From £300 to 15 businesses: Darya Simanovich on immigrant entrepreneurship

From £300 to 15 businesses: Darya Simanovich on immigrant entrepreneurship

What would you do if you arrived in a new country with £300 in your pocket, barely speaking the language, knowing almost no one? Darya Simanovich called it a start, and what she built from there is nothing short of remarkable. In this episode of Wild, Wise & Working, Jackie is joined by Darya Simanovich, entrepreneur, business mentor and author of The Immigrant Entrepreneur- a raw, honest account of building from nothing in a country that wasn't hers. Originally from Russia, Darya arrived in London at 22 to study at Imperial College and never really left. In the two decades since, she has launched 15 businesses, sold one, and is still actively building, all while raising three children and supporting other founders to do the same. Jackie and Darya cover a remarkable amount of ground in this conversation: the moment the 2008 financial crash closed a corporate door and opened an entrepreneurial one, the swim school born out of a basement pool and a new mother's need for human connection, and the Chelsea crêperie that survived six years, a pandemic, and Brexit before Darya decided to sell.  But this episode is really about the mindset underneath all of it: how to spot a problem worth solving, why sales is the first skill every founder needs, and why being direct, whether you're Russian or just plain tired of the British habit of not saying what you mean, is actually a superpower. Darya's "100 coffees" framework alone is worth the listen, and her core belief that you should fall in love with the problem rather than the solution will stay with you long after the episode ends. Covered in this episode: * Arriving in London at 22 with £300, limited English and no contacts and why Darya saw that as an opportunity rather than a crisis * How the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 ended her corporate career and pushed her towards building her own businesses * The Chelsea swim school that started as a personal pool, grew into a five-day-a-week operation, and began simply because Darya couldn't find one nearby * Why Darya believes entrepreneurs should "fall in love with the problem, not the solution"  * The 100 coffees framework: how writing 100 names on a blank piece of paper and starting conversations can become the foundation of any new business or consultancy. * The honest truth about sales - why women in particular struggle to sell themselves. * Knowing your customer deeply enough to build for them, and why "women aged 18 to 65" is not a target audience About my guest: Darya Simanovich Darya Simanovich is a serial entrepreneur, business mentor, and author based in London. Originally from Russia, she came to the UK at 22 to study risk management and financial engineering at Imperial College London, and went on to build 15 businesses across sectors including childcare, hospitality, and property management. She runs a mastermind and events community for entrepreneurs, works full-time supporting early-stage founders, and has recently written The Immigrant Entrepreneur, a candid account of what it takes to start from nothing. What makes Darya remarkable is the combination of mathematical rigour, direct practicality and genuine warmth she brings to every founder she meets. * LinkedIn: Darya Simanovich on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryas/] The Immigrant Entrepreneur — details in the show notes once the book is live * Chelsea Swim Spa [https://www.chelseaswimspa.co.uk/] — Darya's swim school and pool hire business in London Be a part of the show, and get in touch if you want to chat through your business idea: * Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. * Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/] * Send me voice messages, questions, or story ideas for a future show: You'll find everything you need HERE [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] - https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/ [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] * Quick voice message link: https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking [https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking] Produced by The Good Studio [https://thegoodstudio.co.uk/] - thegoodstudio.co.uk

Transforming life admin into a midlife business - with Catherine Ann Reid

What do you do when you're drowning in life admin, raising a child with complex needs, navigating a divorce and you suddenly realise nobody has actually solved the problem? If you're Catherine Ann Reid, you build a tech company from scratch. In this episode of Wild, Wise & Working, Jackie is joined by Catherine-Ann Reid, founder and CEO of Doqit – a smart life admin app designed to help people organise their documents, manage deadlines, and reduce the invisible mental load of modern life. Catherine Ann's route to the startup world came not from a tech background, but from 30 years in B2B sales and communications, combined with the very personal experience of knowing that something had to change. Together, Jackie and Catherine Ann walk through the full entrepreneurial journey: from the lightbulb moment and years of quiet research, through the unexpected gift that Covid gave to a business built for a newly digital world, to the pivots, the investor conversations, and the hard-won wisdom of building something meaningful later in life. This is an honest, energising conversation about resilience, reinvention, and why experience really is your competitive advantage. Covered in this episode: * The backstory: 30+ years in communications, a late-in-life baby, a divorce and a daughter with a rare genetic condition * The life admin lightbulb moment and the £100 late tax return that sparked it * Why the problem isn't disorganisation: it's the explosion of fragmented digital life * The investor question that stumped her – and how Covid answered it overnight * Navigating the shift from B2B confidence to B2C reality * Defining the ideal customer: meet Jennifer, 39, married, working full-time, and desperate to reclaim her weekends * How Doqit works: documents, deadlines, reminders, and secure sharing * The realities of building a business as a lone parent with caring responsibilities About my guest: Catherine Ann Reid Catherine Ann Reid is the founder and CEO of Doqit, a life admin management platform born from personal frustration with disorganised paperwork and the very real cost of dropping life's admin balls. A FinTech Scotland Innovation Challenge winner, she has spent over 30 years in B2B sales, communications and strategy – and is living proof that it's never too late to build something remarkable. Catherine-Ann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineannreid/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineannreid/] Doqit – try it free for 7 days: https://www.doqit.io/ [https://www.doqit.io/] Mentioned in this episode: Ideas Fest – the UK's 'Glastonbury for Entrepreneurs': https://ideasfest.uk/ [https://ideasfest.uk/] Be a part of the show, and get in touch if you want to chat through your business idea: * Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. * Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/] * Send me voice messages, questions, or story ideas for a future show: You'll find everything you need HERE [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] - https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/ [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] * Quick voice message link: https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking [https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking] Produced by The Good Studio [https://thegoodstudio.co.uk/] - thegoodstudio.co.uk

Is your idea ready? Five questions every midlife business founder needs to ask

In this episode, Jackie goes solo to answer the questions every new business founder needs to ask. If you've been sitting on a business idea for months (or years), turning it over in your mind but not taking action, this episode is for you. Because the reason most women never act on their idea isn't lack of passion or ambition, it's not knowing where to start. So on this special episode, Jackie gives you exactly that: a clear, practical framework built around five key questions that every successful founder – whether they knew it or not – has had to answer before their business existed. Drawing on conversations with previous guests including Kim at Auris Tech, Gillian at Peachaus, Jane at Sona, Angela at Eve Biology and Lise at Walking This Way, Jackie identifies the patterns that connect them all and explains you how to apply those lessons to your own idea, right now. Coming up in this episode: * Why having an idea is not the same as having a business * The one-sentence test that tells you if your idea is ready (and what to do if it isn't) * Why nobody is going to steal your idea and why sharing it is your best next move * The difference between a unique idea and a unique angle * What a "moat" is and why your business needs one * Why no competition in your market is a red flag, not a green one * The honest truth about money, pricing and why passion without profit is just a hobby * How to overcome imposter syndrome and back yourself when self-doubt creeps in * A special offer: the first five listeners to get in touch get a free half-hour call with Jackie The Five Questions: 1. What's your idea – and can you actually solve the problem? 2. Why hasn't this been done before – and who else is doing it? 3. What's the market you're walking into? 4. Why are you the right person to build this? 5. What's the commercial model – and how does the money actually work? Free downloadble worksheet to help you work through the five questions Download HERE [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xngll1NJD_nQCyVOsGNGtU-LkIsXpqZi/view?usp=sharing] (vist the episode website if link doesn't work: https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/ [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/]) WIN A FREE 30-MINUTE IDEA PLANNING MEETING WITH JACKIE The first five people to get in touch via the voice message link, or the show's 'get in touch' form - via the links below - will get the chance to brainstorm their business idea with Jackie. Be a part of the show, and get in touch if you want to chat through your business idea: * Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. * Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/] * Send me voice messages, questions, or story ideas for a future show: You'll find everything you need HERE [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] - https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/ [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] * Quick voice message link: https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking [https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking] Produced by The Good Studio [https://thegoodstudio.co.uk/] - thegoodstudio.co.uk

Combatting stress through tech innovation - with Jane Ollis

Jackie is joined by Jane Ollis, founder of Sona – a pioneering health tech business developing an AI-powered device designed to measure and reduce stress in real time. Jane’s career is anything but ordinary. From starting out as a medical biochemist to working internationally in senior leadership roles, sitting on boards across healthcare and renewable energy, and even interning at NASA, her path has been driven by curiosity and a desire to solve meaningful problems. But it wasn’t until later in life – after raising a family and building a successful corporate career – that Jane paused to ask a deeper question: what legacy do I want to leave behind? What followed was a bold move into the world of deep tech, a space rarely occupied by women in their 50s. Driven by a growing fascination with the role of stress in chronic illness, Jane set out to understand what stress is really doing to our bodies – and more importantly, what we can do about it. This conversation is a powerful exploration of reinvention, courage and the realities of building something from scratch. It’s also a fascinating insight into the science of the vagus nerve, the future of preventative health and why your next chapter might be your most impactful yet. Coming up in this episode: *  The moment in midlife that sparked the question: what’s my next legacy? *  Why stress is still overlooked in modern healthcare – and why that needs to change  *  Moving “upstream” of illness and rethinking how we approach chronic conditions  *  The unexpected discovery of the vagus nerve – and its link to stress regulation  *  Turning a two-page idea into a deep tech product (that started life in a shoebox)  *  The reality of building a business: persistence, problem-solving and “professional begging”  *  Why networks, not just ideas, are the real superpower in your 50s  *  Courage as an uncomfortable but essential part of entrepreneurship  *  Launching Sona – and the emotional reality of finally bringing a product to life  *  Why your 50s might be the perfect time to build something meaningful About My Guest: Jane Ollis Jane Ollis is the founder of Sona, an innovative health tech company developing an AI-powered vagus nerve stimulation device to help reduce stress and improve sleep. With a background in medical biochemistry and a career spanning senior leadership roles across healthcare, energy and innovation, Jane has spent decades working at the intersection of science and real-world impact. She has also served on boards across the NHS, government and private sector. Now, she’s combining that experience to tackle one of the biggest – and most overlooked – challenges in modern health: chronic stress. Through Sona, Jane is on a mission to bring personalised, preventative solutions to millions, starting with a simple but powerful idea – helping people feel better, every day. Connect with Jane * Website: https://sona.help/ [https://sona.help/] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeollis/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeollis/] Be a part of the show: * Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. * Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/] * Send me voice messages, questions, or story ideas for a future show: You'll find everything you need HERE [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] - https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/ [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] * Quick voice message link: https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking [https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking] Produced by The Good Studio [https://thegoodstudio.co.uk/] - thegoodstudio.co.uk

From Fashion Director to Founder - with Gillian Ridley Whittle

Jackie is joined by Gillian Ridley Whittle, founder of Peachaus - an ethical lingerie and wellness brand built around comfort, community and genuine care for women's bodies. Gillian's CV reads like a who's who of British retail: Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Topshop and a four-year stint in Australia working for Target and Myer. But it was leading Topshop through the pandemic, watching it sold to Asos, and being made redundant shortly after, that forced a reckoning she'd been quietly building towards for years. What followed wasn't a pivot so much as a homecoming, back to an idea she'd sketched out on a beach in Melbourne in 2016, back to the belief that fashion could be a force for good and back to underwear: the category she'd fallen in love with at M&S and never quite let go of. Jackie and Gillian's chat explores the gap between external success and internal fulfilment, the anxiety Gillian had hidden behind a capable exterior for years and the slow, determined process of building something that actually aligned with who she is. It's also a masterclass in listening to your customers, from a blackboard outside a teepee at a wellness festival to bra fits in WeWork offices. and following the evidence wherever it leads. Coming up in this episode: * From trainee buyer to Topshop Fashion Director, and what the high street lost when the golden era ended * Leading Topshop through Covid, the sale to Asos, and what came after * The anxiety hidden behind a high-flying career, and the moment something had to change * The Pinterest boards, the deck and the six-year slow burn to launching Peachaus * Why fashion can be a force for good, and what that actually means in practice * How the name Peachaus came about, and the deeper meaning behind it * The pivot from online brand to bra-fitting service and why the customers made it obvious * What a blackboard outside a teepee tent at a wellness festival taught Gillian about her business * Why most women are wearing the wrong bra size, and the health consequences nobody talks about * Peachaus's partnership with CoppaFeel and the move into women's workplace wellness About My Guest: Gillian Ridley Whittle Gillian Ridley Whittle is the founder of Peachaus, an ethical lingerie and women's wellness brand. With over 25 years in fashion retail — including director-level roles at Marks & Spencer, Debenhams, Target Australia and Topshop — she launched Peachaus to put comfort, care and community at the heart of an industry that had lost its way. Peachaus now operates a bra-fitting service for corporate clients alongside its product range, and Gillian is building it into a national — and eventually global — movement. Peachaus website: https://peachaus.com/ [https://peachaus.com/] Gillian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-ridley-whittle-89a62313/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-ridley-whittle-89a62313/] EXCLUSIVE PEACHAUS DISCOUNT CODE FOR 15% OFF: WILDPEACH15 Be a part of the show: * Don’t forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. * Connect with me on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackienaghten/] * Send me voice messages, questions, or story ideas for a future show: You'll find everything you need HERE [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] - https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/ [https://wildwiseandworking.transistor.fm/] * Quick voice message link: https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking [https://www.speakpipe.com/WildWiseAndWorking] Produced by The Good Studio [https://thegoodstudio.co.uk/] - thegoodstudio.co.uk