vegan beer concept 5:22 — Spotting the gluten-free trend before the market caught up 9:25 — PAUSE POINT: Market gaps are easier to see from outside the industry 11:37 — Losing the fashion business and saving Favela 19:18 — Relaunching Favela and raising the first £1M 22:06 — The Favela Foundation and building a purpose-led beer brand 23:45 — PAUSE POINT: What survives when a business collapses? 26:37 — Rebuilding the brewery, team, marketing and distribution 30:05 — Cold-calling bars and hand-delivering beer in Glasgow 33:33 — Starting again, swallowing your ego and leaving fashion behind 39:15 — Why aluminium bottles are a major opportunity for Favela 42:15 — Getting Favela into O Beach Ibiza 47:01 — Driving beer through Europe to Ibiza with his dad 48:44 — PAUSE POINT: Founder mode means doing whatever it takes 52:25 — Amazonico, Dubai, Monaco, Miami and premium global venues 56:29 — Why on-trade comes before supermarket retail distribution 1:00:15 — The biggest lessons from losing a multi-million-pound business 1:03:40 — World Cup activations, Dubai, Spain and Favela’s next stage

PREVIEW: Can you lose a multi-million-pound fashion business almost overnight… and still come back to build a brand in a completely different industry?

Meet Charles Gay, the entrepreneur who has raised £4M to create Favela Cerveja, the Brazilian beer brand set to take on the drinks industry giants! His journey from multi-million pound fashion mogul to FMCG challenger brand is a wild ride - you'll love this! Get the FULL EPISODE [https://pod.link/1883368447] now, on your favourite podcast player

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