Episode 6: How rugby league’s unluckiest player created £6.5m turnover business

Episode 10: How a vicar's daughter Is rethinking mental health

Vicar's daughter. Accidental entrepreneur. Published author. Founder. Award winner. Disruptor. There are plenty of ways to describe myHappymind CEO Laura Earnshaw. Another would be: in demand. Last year, 16 investors wanted to back myHappymind before Earnshaw eventually chose LDC.  She has also spoken out about the lack of women in the investment world and her mission to equip every child with the mental health skills they need to thrive. In this episode of The Naked Founder podcast, Earnshaw also discusses: • Why she walked away from a successful corporate career to launch myHappymind • Why founders should ignore advice from people who haven't done what they're trying to do • How she secured investment in just four months • Going from a kitchen table startup to a multi-million-pound business • Why assumptions about female founders still persist This episode of  The Naked Founder is a product of BusinessCloud. It is sponsored by Financielle - The Home of Money for Women - and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned. To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction – Laura Earneshaw, founder of My Happy Mind (and Max, Head of Happiness) 0:30 What didn't they tell you about founding a business? 0:46 Working every weekend for 10 years and never switching off 1:12 The M25 moment: visiting a loved one in a mental health hospital and deciding to act 2:09 Career before My Happy Mind - Accenture, AstraZeneca, PwC, and meeting her husband in Swindon 3:53 Quitting a six-figure salary at 35 to fix a problem nobody was preventing 4:31 Prevention over cure: why all the money goes to fixing mental health, not stopping it 5:28 From kitchen table to Alderley Edge offices - the early days of winging it 6:16 Purpose before profit: led by passion, and the profit followed 7:36 'My Happy Mind' cards 8:33 The science behind the cards 9:38 From 2 pilot schools to over 2,000 10:05 Resilience and focus: never take advice from someone who hasn't done what you're trying to do 10:46 Was there ever a moment she wanted to quit? 11:05 Female founder, mother of two, no nanny - and bootstrapping by choice 12:22 How she'd describe herself 13:49 NHS endorsement  15:45 The My Happy Mind book published by Penguin - and why they came to her 17:00 Husband Tim joining as COO - rules, balance, and making it work 18:14 The King's Award - Windsor Castle, a scroll, and 100 schools celebrating together 19:52 Raising investment: 16 offers, exclusivity to LDC on 1st December, deal closed the 23rd 21:16 No one will ever drive her harder than she drives herself 21:21 How LDC have been as an investor - and why terms matter more than promises 22:45 Assumptions made about female founders - and how she squashed them quickly 24:21 The gender investment gap and the shortage of female investors in the room 25:51 Vision for My Happy Mind: every child, every school in the UK - and going global 26:50 Letter to a younger Laura 26:59 Wrap-up

Episode 9: Female founders need self-belief to scale their business

Jen Atkinson is a legend in the travel industry and has grown her business, Travel Seen, to nearly £60m turnover. She told The Naked Founder podcast that female founders need more self-belief if they want to scale their business. “One of the reasons that women particularly struggle in the world of scaling a business is investment and that self-belief that they can ask for £10m and get £15m, as opposed to asking for £5m and getting £1m,” she said. “Women tend to struggle with asking in a way that men don’t.” Atkinson made her name at ITC Travel Group, where she grew turnover from £40m to £90m. 2020 marked Atkinson’s professional and personal ‘annus horribilis’, which saw her split from her husband and take a huge financial hit from Covid. In this episode of The Naked Founder podcast, she also discusses: • Going from marketing manager to CEO at ITC Travel • Having to make 40 redundancies to turn around ITC’s fortunes • Why so many female founders get divorced • Becoming a first-time founder at 48 • Why founders should always ask for more investment than they need • Dealing with imposter syndrome, ADHD and the menopause This episode is a product of BusinessCloud. It was sponsored by ‘Financielle – The Home of Money for Women’ and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned. To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk [news@businesscloud.co.uk]     Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Jen Atkinson & Travel Scene 00:36 What They Don't Tell You About Founding a Business 01:03 Would You Do It All Over Again? 01:33 Founding a Business vs. Running Someone Else's 01:56 Having a Dog Is Like Starting a Business 03:40 Are You Impulsive? The Entrepreneurial Trait 04:15 A Million Reasons Not to Launch — Why She Did It Anyway 05:07 The Idea: A Social-Led Community in Travel 06:42 The USP: Building Travel Scene on Instagram 08:43 From Zero to £20M Turnover: The Buy & Build Model 09:11 Growing Up in Leeds: Mum, Dad & Where It All Came From 10:18 The Mentor Who Changed Everything: Drew Foster at ITC 11:30 Women, Self-Belief & Asking for More Money 12:02 Starting at ITC as Marketing Manager, Becoming CEO 12:24 Making 40 People Redundant as a First-Time CEO 12:42 Making Tough Decisions: It's in Her DNA 13:26 Always Choosing the Hard Option 14:08 Living Without Regrets: Lessons from Dad 15:44 Growing ITC from £40M to £90M — Then COVID Hit 16:24 Losing Millions in COVID & a Marriage Falling Apart 17:51 Why So Many Successful Female Entrepreneurs Are Divorced 19:02 Hiding Under a Stone or Launching a Business? 19:46 Why She Was Unemployable & Had to Go Again 21:16 ADHD as a Superpower 22:48 Imposter Syndrome, the Menopause & Being Open About It 23:35 Are Female Founders More Emotionally Open Than Men? 24:55 Being a Role Model to Her Son and Daughter 26:12 How Do You Deal With Failure? 27:20 Failure Is Just a Signpost on the Way to Success 28:41 Targeting £100M in Two Years: Weight or Ambition? 30:16 Key Lessons for Founders: Funding, Your Why & Your Team 32:09 Pick People You'd Go Over the Top With 33:06 Letter to a Founder: Back Yourself Above All Else

Episode 8: 'AI will wipe out hundred million pound companies'

Matthew Scullion is the founder of British unicorn Matillion and told The Naked Founder about the ‘crazy’ world of AI. His business joined an exclusive club of only 41 UK unicorns in 2021 when a $150m Series E funding round took its valuation beyond the magical $1bn mark. He estimates Matillion has invested ‘many, many tens of millions into Maia’, which is its AI data automation platform. Scullion predicted that AI could mean multi-million turnover companies could have only one or two members of staff, and that established hundred million pound companies could disappear because AI makes their business model irrelevant. In this episode of The Naked Founder podcast, he discusses: • Starting his first business aged 17 • Proving his GCSE French teacher wrong • Why AI will change businesses forever • Why achieving unicorn status was just ‘a moment in time’ • The relentless nature of being a founder • Why his wife is behind his success This episode is a product of BusinessCloud. It was sponsored by ‘Financielle – The Home of Money for Women’ and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned. To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk [news@businesscloud.co.uk]   Chapters: 0:00 Introduction – Matthew Scullion, co-founder of Matillion, Manchester's last unicorn 0:49 Opening question: what didn't they tell you about founding a business? 1:59 15 years of overnight success – and a career in software entrepreneurialism since age 17 2:41 What is Maia? The AI data automation platform that Matillion has reinvented itself around 6:14 Why AI agents need data and context – and how Maia provides it at machine scale 7:00 Will we say "Maia that" instead of "Google it"? 7:37 Mrs Scullion's physiotherapy website: built from scratch in two hours using AI tools 16:25 Multi-million pound companies with one staff member – and the macro impact of AI 21:24 Jack Dorsey halving Block's workforce and where AI disruption is really heading 22:25 The French GCSE story: E forecast, 24 hours of cramming, A grade 24:50 Founding his first software business at 17 – and how he thinks about risk 27:13 Pivoting vs staying relevant – and the corporate graveyard of companies that didn't 28:41 Inside the Matillion Manchester office: a 2026 Victorian factory for software 29:31 Giving up a six-figure salary in 2011 to launch Matillion with co-founder Ed Thompson 30:32 What you're really signing up for: all in, every ounce of energy, for as long as it takes 34:13 The real risk isn't failure – it's living to regret not doing it at all 35:29 What drives him: building something beautiful that makes a dent in the universe 37:09 Nine digits of recurring revenue and 400-500 staff – how Matillion got here 37:40 The three acts of Matillion: managed services, then ISV software, now Maia 40:42 Fewer unicorn CEOs than people who've been to space – and what the moment really felt like 44:36 Do UK founders sell too early? The cultural and structural reasons Britain doesn't build big 48:34 "There are two types of problems in business – people problems, and people problems you haven't spotted yet" 52:14 Letter to a founder: make sure you really want this, then start – and don't stop 55:19 Roger Federer only wins 54% of points – and what that means for building a business 56:22 Wrap-up

Episode 7: ‘Big thud in my chest turned out to be a panic attack’

Russell Teale was juggling the pressures of business and family life when he thought he was having a heart attack. Tests later revealed he was having a panic attack but the near-miss changed his life and his outlook. He’s the founder and CEO of Vivify, which today employs 500 people and is set to grow turnover from £8m to £12m this year. At the same time, the startup has given more than £10m back to schools and raised £2m in investment. In this episode of The Naked Founder podcast he discusses: • Living with panic attacks • Having former Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy as an investor • Coping with the death of his mum while building Vivify • Giving £10m back to schools • Why your network is your net worth   Chapters: 0:00 Introduction – Russell Teale, founder & CEO of Vivify 0:43 Opening question: what didn't they tell you about founding a business? 1:42 The highest of highs and lowest of lows – what founding really feels like 2:04 Fitter: the Uber-style fitness app, hockey stick projections, and the brutal reality of traction 3:54 Money running out, wife pregnant, and a terrifying thud in the chest 4:22 Panic attacks in his early thirties – and learning they never fully go away 5:33 How panic attacks manifest and how he manages them now 6:02 School Letting Solutions: landing on his feet, then made redundant when it went into liquidation 6:46 What he learned from failure and why there's no point looking backwards 7:39 Founding Vivify in 2020 – the problem: 27,000 schools full of empty facilities 9:48 Where the name Vivify came from – meaning "to breathe life into" 10:12 Mum Janice: single parent, two jobs, rehoming stray cats, and a lesson in resilience 11:58 Janice dies of blood cancer on New Year's Day 2022, aged just 56 12:25 How do you manage personal trauma, COVID, a startup, and a young family? You just get on with it 13:04 Co-founders leaving, bootstrapping, and raising £1m from Arete in 2022 13:44 Choosing the right investor and the full-circle moment of pitching to the former Tesco CEO 15:26 Founder vs CEO – two very different skill sets 16:47 Total Fitness, rising through the ranks, and how far Vivify has still to go 17:43 The global opportunity: 27,000 schools in the UK, and the same problem everywhere 18:30 Do's and don'ts for scaling: never lose sight of cash 19:16 The importance of a commercially-minded CFO 20:02 Hiring for passion and pride over skill set – and why attitude always wins 21:19 Building a network from scratch and the power of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme 22:53 Founders he admires and why ego-led founders put him off 24:21 Letter to a younger Russell: go easy on yourself 24:56 Wrap-up

Episode 6: How rugby league’s unluckiest player created £6.5m turnover business

James Laithwaite has been described as rugby league’s unluckiest player after fracturing his left leg four times and breaking his neck during a career that saw him play for Warrington Wolves, Toronto Wolfpack and Bradford Bulls. However, from the depth of despair, he launched premium meal prep delivery firm FuelHub in 2019 with his wife Michelle. Today the company is working with some of the UK’s most talented sports stars and clubs and now makes 20,000 meals a week. FuelHub has now grown turnover to £6.5m and forged a partnership with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom. In this episode of the Naked Founder podcast, James and Michelle Laithwaite discuss: · Fearing he was paralysed after breaking his neck · How his spells out injured inspired FuelHub · How love blossomed after an online date and turned into a business · Raising £1.2m from AJ Bell founder Andy Bell and former director Fergus Lyons · Partnering with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom · How their son was born on their launch day · The secret of working with your partner This episode is a product of BusinessCloud. It was sponsored by ‘Financielle – The Home of Money for Women’ and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned. To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk   Chapters: 0:00 Introduction – Michelle & James Laithwaite, founders of Fuel Hub 0:20 What didn't they tell you about founding a business? 0:51 From 10,000 meals to £5 million – how the weight of responsibility grows 1:50 The story: single mum meets rugby player, and an unlikely partnership begins 3:10 Watching James break his leg at the AJ Bell Stadium on their second date 4:22 Wanting to eat healthy but not being able to find the quality – the light-bulb moment 5:37 Launching Fuel Hub eight months pregnant – and Stanley arriving early 6:31 Brand story, green identity, and the three pillars: premium, trust, quality 8:49 Starting with £20k, a £20 eBay desk, and a red swivel chair 10:34 Selling the family home, moving into a two-bed flat, and taking no wage 11:11 The landlord connection: how Fergus Lyons led them to a £1.2m investment from Andy Bell 12:41 Warrington Wolves, Chelsea, England Rugby – leveraging James's sporting contacts 14:08 Eddie Hearn ordered off his own back: how the Matchroom partnership came about 17:19 Never racing to the bottom – why staying premium builds loyal subscribers 18:51 The subscription model and the power of authentic LinkedIn storytelling 20:08 Michelle reads their five-year anniversary LinkedIn post live 22:15 The reality of being a female CEO – school calls, tiredness, and raw honesty 24:04 Co-founder dynamics: CEO vs COO, and why being so different makes it work 25:50 Drawing the line between work and home life with kids and a clear 8pm rule 27:48 Date nights in the Lake District and trusting the team enough to switch off 28:59 Michelle on public speaking, BBC Radio 5 Live, and getting comfortable being visible 30:32 James's turn: Michelle doesn't like being told what to do (he nods vigorously) 31:38 Transitioning from professional rugby to business – resilience, injuries, and broken necks 34:53 Starting from scratch: learning emails, invoicing, and everything from the ground up 36:33 An insatiable appetite to learn – podcasts, people, and being a sponge 37:27 Advice for couples thinking about co-founding: sacrifice, hard work, and plan A only 37:54 Vision for Fuel Hub: 100,000 meals a week, a forever home, and B2B growth 41:24 Letter to a younger Michelle: always trust your gut and never deviate 41:59 Wrap-up