The Growth Diary

Don't Be Fooled By the Numbers — What You Can't See Will Hurt You - with Lee Driscoll at Rougemont

Lee Driscoll didn't take the conventional route. He studied surveying, spent a decade trading futures in London and corporate bonds in Milan, then came back to the UK in his thirties with a very deliberate plan, and eventually co-founded a practice that punches well above its weight. Rougemont Property Consultants is an intentionally lean, director-led firm advising some of the biggest names in commercial property, Royal London Asset Management, Derwent London, and high-profile private estates, without the red tape, the hierarchy, or the armies of inexperienced juniors that come with the big firms. In this episode, Lee shares: * Why he walked away from the city and came back to construction with a completely different mindset * The real reason experienced professionals should never be stuck in boardrooms * Why gut feel and honest advice matters more than data when serious money is on the line * How the RICS global AI standard is already reshaping the property industry * Why being small is actually a competitive advantage when it comes to innovation and agility * The construction trades he believes are genuinely AI-proof, and why young people should be paying attention This is a conversation about doing less, doing it better, and having the confidence to tell a client what they don't want to hear. If you work in property, construction, or are building a lean professional services firm on reputation and expertise, this one is for you. ---------------------------------------- Connect with Lee Driscoll: 🌐 www.rouge-mont.com [http://www.rouge-mont.com] 📧 lee.driscoll@rouge-mont.com [lee.driscoll@rouge-mont.com] 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-driscoll-77896a20 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-driscoll-77896a20] ---------------------------------------- About The Growth Diary After a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable. 🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast] 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c [https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c] 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376 [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376]

She Went on a Gap Year, Got on a Sailing Yacht, and Never Came Back - Lucy Jackson

Lucy Jackson went on a gap year after graduating from Imperial College with a first class degree. She got on a racing yacht. That was 2009. What followed was 100,000 miles at sea, a life built entirely on the water, and eventually the world's leading racing yacht charter company. LV Yachting matches private yacht owners with individuals and teams who want to race at the world's most prestigious regattas, from Cowes Week and Antigua Sailing Week and the Caribbean circuit, without the logistical headache. It's a niche nobody else has properly cracked, and Lucy built it by simply being the most experienced person in the room. In this episode, Lucy shares: * Why a gap year sailing trip became a 16 year career and a global business * The freedom of being completely disconnected at sea and why so few of us ever find it * How she spotted a gap in the racing charter market that nobody else wanted to touch * Why AI generated content is an immediate turn off in a high trust lifestyle industry * The crew berth model that lets solo sailors race world class regattas and meet lifelong friends * Where LV Yachting is heading next, from luxury cruising charter to brokerage This is a conversation about following something you love so completely that it quietly becomes a business, and about building something genuinely world class by staying true to the experience that made you. If you love the water, dream of racing offshore, or are building a lifestyle business on expertise and reputation, this one is for you. ---------------------------------------- 🔗 Connect with Lucy Jackson: 🌐 www.lvyachting.com [http://www.lvyachting.com] 📧 lucy@lvyachting.com [lucy@lvyachting.com] 📞 +44 (0) 20 3920 6261 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-jackson-bb24a920 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-jackson-bb24a920]

The Dirty Secret Nobody in Property Will Say Out Loud — Until Now - with Patsy Irwin-Brown

Every buyer thinks their estate agent is on their side. They're not. Patsy Irwin-Brown spent 15 years on the inside of London's property industry, overseeing thousands of transactions, and watched buyers get left out in the cold time and time again. The agent is contracted by the seller. The solicitors are overwhelmed. Nobody is in your corner. And nobody was willing to say it out loud until Patsy decided to do something about it. In 2022 she founded MyPIPS, a buyer representation service that works exclusively for the person buying the property, handling everything from offer negotiation to chain management to solicitor chasing, so buyers can focus on finding the home they love and leaving the rest to someone who genuinely has their back. In this episode, Patsy shares: * The conflict of interest baked into every property transaction that nobody talks about * Why buyers are the only party in the process with no professional in their corner * How she negotiates thousands off purchase prices and takes a percentage of what she saves * The growing Hong Kong relocator community that found her through word of mouth alone * Why social media has failed her and referrals have been her entire growth engine * Her vision for a national network of buyer consultants and what needs to happen to get there This is a conversation about a broken system, a bold fix, and one woman determined to level the playing field for every buyer in the UK. If you are buying a property, have ever bought a property, or just want to understand why the process feels so stacked against you, this one is essential listening. ---------------------------------------- Connect with Patsy Irwin-Brown: 🌐 www.mypips.co.uk [http://www.mypips.co.uk] 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/patsy-irwin-brown-13a850255 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/patsy-irwin-brown-13a850255] Tel: 0203 916 5916 [tel:02039165916] E-Mail: Patsy@MyPIPS.co.uk [Patsy@MyPIPS.co.uk] ---------------------------------------- About The Growth Diary After a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable. 🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast] 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c [https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c] 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376 [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376]

The Woman the Ultra-Wealthy Call When No One Else Can Be Trusted

Sonia Felfli spotted the same problem everywhere she looked: people were being treated like a booking number. That frustration became the foundation for Savoir Vivre Lifestyle, a boutique luxury villa rental, private events, and lifestyle management company operating across Mykonos and Ibiza. Her clientele are ultra-high-net-worth individuals who expect total discretion, bespoke service, and someone who genuinely cares. Sonia built the business to deliver exactly that. In this episode, Sonia shares: * Why being treated as a number in luxury hospitality inspired her to build something completely different * How she earns the trust of ultra-high-net-worth clients before they even arrive * The real meaning of privacy, discretion, and personal service at the highest level * Why human connection is her greatest competitive advantage * The challenges of managing high expectations, complex logistics, and demanding seasons * What she believes the luxury hospitality industry is still getting wrong This is a conversation about building a business where the product is trust, the standard is perfection, and the person behind it all does it because she genuinely loves it. If you work in hospitality, luxury services, or simply want to understand what world-class client experience really looks like, this one is for you. ---------------------------------------- 🔗 Connect with Sonia Felfli: 🌐 www.savoirvivrelifestyle.com [http://www.savoirvivrelifestyle.com] ---------------------------------------- The Growth Diary - Host: Keith Atkinson After a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable. 🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast] 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c [https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c] 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376 [https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376]

How Jack Dawson Turned a Trowel Into the UK's Biggest Bricklaying Event

Jack Dawson didn't come from a boardroom. He came from a building site. Starting work alongside his dad at age four, competing as a natural bodybuilder, and eventually landing in a teaching role at the same FE college where he trained, Jack's path has always been shaped by craft, discipline, and a deep love for the trade. Then in 2022, an idea sparked that would change the construction industry's relationship with competition, community, and pride. SuperTrowel is now the UK's largest bricklaying competition, drawing hundreds of spectators, dozens of exhibitors, and competitors from across the country to watch skilled tradespeople go head-to-head in a one-hour bricklaying race. The 2026 series spans seven regional heats, from Northern Ireland to Cornwall, before culminating at Hertfordshire Showground on 31st July. In this episode, Jack shares: * How a post-lockdown conversation between three mates became a national event * Why the construction industry desperately needs something to celebrate its people * The organic growth story behind SuperTrowel, from 500 attendees to a full national series * What it really takes to run a major event with a team of three * His vision for turning construction into a career aspiration, not a plan B * Where SuperTrowel goes next, and why more trades are on the horizon This is a conversation about passion, purpose, and proving that the most underrated industries can produce the most electric events. If you work in construction, care about the trades, or just love watching people who are the best at what they do compete, this one is for you. ---------------------------------------- Guest: Jack Dawson Company: SuperTrowel Website: https://www.supertrowel.co.uk [https://www.supertrowel.co.uk] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-dawson-62a744153 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-dawson-62a744153]