40 Minute Mentor

“Feedback is the only way you will develop as a Leader. It is the only way people develop, full stop.”  If you’ve been following JBM’s journey or been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while now, you will know that we’ve recently joined forces with Amplified People Group - the people services supergroup, supporting tech companies from inception to IPO.  That’s what makes today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode so special.  In this episode, we are joined by Andrew Richardson, Amplified People Group’s Co-Founder and Director.  Not only will you find out the ins and outs of JBM’s acquisition and what the future holds for the Group, but we also cover Andrew’s impressive career journey, why VC simply wasn’t for him and where his passion and love for Sales really comes from.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Upbringing in an entrepreneurial environment [04:00]  ➡️ Foundation in recruitment & joining La Fosse [10:30]  ➡️ The power of mentorship in Andrew’s early career [12:20]  ➡️ Growing a passion for Sales & why it’s such a good grounding for anyone’s career [15:20]  ➡️ More about today’s sponsor [20:00]  ➡️ Moving from Recruitment into VC [21:00]  ➡️ The challenges of building a new fund [23:15]  ➡️ The beginning of Foundation Partners & the evolution to Amplified Group[28:00]  ➡️ Fractional support for early-stage Founders [33:50]  ➡️ The hallmark of success [38:00]  ➡️ Building a high-performance business & attracting the right talent [40:50]  ➡️ Why feedback is so important [46:00]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Andrew: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-richardson-34404b33  ➡️ Find out more about Amplified People Group: https://www.amplifiedgroup.com/  🔔Find out more about today’s sponsors  Unleashed, an Amplified Group business, is the people and culture expert for leaders who do business differently.  Trusted by the most progressive businesses, the Leadership Institute-accredited Unleashed Development Programmes harness the power of community learning, helping leaders develop the skills, behaviours and relationships they need to cultivate high performance across organisations. Find out more about Unleashed here or get in touch at sayhello@unleashed.company.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“People think VC is about chasing the next big thing…but actually, it’s not about making quick money. It’s about the long game and deep relationships.”  We often talk to Investors on 40 Minute Mentor, but today we’re taking a deep dive into an increasingly important role within VC, the Platform role.  To help us explore what a Platform role can look like, why it’s so important and how you can get into the role, we’re joined by Leah Sutton, Chief Portfolio Talent Officer at Balderton and Charlotte Van Reyk, VP of Platform at Lightspeed.  On top of taking a deep dive into Platform, we also discuss Charlotte and Leah’s incredible careers before VC and their predictions for 2025.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ From Google to VC [08:30]  ➡️ Act like an owner and think like an entrepreneur [12:00]  ➡️ Building businesses through People roles [13:20]  ➡️ Lessons from scaling high-growth businesses & navigating Covid [18:40]  ➡️ More about today’s sponsors [21:45]  ➡️ Learning resilience from parenthood [23:30]  ➡️ Squiggly routes into VC [26:30]  ➡️ Biggest misconceptions about VC [31:30]   ➡️ Relationships vs Networks [34:30]  ➡️ Day-to-Day of a Platform Leader [36:40]  ➡️ Advice for moving into VC and Platform roles [41:20]  ➡️ Trends & predictions for 2025 [51:00]  ➡️ A podcast recommendation [56:30]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Charlotte: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-van-reyk-8a4481b5  ➡️ Connect with Leah: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/leahsutton  ➡️ Find out more about Lightspeed: https://lsvp.com/  ➡️ Find out more about Balderton Capital: https://www.balderton.com/  🔔Find out more about today’s sponsors  Today’s episode is sponsored by Foundation Partners, an Amplified People Group business.  Growing technology companies don’t have the financial resources, capacity or experience to tackle the challenges of scaling a business and driving performance.  A world-class People, Culture & HR operation is instrumental for this. Foundation Partners have built a blended service, so companies get the experience and support - both strategically and day-to-day - they need to build an exceptional business.  Find out more: https://www.foundationpartners.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I have more than 70% of equity in the business. Unfortunately, female Founders are actually encouraged to give up more equity in the early stages, which I would have never agreed with…”  The fashion industry is the third most polluting industry in the world.  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is on a mission to change that.  We are joined by Eshita Kabra, Forbes 30 Under 30 and Founder and CEO of By Rotation.  Often dubbed as the Instagram for fashion rental, By Rotation has achieved amazing milestones to date, including building a community of over half a million like-minded Rotators, saving over 100k meters of textile waste from going to landfill in 2023, and raising £2.55 million in seed funding.  We cover all the highs and lows along the way and Eshita’s exciting plans for the future.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Growing up as a third culture kid [03:40]  ➡️ Why the leap into entrepreneurship [09:00]  ➡️ Finding the right people & navigating Covid [12:45]  ➡️ More about how By Rotation works [18:00]  ➡️ Learn more about today’s sponsor [20:00]  ➡️ Purpose vs Profit & By Rotation’s environmental impact [21:30]  ➡️ Prioritising equity over huge fundraises [22:55]  ➡️ Fundraising advice [28:00]  ➡️ Landing big partnerships & famous ambassadors [33:00]  ➡️ Hiring traps to avoid [35:45]  ➡️ Expanding into the US market [38:20]  ➡️ A podcast recommendation [41:45]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Eshita: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eshitakabra  ➡️ Find out more about By Rotation: https://byrotation.com/  🔔Find out more about today’s sponsors  Today’s episode is sponsored by Foundation Partners, an Amplified People Group business.  Growing technology companies don’t have the financial resources, capacity or experience to tackle the challenges of scaling a business and driving performance.  A world-class People, Culture & HR operation is instrumental for this. Foundation Partners have built a blended service, so companies get the experience and support - both strategically and day-to-day - they need to build an exceptional business.  Find out more: https://www.foundationpartners.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Something that’s often quite misunderstood in mission-driven companies is that you don’t change the world between 9 and 5.”  Today’s 40-Minute Mentor is Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, a Sunday Times Best-Selling Author, the first Nordic woman named a Forbes 30 Under 30, and Co-Founder of Female Invest.  Female Invest is a global edTech platform on a mission to close the financial gender gap and smash glass ceilings.  To date, Female Invest has raised $23m in funding and is serving over 450,000 paying members in over 120 countries.  The Co-Founders also acquired Nordic FinTech company Gaia Investments and have written a global bestseller in ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Funds’.  We dive into all of these milestones in today’s episode, plus so much more…  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Failing to prioritise health [03:00]  ➡️ Growing up in Denmark and developing an interest in finance [04:20]  ➡️ From a social group at University to Female Invest [06:30]  ➡️ Scrappy beginnings & facing bankruptcy [11:15]  ➡️ Facing doubters and negative comments online [15:50]  ➡️ More about today’s sponsors, Unleashed [19:00]  ➡️ Anna’s hiring approach [20:15]  ➡️ Plans for the future [23:15]  ➡️ Fundraising experience & advice for Founders [24:45]  ➡️ VC vs crowdfunding [29:15]  ➡️ The financial gender gap & Anna’s Call To Action [31:30]  ➡️ Getting started with investing [35:45]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Anna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-sophie-hartvigsen-46352611a/  ➡️ Find out more about Female Invest: https://www.femaleinvest.com/  🔔Find out more about today’s sponsors  Unleashed, an Amplified Group business, is the people and culture expert for leaders who do business differently.  Trusted by the most progressive businesses, the Leadership Institute-accredited Unleashed Development Programmes harness the power of community learning, helping leaders develop the skills, behaviours and relationships they need to cultivate high performance across organisations. Find out more about Unleashed here or get in touch at sayhello@unleashed.company.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There are so many limitations put on women in this industry and you have to adopt a mindset where you’re going to challenge that as you move forward.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Mary Bekhait, Group CEO of YMU.  YMU is a global talent agency representing some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry and beyond, including Fearne Cotton, Clare Balding, Davina McCall, Graham Norton and Simon Cowell, to name a few.  Mary has had an amazing career and has risen through the ranks at YMU, since joining in 2012.  Since taking over as Group CEO in January 2021, Mary has overseen a radical rebrand of YMU, transforming the agency into a progressive business, spearheaded by women.  In this episode, we dig into Mary’s career to date, what it’s been like to rise through the ranks in a male-dominated industry and what it’s really like to work with some of the biggest names in entertainment.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Growing up in central London and nurturing a creative mind [06:00]  ➡️ Learnings from her first jobs [07:30]  ➡️ Why talent management & how to get into the industry [09:40]  ➡️ Being the only woman in the room & not becoming complacent [11:50]   ➡️ Leadership inspiration [16:40]  ➡️ More about today’s sponsor [20:50] ➡️ Rising through the ranks in talent management [22:00]  ➡️ Focusing on Diversity in Hiring [27:00]  ➡️ What it’s like to work with the most famous names in the industry [33:00]  ➡️ Mary’s vision of the future of the industry [38:30]  ➡️ A podcast recommendation from James [43:25]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Mary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-bekhait-35524512/  ➡️ Find out more about YMU: https://www.ymugroup.com/  🔔Find out more about today’s sponsors  Today’s episode is sponsored by Foundation Partners, an Amplified People Group business.  Growing technology companies don’t have the financial resources, capacity or experience to tackle the challenges of scaling a business and driving performance.  A world-class People, Culture & HR operation is instrumental for this. Foundation Partners have built a blended service, so companies get the experience and support - both strategically and day-to-day - they need to build an exceptional business.  Find out more: https://www.foundationpartners.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s easy to look from the outside in and think ‘wow, what an adventure’ and it is an adventure, but if you’re thinking about going on a startup joinery you need to ask yourself: am I okay if this fails?”  For episode 1 in our brand new 40 Minute Mentor season, we’re joined by Clare Jones, ex CCO of what3words and CEO of Polarsteps.  Clare has had an impressive career so far, including joining what3words in its very early days as a startup and helping them scale to post-Series C in 8 years.  Earlier in the summer, Clare joined Polarsteps, a rapidly growing team building the essential tool for modern day explorers - before, during and after their trips.  In today’s episode we discuss the leadership skills that helped her through her tenure as CCO and now CEO, what makes a successful CCO and what it’s been like to join as the first CEO hire, as a succession hire from the Founders.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Her upbringing in an activist household [04:30]  ➡️ Early NGO experiences & transferable skills [06:15]  ➡️ Joining what3words as a scrappy startup [09:50]  ➡️ Lessons from scaling the what3words team [13:45]  ➡️ More about today’s sponsors [20:55]  ➡️ Becoming comfortable with failure [22:00]  ➡️ Deep dive into the CCO role [26:15]  ➡️ Why the move to Polarsteps & the origin story [28:30]  ➡️ When it’s time for Founders to step back [31:55]  ➡️ Making Founder succession work [43:00]  ➡️ Learning to be patient [47:25]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Clare: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-jones-/  ➡️ Find out more about Polarsteps: https://www.polarsteps.com/  🔔 Find out more about today’s sponsors  Today’s episode was sponsored by Amplified Group - the People services group that supports technology companies from inception to IPO.  Together, the Group combines the leading brands in the People, Talent, Culture and HR space to provide the services Founders and Leadership teams need to build high-performing teams and businesses.  Find out more at www.amplifiedgroup.com or drop the team a note on people@amplifiedgroup.com  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re officially DAYS away from launching Season 12 of our 40 Minute Mentor podcast.  And this might be one of our best seasons yet.  We have an amazing line-up of 40 Minute Mentors sharing the highs and lows of their entrepreneurial journey - all the way from that initial idea to launching and breaking world records along the way.  For a preview of some of the amazing pocket-sized mentorship that will land in a set of headphones near you starting this Wednesday, check out our season trailer.  If you like what you’re hearing, make sure you hit subscribe or set a reminder to check back this Wednesday morning for a fresh dose of pocket-sized mentorship.  🤔 Know someone who will enjoy this? Share the trailer with them today!  💡Ideas on how we can make the trailer even better? Leave us a review or drop us a note on hannah@jbmc.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Everyone needs different things, but if we’re going to spend so much time going to work, at least do something where you feel that you matter and that you make a difference here.”  As we’re approaching this year’s Sifted Summit in London, we thought we’d use our final Replay episode as a throwback to our live podcast recording at the Summit two years ago.  In this episode, we’re joined by Nikki Wicks (The Body Coach), Emma Steele (Ascension) and Amali De Alwis (ex Subak), to discuss putting purpose over profit and accelerating impact.  Gone are the days in which top talent are looking to go into Banking, Consulting or Investing.  Now the best of the best are on a mission to find companies and Founders with a strong purpose, to really make a difference in the world…  Episode chapters: ➡️ What is purpose and why does it matter [03:00]  ➡️ Measuring impact [08:40]  ➡️ Accidentally building a purpose driven business [10:45]  ➡️ When you should and shouldn’t raise from VCs [16:50]  ➡️ Profit vs Purpose - defining what matters [22:00]  ➡️ Turning down million pound partnerships [24:55]  ➡️ Purpose & Talent attraction [31:20]  ➡️ Sacrificing big salaries for purpose [33:20]  ➡️ Hiring challenges [37:30]  ➡️ Purpose driven investment thesis & fundraising advice [40:00]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Watch the full recording at Sifted Summit: https://jbmc.co.uk/podcasts/live-at-sifted-summit-purpose-v-profit-with-nikki-wicks-the-body-coach-emma-steele-ascension-amali-de-alwis-subak/  ➡️ Connect with Nikki Wicks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-wicks-15065661/  ➡️ Connect with Emma Steele: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-steele-b7a98832/  ➡️ Connect with Amali De Alwis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amali/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Being a mum is my superpower. If a company doesn’t want my superpower, then I don’t want to be in that company.”  Whether you’re an aspiring GM, leader in Tech or are navigating the workplace after becoming a parent - you won’t want to miss today’s 40 Minute Mentor.  In today’s Replay episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with the brilliant Claire Valoti, prolific angel investor and Founding Partner of Haylo Ventures.  When we had Claire on the podcast, she was VP at Snapchat, where she grew Snap’s EMEA region to over 1 billion in revenue with 20x headcount growth and a 5x productivity boost.  In today’s episode, you’ll hear more about…  Episode chapters: ➡️ Claire’s brilliant career from media and advertising into Tech [01:25]  ➡️ The lessons she learned from her parents owning a Hotel [03:50]  ➡️ The importance of public speaking in any career [08:55]  ➡️ What an early career in agency land taught her [11:00]  ➡️ Progression does not mean leaving the company you’re with [15:40]  ➡️ Highlights from working at Facebook [18:00]  ➡️ Moving to Snapchat & being hired while pregnant [19:50]  ➡️ Advice for aspiring GM’s [22:00]  ➡️ A typical day at Snapchat [25:50]  ➡️ Challenges of scaling a team [28:15]  ➡️ Collaborating across different countries and timezones [31:25]  ➡️ Driving DE&I from the top down [35:15]  ➡️ What Claire looks for when assessing talent [39:30]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Claire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevaloti/?originalSubdomain=uk  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Ability is equally distributed but opportunity isn’t. It’s about giving people the freedom to fail and the right and opportunity to fully participate in all levels of the society we live in today.”  Social Mobility has always been an important topic for us on 40 Minute Mentor.  Not just as a topic to openly discuss on the podcast, but as a production team to continue to find underrepresented stories to share with you every week.  Although a lot of progress has been made across industries in the last 4 years since we initially recorded this roundtable episode, a lot of what our guests have shared is (sadly) still relevant.  In this Roundtable episode, you’ll hear from:  ✨ Mandy Nyarko MBE, Co-Founder of Startup Discovery School ✨ Lucy McCarthy-Christofides, Fractional Commercial Product Marketing, ex Tails.com ✨ Ezechi Britton MBE, Co-Founder & CEO of Code Untapped, Founding Member of Impact X and CEO of Centre of Finance, Innovation and Technology ✨ Euan Blair, Co-Founder and CEO of Multiverse ✨ Ruth Penfold, Founder & Creator of Bloom, ex Launchpad and Onfido  Together, they discuss….  Episode chapters: ➡️ Why social mobility is important [02:15]  ➡️ The role of education [09:50]  ➡️ Continuous learning and reskilling [15:10]  ➡️ Improving social mobility as an employer  [25:20]  ➡️ Social Mobility in hiring [30:00]  ➡️ Building a truly diverse and inclusive team [42:20]  ➡️ Social Mobility in VC [52:50]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Mandy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-nyarko  ➡️ Follow Ezechi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezechi-britton-452a893/  ➡️ Follow Lucy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarthytails  ➡️ Follow Ruth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthpenfold/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The great differentiator of that England team was our ability to never allow ourselves to be consigned to fate. We always believed it was in our hands.”  Over the years, we’ve had some absolute legends of the sporting world on 40 Minute Mentor.  One of them is England Rugby legend, Broadcaster and Journalist, Will Greenwood MBE.  Will is one of the greatest English Rugby players of all time, playing 55 times for his country, representing the British and Irish Lions on multiple tours and including playing a fundamental role in England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning team.  Not only do we unpack Will’s impressive Rugby career in this episode, but you’ll also hear about…  Episode chapters: ➡️ Will’s upbringing and his parents influence [02:00]  ➡️ The route to professional Rugby [04:30]  ➡️ Making big sacrifices [13:40]  ➡️ Winning the World Cup [16:30]  ➡️ Removing luck to succeed [18:50]  ➡️ What made this team so special [19:55]  ➡️ From Rugby to Broadcasting [26:50]  ➡️ Facing failure and taking risks [32:00]  ➡️ Why we should all be paying it forward [35:30]  ➡️ Making Rugby more diverse and inclusive [37:50]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Will on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willgreenwood/?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Check out Will’s book ‘World Class’: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/443223/world-class-by-greenwood-ben-fennell-and-will/9780753558782  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We are not expected to all develop in the same direction. Success isn’t the same for all of us and we can’t plan our way to some kind of predictable future.”  40 Minute Mentor is fast approaching its 12th season.  With over 250 episodes published, we know that not every single one of our listeners will have been around from the beginning.  To share some of our earlier mentorship with you, we’re running another one of our Replay feature seasons.  In today’s Replay episode, we’re revisiting our 40 minutes of pocket-sized mentorship with the brilliant Helen Tupper.  Helen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Amazing If, a bestselling Author and Co-Host of the popular Squiggly Careers podcast.  In these 40 minutes, you’ll find out…  Episode chapters: ➡️ Joining for the company, not the job [03:25]   ➡️ Working for big brands [04:30]  ➡️ Defining your career values [08:30]  ➡️ Taking the plunge into entrepreneurship [10:20]  ➡️ Building a business with your friend [15:15]  ➡️ Defining a Squiggly Career [20:45]  ➡️ Building your confidence [26:45]  ➡️ Starting the Squiggly Careers podcast [30:35]  ➡️ The secret to community building [35:20]  ➡️ Advice on career pivots [35:45]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Helen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helentupper?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Find out more about Amazing If: https://www.amazingif.com/  ➡️ Listen to the Squiggly Careers podcast: https://www.amazingif.com/listen/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There’s a competitive drive and edge that you see in sport that is really important in business. And Teamwork. Dealing with individuals, knowing what helps make an individual tick is really important.”  For the final episode in this season of our VC feature, we’re joined by Ruari Bell, Founding Partner at The Players Fund, the UK’s first athlete-led firm, founded to empower the athlete community as investors.  The Players Fund brings together a collective of renowned athlete investors, including Ben Stokes, former 40 Minute Mentor guest Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jos Butler, Allyson Felix, Serge Gnabry and many more top athletes.  Ruari has had a fantastic career in entrepreneurship and investing and we’ll dig into every part of it and his journey with The Players Fund in detail, in today’s episode.  In these 40 minutes, you’ll hear about... Episode chapters:  ➡️ Increasing diversity and inclusion in VC [03:00]  ➡️ Growing up in the Northeast of England [03:50]  ➡️ A love for sport [05:45]  ➡️ Transitioning out of professional sport [07:55]  ➡️ An entrepreneurial journey [10:50]  ➡️ Transferable skills from sport to business [17:40]  ➡️ The origin story of The Players Fund [20:15]  ➡️ What makes Founders stand out to him [28:00]  ➡️ Openness to feedback [29:30]  ➡️ Vision for the future [35:15]  ➡️ Building a business with family [38:00]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Ruari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruaribell/  ➡️ Find out more about The Players fund: https://www.playersfund.vc/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When a VC gives you a low valuation, it isn’t the fact that your company is worth that much, it might just be because you didn’t pitch it in the right way.”  Fundraising can be a lonely process at times. And an endless emotional rollercoaster throughout.  In today’s episode, we collated some of the best fundraising advice from Founders who have been in your position and raised some impressive rounds over the years.  You’ll hear from:  🌟 Avion Gray, Co-Founder & CEO of Belong 🌟 Alice Pelton, Co-Founder & CEO of The Lowdown 🌟 Christian Facey, Founder & CEO of Audiomob 🌟 Ham Serunjogi, Co-Founder & CEO of Chipper Cash 🌟 Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Olympian & Co-Founder of FemTech, Jennis 🌟 Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder & CEO of Flexa 🌟 Exited Founder Nicolas D’Audiffret of Ankorstore 🌟 Simone Maini, CEO at Elliptic 🌟 Tim Chong, Co-Founder & CEO of Yonder ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Find all of the full episodes used in today’s roundup in the 40 Minute Mentor archives, or by searching ‘Name + 40 Minute Mentor’ on Google: https://jbmc.co.uk/40-minute-mentor/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“This is a long partnership. We’re here to return money to our investors, but we are also here to experience a very unique journey together. So, trust is very important, on both sides.”  We’ve been so lucky to have some of the best VCs in the industry, come on 40 Minute Mentor over the years.  For today’s episode, we thought we’d collate some of the best VC advice we received on the podcast to date.  You’ll hear from:  🌟 Leila Rastegar-Zegna, Founding General Partner of Kindred Capital  🌟 Hannah Seal, Partner at Index Ventures 🌟 Pippa Lamb, Partner at Sweet Capital  🌟 Ian Hogarth, Partner at Plural  🌟 Antoine Nussenbaum, Co-Founder of Felix Capital  🌟 Cleo Sham, ex-Partner at Stride.VC  🌟 Check Warner, Co-Founder of Ada Ventures  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Hardest part of being a VC [01:30]  ➡️ Investing at Seed stage [04:09]  ➡️ Mission first VCs [04:40]  ➡️ Backing exceptional Founders [08:30]  ➡️ Being strategic in choosing your fund [16:20]  ➡️ DE&I in VC [22:45]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Find all of the full episodes used in today’s roundup in the 40 Minute Mentor archives, or by searching ‘Name + 40 Minute Mentor’ on Google: https://jbmc.co.uk/40-minute-mentor/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Founders deserve Investors that have relevant operating experience, time to help them and can be impartial and objective in the advice they give.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gideon Valkin, former Monzo and ClearScore Commercial Leader, Investor and Entrepreneur.  Following 15 years as a Founder, Operator and Investor, Gideon is now combining being a Founder and Investor in the launch of Andrena Ventures - a $12m solo GP fund.  Andrena is investing $100k-$400k tickets at pre-seed and seed into teams coming from the UK and European ecosystem, focusing on backing the most talented FinTech alumni. In these 40 minutes, you’ll find out…  Episode chapters:  ➡️ The Investors Founders deserve [03:00]  ➡️ Upbringing & values that shape Gideon today [04:00]  ➡️ Learning fundamental lessons from Tennis [10:30]   ➡️ From Founder to Operator [14:15]  ➡️ Overcoming the most challenging times [17:45]   ➡️ Working alongside Tom Blomfield and Justin Basini [20:50]  ➡️ Raising a solo GP fund [27:30]   ➡️ A solo GP approach to working with Founders [29:00]  ➡️ Important qualities in a Founder [32:15]  ➡️ A look into the future [39:30]        ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Gideon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gideon-valkin-05a44823?originalSubdomain=uk  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you eventually want to do investing, become an Operator or Founder, don’t go into banking.”  We are back with another season of our popular VC Feature series, where we hear from some of the best Investors in the space.  Today, we’re joined by Ash Arora, the youngest Partner at LocalGlobe.  Before joining LocalGlobe in 2022, Ash was the Investment Lead for Crypto Unicorn, Polygon’s venture arm, with LPs such as Sequoia, Lightspeed, Softbank, Tiger, etc.  In this episode, we discuss Ash’s career journey, her transition from banking to VC and her focus on Blockchain and AI investments.   Episode Chapters:  ➡️ Upbringing & early career aspirations [03:10]  ➡️ Career foundations in banking [05:00]  ➡️ Reflections on her time at Polygon [07:30]  ➡️ The value of an Ops background as a VC [10:30]  ➡️ Joining LocalGlobe [13:20]  ➡️ Why Blockchain & Web3 [16:00]  ➡️ What makes Founders stand out to Ash [18:15]  ➡️ What to avoid when pitching to VCs [22:25]  ➡️ Raising in a challenging climate [26:50]  ➡️ Embracing Failure [29:00]  ➡️ The importance of mentorship & becoming a mentor [32:20]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Ash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aashima-arora?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Find out more about LocalGlobe: https://localglobe.vc/  ➡️ Read about Ash’s parameters for finding your next role: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aashima-arora_how-do-you-find-your-next-job-half-the-activity-7136378080742318081-E6PV?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Dyslexia is a learning difference. There’s nothing difficult about it. You have challenges, but you’re not a difficult individual.”  In our final episode in this specialist advice series, we’re joined by Onyinye Udokporo, one of the UK’s youngest education experts, entrepreneur, dyslexic author, neurodiversity consultant and content creator.  Onyinye’s entrepreneurial journey started when she was only 12 years old, when she began tutoring children and young people from her local community in her parent’s living room.  Following her own diagnosis with Dyslexia, she became an author of ‘Dyslexia and Me: How to survive and thrive if you’re neurodivergent’ and started her own Neurodiversity Consulting firm in 2022, where she delivers training and workshops as well as consulting services to businesses including Google and the BBC.  Today we’ll dive into her entrepreneurial journey, from day one in her parent’s living room to using AI for good, and everything in between.  Episode Chapters:  ➡️ Learning from setbacks [02:15]  ➡️ Upbringing & starting a business at the age of 12 [04:10]  ➡️ Quitting big 4 consulting on Day 1 [09:10]  ➡️ Early entrepreneurial inspirations [18:30]  ➡️ Being diagnosed with dyslexia [21:15]  ➡️ Making businesses more neuro inclusive [27:50]  ➡️ Advice for neurodivergent Founders [30:40]  ➡️ Hiring & retaining neurodiverse talent [36:30]  ➡️ Education & AI [41:30]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Onyinye on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onyinyeudokporo?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Find out more about her work: https://www.onyinyeudokporo.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It very often feels uncomfortable for Founders to put themselves out there in that way. But the more you do it, the easier it will get.”  In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re covering a topic critical for every early-stage Founder - the power of Public Relations.  To help us discover the do’s and don’ts and share some of the biggest advice for Founders and Communication teams, we’re joined by Rhiannon Evans-Young, Founder & Director of Crest, Isabella Cookson, Director at Milltown Partners and Hannah Urbanek, Fractional Head of Marketing and 40 Minute Mentor Producer.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ The Do’s & Dont’s of PR [01:10]  ➡️ Building your Founder brand [05:00]  ➡️ Common PR mistakes [10:30]  ➡️ Navigating a communications crisis [15:00]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Rhiannon on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rhiannon-evans-young-0179885b  ➡️ Follow Isabella on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/isabella-cookson-03218280  ➡️ Follow Hannah on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/hannahurbanek  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Make networking a daily occurrence. It’s everyday interactions. It’s making a good impression early doors and really taking the time to build meaningful relationships and connections.”  In today’s episode, we’ve put our host, James Mitra, into the interviewee seat.  James was recently invited on Alembic Strategy’s Strategy Café, hosted by Founder and MD, Nick Mayhew.  If you haven’t heard of Alembic before, they’re a team of facilitators and coaches working at board level with family businesses, founder-led businesses, private equity and with developing leaders, in the UK and internationally.  Nick and James discuss the unique journey JBM has been on and the key lessons James has learned over the last 11 years of leading JBM.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Introductions [01:08]  ➡️ The power of networking [04:45]  ➡️ Bringing networking into your day to day [08:20]  ➡️ Starting JBM at age 25 [14:20]  ➡️ Disrupting traditional recruitment [17:40]  ➡️ Dealing with competition [20:15]  ➡️ Changing lives through recruitment [24:50]  ➡️ The mistakes along the way [28:30]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayhewnick/  ➡️ Follow James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmitra-jbm/?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Find out more about Alembic Strategy: https://www.alembicstrategy.com/  ➡️ Find out more about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“[Debating] teaches you to listen, to challenge well, and it teaches you all the skills that you need to be able to be in any room at any time, with anyone.”  The world seems more divided than ever before.  But is it actually or are we simply shying away from debating and leaning into disagreeing with each other?  This is exactly what we’ll explore in today’s episode - the power of debating and the benefits of disagreeing, in business and beyond.  To help us unpack this important topic, we’re joined by Scarlett McCabe, Co-Founder and CEO of Debate Mate and Lewis Iwu, debate champion, author of ‘Words that Win’ and Co-Founder and CEO of Purpose Union.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ 60 second CVs [04:55]  ➡️ Finding the right people [13:05]  ➡️ Writing your own playbook [16:50]  ➡️ Introduction to debating [18:30]  ➡️ What debating teaches you [22:25]  ➡️ Skills needed to be good at debating [27:50]  ➡️ Benefits of debating in business [30:30]  ➡️ Getting into debating now [35:00]  ➡️ Communicating better [37:50]  ➡️ The power of disagreeing [41:30]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Scarlett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scarlettmccabe/  ➡️ Follow Lewis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-iwu-b3125024/  ➡️ Find out more about Debate Mate: https://debatemate.com/  ➡️ Find out more about Purpose Union: https://www.purposeunion.com/    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The most difficult part [of going fractional] is starting a business. It’s having to wear every hat yourself, from selling, marketing, relationship building, finances, ops and admin. You are everything.”  Fractional careers have been on the rise over the last few years. Both, for experienced Operators making the move into fractional work and for Founders who are looking to hire highly experienced Operators, at the fraction of the cost of full-time hires.  To discuss how you make the move into fractional work and why you might want to work with fractional leaders, we’re joined by Neda Sahebelm, fractional COO and Carla Hoppe, Founder and CEO of Wealthbrite, the startup educating non-finance people in finance.  Neda and Carla are working together on a fractional basis and open up about how they make fractional work in today’s episode.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ 60 second CVs [06:15]  ➡️ Transitioning into fractional work [14:00]  ➡️ The most difficult part of being fractional [16:35]  ➡️ Hiring fractional talent [22:15]  ➡️ Fractional vs Full-time hiring [27:15]  ➡️ Defining your fractional scope [29:35]  ➡️ The day to day as a fractional COO [34:30]  ➡️ Making your fractional talent part of the team [38:30]  ➡️ The experience you need to go fractional [41:40]  ➡️ Making the switch from permanent COO to fractional COO [43:45]  ➡️ What to consider when hiring fractionally [46:20]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Neda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nedasahebelm/?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Follow Carla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlahoppe/  ➡️ Check out Wealthbrite: https://www.wealthbrite.co.uk/  🤝 In partnership with Operations Nation 🤝 This episode was produced in partnership with Operations Nation, the community-powered knowledge hub for Operations leaders. You can find out more about Operations Nation and join their community here: https://operationsnation.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you’re in a situation where you’re dealing with [a difficult boss], I think the question is - am I actually getting something from this? And if the answer is ‘no, I’m getting nothing’, then it’s time to really think about what could be your next step.”  To kick off our brand new ‘Specialist Advice’ series, we’re joined by workplace expert and long-time contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, Amy Gallo.  You may have come across Amy on her own co-hosted podcast ‘Women at Work’ or have read one of Amy’s best-selling books, including her latest work ‘Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People)’.  In today’s episode, we dig into Amy’s advice on effective communication, conflict management and how we can get along, even with the most difficult colleagues and bosses.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Failing every day [02:40]  ➡️ Leading by example [06:40]  ➡️ An early career in consulting [09:50]  ➡️ Getting into Harvard Business Review [17:10]  ➡️ Why relationships get difficult [19:55]  ➡️ Dealing with difficult bosses [25:00]  ➡️ The eight archetypes of difficult people [30:00]  ➡️ Embracing conflict in your team [35:10]  ➡️ Building resilience to bounce back from conflict [41:10]  ➡️ Relationships in hybrid & remote first environments [43:55]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyegallo/   ➡️ Grab a copy of Amy’s latest book: https://www.amyegallo.com/books  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That’s a wrap on Season 11 of 40 Minute Mentor and 12 weeks of non-stop pocket-sized mentorship.  Our guests over the last 12 weeks have candidly shared the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and shared the advice they wish they would have received when they started out.  We also celebrated some 40 Minute Mentor firsts this season, including hitting 1 million+ downloads and welcoming our very first Hollywood actor to the podcast.  Although we had such a diverse spread of 40 Minute Mentors joining us this season, there were 4 consistent themes we explored with all of them: Resilience, Fundraising, Hiring and Pivoting.  No matter whether you’ve religiously tuned in every Wednesday for the last 12 weeks or you have dipped in and out, we’ve selected the best advice from this season to solidify the mentorship from our guests.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Pivoting sectors and careers - the transferable skills for entrepreneurs [01:56]  ➡️ Building resilience & navigating failure [08:58]  ➡️ Hiring & building the best teams [16:03]  ➡️ Bootstrapping & fundraising advice [25:32]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Catch up on all episodes from Season 11: https://jbmc.co.uk/40-minute-mentor/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“80% of your work, no matter what it is, is confidence. It’s the confidence to know that when you go to a door handle, when you turn it, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know whether you pull or push. You just have to see which way it goes and then go with that.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is a podcast first. We’re joined by Hollywood actor and producer Jason Flemyng, known for ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and ‘Deep Rising’.  In this episode, we don’t just get an inside scoop into Jason’s career and experience working alongside Hollywood greats, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, we also discuss Jason’s work with The Samaritans and in prisons. Plus, he shares lots of mentorship, including…  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Acting in a film nominated for 13 Oscars [02:02]  ➡️ Upbringing & route into acting [03:27]  ➡️ The importance of luck [05:45]  ➡️ Building your confidence [08:00]  ➡️ Acting alongside Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Sean Connery [09:55]  ➡️ The lasting success of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ [12:22]  ➡️ Battles with Imposter Syndrome & paying it forward [16:34]  ➡️ Speaking up about mental health [21:18]  ➡️ Ageing in Hollywood [22:51]  ➡️ Audience Question: Common misconceptions of Hollywood [25:30]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Jason’s work: https://www.themoviedb.org/person/973-jason-flemyng  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Had I continued along my path, I could have a very successful private and NHS GP practice. I could be earning multiples of what I’m allowing myself to earn right now. The stability that I can provide for my family is, quite frankly, limited.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Dr Rupy Aujla, Founder of The Doctor’s Kitchen and best selling cookbook author.  Rupy is a trained medical doctor turned startup Founder - a path that was never really part of his plan.  If you haven’t come across The Doctor’s Kitchen yet, you might recognise Rupy from his cookbooks, his popular podcast, or seen him featured on TV shows across the BBC, ITV or Channel 4.  It was a huge honour to have him join us on 40 Minute Mentor and candidly talk to us about his experience as a doctor, what led to The Doctor’s Kitchen, the startup lessons he had to learn quickly and lots of easy to follow advice for all of us to eat healthier and better.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Rupy’s upbringing and his parents wanting him to go into business [04:05]    ➡️ Finding his love for medicine [07:25]  ➡️ The accidental business that became The Doctor’s Kitchen [10:10]  ➡️ Dealing with imposter syndrome [12:43]  ➡️ Transferable skills from medicine to business [15:10]  ➡️ The Doctor’s Kitchen App [17:55]  ➡️ Podcast recommendation: Strategy & Tragedy [20:13]  ➡️ The Doctor’s Kitchen impact to date [21:50]  ➡️ Pivots & bootstrapping everything [25:20]  ➡️ Why entrepreneurship should be simple [29:00]  ➡️ What a truly well-balanced diet looks like [34:35]  ➡️ Audience question: Learning about food in schools [41:50]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Rupy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupy-aujla?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Check out The Doctor’s Kitchen: https://thedoctorskitchen.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Fundraising can be exhausting, so it’s really important to spend time with the right people who just won’t waste your time [...], pay attention and ask the right questions.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Avion Gray, Co-Founder and CEO of Belong, a new wealth-building platform.  Avion started her career in investment banking, before working as Head of Product & Commercialisation at industry-leading POS systems and merchant service provider Clover, where she oversaw the launch and expansion of the business in the US and across Europe.  Following her deep drive to do something that she could bring every aspect of her being to, Avion is now building Belong, together with Co-Founder and behavioural economist, Samantha Rosenberg.  Having only recently come out of stealth, Avion and Samantha have already built incredible traction in the market, including having raised the largest pre-seed round ever raised by female Founders in Europe.  We unpack all that and much more in today’s episode.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Avion’s upbringing & education being the biggest equaliser [03:57]  ➡️ Finding her entrepreneurial spirit [07:00]  ➡️ Career foundations [09:00]  ➡️ Clover’s expansion to the US and Europe [11:30]  ➡️ Taking the leap into entrepreneurship [14:20]  ➡️ The paradox of wealth [16:40]  ➡️ More about Belong [18:32]  ➡️ Nick Hungerford’s mentorship [24:18]  ➡️ The sacrifice for entrepreneurship [29:07]  ➡️ Raising the biggest pre-seed round in Europe [32:23]  ➡️ Practical advice for wealth building [37:40]  ➡️ Audience Question: How would you describe Belong’s culture? [41:42]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Avion: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aviongray/?originalSubdomain=uk  ➡️ Find our more about Belong: https://www.be-long.co/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“[Having bootstrapped] we get to control our destiny, we can move as quickly as we want and we can go where we want and don’t have to be accountable.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gurinder Dhillon, Founder of Otto Car, London’s largest community of PCO drivers and Europe’s largest provider of electric vehicles to private-hire drivers.   Having recently partnered with Gurinder and Otto Car to deliver a very exciting search for them, it was extra special to sit down with Gurinder and find out more about his incredible journey with Otto Car - from one Toyota Prius in a West London garage to one of the fastest growing startups in Europe…all completely bootstrapped.  In amongst the shared ups and downs of scaling a bootstrapped business, Gurinder shares invaluable advice for anyone thinking of starting their own entrepreneurial journey.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ The cost of entrepreneurship [04:18]  ➡️ Gurinder’s upbringing and route into entrepreneurship [07:16]  ➡️ Early startup experience [09:40]  ➡️ Eternal optimism & navigating failure [13:06]  ➡️ Otto Car’s origin story [14:32]  ➡️ Losing 75% of revenue in one day - Otto Car’s pivot [17:44]  ➡️ Advice on pivoting [19:14]  ➡️ Building a business around love [23:22]  ➡️ Gurinder’s vision for the future [26:00]  ➡️ The benefits & reality behind bootstrapping [28:12]  ➡️ Hiring advice [30:30]  ➡️ Audience question: What would you do if you wouldn’t have followed the entrepreneurial route? [37:00]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Gurinder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gurinder-dhillon/  ➡️ Find our more about Otto Car: https://ottocar.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There are days when you wake up and think ‘this is it - we’re going to be the next Google’ and then you wake up the next morning and feel like it’s all over and you’re going to fail.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is former VC investor turned serial entrepreneur, Greg Marsh.  Following his time as an investor with Index Ventures, Greg went to build pioneering luxury accommodation marketplace, onefinestay, which became a global success with over 700 people and an exit via acquisition by Accor Hotel in 2016 - a deal worth more than $200m.  But it didn’t take long for Greg to throw himself back in the Founder seat.  In today’s episode, we discuss his career to date in detail, plus find out more about his latest venture, Nous - the smarter way to save on household bills.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Growing up in west London and finding his call as an entrepreneur [03:08]  ➡️ Becoming an Investor [04:37]  ➡️ The origins of onefinestay [10:11]  ➡️ Underestimating the difficulty of scaling a business [11:26]  ➡️ The collaborative nature of entrepreneurship [13:43]  ➡️ Building a support network around you [16:33]  ➡️ The emotional rollercoaster of being a Founder [18:46]  ➡️ Taking hiring seriously [21:12]  ➡️ Why Greg jumped back into the Founder seat [24:59]  ➡️ More about Nous [29:26]  ➡️ Building traction in a difficult market [34:56]  ➡️ Advantages of being a second time Founder [37:23]  ➡️ Audience Question: What practical advice do you have for making your money work harder in difficult times? [42:34]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Greg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gmarsh/  ➡️ Check out Nous: https://www.nous.co/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Entrepreneurship feels like a process of torture sometimes because no matter how hard you try and how much you work and how many evenings or weekends that you sacrifice, you’re still only at the very bottom of the hill.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Deirdre O’Neill, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial & Legal Officer at women’s health startup, Hertility.  With a background in corporate law and VC law, Deirdre took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2019, alongside twin sister Dr Helen O’Neill and Dr Natalie Getreu.  Since then, the three Co-Founders and their team have been revolutionising the future of reproductive healthcare, by pioneering unique diagnostic testing.  In this episode, we get a full behind-the-scenes look into their build so far and where the future might take them…  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Growing up in Cork [07:30]  ➡️ Why she feels more like a lawyer now than ever before [10:33]  ➡️ Hertility’s origin story [13:14]  ➡️ Breaking into a heavily regulated space [18:30]  ➡️ Normalising talking about fertility & women’s health [20:27]  ➡️ Fundraising & why crowdfunding is a great option [23:11]  ➡️ Leaning into pregnancy as a Founder [29:05]  ➡️ Why the best talent is focusing on purpose [31:52]  ➡️ Are you choosing a steamboat or a speedboat? [33:15]  ➡️ Hertility’s team culture [35:23]  ➡️ Audience Question: How do you navigate conflict with your Co-Founder and twin sister [40:13]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Deirdre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdre-o-neill-a8bb6a14/  ➡️ Check out Hertility: https://hertilityhealth.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If we’re not seeing outcomes, we need more visibility. Does visibility mean someone being physically in front of you? Probably not.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Natasha Ratanshi-Stein, the Founder of Surfboard - the next generation planning tools for customer service teams.  Before building Surfboard, Natasha spent several years as an Operator and Investor, including her roles as Principal at Piton Capital and Chief of Staff at Bulb.  We had a fascinating chat with Natasha, exploring her unique career journey and her mission to make work more human with Surfboard.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Her upbringing in Canada [03:56]  ➡️ Moving into VC [05:34]  ➡️ Why she wishes she had Operator experience before moving into VC [11:02]  ➡️ Becoming Chief of Staff at Bulb [12:45]  ➡️ Advice for aspiring Chiefs of Staff [16:33]  ➡️ When to hire a Chief of Staff [20:02]  ➡️ More about Surfboard [22:15]  ➡️ Getting customer traction early [30:00]  ➡️ Flexible working [34:16]  ➡️ Audience question: What are your future aspirations with Surfboard? [39:50]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Natasha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-ratanshi-stein-%F0%9F%8F%84%F0%9F%8F%BC%E2%80%8D%E2%99%80%EF%B8%8F-69333723/  ➡️ Check out Surfboard: https://teamsurfboard.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I think we over index on the significance of education at the cost of other important parts of the social mobility conversation.”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gary Izunwa, Co-Founder and CEO of Tangent.  Tangent is an employee referral platform that makes referrals accessible to everyone and NOT just the privileged few with the best networks.  Prior to Tangent, Gary worked at LinkedIn and the British Council leading programmes for ‘Generation UK’, a multimillion pound campaign, committed to social mobility.  Most recently, Gary has also been named in the 2024 class of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Social Impact.  In today’s episode, we’ll explore his career to date, the journey of building Tangent and the power of mentorship and social mobility…  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Reframing mistakes & failure [02:39]  ➡️ Growing up with an entrepreneurial mind [05:24]  ➡️ A successful early career at LinkedIn [07:49]  ➡️ Taking a 80% salary cut to drive social mobility [13:36]  ➡️ Starting Tangent - the origin [16:44]  ➡️ Harsh learnings from building without your customer [23:29]  ➡️ The power & gaps of recruitment referrals [29:26]  ➡️ Closing social mobility gaps [32:40]  ➡️ Gratitude complex of socially mobile people [37:32]  ➡️ Audience question: Building your personal brand on LinkedIn [44:40]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Gary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyizunwa/  ➡️ Check out Tangent: https://www.jointangent.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You work so hard for something you’ve dreamt of for so long and then you achieve it and it’s nothing like you imagined it would be…”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Lottie Whyte, Co-Founder and CEO of MyoMaster, the home of sports recovery and a brand on a mission to unlock every athlete’s greatest performance.  If you’re an avid BBC Dragons Den watcher, then you’ll have seen Lottie and her Co-Founder and husband, Joe, on the most recent series, where they won an incredible £100,000 investment from Gary Neville and Sara Davies.  In today’s episode we not only discuss this latest impressive milestone in Lottie’s journey, but also look back on humble beginnings at their kitchen table and Lottie’s successful career in PR and advertising.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Lottie’s upbringing and early influences [02:24]  ➡️ Becoming the youngest board member at M&C Saatchi [04:22]  ➡️ MyoMaster’s origin story [09:01]  ➡️ The power of resilience & fundraising advice [13:20]  ➡️ Why VC investment isn’t for everyone [14:48]  ➡️ Why Dragons Den & the behind the scenes scoop [16:39]  ➡️ Winning over Gary Neville and Sara Davies [21:04]  ➡️ Building on the Dragons Den momentum [22:12]  ➡️ Advice for applying to Dragons Den [24:51]  ➡️ Balancing wellbeing and entrepreneurship [26:13]  ➡️ Audience question: How do you navigate being business partners, a married couple and parents with Joe? [31:10]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Lottie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lottie-whyte-07205918/  ➡️ Check out MyoMaster: https://myomaster.com/  ➡️ Watch MyoMaster on Dragons Den: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZsJjuo-QnU   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s never felt easy. There’s never been a single day where it’s felt easy. The winds are always hardwired for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a lot of fun.”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Morgan Fowles, CEO of popular sustainable activewear and athleisure brand, TALA.  If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you would have already come across TALA, when we caught up with Founder, Grace Beverley in Season 5.  In this episode, we find out more about Morgan’s career in fashion, including her exec role at Thomas Pink Shirtmaker, COO at SPOKE and how she became CEO of TALA in 2023.  Episode chapters:  ➡️ Growing up across the pond & Morgan’s love for fashion [04:47]  ➡️ A career in fashion [06:37]  ➡️ Advice for any successful COO [11:13]  ➡️ Breaking into the fashion industry [16:54]  ➡️ Joining TALA and progressing to CEO [19:47]  ➡️ More about TALA [21:40]  ➡️ Founder and CEO relationship [28:00]  ➡️ Making £1m in revenue in an hour [31:00]  ➡️ Hiring for TALA [37:35]  ➡️ The future of sustainability in fashion [40:32]  ➡️ Audience question: What would you change about the fashion industry? [43:25]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Morgan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganfowles/  ➡️ Listen to Grace Beverley’s 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/podcasts/scaling-a-purpose-driven-business-whilst-creating-balance-with-grace-beverley/  ➡️ Check out TALA: https://www.wearetala.com/    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“They say all the best businesses in the world have nearly died three times. It’s an inevitable journey you go on when you're creating a high growth business.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Radha Vyas, Co-Founder and CEO of adventure travel startup, Flash Pack.  Flash Pack is on a mission to create 1 million friendships through connecting solo travellers in their 30s and 40s to go on adventure trips they'll never forget.  Since inception, Flash Pack has been on an incredible journey - reaching £20m turnover with a team of 60. However, with Covid hitting the travel industry the hardest, and with countless refunds from their customers, Flash Pack’s revenue quickly dropped down to zero.  Fast forward to today, Radha and the Flash Pack team are quickly exceeding pre-Covid goals, have raised £5m for their expansion in the US and now have a team of 70, spread across the globe.  In today’s episode, we’ll dive into every part of Radha’s journey to date and the crucial lessons she’s learned from rebuilding Flash Pack.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Radha’s entrepreneurial aspirations from an early age [4:45] ➡️ Starting Flash Pack off the back of a first date [10:08] ➡️ From idea to early-stage startup - the lessons learned [16:15] ➡️ How a selfie in Brazil became an accelerator for Flash Pack [20:43] ➡️ From flying high to an abrupt stop with Covid [27:07] ➡️ Navigating Founder life & being married to your Co-Founder [34:04] ➡️ Rebuilding after Covid - Flash Pack 2.0 [37:21] ➡️ An honest reflection on building a diverse team [39:20] ➡️ Hiring for values fit vs culture fit [42:14] ➡️ Audience question: Where is next on your travel list? [45:33] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Radha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radha-vyas-flashpack/  ➡️ Book your next trip with Flash Pack: https://www.flashpack.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success and being willing to take on the risk even though it doesn’t make much sense. It’s about going ahead anyway and changing the odds yourself.”  In our first episode of Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor, we’re joined by Richard Robinson, Founder and CEO of Robin AI.  Robin AI is a leader in legal AI and empowers legal teams and lawyers all over the world to make contract processes effortless.  In today’s episode you’ll find out how Richard has built Robin AI from ideation to 100+ employees, 72+ global customers and $32 million raised to date.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ From growing up in Birmingham to starting Robin AI [4:51] ➡️ Becoming a debate champion [6:51] ➡️ From lawyer to Founder [9:06] ➡️ Building an AI legal assistant: Robin AI’s origin story [14:20] ➡️ Building one of the most diverse companies in Europe [17:58] ➡️ The changes in the legal sector [21:40]  ➡️ The future of AI in 2024 and beyond [25:14] ➡️ Securing $32 million in fundraising [27:40] ➡️ Why you shouldn’t have to convince investors [29:29] ➡️ The impact of picking the right investors [30:52] ➡️ Hiring advice: Why you shouldn’t add that additional interview round [35:06]  ➡️ Audience Question: What do you want the law industry to look like in ten years from now? [39:57]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Richard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardgrobinson/  ➡️ Find out more about RobinAI: https://www.robinai.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success, and just being willing to take on the risks…” Welcome back to Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor - your pocket-sized career mentor.  We’ve got 13 weeks of non-stop mentorship from some of the best in the industry, coming up for you.  Before we kick off the series with our first 40 Minute Mentor next week, we thought we’d share a few soundbites with you of what’s to come…  In this series trailer, you’ll hear from:  ⭐ Gary Izunwa, Co-Founder & CEO of Tangent  ⭐ Morgan Fowles, CEO at TALA ⭐ Natasha Ratanshi-Stein, Founder of Surfboard  ⭐ Radha Vyas, Co-Founder of Flash Pack ⭐ Richard Robinson, Founder &CEO of Robin AI  And this is only the start of it.  For even more pocket-sized mentorship, make sure you 🔔 subscribe and tune in every Wednesday morning for the latest episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We scaled way too fast…and the result was that we mis-hired quite a lot. It was not a sustainable way to scale.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Peter Specht, General Partner at Creandum, one of the leading early stage VCs that have invested in over 120 companies, of which 20 are unicorns today.  Following career chapters at Rocket Internet Group, Google and Bain, Peter joined the firm as Investment Manager in 2017, as one of the firm’s first hires in the DACH region, building out its Berlin hub.  Now based in London, Peter primarily focuses on investing into SaaS and B2B marketplaces, with notable investments led for Factorial, CarOnSale, cargo.one, Timberhub, to name a few.   With such a wealth of experience across markets, there’s lots for us to discuss in this final VC feature episode…  Episode Chapters: ➡️ The deal he is most proud of: A Unicorn story [2:03] ➡️ Explore in the early days, specialise later on [6:06] ➡️ Scaling lessons from Lazada [9:01] ➡️ Moving into VC [10:40] ➡️ Creandum’s origin story [12:17] ➡️ Multi-local presence and adapting to global markets [15:52] ➡️ The growing Tech scene in Spain [18:35] ➡️ A Deep dive into the London ecosystem [21:34] ➡️ Rising through the ranks & becoming General Partner [25:18] ➡️ Advice for Founders perfecting their pitch [30:04] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pspecht/  ➡️ Find out more about Creandum: https://creandum.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Team sports are a great proxy for working in companies, where often the power of the collective is way stronger than any individual.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Davor Hebel, Managing Partner at Eight Roads Ventures, the global VC firm backed by Fidelity.     Eight Roads backs and partners with game-changing tech and healthcare companies across Europe, Asia, Israel and the US. The platform has 50+ years of venture investing experience, $11bn in AUM, over 300 portfolio companies and they’ve had 60+ IPOs. Reflecting on 18+ years in venture capital, Davor shares tonnes of insights in today’s episode, including…  Episode Chapters: ➡️ His proudest deal to date [1:51] ➡️ A realistic view on how many companies raise VC funding [3:25] ➡️ Growing up in Croatia with athletes turned educators [6:02] ➡️ Making the move from consulting to VC [10:37] ➡️ The challenges of a multi-faceted role [12:27] ➡️ Expecting things to go wrong in the Startup world [14:13] ➡️ Characteristics of a great Investor [16:19] ➡️ The history of Eight Roads Ventures [21:58] ➡️ Successful portfolio companies & exits [24:06] ➡️ How to really impress a VC [26:10] ➡️ Entrepreneurs at the heart of company culture [29:27] ➡️ Evolution as a leader and investor [31:22] ➡️ Predictions for the Tech ecosystem in 2024 [32:49]  ➡️ Young Generation in Tech survey findings [34:34] ➡️ The impact & future of AI [37:24] ➡️ Opportunities in VC [38:40] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Davor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davorhebel/  ➡️ Find out more about Eight Roads Ventures: https://eightroads.com/en/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you’re not ready to commit to VC for at least 10 years, it’s just not worth trying…”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Masha Bucher, Founder & General Partner at Day One Ventures.  The firm backs Founders from AI and Climate, to future of work and Deeptech, helping customer obsessed and mission-driven Founders win, by harnessing the power of storytelling.  With a background in communications and PR, Masha is pioneering a new model in VC by spearheading public relations in Day One Ventures portfolio, which is one of the many topics we dive into in today’s episode…  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Busting a big VC myth [2:52] ➡️ Growing up with a winning mentality [5:24] ➡️ The outcome of going viral on Twitter, now X [7:37] ➡️ Life as Head of Comms in VC [9:22] ➡️ Scaling her PR Consultancy [11:19] ➡️ Finding and owning her niche [13:13] ➡️ The investment thesis of Day One Ventures [14:29] ➡️ The power of patience and listening to yourself [16:51] ➡️ A deep dive into assessing culture [19:47] ➡️ Tips for early stage Founders [21:11] ➡️ What turns a good pitch into a great one [24:15] ➡️ A culture built on love, freedom and truth [27:35] ➡️ The value of working with Day One Ventures [31:49] ➡️ Making a habit of building your personal brand [38:03] ➡️ Trusting your intuition [41:37] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Masha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mashadrokova/  ➡️ Find out more about Day One Ventures: https://dayoneventures.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You need to figure out what you really need. Not just the role now, but looking at the future and at the competencies you need in your organisation. Figure out how you build a very complementary team, rather than having people who are all the same.”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Sandra Schwarzer, VP C-Suite/Board & EU Talent/Community & Insights Team leader at Index Ventures.  Sandra works with Founders and executive teams on people related issues, including talent strategy, culture and DE&I, and advises Index’ portfolio on their most senior hires.  Before joining Index, Sandra has had a really varied career, including being a headhunter, leading the Global HR, Security & Facilities functions at Open Society Foundations, George Soros’s $23bn private philanthropy, and led INSEAD’s Career Services.  In today’s episode, we unpack the realities of transitioning careers, the complex relationship between recruitment, culture and organisational strategy, and we bust some VC myths along the way. Episode Chapters: ➡️ Why VC is far from transactional [2:01] ➡️ Growing up in East Berlin [3:20] ➡️ Stand out moments from her earlier career [10:56] ➡️ A passion for people [14:25] ➡️ Lessons from being a headhunter [16:19] ➡️ Her perception of VC & why she joined Index [18:54] ➡️ The power of relationship building in VC [20:13] ➡️ How to transition from headhunting to VC [22:54] ➡️ A deep dive into the Index structure [26:01] ➡️ Working with Founders who own their story [29:36] ➡️ Hiring top talent: secrets to success [34:04] ➡️ Getting to know candidates outside of work [39:22] ➡️ Retaining talent in uncertain times [41:19] ➡️ Working with headhunters - the recipe for success [44:54] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sandra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwarzer/  ➡️ Find out more about Index Ventures: https://www.indexventures.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“This is not necessarily a one-way transaction. Look at fundraising like it’s dating. The VC you’re going to choose, you’ll be stuck with for quite some time, so don’t play games and be honest, the whole way through…”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Abhishek Lahoti, Head of Platform at Highland Europe, a growth stage Venture Capital firm based in Geneva and London.  Within his role at Highland Europe, Abhishek’s focus is to build a strong network of advisors and experts to help the portfolio scale at pace.  In today’s episode, we won’t just take a deep dive into the role of Head of Platform, but also discuss Abhishek’s earlier career at Dropbox, how and why he made the move into VC and his advice for Founders navigating this current market.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ The most challenging part of being a VC [1:56] ➡️ Reflections on his years at Dropbox [5:30] ➡️ Moving into VC [8:16] ➡️ Transitioning from Operator to VC [11:17] ➡️ Advice for breaking into the world of VC [12:50] ➡️ A deep dive into the role of Head of Platform [17:45] ➡️ Highland Europe’s investment thesis & portfolio [20:04] ➡️ Treating your investors like dating [21:03] ➡️ Team culture & hiring at Highland Europe [24:21] ➡️ The US vs UK Tech markets [27:07] ➡️ Founder advice for expanding into Europe [31:36] ➡️ The biggest mistakes in fundraising pitches [32:53] ➡️ Waterfall resolutions and the power of networking [34:12] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Abhishek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alahoti/  ➡️ Find out more about Highland Europe: https://www.highlandeurope.com/ ➡️ Read the European Expansion Playbook: https://sapphireventures.com/blog/a-startups-guide-for-opening-european-operations/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The whole industry is full of very successful people who have had this very standard path. It’s hard to look at your own [different] background and put yourself on an even level with them.”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Hannah Leach, Partner at Houghton Street Ventures and Co-Founder of VentureESG.  Hannah moved into the venture space after a squiggly career in and around the venture and entrepreneurship ecosystems, including building accelerator programs, teams within Scaleups and starting her own company or two…  In this episode we explore Hannah’s route into VC, the partnership between Houghton Street Ventures and the London School of Economics, why VC funding isn’t always the best route to scaling a business, and how VentureESG is supporting the ecosystem with meaningful ESG integration.  Episode Chapters: ➡️ Redefining the ‘traditional’ path into VC [04:47] ➡️ Her squiggly route into VC [06:52] ➡️ A love for building communities [09:34] ➡️ Biggest lessons from Founder life [12:19] ➡️ The power of vulnerability and authenticity [13:47] ➡️ The challenges of transitioning into VC [17:54] ➡️ Understanding where you are adding value [19:52] ➡️ Advice for pivoting into VC [21:00] ➡️ Life at Houghton Street Ventures [23:10] ➡️ The do’s and don’t of VC pitching [26:50] ➡️ The power of a unique thesis [29:43] ➡️ Raising a first-time fund [30:55]  ➡️ The drive behind building VentureESG [33:40] ➡️ Collaboration over competition [36:40] ➡️ The future of ESG [38:04] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Hannah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahleach/  ➡️ Find out more about Houghton Street Ventures: https://houghtonstreet.com/ ➡️ Discover VentureESG: https://www.ventureesg.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I think 2024 is a great opportunity to back fantastic people and get more attention on things that are undervalued or don’t get enough attention to invest in.”  Described as the ‘Queen of British VC’ by Fortune magazine, we are kicking off our new VC feature series with the brilliant Eileen Burbidge MBE. Eileen is a Founding Partner at Passion Capital, the pre-eminent early-stage technology venture fund based in London, where she backed some of the most successful Tech businesses, including Monzo Bank, Marshmallow, and many more. She is currently also Director at Fertifa, the UK and Europe’s leading reproductive benefits provider.  Outside of Passion and Fertifa, Eileen has also served as the UK Treasurer's Special Envoy for FinTech for 8 years, was Tech Ambassador for the Mayor of London’s office and served on the former UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s Business Advisory Group.  Eileen has extensive operational and investment experience, from roles at Tech giants including Yahoo!, Skype and Apple, so there is plenty to dive into in today’s episode. Episode Chapters: ➡️ Her proudest moment of backing Monzo Bank [2:11] ➡️ Busting the biggest myths in VC [4:33] ➡️ Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago & her perception of ‘diversity’ [7:59] ➡️ Falling in love with Tech and working at Apple [11:33] ➡️ Shazam V Skype: A Tech standoff [15:24] ➡️ Being one of the first employees at Skype & reflections on being fired [17:04] ➡️ Leadership lessons from Niklas Zennström [20:31] ➡️ Journey from Operator to VC [24:00] ➡️ Her early stage investment thesis & focusing on people [27:56] ➡️ Indexing on integrity & trust when assessing Founders [30:59] ➡️ Stepping into interim CEO roles [34:46] ➡️ Why she feels like the board let Tom Blomfield down & succession plans [38:04] ➡️ Stepping back into an executive role at Fertifa [42:26] ➡️ Hiring advice for Founders [47:15] ➡️ Taking a hard look at ourselves to improve DE&I [49:21] ➡️ What to look forward to in 2024 [51:59] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Eileen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenburbidge/  ➡️ Find out more about Passion Capital: https://www.linkedin.com/company/passion-capital/ ➡️ Explore the work of Fertifa: https://www.fertifa.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Founders often don’t have someone outside of the business that they can be really vulnerable with…that’s where an advisor can help.” For our final episode in our career spotlight feature series, we’re taking a deep dive into an increasingly popular, yet often unspoken about role - the advisory role.  To help us cover the ins and outs of the role, how you can land your first gig and the benefits to Founders, we’re joined by JBM Principal, Marina Maxwell and Chris Seigal, Advisor to D2C brands.  So, whether you’re already an advisor, you’re starting to think about making the move into advisory work or you’re a Founder thinking about making this hire - this episode will cover some of the most frequent questions we get asked.  Episode chapters: ➡️ What is a Startup advisor? [3:42] ➡️ The rise and power of advisory roles [6:02] ➡️ From side-hustle to full-time advisor [8:44] ➡️ The rewards and benefits [9:39] ➡️ What to expect from the day-to-day [11:57] ➡️ How Founders benefit [14:28] ➡️ Positioning yourself when starting out [17:26] ➡️ Being transparent and navigating pricing [18:43] ➡️ Working with headhunters [22:00] ➡️ The value of high-quality advisors [25:24] ➡️ Ready to hire? Advice for Founders [29:44] ➡️ Building a curious culture [31:18] ➡️ Hone the pitch, build momentum, gain confidence [33:28] ➡️ Navigating imposter syndrome [35:24] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ For more career mentorship, follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true ➡️ Find out more about our team and mission here: https://jbmc.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You need to be able to own what you do have, but even more so, what you don’t have.” Following last week’s episode on building a stand-out CV and personal brand on LinkedIn, we’re now focusing on the next crucial stage in the recruitment process - the interview. Very often, the interview stage can feel quite daunting, but a lot of it comes down to preparation and doing the work upfront.  In today’s episode, we’ll hear from our wonderful JBM team who lift the curtain on the secret to nailing the interview stage and share some of the most common mistakes they see people make, when it comes to interviews.  So, whether you’re job hunting right now or starting to think about the next step in your career, this episode will help set you on the right path…  Episode chapters: ➡️ Different methods to prepare for an interview [1:05] ➡️ Communicating your strengths [2:21] ➡️ Getting your questions answered [4:19] ➡️ Bringing relevant experience to the table [5:48] ➡️ Getting the basics right [06:55] ➡️ A reminder on working with your headhunter [07:25] ➡️ Focusing on the human side in interviews [08:17] ➡️ Key skills for Startups [08:48] ➡️ The power of curiosity: a non-negotiable [10:54] ➡️ How to let the conversation flow [13:21] ➡️ Do you feel drained or energised? [13:59] ➡️ Every failure is a redirection [16:58] ➡️ Common interview mistakes [18:45] ➡️ The biggest faux pas: Yes it happens! [20:23] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ For more career mentorship, follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true ➡️ Find out more about our team and mission here: https://jbmc.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The CV is not the one thing that will or will not get you hired, there is a whole interview process…” New year, new job? January is a month of reset, refresh and for many, the time to scope out a new opportunity…  No matter whether you’re in the middle of hunting for a new role, are just starting to think about it or are looking to hire into your team in 2024, our ‘Career Spotlight’ feature series has something for everyone.  For our first episode, we sat down with JBM's team to share their top tips when it comes to building a CV that will help you secure an interview.  Plus, we also discuss the importance of building and optimising your personal brand on LinkedIn, featuring a contribution from former 40 Minute Mentor and Founder of personal branding agency, Klowt, Amelia Sordell.  Episode chapters: ➡️ Rethinking the purpose of your CV [1:12] ➡️ Communicating your achievements [2:41] ➡️ The winning structure [5:29] ➡️ First impressions and the importance of layout [7:51] ➡️ To tailor or not to tailor your CV [9:16] ➡️ Say goodbye to paragraphs [10:14] ➡️ Numbers, metrics and demonstrating data [10:45] ➡️ Addressing career gaps [11:29] ➡️ Owning the impact you’ve made [12:37] ➡️ How long should your CV be? [15:37] ➡️ Bringing your personality to paper [17:33] ➡️ Harnessing the power of your LinkedIn profile [18:07] ➡️ Getting the most out of LinkedIn [21:29] ➡️ Passion, authenticity and being realistic [23:25] ➡️ Striking the balance between personal & professional [26:40] ➡️ What do you want to be known for? [27:07]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ For more career mentorship, follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true ➡️ The full episode with Amelia Sordell: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/the-power-of-personal-branding-with-amelia-sordell-founder-of-klowt/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just like that we’re closing another year of 40 Minute Mentor.  This year, we surpassed our 200 published episodes mark and are fast approaching 1 million downloads.  Before we kick off a brand new feature series in the new year, we asked some of our biggest 40 Minute Mentor fans for their nominations for the best episode of 2023. From scaling teams to Founder mistakes and investment advice, our guests may range across industries but they all align on one thing - sharing pocket-sized career mentorship with you all.  So, for one final time this year, join us to discover the best episodes of the past 12 months.  We’d also love to know YOUR favourite episode, so feel free to drop our producer Hannah a note on hannah@jbmc.co.uk  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow JBM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true ➡️ Find out more about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we’re nearing the end of the year, your 40 Minute Mentor Host, James Mitra, takes a moment to reflect on the last 12 months of podcasting and what the year ahead may have in store.  A huge thank you for all your support over the last 12 months - we wouldn’t be where we are without you!  If you have any feedback, topic or guest ideas for 2024, please get in touch on hannah@jbmc.co.uk - we always love hearing from you!  For now, all that’s left to say is - Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas (if you’re celebrating!) and see you next Wednesday for more pocket-sized mentorship!  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Follow JBM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true ➡️ Find out more about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The thing I love a lot about startups, it’s like a personal self-development course at a rapid rate.” For our final episode in our Replay series, we’re joined by Sharmadean Reid MBE, Founder of The Stack World, a platform for the women’s creator economy to buy and sell from each other.  In this candid episode, we chat about Sharmadean’s Founder journey from a nail salon to a global mecca for aspiring entrepreneurs, and ultimately starting The Stack World.  We discuss the lessons she learned, the mistakes she’s made and her vision for the future, including:  ➡️ How her childhood and education influenced her career [03:52] ➡️ The start of her Founder journey, opening her first nail salon [06:27] ➡️ First time challenges of a startup Founder [10:14] ➡️ The problem with saying yes to everything [11:01] ➡️ Reflections on her time at WAH London [12:14] ➡️ The beauty of failing fast [14:26] ➡️ Business trauma: the realities of starting a second venture [15:48] ➡️ A closer look at VC backed startups [17:54] ➡️ Leadership evolution: being a magpie of information [19:20] ➡️ The core reason for friction in the workplace [20:20] ➡️ Navigating a new business amidst the COVID pandemic [22:42] ➡️ How the pandemic affected women in the workplace [26:36] ➡️ The Stack World: Creating a network of mission-driven women [28:18] ➡️ Gender equality and representation across industries [30:57] ➡️ Finding the balance in mentorship [32:59] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sharmadean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmadeanreid/ ➡️ Find out more about The Stack World: https://www.thestack.world/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The importance of the team around you, having focus and discipline and the awareness of facing setbacks… it’s been great to bring the things I’ve learned from sport into the business world.” From the 2012 Olympic poster girl to Founder of FemTech brand, Jennis… today’s 40 Minute Mentor Replay episode is with none other than Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. In this episode we talked about the ins and outs of Jess’s phenomenal sporting career and her pivot into the business world with Jennis - a women’s hormonal health platform, with the goal to help women understand what’s happening hormonally.  Tune in to the full episode to explore:  ➡️ The realistic road to success [04:32] ➡️ Jess’ introduction to sport and falling into athletics [05:52] ➡️ Dealing with pressure and making sacrifices [07:52] ➡️ How to support children without being a pushy parent [09:39] ➡️ Reliving the ups and downs of Super Saturday [13:03] ➡️ Focusing on one event at a time and taking home Gold [15:04] ➡️ Exploring the other side of success [16:40] ➡️ Motherhood and Jess’s motivation to get back out there [17:23] ➡️ Coping with retirement and starting again [23:05] ➡️ From athlete to FemTech Founder, how Jennis began [26:56] ➡️ The Jennis mission - putting women first [29:11] ➡️ Closing the gender data gap in women’s health [30:55] ➡️ Transitioning from sport to Startup life [32:18] ➡️ Aligning personal values with company culture [34:09] ➡️ The emotional rollercoaster of fundraising [36:37] ➡️ Providing mentorship for the England Rugby team [39:13] ➡️ The humble insights into being a role model [43:20] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Jess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dame-jessica-ennis-hill-a84b5420b/ ➡️ Find out more about Jennis: https://www.jennis.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I was most unhappy at work when I was making the most money and the biggest amount of success.”  From a successful career at Google, to the journey of making 1 billion people happy.That is the story of Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer of Google X, author of Solve for Happy and Founder of One Billion Happy.  It’s an episode full of wisdom, honesty and candid reflections.  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor Replay, Mo shares his incredible story, including spending 25 years in tech and the devastating experience of losing his son in 2014 which set him on a completely new path.  Today’s episode topics:  ➡️  Heartbreak and loss, finding a new purpose in pain [04:31] ➡️  The beginning of his happiness journey [06:34] ➡️  Going viral with 1 Billion Happy [07:44] ➡️  Committed acceptance in the face of grief [09:29] ➡️  Anger lessons from Gandhi’s grandson [13:26] ➡️  Mo’s work as a happiness engineer [15:27] ➡️  The three ingredients for success [20:14] ➡️  Finding your purpose by knowing what doesn’t resonate [23:12] ➡️  The infinite game called life [25:08] ➡️  Finding micro-purposes in the everyday [27:40] ➡️  The power of making happiness a choice [33:05] ➡️  Definition of happiness is and the golden age of compassion [34:32] ➡️  Allowing yourself to be a mentee, using your circle of support [37:31]  ➡️  The problem with being remembered… [39:34] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Mo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mogawdat/➡️ Find out more about One Billion Happy: http://onebillionhappy.org/➡️ Listen to Mo’s podcast, Slow Mo: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slo-mo-a-podcast-with-mo-gawdat/id1508914142   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Globally, a third of all the food we produce each year gets thrown away. Meanwhile, 800 million people go to bed hungry, who could be fed with a quarter of the food we waste in the Western world.”  Did you know that roughly one third of the world's food is wasted? Meanwhile, 1 in 9 people on our planet are either starving or malnourished... This is something today’s 40 Minute Mentor is on a mission to change.  In today’s replay episode, we’re joined by Tessa Clarke, the Co-Founder and CEO of the popular sharing app Olio. Tessa’s career has taken her down many paths, including consulting and publishing to MD of eCommerce at Dyson.  We first shared this episode three years ago, and the message is as important as ever, if not more so.  Tune in to explore: ➡️ Pivoting from consulting to Startup Founder [02:30] ➡️ Creating your path in consulting [05:06] ➡️ Transitioning from consulting to industry [06:40] ➡️ The excitement of feeling the fear in new roles [08:15] ➡️ Taking Dyson on a digital journey [09:14] ➡️ Leadership lessons from James Dyson [12:53] ➡️ The importance of surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you [14:06] ➡️ Building a mission-driven career plan, Tessa’s journey to entrepreneurship [15:20] ➡️ The lightbulb moment that started Olio’s journey [17:08] ➡️ Tackling the food waste pandemic [18:19] ➡️ Ambassadors helping you scale your mission-driven business [19:45] ➡️ We are ‘theoretically more connected’ but more lonely - a focus on community [23:21] ➡️ Championing diversity and prioritising at the board level [24:34] ➡️ Advice for diverse Founders tackling biassed questions in fundraising [27:28] ➡️ Recruiting from your community to tackle the hiring challenge [30:05] ➡️ Top tips: How we can all contribute to combat the global food waste problem [32:54] ➡️ Finding mentorship organically and learning from your peers [35:55]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Tessa Clarke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tecook/➡️ Find out more about Olio: https://olioapp.com/en/ ➡️ Check out Tessa’s ‘Where Are They Now’ episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/tessa-clarke-scaling-olio/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“People often say to me, sport is different from business, it's not. Business is about delivering results through people.”   In our first episode of our 40 Minute Mentor Replay series, we’re re-visiting our episode with the brilliant Sir Clive Woodward, World Cup winning England Rugby coach and former Director of Sport for the London 2012 Olympics.  After spending his childhood with big dreams of becoming a professional footballer, it was playing rugby at his local club as a kid that started Sir Clive down the path to becoming the first England Coach to lift the Rugby World Cup in 2003. In today’s episode, you’ll discover:  ➡️ Sir Clive’s first ever job at Xerox [02:20] ➡️ The power of failures and setbacks [04:13] ➡️ The realities of being the first full time professional Rugby coach [05:34] ➡️ Delivering results through people, in business and in sport [07:03] ➡️ The moment that trumped England's World Cup win, at a pub in New Zealand [11:23] ➡️ Great teams are made of great individuals - the magic formula [14:29] ➡️ Managing a range of personalities when building team culture [16:51] ➡️ Ensuring people in your team feel safe to speak their mind [20:23] ➡️ CTUP - the framework needed for winning and handling pressure [22:29] ➡️ How Clive uses 3D learning to build high performing teams [26:29] ➡️ The simple but powerful habits to build a healthy lifestyle [29:32] ➡️ Staying hungry for learning and following what you love [33:15] ➡️ A leadership lesson: The best ideas come from the team [36:34] ➡️ The importance of creative abrasion [38:13] ➡️ Bringing successful people into a team, shining a light on mentorship [40:03] ➡️ Sir Clive’s legacy: Making it to the top, and being inclusive [43:16] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sir Clive: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirclivewoodward/➡️ Find out more about his Apex2100 Ski Academy: https://www.apex2100.org/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That's a wrap on Series 10! And what a 12 weeks it has been.  We have been joined by some incredible Founders and leaders, who have been refreshingly vulnerable, sharing the highs and lows of their entrepreneurial journeys, with lots of wisdom and mentorship shared along the way.  From building the Uber of volunteering, to changing the world with ethical AI, we have covered SO much in our tenth series and hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have.  Thank you so much for all your support along the way - today your host, James Mitra, reflects on this latest series and what we have coming up next... ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Every business that I’ve founded has been on the brink of disaster, and one of the big lessons is that the business you started is never the business you end up with.”And just like that, we have made it to the final episode of Series 10 of 40 Minute Mentor.For our series finale, we’re joined by multi-exit Founder, Investor, board advisor and author - the brilliant Debbie Wosskow OBE. We cover a range of topics with Debbie, including her whirlwind journey as an entrepreneur - building and exiting incredible businesses, including PR and marketing consultancy Mantra (sold in 2007), Love Home Swap (sold in 2017) and AllBright (exit in 2022).  All the way to today and her latest ventures - WJV LLP, a boutique investment and strategic innovation firm, championing diversity, wellness and economic empowerment, and The Better Menopause, empowering women’s performance at midlife through science-backed products.  Debbie shares some truly candid insights from her journey as a Founder, including:  ➡️ Growing up in an entrepreneurial family [04:20] ➡️ Early beginnings selling scrunchies [06:30]  ➡️ The power of being a “simple” entrepreneur and controlling margins [07:07] ➡️ Bringing business & entrepreneurship into schools [08:33] ➡️ A brief stint in management consulting & building her first business at 25 [11:36] ➡️ How a Christmas film inspired the start of Love Home Swap [13:37] ➡️ Serendipity and combining purpose with profit [15:35] ➡️ Reflections on having fun, making money and not working with ar$eholes [17:17] ➡️ Finding the resilience to keep getting back into the Founder seat [19:55] ➡️ Making the shift from operational CEO to board advisor [21:34] ➡️ Self-doubt, exhaustion, relationship strains: Founder realities [22:55] ➡️ Finding comfort in a routine when things are falling apart [26:39] ➡️ Building a network for women, by women - the early days and growth of AllBright [29:00] ➡️ Building WJV LLP and going beyond angel investing [33:20] ➡️ Putting women’s health top of the agenda & building The Better Menopause [36:54] ➡️ Driving awareness at pace and supporting women through the menopause [40:22] ➡️ Realities of building a business to exit & the conflicting emotions you’re left with as a Founder  [41:45] ➡️ Audience question: Being remembered for the future of female entrepreneurs [46:45]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Debbie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiewosskowobe/➡️ Find out more about WJV LLP: https://www.wjv-llp.com/about-us➡️ Find out more about The Better Menopause: https://thebettermenopause.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Paying people well and giving them lunches when they come to the office can be really good… but the best people are motivated by their growth and development.” For the final Monday episode of Series 10, we're joined by Steve Coulson, Founder and CEO of Kitt - the business that creates and manages custom HQs for the world’s most vibrant brands. Before Kitt, Steve built B2B parking platform and B2C app, JustPark, to 50,000+ locations and 5m+ drivers.  Today, we discuss Steve’s entrepreneurial journey and the lessons learned along the way, including: ➡️  From investment banking to Startup life [1:12] ➡️  Entrepreneurial environment & his upside down career [04:35] ➡️  Leaving JustPark and Kitt’s origin story [07:50] ➡️  The deafening silence of entrepreneurship [11:12] ➡️  From serving startups to the biggest brands in the world [13:49]  ➡️  Building momentum & early lessons learned [14:55]  ➡️  Navigating the pandemic and finding silver linings [18:44] ➡️  The post-pandemic rush and revisiting fundraising [22:52] ➡️  Unpacking the future of the office [25:30] ➡️  Creating an amazing space for your team & culture [28:52]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-coulson-1521a743/ ➡️ Find out more about Kitt: https://www.kittoffices.com/en/ ➡️ Hear more from Kitt’s Co-Founder & COO, Lucy: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/coo-secrets/coo-secrets-with-lucy-minton-co-founder-coo-at-kitt/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We live on an ocean planet, and we have this strange relationship where we assume it’s all been discovered, but it actually hasn’t…”  For the penultimate week of this Series of 40 Minute Mentor, we’re joined by Steve Etherton, President EMEA of DEEP - an international research and development organisation who aim to become the NASA of the ocean.  Having placed Steve Etherton with DEEP, when they were still in stealth mode, we’re so excited to finally be able to welcome him to the podcast and find out about DEEP’s mission to radically advance how humankind access, explore and inhabit underwater environments. Before joining DEEP, Steve spent 12 years in the British Army and a decade growing one of Africa’s fastest growing FinTechs.  Tune in to discover: ➡️  Finding the balance between entrepreneurship and the rest of life [03:35]  ➡️  Starting his career in the Military & leadership lessons [06:51]  ➡️  Transitioning out of the Army [08:02]  ➡️  How Africa’s rocketship FinTech began and went on to raise $90 million [09:25]  ➡️  Figuring out what type of COO you want to be [10:59]  ➡️  DEEP’s mission to make humans aquatic [13:24]  ➡️  Coming out of stealth mode & learnings from early build [18:04]  ➡️  Tackling the climate crisis [21:10]  ➡️  Developing underwater habitats [24:46]  ➡️  Being driven, fearless and curious: an insight into DEEP’s culture & hiring practices [26:49]  ➡️  Evolution of leadership styles [30:24]  ➡️  Audience question: Understanding the oceans, a note for underwater living sceptics [32:48]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-etherton-91190a24/ ➡️ Find out more about DEEP: https://www.deep.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I want to create my own space. I don't want to have to fit into someone else's whitewashed marketing… I want to create fashion that shows people like me.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor takeover, Samuel Tholley. Founder of Hidden Pages, is joined by Rosette Ale, Founder of Revival - a sustainable fashion label redesigning discarded clothes into contemporary designs for a cleaner and cooler planet. Samuel and Rosette know each other from university and have a really insightful and refreshing conversation in today’s episode, covering the following topics:  ➡️ The start of Revival and the mind of a young entrepreneur  [01:31] ➡️ Challenges of entering the fashion world [04:49] ➡️ Mentorship, crowdfunding and being bold [07:34] ➡️ Fostering a good mentor mentee relationship [12:06] ➡️ The importance of representation and breaking down barriers [15:02] ➡️ Diversifying the fashion industry [17:59]➡️ Shifting diversity from a tick box exercise [19:52] ➡️ Accessibility to sustainability & mentality shifts [21:42] ➡️ Doing your part towards living more sustainably and saving the planet [25:46] ➡️ Where to follow Revival & Rosette’s journey [31:38]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-tholley-758135105/ ➡️ Connect with Rosette: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosette-ale/ ➡️ Find out more about Hidden Pages: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hidden-pages/ and  https://www.instagram.com/_hiddenpages/?hl=en ➡️ Find out more about Revival: https://www.revivalldn.com/   PLUS! If you want to hear more from Samuel and Hidden Pages, listen to his episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You’ll make mistakes but that doesn’t matter - it’s all about speed and growth, but at some point you’ll have to go and clean up the room.”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Nicolas Brusson, Co-Founder & CEO of BlaBlaCar - the world’s leading community-based travel app enabling 26 million active members a year to share a ride in 21 countries. BlaBlaCar’s environmentally and human-friendly mobility network saves 1.6M tons of CO2 and enables 120M human connections every year. On top of leading BlaBlaCar, Nicolas is also an investor in many mission-driven brands, such as Ankorstore, Home Exchange and Dust, to name a few, so there is plenty to unpack in today's episode, including:  ➡️ Becoming a father and closing a $10 million fundraising round [4:41] ➡️ Missed opportunities and keeping up with competition [06:42] ➡️ Bringing entrepreneurship into schools [09:55] ➡️ From Physics to VC and Entrepreneurship [12:32] ➡️ Rebuilding after mass layoffs [14:55] ➡️ The main lesson from the ups and downs of startup life [17:03]➡️ Advert: More about Kitt [25:29] ➡️ The origin and evolution of BlaBlaCar [26:39] ➡️ The shift in the sharing economy and building the ‘Airbnb for cars’ [29:00] ➡️ Recognising and surviving different phases of the business [32:35] ➡️ The danger in doing too many things, a turning point for BlaBlaCar [34:47] ➡️ Becoming a multi-model platform, expanding the carpool idea [36:46] ➡️ Navigating Covid without layoffs [37:39] ➡️ Reshaping and evolving your company culture [40:30] ➡️ ️Questioning company values and when they’re more than just a word on a wall [42:26] ➡️ Creating a culture of mentorship [43:50] ➡️ Audience question: The future of BlaBlaCar [46:54] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Nicolas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasbrusson/ ➡️ Find out more about BlaBlaCar: https://www.blablacar.co.uk/ ➡️ More about our sponsors, Kitt: https://www.kittoffices.com/en/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I'm not surrendering to the peaks and troughs of social ways, acceptance and rejection. I'm standing firm in my core principles.” Today's podcast episode is a special one - it's a Hidden Pages' takeover.  In this episode, Samuel Tholley, Founder of Hidden Pages is joined by Faith Locken, Founder and CEO of We Rise In - an award-winning business network with the mission to inspire, elevate and develop the careers of black professionals. Tune in to discover: ➡️  We Rise In: on a mission to improve diversity at senior levels [2:46] ➡️  How frustration led to Faith’s first startup [6:09] ➡️  George Floyd and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter  [From 7:35] ➡️  Finding mentorship in different forms [9:11] ➡️  Building resilience on the lonely Founder journey [12:39] ➡️  Mental barriers and supporting families in the black community [14:47] ➡️  Backing yourself to work on your side hustle [19:20] ➡️  Being passionate and discovering your why [26:19] ➡️  Accountability and shining a light on reverse mentorship [27:11] ➡️  Scaling We Rise In [29:44]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-tholley-758135105/➡️ Connect with Faith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faith-locken-710b2263/➡️ Find out more about We Rise In: https://www.werisein.co.uk/➡️ Find out more about Hidden Pages: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hidden-pages/ and https://www.instagram.com/_hiddenpages/?hl=en🎧PLUS! If you want to hear more from Samuel and Hidden Pages, listen to his episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I think we are scared of AI in the same way that we’ve been scared of many technological inventions when we’ve been on the forefront of something big.”  Today's 40 Minute Mentor is the incredibly inspiring Raj Kaur Khaira, Co-Founder and COO of AutogenAI, a business that is leveraging large language models and text generating AI to combat the expensive business problem of writing and answering bids, tenders and proposals. Raj is also an acclaimed author, lawyer and campaigner and Founder of the world’s first global directory of South Asian therapists. Over her career so far, she has worked for over 20 Startups, so there is loads to unpack in today’s very refreshing and candid conversation. Tune in to discover:  ➡️ Being an overachiever and reframing failure [05:12]  ➡️ Why fundraising is not a success signal [07:16]  ➡️ Dealing with rejections and building resilience [12:31]  ➡️ Leaving Accenture to pursue law and operations [20:27]  ➡️ The golden email template, getting CEO’s to notice you [21:54]  ➡️ The origin of AutogenAI [26:33]  ➡️ Why you shouldn’t be sceptical of the power of (ethical) AI [29:41]  ➡️ The importance of building a low ego environment in your team [33:51] ➡️ Advice for anyone wanting to join AutogenAI [37:06]  ➡️ Eradicating sexist tradition in South Asian cultures through the Pink Ladoo Project [40:21]  ➡️ Finding the balance between action and change, avoiding activist burnout [41:57] ➡️ Audience question: Ruthless prioritisation and juggling many roles [44:18] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Raj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raj-khaira/ ➡️ Find out more about Autogen AI: https://autogenai.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“What the murder of George Floyd taught me is that if you don't spend time changing how the people within the system think, you'll never fundamentally change the system.” To recognise and celebrate this year’s Black History Month, we are kicking off a special three-part series, where we once again partner up with Samuel Tholley, Founder of Hidden Pages.  If you're a loyal 40 Minute Mentor listener, you will have come across Samuel already and there will be plenty more from him over the next three weeks.  Before his podcast takeover next week, we wanted to revisit one of the most inspiring episodes we have recorded to date, with the brilliant Baroness Oona King.  Oona was the second black woman elected into British Parliament, and is currently the VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Snap Inc.Following some highlight snippets from her 40 Minute Mentor episode, you’ll also hear some reflections on what Black History Month means, facilitated by Samuel - special thanks to Karine, Michael, Gafar, Matthew and Prisca for their contributions.Tune in today to discover: ➡️  The reality of being a black woman in parliament [02:03]  ➡️  Taking action and changing the status quo [05:29]  ➡️  Losing her seat in parliament [07:49]  ➡️  Death threats and thank you notes - the scary reality of life as an MP [09:45]  ➡️  What the murder of George Floyd taught her about changing the system [12:50]  ➡️  What you can do internally to spot equity and inequity [13:16]  ➡️  Shifting the burden of DE&I from minority to majority groups [14:48]  ➡️  Understanding and celebrating Black History Month [15:45]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Oona: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oona-king-sheher-00ba8414/ ➡️ Snap Inc.’s Diversity Annual Report 2023: https://diversity.snap.com/ ➡️ Oona’s full 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/downing-street-death-threats-and-dei-with-baroness-oona-king/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Immigrants start businesses that add to the local economy and we are very excited to be a growth engine for that.” Today's 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Nina Mohanty, Co-Founder of Bloom Money, a FinTech bringing familiar financial services to migrant communities.  Nina created Bloom Money based on her own lived experiences, as a child of immigrants and having relocated to multiple countries herself.  Today, we’ll discover what led her to entrepreneurship, riding the ups and downs of an early-stage startup and her very candid insights into her own fundraising experience:  ➡️ Her struggle with hustle porn and hustle culture [06:04]  ➡️ Growing up in Silicon Valley and starting her career in FinTech [08:37]  ➡️ Bloom Money’s origin story [15:50]  ➡️ Fixating on the losses and under-celebrating the wins [20:02]  ➡️ The recipe for burnout, a lesson in Founder wellbeing [22:00]  ➡️ The future of Bloom Money & reaching more communities [24:46]  ➡️ Fundraising stories and advice for fellow Founders [29:06]  ➡️ Advice for getting into FinTech & making the industry more inclusive [36:11]  ➡️ Why she has a difficult time with referrals [37:34]  ➡️ Audience question: Making financial literacy a priority for all [42:41]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Nina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamohanty/ ➡️ Find out more about Bloom Money: https://bloommoney.co/⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It doesn't matter where you come from or what school you went to, or whether you went to university. There are  Founders out there, building incredible businesses, no matter what their backgrounds.” In celebration of International Podcast Day, (and our 200th podcast episode!) JBM Founder , James Mitra, and Head of Marketing and 40 Minute Mentor Producer, Hannah Urbanek, chat all things 40 Minute Mentor…  From the early days of building the podcast, to shining a light on the biggest lessons along the way and how podcasting has become a fundamental part of our business.  Tune in to unravel the ins and outs of business podcasting, including: ➡️ Breaking the traditional industry rules, why 40 Minute Mentor was born [00:52]  ➡️ Providing an ‘access all areas’ to mentorship from incredible Entrepreneurs [03:06] ➡️ Reflecting on our podcast growth [04:15] ➡️ From ad-hoc to a smooth running machine, BTS moments [06:07] ➡️ Shining a light on gender equality, diversity & underrepresented Founders [07:31] ➡️ Hannah’s biggest learnings from 200 episodes [10:28] ➡️ Podcasting as a fun, unique form of business development [13:10] ➡️ When James met his footballing hero and things didn’t go to plan… [16:51] ➡️ Milestone moments: Inspiring Founders and huge download growth [19:04] ➡️ Building the ultimate brand awareness tool, a marketing plan essential [21:53] ➡️ The challenge of capturing listeners in a saturated market & advice for aspiring podcasters [28:18] ➡️ Fancy being a podcast guest? Here’s how to stand out [31:42]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmitra-jbm/ ➡️ Connect with Hannah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahurbanek/ ➡️ Follow JBM: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/?viewAsMember=true   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Becoming financially free but not being a Unicorn, is still success.” Today's 40 Minute Mentor is Nick Telson, exited Founder of DesignMyNight, Co-Founder of Trumpet, Angel Investor and Podcast Host of the popular Pitch Deck show.  With so many hats to wear, we loved diving into Nick’s story and career from starting at L’Oreal to scratching that entrepreneurial itch by building DesignMyNight to 100+ employees with minimal angel funding and finally returning to the Founder seat to disrupt B2B sales.  There is SO much to unpack from Nick's impressive story, from his views on failures to what it really feels like to exit and start again, and so much more:  ➡️ Having ‘failure moments’ and the glorification of entrepreneurship [02:37]  ➡️ Growing up with a creative brain and unconventional paths [03:50]  ➡️ The idea of DesignMyNight from the streets of NYC [06:46]  ➡️ From side hustle to exit [10:55]  ➡️ More about JBM [18:13]  ➡️ Round 2 of Founder life: Trumpet’s origin story [19:21]  ➡️ Being VC backed and hiring principles [22:17]  ➡️ Building in public and fundraising journey [23:52]  ➡️ Fundraising advice [34:35]  ➡️ Hiring advice for securing your initial team [37:09]  ➡️ Applying to and joining Trumpet [39:50]  ➡️ Audience question: Making the startup world more inclusive [42:25]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicktelson/ ➡️ Find out more about Trumpet: https://www.sendtrumpet.com/?ref=linkedin ➡️ Listen to Pitch Deck: https://www.nicktelson.com/podcast ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Never underestimate the power of a rant, if you’re going to do something about it.” In today’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by fellow podcaster and good friend of JBM, Amardeep Parmar, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of BAE HQ.  Amardeep has been on an incredible journey - from being a Tech consultant in 2020, to setting a New Year’s resolution which made him the second fastest writer to gain 50,000 followers on Medium.com.  Now, he’s inspiring, connecting and guiding British Asian Entrepreneurs with BAE HQ.  Today, Amardeep shared more about his journey and the crucial lessons he has learned along the way, including: ➡️ His traditional journey and accidental entrepreneurship [00:55]  ➡️ Questioning your identity as a Founder [04:51]  ➡️ A New Year’s resolution turned career [06:26]  ➡️ Advice for aspiring writers [08:32]  ➡️ How a rant with a friend paved the foundations for BAE HQ [10:05]  ➡️ Scaling a not-for-profit and navigating the corporate landscape [12:34]  ➡️ Connecting people for mutual success [15:26]  ➡️ The secret sauce of community building [16:28]  ➡️ A selection of stand out stories from BAE HQ [22:51]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Amardeep: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amardeepsparmar/ ➡️ Find out more about BAE HQ: https://www.thebaehq.com/ ➡️ Listen to the BAE HQ podcast: https://www.thebaehq.com/podcasts ➡️ James Mitra on BAE HQ: https://www.thebaehq.com/podcasts/episode-51-james ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"You can have the best idea in the world with a bad team and you get nowhere, and you can have a really good team with a bad idea and you’ll probably make it into a good idea.”  Doctor to Startup Founder... That’s not something we get to say a lot, so buckle in for today's episode!  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Dr Sonia Szamocki, Founder and CEO of 32Co, the HealthTech revolutionising access to specialised healthcare services, by connecting general clinicians with a network of specialists.  Sonia's very impressive journey has taken her from Oxford to a career as a clinician to jumping into the Founder seat, building the future of collaborative healthcare.  She has grown 32Co 5x since April last year, and has recently secured £2.36 million in seed funding, led by Balderton Capital. Tune in to today's chat, to find out:  ➡️ Podcast recommendation: Black Women Working [00:13]  ➡️ Why being a Founder isn’t all that glamorous [05:02] ➡️ Growing up in the Netherlands and becoming a Doctor [06:02] ➡️ 32Co’s origin story [13:10] ➡️ From an idea during Covid to growing a marketplace [22:50] ➡️ Navigating false starts & the importance of a great team [26:18] ➡️ Hiring advice & recruiting your first exec [29:00] ➡️ The importance of getting Co-Founder matching right [36:45] ➡️ Bootstrapping vs VC funding [38:05] ➡️ Healthcare & AI [41:00] ➡️ Audience Question: Why there shouldn’t be more Doctors moving into Founder seats [44:32]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sonia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sonia-szamocki-a01790a9/ ➡️ Find out more about 32Co: https://www.32co.com   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"When you’re aligned on vision, values and strategic direction, you can achieve anything…” In this week’s bite-sized startup mentorship episode, we’re joined by Charlene Chen, JBM Board Advisor, COO of AZA Finance and Co-Founder of Operations Nation.  Charlene is not only a brilliant COO, but also happens to be our very first 40 Minute Mentor guest, back when we started the podcast in 2019.  In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about:  ➡️ Charlene’s squiggly career to COO [01:06]  ➡️ A full overview of the COO role [03:27]  ➡️ The evolution and expansion of the COO role [07:05]  ➡️ The essential skills any COO needs [09:26] ➡️ Making the leap from Head of Ops to COO [14:04]  ➡️ Common challenges COOs face [16:16]  ➡️ Building effective relationships across the C-Suite [22:13]  ➡️ Resources any aspiring COO should check out [26:20]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Charlene: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlenechen/ ➡️ Find out more about Operations Nation: https://operationsnation.com/ ➡️ Check out this year’s Ops Fest: https://operationsnation.com/events/international-ops-fest ➡️ Secure your seat at the annual cONference: https://lu.ma/cONference2023   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"There's some horrible sacrifices in the first few years to get it to a place where it's got to survive..." Today's 40 Minute Mentor epitomises what it means to be Tech for Good.  We’re joined by Sanjay Lobo MBE, the Founder & CEO of OnHand - the all-in-one tool to engage your team in volunteering and environmental action.  Dubbed the ‘Uber of volunteering’, OnHand lets employees learn and take action on the issues that matter. You may even recognise Sanjay from his recent appearance on BBC's Dragons’ Den, where he successfully secured investment from FOUR dragons.  Here’s what we talk about in today’s episode: ➡️ Finding his path to entrepreneurship [04:02]➡️ Moving from law into tech [06:58]➡️ How Parkinson's disease became Chapter 1 of the OnHand story [11:05]➡️ Engaging employees in volunteering and environmental action [13:45]➡️ The significance of a great team in a scaling business [15:08]➡️ Managing stress and pressures as a Founder [16:38]➡️ Business benefits of company-wide volunteering opportunities [22:08]➡️ Advert: More about JBM [25:36] ➡️ A Behind the Scenes look at Dragons’ Den [27:10]➡️ Working with the Dragons after the show [29:31]➡️ Advice for other Founders looking to get on Dragons’ Den [31:13] ➡️ Dealing with increased media attention [32:29] ➡️ Applying to OnHand [35:10] ➡️ Audience Question: Advice for anyone starting their volunteering journey [38:51] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sanjay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjaylobo/ ➡️ Find out more about OnHand: https://www.beonhand.co.uk/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains topics of mental health and suicide attempts, that may be harmful or traumatising to some audiences. If you’re affected by any of the topics discussed, please make sure you reach out to the helplines listed below. ⚠️   Suicide is a major public health problem, with far-reaching social, emotional and economic consequences. According to the World Health Organisation, there are currently more than 700,000 suicides per year worldwide.  Following yesterday’s World Suicide Prevention Day and to play our part in breaking the perceived taboo of speaking about suicide, we’re releasing this special episode with clips from our conversation with Clarke Carlisle.  Clarke is a former professional footballer, mental health advocate and ambassador for the mental health charity Mind.  He has had an illustrious football career, having played for a number of top clubs, including Leeds United, Watford and Burnley, and winning three caps for England under 21s.  Alongside all of this success, however, Clarke also had to deal with plenty of hardship, including serious injuries, his battle with depression and attempted suicide.   In today’s episode, Clarke shares more about his own experience with depression and suicide and his advice for anyone struggling with their mental health.    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Tune into the full episode with Clarke here: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/from-the-premier-league-to-mental-health-advocate-with-clarke-carlisle/ ➡️ More about the work Clarke and Carrie are doing: https://www.clarkeandcarrie.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Everything I have done has centred around teams and individuals, and how do you get the most out of them…”  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Catherine Lenson, Angel Investor, Founder, Venture Partner at LocalGlobe and CEO of Andante Advisory.  Catherine has had a hugely successful career, having spent her formative years at UBS and becoming the first female Managing Partner at SoftBank.  Today, Catherine is the Founder and CEO of Andante Advisory, a boutique consultancy firm which operates as a trusted partner to senior executives and leading organisations on Culture, People and Purpose.  She is also a Venture Partner at LocalGlobe, an angel investor in early-stage tech companies across the UK, US and Israel, and is the UK’s first Fair Play facilitator.  Tune in to today’s episode to discover:  ➡️ Reliving her days when a rogue trader almost brought down UBS [03:32]  ➡️ The privilege of entrepreneurship [05:29]  ➡️ From her love for music to Cambridge and ending up in London [06:39]  ➡️ Scaling from 20 to 500 people in four years [10:04]  ➡️ Becoming the first female Managing Partner at SoftBank [13:34]  ➡️ Building a portfolio career [16:49]  ➡️ Angel Investing and joining LocalGlobe [24:39]  ➡️ Common culture mistakes [32:32]  ➡️ Fair Play and creating more equality in the household [36:47]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Catherine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-lenson/ ➡️ Find out more about her work: https://www.catherinelenson.com/ ➡️ Find out more about LocalGlobe: https://localglobe.vc/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The most impactful piece of advice I got early on in my career was - You need to grow where you're planted.”  In today’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we take a deep dive into a core component of any successful startup - the Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy. To guide us through the essential components of building and executing a GTM strategy, we’re joined by Tarun Gidoomal.  Tarun has led some of Europe’s most notable tech Scaleups, including Next Jump, where he led its international expansion to reach £3bn GMV, and more recently, at Ankorstore, where as UK GM he established its footprint in the UK as it became one of Europe’s fastest growing tech unicorns.   Today, Tarun shares more about:  ➡️ His upbringing and career to date [01:30]  ➡️ The fundamentals of a GTM Strategy [03:40]  ➡️ Examples of successful GTM Strategies and mistakes made [06:38]  ➡️ Getting buy-in across the team [10:31]  ➡️ Questions to ask to assess your team culture [12:53]  ➡️ The most impactful career advice he’s received [14:37]  ➡️ Startup life and dealing with burnout [17:11]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Tarun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarungidoomal/     🤫 P.S - It’s your FINAL chance to vote for us in this year’s Great British Podcast People’s Choice Awards. 🏆1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting 2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙 ENTRIES CLOSE 5th SEPTEMBER   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Founders are made to look like superheroes. They get up at 4am, meditate, take ice baths, work 100 hours a week… I think it's a super unhealthy culture." Today's 40 Minute Mentor shines a light on the realities of Founder life, and his passion for reframing how the world sees and perceives credit. We are excited to welcome Tim Chong, Co-Founder and CEO of Yonder, to the podcast.  Yonder is on a mission to build a credit experience that empowers young people to live their best lives and build responsible spending habits, at the same time.  Tune in to today’s episode to discover:  ➡️ The unhealthy culture surrounding Founder life [03:53]  ➡️ Growing up around computers and the influence on his tech journey [05:25]  ➡️ Exploring the world and creating high impact as a consultant [07:33]  ➡️ Pivoting from consultant to Founder [10:17]  ➡️ How a revolutionised economy in Kenya started the story of Yonder [15:02]  ➡️ How Yonder is supporting young people and their social lives via credit spend [21:35]  ➡️ Tuning in to Founder interviews to scope out early stage challenges [26:50]  ➡️ How to keep going during an economic downturn [29:57]  ➡️ Selling the long-term thesis to win over investors [35:40]  ➡️ The significant impact of early hires and Yonder’s culture [39:58]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Tim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-chong/ ➡️ Find out more about Yonder: https://www.yondercard.com/  🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙(VOTES CLOSE 5th SEPT)   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The traditional definition (of a Generalist) has been a ‘Jack of all trades’, which often comes with a negative connotation.” In today’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Milly Tamati to explore the rise of the Generalist.  Milly is not only a Generalist, but a Community builder and Founder of Generalist World.  Before leaning into all things Generalist, Milly built businesses all over the world, including co-owning a hostel in Thailand, a wine tour in Australia and an illustration agency in the UK.  Today, we explore:  ➡️ The making of her Generalist skill set  [01:33]  ➡️ Defining what a Generalist really is [03:53]  ➡️ Specialists vs Generalists [05:34]  ➡️ Ending the “Jack of all trades” narrative [08:15]  ➡️ Framing your Generalist career to employers [09:47]  ➡️ The Generalist World community [13:05]  ➡️ Quality over quantity in community building [15:43]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Milly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milly-tamati/ ➡️ Check out Generalist World: https://www.generalist.world/   🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting 2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙 ENTRIES CLOSE 5th SEPTEMBER.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We had one month to refinance the business, or lose our home….” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Dimple Patel, exited Founder, Advisor and CEO of Trouva - the leading global marketplace for independent boutiques.  With roots at Goldman Sachs, Dimple’s story is one of endless resilience, having navigated recessions, a major re-brand that almost cost her her home, a global pandemic and multiple acquisitions, including Made.com’s collapse.  In today’s episode, we dive into all of the above, plus:  ➡️ Growing up on a Council Estate [05:00]  ➡️ Joining Goldman Sachs during a recession and amid mass layoffs [07:12]  ➡️ Exploring entrepreneurship as a first-time Founder in a recession [09:38]  ➡️ Going from side hustle to full-time Founder [11:47]  ➡️ Spotting burnout and the importance of routine rest [14:01]  ➡️ Freedom vs Security as a first-time Founder [15:00]  ➡️ The decision that almost led to the loss of her house [17:19]  ➡️ Exiting her business and navigating what’s next [20:00]  ➡️ Making the shift from COO to CEO of Trouva [27:48]  ➡️ The collapse of Made.com and leading with kindness [30:24]  ➡️ Roulette question: Working as a Venture Partner and the Founders she backs [40:13]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Dimple: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimple-patel-uk/ ➡️ Find out more about Trouva: https://www.trouva.com/  🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙(You have until 5th Sept!)   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you don't work well with other teams, everyone else's problem will become a product problem.” In today's episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of Product…  To do so, we’re joined by Product legend, James Routledge, VP of Product at Converge.  James has tons of experience, including helping a NASDAQ business go from 100 million to $250 million revenues and working with 400 person Series B businesses.  The role of the CPO has evolved significantly over the last few years, so we loved getting a first-hand account of the past, present and future of Product roles, including:  ➡️ His own impressive career in Product [01:08]  ➡️ The top 3 skills great Product people need [02:59]  ➡️ Scope and responsibilities in your product journey [05:42]  ➡️ The power of mentorship in Product roles [08:54]  ➡️ The evolution of the CPO and putting customers first [12:28]  ➡️ Working cross-functionally as a CPO [17:18]  ➡️ UK vs USA Product roles [25:49]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesroutledge/ ➡️ Find out more about Converge: https://www.converge.io/   🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting 2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙 ENTRIES CLOSE 5th SEPTEMBER.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“So many people are suffering from a lack of knowing who they are and what their worth is, so they downplay and restrict it to a job role.” Welcome back to 40 Minute Mentor, and a brand new series…  Kicking off Series 10, we’re joined by one of the most requested guests on the podcast - the brilliant Andy Ayim, MBE.  You may have come across Andy through his DE&I work in tech, or his angel investing training programs at the Angel Investing School, which empowered over 350 new angels.  Andy has also invested in over 17 Startups himself, including some of which have been featured on this podcast, such as Patch and Unplugged.  In today’s episode, we unpack his own journey to entrepreneurship and demystify angel investing once and for all:  ➡️ Shaking off imposter syndrome and backing yourself [04:09]  ➡️ How growing up in a multicultural melting pot shaped his path [06:34]  ➡️ His path to starting the Angel Investing School [10:24]  ➡️ Making angel investing more accessible [14:09] ➡️ Who the Angel Investing School is for [16:37] ➡️ The biggest driver of wealth creation and beginning your journey in investing [20:02] ➡️ Andy’s biggest investment mistake [21:39]  ➡️ Angel syndicates and investing with as little as 1k [24:30] ➡️ Assessing pitches and controlling your risk [28:31] ➡️ Choosing between Angel or VC investment as a Founder [33:24] ➡️ Receiving an MBE and driving DE&I in the industry [38:07] ➡️ Fundraising advice and common Founder mistakes [41:41] ➡️ Audience Questions: Untapped opportunities and emerging trends [44:06]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Andy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyayim/ ➡️ Sign up to the Angel Investing School: https://angelinvestingschool.com/     🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙(You have until 5th Sept!)   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"One doesn't leave the best job in the world for anything less than an opportunity that can genuinely, if we're lucky, save the planet."  As we’re kicking off Series 10, we’re also introducing our Monday Startup spotlight series.  In our first instalment, we’re joined by a familiar face - Marta Krupinska, Co-Founder and CEO of carbon removal startup, CUR8.  Marta has previously come on the podcast, in Series 7, when we talked about her Founder journey and her role with Google for Startups - find a link to the episode below.  Since then, Marta has jumped back into the Founder seat and chats to us about:  ➡️ The opportunity of a lifetime that made her step down from Google for Startups [01:07] ➡️ Returning to the world of entrepreneurship and the privilege it holds [05:40] ➡️ Building with the scientific community [07:45] ➡️ Fundraising as an experienced entrepreneur [10:21] ➡️ Building the future of carbon removals [13:29] ➡️ Joining the CUR8 mission [15:28] ➡️ What we can all do to save the planet [18:26] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Marta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martakrupinska/➡️ Find out more about CUR8: https://cur8.earth/ ➡️ Listen to Marta’s previous 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/scaling-lessons-with-google-for-startups-uks-marta-krupinska/ 🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting 2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙 ENTRIES CLOSE 5th SEPTEMBER ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Successes, mistakes and lessons learned… We cover all of the above and more in our BRAND NEW series of 40 Minute Mentor…coming to a set of headphones near you, next week! Inspiring conversations with category-defining Founders, CxOs and Investors, who have been through it all…the good, the bad and the in between, along the way. Resilience. Angel Investing. Burnout. Saving the planet. Plus, SO much more.... Get a little taster of what's to come this series, in today's trailer. Series 10, we are ready.....are you? 🌟 Make sure you hit the 'subscribe' button, to be the first to know about Episode 1 launching next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"She comes to the table with no judgement and all curiosity and allows me to explore in a way that I do my best thinking because I feel safe to do it.” This week is the final episode in our mentorship feature series, and what a four weeks it has been! In this series finale, James and Hannah are joined by the dynamic duo of Tess Cosad and Chloé HC. Tess is the Co-Founder and CEO of Béa Fertility, the ambitious FertilityTech startup, focused on democratising access to safe, affordable fertility treatment. Chloé is an accomplished product leader and coach with over 10 years experience working directly with CEOs and founding teams to shape vision, drive strategy and deliver day to day execution from Seed to Series B. Tess and Chloé have been friends for many years after meeting at University, and although their careers went in different directions, they stay connected with their friendship ultimately evolving into one of mentorship.  We can’t wait for you to hear all about their highs and lows, and feel their energy throughout, where we discover: ➡️  From uni friendship to tackling loneliness as a Startup Founder [04:07] ➡️  Hopping between the friend zone and mentor zone [05:36] ➡️  Setting topic boundaries for a smoother mentorship process [08:08] ➡️  The beauty of working in different backgrounds and having different perspectives [10:39] ➡️  Unlocking business decisions as a mentor, from a bench in New York [14:11] ➡️  Putting your ego aside to navigate disagreements [18:15] ➡️  A no-judgement, all-curiosity approach to mentorship [22:11] ➡️  Finding a connection and being challenged in a safe space [29:56] ➡️  How to positively un-couple and move on [34:36] ➡️  Helping you find your voice, without being over-mentored as a female Founder [35:51] ➡️  Assessing the power dynamic and nature of relationship with a prospective mentor [39:20]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Tess: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tess-isabelle-cosad/ ➡️ Connect with Chloe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chlo%C3%A9-hajnal-corob-97a3407b/ ➡️ More about Béa Fertility: https://beafertility.com/ ➡️ More about Resonate coaching: https://resonatecoaching.co/about 🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting  2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙 ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"What I try to do is listen to the problem, understand how it fits stuff I've seen before, then relate how I think it'll play out…” In this week's 40 Minute Mentor episode, we're joined by a mentorship duo connected by their love and passion for the startup world.  Peter Nixey - serial entrepreneur and OG of the UK Startup scene, joins us together with his mentee, AJ, who has been the CEO of the invite-only community, Foundrs. Peter founded Clcikpass.com which raised investment from YC and several angels, before selling the company to Yola.com. His most recent ventures include Copyin, a platform for progressional communities built entirely in email and Intentional.io - a day planner that focuses you on managing your time, rather than your tasks.  AJ has been the CEO of Foundrs for the past two years and is soon moving on to start his own company that will support others looking to build communities like Foundrs.  From structuring sessions with pre-set agendas, to open conversations around personal life challenges, this episode explores the real ins and outs of a solid mentorship relationship, including: ➡️  Evolving from community check-ins to full-scale mentorship [04:25]  ➡️  The importance of agendas and time management [06:13]  ➡️  The power of pushing back AND being open to feedback, as a mentee [09:06]  ➡️  Using previous problems to tackle current challenges [12:50]  ➡️  Overlapping topics and progression to propel the mentor relationship [14:39] ➡️  Allowing space for emotionally charged conversations [20:48] ➡️  Opinions vs shared experiences from a serial entrepreneur [23:54]  ➡️  From PhD dropout to a mentorship awakening [28:57] ➡️  The significance of community in the Startup world [32:02] ➡️  Providing value from both sides of the mentor relationship [35:09] ➡️  Being a cheerleader and staying inquisitive on your mentorship journey [36:38]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with AJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aj-foundrs/ ➡️ Connect with Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peternixey/ ➡️ More about Foundrs: https://www.foundrs.co/ ➡️ More about Intentional.io: https://intentional.io/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🤫 P.S Has our podcast ever made you feel something? Like properly made you stop and FEEL the feels... Maybe it has opened your eyes to a new industry? Maybe it has inspired you to start your own venture? Or maybe it has you nodding along as you relate to so many of the challenges that our Founders have faced.... 🤝 Connecting, human to human, with our audience is absolutely paramount to our work behind the scenes at 40 Minute Mentor, which is why we would (shamelessly) love to have your vote in this year's Great British Podcast People's Choice awards. 🏆 1. Click here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting 2. Type in '40 Minute Mentor' 3. Job done ✅ Your nomination would mean the world to us, so thank you in advance! 💙 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You want someone who's lived that same experience, and hopefully they can pass on what worked for them, but also what didn't work for them.” The golden mentorship moments keep on coming as we head into episode two of our new mentorship feature series.  This week, James and Hannah are joined by Ashleigh Tennent, Founder of the coaching platform, More Happi and Lisa Rodwell, the CEO of Daye, the company bridging the gender gap in medical research and innovation.  Together, the four discuss how to find your perfect match in a mentor and a coach and how to nurture those relationships, including:   ➡️  Blossoming from colleagues to mentorship and friendship [04:54]  ➡️  The value of trust in building a mentor relationship [07:17]  ➡️  The art of not wasting time [09:11]  ➡️  Balancing a range of roles, as a mentor [10:38]  ➡️  Finding common ground to rocket your relationship [13:47]  ➡️  Paying it forward and the benefits of ‘reverse’ mentorship [15:26]  ➡️  Respecting busy lifestyles and managing expectations [19:00]  ➡️  Navigating conflict and misunderstanding [22:11]  ➡️  Using missions or problems to hook in a prospective mentor [27:48]  ➡️  Mentor vs Coach, what’s the difference? [29:27]  ➡️  Reflections and advice for aspiring mentees and mentors [33:23]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Ashleigh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleightennent/ ➡️ Connect with Lisa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisarodwell/ ➡️ More about More Happi: https://morehappi.com/ ➡️ More about Daye: https://www.yourdaye.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Do it because you care. Find out who you are, where you can be most useful, and how you want to go about it, but only do it if you care.”Mentorship can truly change people’s careers and lives.  We’re big believers in the power of mentorship, it’s why we started this podcast!  In this brand new feature series, we’ll take a deep dive into the different forms and shapes of mentorship and answer some of your most common questions, e.g. How do you approach a mentor? How do you manage the day to day? When do you know it’s time to part ways?  And to change things up even more this series, we’re also not just have one but two hosts.  For the first time ever, James, JBM Founder and resident 40 Minute Mentor host, will be joined by our Head of Marketing and Podcast Producer, Hannah Urbanek.  In our first episode, we’re joined by Varun Vassanth and his mentor, former 40 Minute Mentor and Founder of Patch, Freddie Fforde.  We dig deep into their mentorship relationship and uncover:  ➡️  Naturally falling into the mentor-mentee relationship [03:54]  ➡️  The impact of an informal approach to mentorship [06:12]  ➡️  What mentorship can mean to different people [09:09] ➡️  Crafting a virtual board of stellar advisors [12:35]  ➡️  Separating mentorship from management and respecting boundaries [14:55]  ➡️  Building mutual respect for effective mentorship [17:52]  ➡️  Instilling mentorship to drive your company culture [21:50]  ➡️  Parting ways [28:53]  ➡️  The do’s and don’ts of mentorship [31:40]  ➡️  Being selective about the advice you’re giving as a mentor [36:06]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Freddie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddiefforde/ ➡️ Connect with Varun: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varunvassanth/ ➡️ More about Patch: https://www.patch.work/ ➡️ Check out Freddie’s previous episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/feature-series-freddie-fforde/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene?  Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you can be very clear in articulating what you are trying to do, why the world needs it and why you are the best person to work on it, the money will follow.” And just like that, we come to the end of our 40 Minute Mentor VC feature series.  BUT, before we kick off our next series, we have one more VC mentorship packed episode in store for you….  Today, we’re joined by Yvonne Bajela, Partner at LocalGlobe and Latitude, and Venture Partner at Impact X Capital.  Yvonne talks about her journey from Goldman Sachs to VC, her first investment and the formative influence her father had on her career.  Having invested over £200m across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Yvonne has backed some of the most category-defining Founders, including the teams behind Unicorn InsurTech, Marshmallow and OG FinTech Unicorn, Wise.  Tune in to discover:  ➡️ The influence her late father had on her career [03:28]  ➡️ The success story of her investment in Marshmallow [09:04]  ➡️ Local Globe’s investment thesis [13:07]  ➡️ Building a founder-investor relationship for the long-haul [14:07]  ➡️ Characteristics she looks for in Founders she invests in [16:18]  ➡️ Common mistakes she sees Founders make [18:21]  ➡️ Closing the funding gap for under-represented Founders [20:58] ➡️ Navigating the current fundraising climate [22:45]  ➡️ Building a successful board of advisors [24:57]  ➡️ Motherhood and returning to VC [27:28]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Yvonne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonnebajela/ ➡️ More about LocalGlobe: https://localglobe.vc/ ➡️ More about Latitude: https://latitudeventures.vc/ ➡️ More about Impact X Capital: https://www.impactxcapital.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s a really great time if you want to learn how to be a disciplined Investor and to really be able to hunt down the best Founders and best opportunities.”  In the final part of our bite-sized VC feature series, Rosie Barnett, Principal at Delin Ventures, talks to us about navigating the current landscape and shares tangible advice for any Founders, looking to fundraise.  This episode is jam packed with advice - no matter, if you’re a Founder looking for investment or an aspiring VC, looking to get a foot in the door.  Have your notebooks ready and if you haven’t already, make sure you catch up on the previous 3 parts of this feature series.    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Rosie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-barnett-672329134/ ➡️ Check out Delin Ventures: https://www.delinventures.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm 🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene?  Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you think there’s something that needs to be changed in the world, I think that starting a company is the best and easiest way to achieve that change.” For our penultimate episode in this VC feature, we’re joined by Suranga Chandratillake OBE, former engineer and entrepreneur, now General Partner at Balderton Capital, one of Europe's leading early stage technology venture capital firms.  Before joining the world of VC, Suranga founded blinkx, an intelligent video search engine, which he took public and reached a peak market cap of $1bn.  Now mainly investing at Series A, Suranga has backed some huge names in the industry, including Tessian, Wayve and Beauty Pie. Tune in to this week’s episode to find out more about:  ➡️ How Bill Gates sparked his curiosity for entrepreneurship [05:23]  ➡️ His Silicon Valley inspired business, bllinkx [07:40]  ➡️ Building a business from 0-$200m a year [10:06]  ➡️ Overcoming common Founder challenges [13:12]  ➡️ Transitioning from Founder to Investor [16:47] ➡️ Why empathy is so important [20:26]  ➡️ Helping Founders change the world at Balderton Capital [23:21]  ➡️ Red flags when assessing Founders [27:10]  ➡️ Advice for Founders on building healthy habits, while spinning many plates [32:23]  ➡️ Championing diversity in the VC ecosystem [37:27]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Suranga: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suranga-chandratillake-6a839363/ ➡️ More about Balderton Capital: https://www.balderton.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene?  Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Spend some time with the team to shadow and see what they actually do day to day, before you join. It’s invaluable because it gives you an opportunity to try before you buy.”  In part 3 of our bite-sized ‘Operator to VC’ feature, Rosie Barnett, Principal at Delin Ventures, talks to us about making the transition to VC.  We hear the criteria Rosie looked at when deciding which VC to join and the crucial steps she took to adapt to the new industry.  She also shares some of the great communities she’s a part of and why immersing herself ahead of becoming a VC has been so helpful.  For even more resources to check out, make sure you tune into episode 2, which has a full list of podcasts, newsletters and reading materials for you to check out: https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/11fd722f-4096-45f5-bd6e-62327f8088ce/shows/6ef8fc38-9e69-482e-bf6c-3c1489829886/episodes/62416790-27dd-4dee-a7d3-b4ad50f74f70/   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Rosie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-barnett-672329134/ ➡️ Check out Delin Ventures: https://www.delinventures.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm 🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene?  Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you have the passion to solve a problem, you will find a way to solve it, no matter what comes in your way.”Next up in our VC feature series, we’re joined by Zeynep Yavuz, Partner at General Catalyst.  General Catalyst is a top-tier VC that invests from early stage through to growth equity stages, having backed some of the world's biggest tech companies, including Airbnb, Warby Parker and Stripe.  Having grown up in Turkey with entrepreneur parents, Zeynep saw first-hand that a more mature VC ecosystem in the country could have been really transformational for Founders in the area.  To be a part of that change, she now focuses on FinTech and Crypto investments on a global scale, and particularly with a focus on emerging markets.  In today’s episode, we dive more into Zeynep’s journey, her advice for Founders and the future of VC, including:  ➡️ VCs unlocking ambitious risks [04:41]  ➡️ Building products from 0-1 as an Operator [07:52]  ➡️ The importance of diversity of thought in VC [09:26]  ➡️ Why venture should be recession proof [11:30]  ➡️ Advice on getting into VC [13:42]  ➡️ How to stand out when interviewing with General Catalyst [16:03]  ➡️ Why emerging markets [17:18]  ➡️ Why Founders need to know and convey their ‘Why’ in pitches [19:59]   ➡️ Investment process at GC [21:15]  ➡️ Changes in the market [22:24]  ➡️ Common mistakes Founders are making [24:49]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Zeynep: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeynep-yavuz-72362379/ ➡️ More about General Catalyst: https://www.generalcatalyst.com/ ➡️ The Finstack Newsletter: https://finstack.substack.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Founders want to work with investors who can understand what they are going through.” Welcome back to week two of our popular VC feature, where we’re joined by the biggest movers and shakers in the industry, with stellar mentorship for anyone looking to get into VC and guidance for any Founders currently fundraising. We’re back today with another bite-sized episode with Rosie Barnett, Principal at Delin Ventures.  In today’s episode, we’re focusing on practical advice for Operators transitioning into VC. Not only does Rosie share the benefits of making the move, but she also shares the skillset needed to make it work and tons of resources that will help along the way - some of which we've linked to in the section below.  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Rosie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-barnett-672329134/ ➡️ Check out Delin Ventures: https://www.delinventures.com/ ➡️ Acquired podcast: https://www.acquired.fm/ ➡️ Big Picture Medicine podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5707RPmWOJkVZyUHNRSUfS ➡️ Invest Like The Best podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/22fi0RqfoBACCuQDv97wFO ➡️ This Week In Startups podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/this-week-in-startups/id315114957 ➡️ Pietro Invernizzi’s blog: https://pinver.medium.com/ ➡️ Out-Of-Pocket newsletter: https://www.outofpocket.health/ ➡️ Exec Sum newsletter: https://www.execsum.co/ ➡️ Wall Street Prep: https://www.wallstreetprep.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🏆 Want to partner with us? Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The most successful companies are the ones that went against what is considered the status quo.”In our inaugural episode of our latest VC feature series, we’re joined by someone who is inspired by Founders that don't see limits in what could be achieved with the help of technology…Today, we’re joined by Sasha Vidiborskiy, a quantum physicist turned VC Partner at Atomico.  Atomico is a $5bn+ AUM VC fund, investing in ambitious tech Founders at Series A and beyond, with a particular focus on Europe.  Founded in 2006, Niklas Zennstrom, former CEO and Co-Founder of Skype, Atomico has partnered with over 100 ambitious teams, including those at Klarna, Supercell, MessageBird, Pipedrive, Hinge Health, Ben, and many more.  In today’s episode, we dig into Sasha’s background, his move into VC and tons of advice for aspiring investors, including:  ➡️ The effects of sending out rejections [05:36]  ➡️ An overlooked area in VC [07:43]  ➡️ From electrical engineering and quantum physics to VC [09:13]  ➡️ A taster of Founder life & lessons for investors [14:54]  ➡️ Why Atomico & how Sasha works with Founders [19:09]  ➡️ The Partner role explained [26:10]  ➡️ Pitching advice for Founders [29:01]  ➡️ Purposeful investments that get a good return [33:24]  ➡️ Advice for aspiring Investors [37:47]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Sasha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidiborskiy/ ➡️ More about Atomico: https://atomico.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You can still have an incredibly successful business, without it being a triple decker Unicorn.”  This week we’re launching another series of our popular VC feature, where we’re joined by the biggest movers and shakers in the industry, sharing exclusive market insights, mentorship for anyone looking to get into VC and guidance for any Founders currently fundraising.  Alongside our Wednesday episodes, we are also launching four bite-sized episodes on Monday, taking a deep dive into one of the biggest trends we’ve seen in VC - Operators becoming Investors.  To bring this to life, we’re joined by Rosie Barnett, Principal at Delin Ventures.  In today’s episode, we dive into Rosie’s background as a Physician, why she decided to move into VC and she busts some very common industry myths.    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Rosie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosie-barnett-672329134/ ➡️ Check out Delin Ventures: https://www.delinventures.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm 🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene?  Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Community for me has always been - What is our purpose? Why do we exist? What's it all for? Why does it even matter?”There are two popular topics that come up time and time again when we interview our 40 Minute Mentors and when we speak to JBM clients and candidates. These topics are: Building communities and sticking to your purpose.  In this week’s episode, we’ve rounded up some of the best advice from our most recent Series, including:  ➡️ Vanity metrics vs Impact -  Nikki Wicks, CEO of The Body Coach  [00:41]  ➡️ Meaningful exchanges over numbers - Abadesi Osunsade, Founder of Hustle Crew [03:28]  ➡️ Staying true to yourself throughout the journey - Simmy Dhillon, Founder of Simmer  [05:23]  ➡️ The dark side of social media - Sue Fennessy, Founder of WeAre8  [06:13]  ➡️ Fixing problems with purpose-driven solutions - Nader AlSalim, Founder of Gaia  [07:29]  ➡️ Bringing change-makers into your network - Pierre Paslier, Co-Founder of Notpla  [09:13]  ➡️ Tapping into what your community wants - Alice Pelton, Founder of The Lowdown  [10:46]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ For the full Series 9 episodes, check out our 40 Minute Mentor archives: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/category/40-minute-mentor/  ➡️ And for more mentorship, make sure you follow JBM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with 40k+ loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TW: This episode includes conversations around eating disorders and extreme quick fixes that are not recommended or endorsed. If you are struggling with the topics covered, please seek professional help.  "A Mediterranean style diet can be more effective than anti-depressants." The nation's health is arguably the worst it's been in generations, and that predominantly comes down to our relationship with food…. What if everyone knew the truth about fad diets? Are calories actually to blame? Is plant-based the way to go? In today's final episode of our wellbeing feature, we're joined by Rhiannon Lambert, one of the UK’s leading nutritionists, a Sunday Times bestselling author and chart-topping podcast host. We chat about Rhiannon's career defining pivot and realistic, tangible nutrition advice for the busiest Execs, including:  ➡️ Pursuing a Music career at the age of 17  [03:04]  ➡️ The toxicity of body image in the limelight [07:08]  ➡️ Her pivot into nutrition and becoming a Founder  [11:16]  ➡️ Opening her Harley Street clinic [14:45]  ➡️ The making of her 'Food For Thought' podcast [22:48]  ➡️ Tangible nutrition advice for the busiest professionals [28:57]  ➡️ How parents can help tackle childhood obesity [32:57] ➡️ Making healthy and affordable choices in a cost of living crisis [35:30] AND spoiler alert, you CAN have chocolate after breakfast....  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Rhiannon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhitrition/ ➡️ Check out Rhitrition: https://www.rhitrition.com/   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Most people listening need to understand that the government is not coming to save us. There is not going to be a huge pension when we retire. What you have is what you will have.” With interest rates on the rise, and the cost of living higher than ever, all of us are feeling the strain of financial stress…  To help us get money smart and enhance our financial wellbeing, we’re joined by Vivi Friedgut, the Founder of Blackbullion - a financial wellbeing platform that equips young people with financial skills for life and improves access to funds. Blackbullion is currently available to over 1 million students at almost 50 partner universities and colleges across the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The platform includes resources covering spending habits, loan calculators and shines a light on schemes, such as buy now pay later. At a time where the world has never needed to be more money smart, Vivi brings her infectious energy to this week's episode, where we dive into: ➡️ Being raised financially savvy and the idea behind Blackbullion [03:46]  ➡️ What to expect from the Blackbullion platform [07:40]   ➡️ Navigating a slow sector in a fast moving world [13:23]  ➡️ The relentless early days as a Founder [16:03]  ➡️ The hurdles and advantages of female Founders [22:48]  ➡️ Making your money work for you & other actions to take [25:14]  ➡️ Financial wellbeing advice for students [27:01]  ➡️ Closing the financial literacy gap [29:05] ➡️ Simple but effective money tips to utilise right now [36:22]  ➡️ Running a 11-month fundraise and dealing with 78 rejections [37:52]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Vivi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivifriedgut/ ➡️ Check out Blackbullion: https://www.blackbullion.com/   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Everybody has something, everybody is travelling through this thing called life, and life is not all sunshine and rainbows.” Did you know, around 12 billion working days globally, are lost every year to depression and anxiety?  These staggering stats find us amidst a mental health crisis, and a huge demand for increased support for employee wellbeing… What gives you energy? And what takes it away? What boundaries do you set? Figuring this out is at the heart of wellbeing for this week’s 40 Minute Mentor, Sançar Sahin, Co-Founder of Oliva, a platform that provides proper mental health care for employees. How is Oliva different? They provide on demand therapy, coaching, classes and content to help your people show up feeling their best AND doing their best work… all in one platform. After all, what is a successful company without healthy employees?  Our mental health, much like Founder life, is full of ups and downs, and we are continuing the conversation around wellbeing in today’s episode, where you’ll uncover: ➡️ The journey from marketing to disruptive Founder [05:14] ➡️ Building more than a SaaS solution [11:22]  ➡️ Digging deeper to reveal employee struggles [15:24] ➡️ Combining technology and people [17:23]  ➡️ How Oliva can enhance your employees wellbeing [22:09] ➡️ Pivotal moments of realising you’re burnt out [26:55] ➡️ Looking after your mental health as a Founder and looking after your team [33:16]  ➡️ Wellbeing benefits that actually make a difference [36:25]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Sançar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sancarsahin/ ➡️ Check out Oliva: https://www.oliva.health/   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When people and companies are on the verge of burnout, then it’s just this busyness epidemic.” You’re in a cabin, in the middle of no-where, for 3 nights. And your phone has been locked away, until you leave.  It’s just you, nature, and your mind.  This is not the start of a horror movie script. Although being without our phones can be a super scary thought… Today, we’re kicking off our new wellbeing feature series with Hector Hughes, the Co-Founder of Unplugged.  Unplugged are solving the busy, burnout, can't-put-my-phone-down problem, one cosy cabin at a time. Did you check your phone as soon as you woke up this morning? Are you a sucker for checking work emails when on a wholesome escape in the sun? …Then today’s episode is perfect for you, as we discuss:  ➡️ Celebrating failure as a Founder [08:50] ➡️ What to expect from your Unplugged stay [10:20] ➡️ Small steps to take to unplug in everyday life [14:58] ➡️ Offering Unplugged to your team [16:36]  ➡️ The broad lens of burnout and recovery [19:25] ➡️ Building better relationships with technology [27:18]  We hope this episode will inspire you to switch off and tune back in next week for another episode in our wellbeing feature.  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Hector: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hector-hughes-10082195/ ➡️ Book your Unplugged stay here: https://unplugged.rest/   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we approach 1 million downloads and wrap up Series 9 of our 40 Minute Mentor podcast, we wanted to reflect on the brilliant career mentorship we received over the last 12 weeks.  From building a bootstrapped global fitness brand, to the end of HR, a CBD drink phenomenon to mental health and football, we really covered a spectrum of golden nuggets in the world of startups and scaleups. Not to mention some candid life lessons along the way. In today’s episode, we hear the very best moments from this series, with some spectacular insights into all things Founder life and beyond, including: ➡️ Why you should stop searching for happiness [03:47]  ➡️ How playing poker is like being a Founder [04:21] ➡️ Diversity & privilege in politics [05:10] ➡️ Layoffs are not personal, don’t be ashamed [07:15] ➡️ Overdose & mental health stigma [08:10] ➡️ Get a tech career on your own terms [09:14]   But that’s not goodbye for now, as we are back next week with our special series, on all things mental health and wellbeing.   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about JBM on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbm-consulting-ltd/ ➡️ Check us out online: https://jbmc.co.uk/   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Hiring the wrong people teaches you more about your culture than hiring the right people...” Did you know a third of women in the UK do not have easy access to contraception? And 80% of those who are using contraception have reported side effects… Following her own experience of having devastating side effects of being put on the wrong contraception, today’s 40 Minute Mentor, Alice Pelton, decided to take matters  into her own hands.  That’s why she started The Lowdown - the UK’s leading sexual and reproductive health platform, used by over 2 million women. Featured in the likes of Grazia and The Times, The Lowdown is a contraception review, advice and prescriptions platform, on a mission to change women’s health.  In today’s episode, Alice shares candid insights into her own contraception journey and being a female Founder, including:  ➡️ Her 10-year journey to find the right contraception [05:00]  ➡️ The historical ‘un-sexy’ part of medicine and building the Lowdown [08:59]  ➡️ Challenges of being a solo female Founder [10:30]  ➡️ What nobody teaches you about fundraising [11:48]  ➡️ Working with Angels vs VCs [16:18]  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [18:10]  ➡️ Misconceptions about investors [19:20]  ➡️ Building communities [22:11]  ➡️ Learnings from hiring mistakes [25:23]  ➡️ What she looks for when hiring for The Lowdown [27:53]  ➡️ Navigating the ‘chat’ around contraception with children [32:33]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Alice: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-pelton/ ➡️ Check out The Lowdown: https://thelowdown.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There won’t be many Founders out there who weren’t affected by the roller coaster weekend of the SVB collapse. Even if you weren’t banking with SVB yourself, the chances are high that your clients, investors or suppliers were. Although we all got to breathe a sigh of relief with HSBC acquiring SVB, many questions remain: Why did SVB collapse? How did we get to this outcome and who was behind it all? What happened behind the scenes during this weekend?   To answer all of this and more, we’re joined by the person who was front and centre, Dom Hallas, the Executive Director of UK tech lobby group, The Coalition for a Digital Economy - Coadec.   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Dom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dom-hallas/ ➡️ Find out more about Coadec: https://coadec.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.   🏆 Want to partner with us? Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Poker teaches you resilience, because it’s a complete rollercoaster. It is very humbling, it’s a bit like running a startup. Experience outweighs theory, just like being a Founder.”  From wanting to be an entrepreneur since the school yard days, to a self-set mission of building two billion pound brands in his 30’s, today’s guest is no stranger to the rollercoaster life of startups. And he’s never had a job. This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is James Mishreki, Founder of popular skincare brand Skin + Me and sustainable consumer goods startup, Life Supplies.  James shares so much advice from his professional poker playing days to navigating the collapse of SVB.  We chat about:  ➡️ His wish for entrepreneurship to be taught in schools [02:33]  ➡️ How poker can prepare you for Founder life [05:27]  ➡️ Lessons from launching his first Startup [09:36]  ➡️ Falling into the beauty industry [11:41]  ➡️ The challenges going from software to D2C [15:36]  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [20:05]  ➡️ Educating the planet on re-fillable products [20:38]  ➡️ Being born to create, and chasing big goals [24:53]  ➡️ The rollercoaster ride following the collapse of SVB [32:55]  ➡️ The power of collaborations [35:03]  ➡️ The motivational video that kicked him into gear [39:48]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmishreki/ ➡️ Check out Skin + Me: https://www.skinandme.com/ ➡️ Check out Life Supplies: https://lifesupplies.com/     💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter whether you’re negotiating your salary, promotion, a new project or a deal with a client or investor - today’s episode will help you get it across the line.  For this 40 Minute Mentor bite-sized episode, we’re joined by Selena Rezvani, award-winning journalist, coach, speaker and author of ‘Quick Confidence’.  Ahead of her book launching on May, 9th 2023, Selena shares with us some easy to follow mentorship on:  ➡️ The fundamental pillars of building your confidence  ➡️ What makes someone a great negotiator  ➡️ The GPS framework which will help you navigate your next negotiation  ➡️ How to deal with difficult negotiations  ➡️ Plus, what to do when you don’t get the outcome you wanted  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Selena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selenarezvani/ ➡️ Get a copy of her book ‘Quick Confidence’ out on May 9th: https://www.selenarezvani.com/books   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains topics of mental health and suicide attempts, that may be harmful or traumatising to some audiences. If you’re affected by any of the topics discussed, please make sure you reach out to the helplines listed below. ⚠️    “Nothing prepared me for that loss of identity that I had without football.”  Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a professional footballer in England?  And what life looks like once you decide to retire from your career in sport?  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Clarke Carlisle, former professional footballer, mental health advocate and ambassador for the mental health charity Mind.  Clarke has had an illustrious football career, having played for a number of top clubs, including Leeds United, Watford and Burnley, and winning three caps for England under 21s.  Alongside all the successes, Clarke also had to deal with plenty of hardship, including serious injuries, his battle with depression and attempted suicide.  Clarke has been refreshingly open about his professional and mental health journey, and shared with us:  ➡️ The misconceptions that come with being a professional footballer [03:17]  ➡️ His biggest failure and biggest success all wrapped up into one [07:21]  ➡️ Why football needs to be treated more like a workplace [09:45]  ➡️ Signing his first professional football contract [14:23]  ➡️ Winning his England U21 caps [17:29]  ➡️ More about our sponsor, Alchemist [22:10]  ➡️ Bouncing back from a setback [23:22]  ➡️ Why you need to stop searching for happiness [29:14]  ➡️ Retirement from professional football [31:42]  ➡️ Attempting suicide and ongoing mental health battles [36:26]  ➡️ Advice on opening up about your mental health [45:29]  ➡️ Improving mental health at work [48:29]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Clarke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarke-carlisle-and-carrie-carlisle-765aa749/ ➡️ Check out the work Clarke & Carrie are doing: https://www.clarkeandcarrie.com/ ➡️ Mind Charity: https://www.mind.org.uk/ ➡️ Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123  ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there’s one thing that became obvious during the pandemic and the various different lockdowns, it’s the importance of human connection.  But what happens to us when we get disconnected from our peers?  How do we build actually lasting connections?  And what are the best ways for team leaders to facilitate and create opportunities for human connection in an increasingly hybrid world?  To answer all of these questions, we’re joined by Simone Heng, a human connection specialist and author of ‘Secret Pandemic: The Search for Connection in a Lonely World.’    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Simone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-heng-speaker/ ➡️ Get a copy of her book ‘Secret Pandemic - the search for connection in a lonely world’: https://simoneheng.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You need to recognise that your mental health is a muscle and it’s not a case of doing a 30 day cleanse and mediations and you’re all good. That’s not how it works.”  What started off as a new way to eliminate the daily stresses of life in the city, turned into the UK’s favourite soft drinks brand.  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Olivia Ferdi, the Co-Founder of popular CBD brand, TRIP.  Coming from a law background, there were plenty of early stage challenges Olivia and her Co-Founder and husband, Dan, faced together and we loved learning more about their journey in today’s episode.  Olivia shares with us:  ➡️ The glamorisation of startup life [03:37]  ➡️ Resilience and building a Founder mindset [05:23]  ➡️ Her law career and transitioning to a startup [08:54]  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [16:30]  ➡️ The inspiration behind TRIP [17:27]  ➡️ Her stand-out milestones from her journey with TRIP [26:07]  ➡️ How her law background has helped and sometimes hindered along the way [29:25]  ➡️ Building a wellbeing routine that lasts [36:30]  ➡️ TRIP’s exciting plans for the year ahead [40:40]  ➡️ Why a “no” is never a “no” [43:37]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Olivia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-ferdi/ ➡️ Check out TRIP: https://drink-trip.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Public speaking - an instrumental skill to perfect for any Founder and executive.  It’s also one of the most dreaded aspects of being a business leader.  To help make your next presentation a less stressful experience, we’re joined by Alex Merry,  former COO, turned public speaking coach.   Alex doesn’t only help leaders deliver high-stakes presentations at work and globally recognised conferences, through his coaching and online speaking club, MicDrop, but he’s also published his advice in his book, ‘Make It Count’.  In this bite-sized episode, we’re looking at:  ➡️ What makes a good public speaker  ➡️ How to manage your nerves  ➡️ The one thing you should never finish your presentation on  ➡️ How to handle difficult questions    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Alex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mralexmerry/ ➡️ Join MicDrop: https://alexmerry.com/micdrop-web/ ➡️ Get your copy of ‘Make it count’: https://alexmerry.com/get-the-book/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I don’t want Gaia to be seen as a women’s health business. 50% of the cases that we see are male factor infertility. This is a family building problem that affects men and women equally.”  1 in 6 couples are affected by fertility issues, but with aspiring parents spending over £14k on average on their treatment, only 1 in 7 people in the UK who require IVF, end up accessing it.  One Founder on a mission to change that and make fertility treatment more accessible is today’s 40 Minute Mentor, Nader AlSalim, the Founder and CEO of the world’s first IVF insurance, Gaia.  In today’s episode we find out:  ➡️ How Nader’s exceptional work ethic gave him control over this career [06:09]  ➡️ His own fertility journey and the beginnings of Gaia [10:43]  ➡️ Why this is his first and last startup [12:18]  ➡️ The evolution of his leadership style [15:15]  ➡️ More about Gaia’s offering [18:41]  ➡️ Making the topic of fertility less taboo [19:37]  ➡️ More about our sponsor’s Alchemist [22:08]  ➡️ His personal legacy [23:02]  ➡️ Fundraising advice [25:07]  ➡️ The evolution of Gaia’s team and the culture [29:34]  ➡️ Keeping your team to high standards [33:52]  ➡️ Changes needed in the fertility industry & Gaia’s plans for 2023 [37:01]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Nader: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nader-alsalim-45146674/ ➡️ Check out Gaia: https://gaiafamily.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest trends we’ve seen in hiring over the last year has been the rise of fractional careers.  It doesn’t just give talent more flexibility and freedom, but also gives Founders the opportunity to hire highly experienced operators at a fraction of the cost, and even try before they buy.  To discuss how you actually build a fractional career, the benefits to both talent and employers, plus the downfalls you might want to consider before pursuing a portfolio career, we’ve invited JBM board advisor and Fractional Managing Director, Ben Sanders to share his own experience with us.    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-sanders-b280716/ ➡️ More about JBM SOS: https://jbmc.co.uk/sos-candidates/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If I’m doing exactly the same things this year, in exactly the same ways that I did last year, then I’m failing.” It’s been a turbulent year for the energy sector and many of us have seen the aftermath in our energy bills. To get first-hand insights into the energy crisis and the movement towards greener and more sustainable energy sources, we’re joined by Zoisa North-Bond, the CEO of Octopus Energy Generation and Octopus Energy for Business. In today’s episode, Zoisa shares with us: ➡️ Her alternative route to CEO [07:29] ➡️ Why she joined Octopus Energy [10:18] ➡️ The challenges of being in a dual CEO role [12:55] ➡️ The number one skill any successful CEO needs [15:33] ➡️ More about our sponsor, Alchemist [17:20] ➡️ Octopus’s focus on community [18:29] ➡️ The push to greener and more sustainable energy [25:48] ➡️ Navigating the energy crisis on the other side of the fence [28:03] ➡️ The number one thing you can do to reduce your energy bills [30:17] ➡️ The future of the energy sector [30:55]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Zoisa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoisa-north-bond-33143a4/ ➡️ More about Octopus Energy: https://octopus.energy/ 💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more. 🏆 Want to partner with us? Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s bit-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Amir Nooriala, the Managing Partner of Aurias.  Amir has previously joined us on the podcast, sharing his experience as COO of Callsign and OakNorth Bank.  This time, he’s telling us more about his new venture, Aurias, offering business owners a retirement pathway that ensures the legacy of their company and employees.  In today’s episode, you’ll find out:  ➡️ Amir’s career journey to COO and angel investor ➡️ How this experience sparked the idea for Aurias  ➡️ The benefits of entrepreneurship by acquisition and what that looks like for Founders  ➡️ Why there are so many impressive bootstrapped Tech businesses that deserve more attention  ➡️ Advice for anyone looking to get into entrepreneurship    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Amir: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirnooriala/ ➡️ Check out Aurias: https://www.aurias.co.uk/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Plastic has its use cases. In the medical industry, it saves lives every day. But for takeaway uses, where it’s used for a short amount of time, that’s where it’s a real issue.”  For today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Pierre Paslier, the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Notpla, a sustainable packaging startup.  To this day, Notpla have partnered with the likes of Lucozade, to replace single use plastic cups and bottles at the London Marathon, and JustEat, to launch a  food container coated with seaweed - a revolutionary move for the takeaway industry.  Following this huge progress in the industry, to help ease the damage made to the environment, the Notpla team have recently been awarded with Prince William’s prestigious, 1 million pound Earthshot prize.  Today, Pierre shares tons of insights with us, including:  ➡️ How he became a Founder, following years at L’Oreal [03:57]  ➡️ The experiences at L’Oreal that led to the creation of Notpla [05:23]  ➡️ Notpla’s mission and how their packaging works [07:33]  ➡️ Seeing Notpla’s packaging being used at the Women’s Euros [11:16]  ➡️ Winning the Earthshot Prize [13:16] ➡️ Meeting Prince William at the Earthshot retreat [15:53]  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [18:11]  ➡️ Dealing with increasing media attention and keeping an eye on your mission  [19:28]  ➡️ Building the Notpla team [22:03]  ➡️ Advice for moving into sustainability [28:28]  ➡️ The part we can all play in reducing plastic packaging [31:03]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Pierre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierrepaslier/   ➡️ Check out Notpla: https://www.notpla.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following on from our pledge last year to continue shining a light on History’s influential black voices, beyond Black History Month, we welcome back Samuel Tholley, the Founder of Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  Today, and in continuation of celebrating International Women’s Day, beyond March 8th, Samuel shares two stories of female trailblazers with us, who have significantly shaped the world we live in today.  First we’ll be learning more about Baroness Doreen Lawrence and her battle to reform the police service, following the murder of her son, Stephen Lawrence in 1993.  Then, Samuel will catapult as further back in history and share the incredible story of Mary Jane Seacole, the British-Jamaican nurse and business woman who set up the “British Hotel” behind the lines during the Crimean War.     🤝 To learn more about Hidden Pages and the importance of normalising black history, check out our previous 40 Minute Mentor episode with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The only way that the world will see women and diversity differently, is when we create something that is so big and transformational that people will never underestimate women again.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, and to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we’re joined by Sue Fennessy, the Founder & CEO of WeAre8.  WeAre8 is a hate-free community that is built upon the idea that collective change and daily actions can make the world a better place.  The team have been on an incredible journey and you may have seen their ads on TV or across London’s billboards.  In today’s episode, we don’t just get a front row seat to WeAre8’s evolution, but also get an insight into Sue’s incredible career. Plus, she, of course, shares tons of great mentorship with us.  You can expect to hear more about:  ➡️ A podcast recommendation from us [00:19] ➡️ The dark side of social media [03:32]  ➡️ Why VCs have become predictable and how that’s holding diverse Founders back [06:29]  ➡️ What drives her mission to make the world a better place [08:49]  ➡️ The benefits of starting to see your work as a hobby [12:14]  ➡️ How entrepreneurship chose her and more about her early career [15:22]  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [21:40] ➡️ The importance of storytelling [22:44]  ➡️ More about WeAre8 and why it’s so different compared to other social media platforms [28:46]  ➡️ Rio Ferdinand’s involvement in WeAre8 [37:44]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Sue: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-fennessy/ ➡️ Check out WeAre8: https://www.weare8.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recruitment and Tech are both not industries with the best reputation when it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity.  That’s why JBM and 40 Minute Mentor are on a mission to change that. With our podcast specifically, we’re always looking to feature unique and inspiring stories, especially giving underrepresented voices a platform to share theirs.  We’re very much still a work in progress and are always looking to improve series on series and year on year.  With that in mind, we have had the great pleasure of welcoming industry trailblazers and leading voices and DE&I over the years.  In today’s bite-sized episode, we’re looking back on some of our favourite moments, featuring DE&I advice from:  ➡️ Claire Valoti, VP for EMEA at Snap Inc  ➡️ Check Warner, Partner at ADA Ventures  ➡️ Sharmadean Reid, Founder of The Stack World  ➡️ Marta Krupinska, former Head of Google for Startups UK and Co-Founder of CUR8  ➡️ Grace Beverley, Founder and CEO of TALA and SHREDDY  ➡️ Baroness Oona King, VP of DE&I at Snap Inc  ➡️ Alice Bentinck, Co-Founder of Entrepreneur First    💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The best way of treating people is not as if they're a resource, but by working with them to create something amazing.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Anouk Agussol, the Founder and CEO of Unleashed.  Unleashed are on a mission to gear up early stage and scaling companies for speedy and sustainable success, through people and culture. They help create thriving businesses and great places to work, through leadership programmes, coaching, bespoke people projects and embedded partnerships.  JBM have loved collaborating with Anouk and the wider Unleashed team over the years and we loved finding out more about Anouk’s journey and her advice for any Founders and leaders, in today’s episode.    We chat about:  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [00:16]  ➡️ Overcoming imposter syndrome [3:19]  ➡️ The juggling act of being a parent and a Founder [04:37]  ➡️ Anouk’s career journey and why she chose the People function [09:08]  ➡️ Why the People function is becoming increasingly more popular [11:13]  ➡️ Her transition from Chief People Officer to starting her own business [14:17]  ➡️ More about Unleashed [18:28]  ➡️ Why HR is dead [21:55]  ➡️ A podcast recommendation from us [23:16]  ➡️ What a difference Unleashed has made to teams over the years [24:31]  ➡️ Why your culture won’t evolve organically [28:00]  ➡️ When is the right time to hire a People person for your startup [32:01]  ➡️ The key steps to evolving your culture [34:51]  ➡️ How to attract and retain great talent [39:04]  ➡️ The evolution of the People function in 2023 and beyond [42:05]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Anouk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anoukagussol/ ➡️ Check out Unleashed: https://www.unleashed.company/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re taking a look back on some of our most popular 40 Minute Mentor author episodes. Just in time for World Book Day, later this week, we’re going to hear about the journeys our 40 Minute Mentor authors have been on and how they’ve taken their best-selling books from ideation to launch, and all the ups and downs in between. Whether you’re thinking about writing your own book yourself, or you’re simply looking for some new books packed with mentorship, to add to you ‘to be read’ list, you won’t want to miss this episode.   📚 All books mentioned in this episode: ➡️ The Green Startup by Juliet Davenport ➡️ How to be a Founder by Alice Bentinck ➡️ World Class by Will Greenwood ➡️ How to Win by Sir Clive Woodward ➡️ Squiggly Careers by Helen Tupper & Sarah Ellis ➡️ Slay In Your Lane by Elizabeth Uviebinene ➡️ She’s In CTRL by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon ➡️ Solve For Happy by Mo Gawdat ➡️ Solo: How to work alone by Rebecca Seal   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.   🏆 Want to partner with us? Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I was finally getting all of these jobs that I always wanted, but I was always more passionate about my own business and would keep working on it outside of my normal hours.”  Landing a role at Google as a graduate will make most people put thoughts about their next moves on hold. Not for today’s 40 Minute Mentor.  We’re joined by the brilliant Simmy Dhillon, Founder of Simmer, the meal subscription service on a mission to nourish and delight through food by making eating well everyday easy and delicious.  What started out with cooking jerk chicken in his university dorm room, turned into one of the fastest-growing meal subscription services in the UK.  In today’s episode, we get a front row seat to their incredible journey and hear about:  ➡️ What celebrating diversity should actually look like [05:40]  ➡️ Simmy’s upbringing and where his entrepreneurial spirit comes from [07:47]  ➡️ Where the idea for Simmer came from and the humble beginnings of the business [10:24]  ➡️ How Rice & Spice evolved into Simmer [13:31]  ➡️ Why he couldn’t stop thinking about his side hustle, even after joining Google [16:20]  ➡️ The compromises you have to make when going all in on your side hustle [19:35]  ➡️ The difficulties of hiring in a bootstrapped business [21:57]  ➡️ Bootstrapping vs raising investment [22:54]  ➡️ The power of podcasts for early stage Founders [25:58]  ➡️ Working with celebrities [31:58]  ➡️ Why you should try Simmer and a special Birthday offer for you [34:48]  ➡️ Building a business with your family [38:35]  ➡️ Why you need to stay authentic when building your personal brand [40:39]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Simmy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simmydhillon/ ➡️ Check out Simmer: https://simmereats.com/ ➡️ Redeem your offer to get 50% off your first order, plus 25% off your first month following this link https://simmereats.com/?code=jbm50 or by using “JBM50” during check out    💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re looking at a role which has gained increasing popularity within the Startup and Scaleup world over the last 12 months - the Chief of Staff role.  To help us explore more of the day to day and the skills any aspiring CoS needs, we’re joined by:  📌 Emily Good, Chief of Staff at Lantum.  📌 Libby Dangoor, Chief of Staff at Multiverse.  📌 Simon Rodrigues, former Chief of Staff at Curio, now Founder & CEO at Saber Works.  They share tons of advice in this episode, including:  ➡️ How Libby, Emily and Simon became a Chief of Staff [01:25]  ➡️ How varied the day to day as a CoS is [07:02]  ➡️ The skills any aspiring Chief of Staff should work on [12:48]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Check out our Chief of Staff Secrets series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Z5v0dwtFJAVcQRHc3mW2I5db-g84xxc ➡️ Download the Chief of Staff Guide: https://mailchi.mp/jbmc/the-chief-of-staff-role-uncovered ➡️ More about Emily Good: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-good1/ ➡️ More about Libby Dangoor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/libby-dangoor-73b042a/ ➡️ More about Simon Rodrigues: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondejesusrodrigues/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s sad when you go into something with the idea of building a legacy and then that gets cut off. You have to realise, this is happening because you take risks, and that’s a good thing.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Abadesi Osunsade, DE&I leader and Founder & CEO of Hustle Crew, a inclusion education provider on a mission to create a world in which businesses are centred on inclusion, belonging and redistributing power.  Before building Hustle Crew, Abadesi followed a hugely successful career path in Tech - from roles at Product Hunt, Elpha, Amazon, HotelTonight and Groupon, where she was promoted after her first 8 months and helped scale her department 5X leading up to their record breaking IPO. Amongst all the success, Abadesi was also laid off twice in her career and is refreshingly honest about her experience, in today’s episode.  We chat about: ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [00:23]  ➡️ The obsession with raising funding and capital [05:05]  ➡️ Abadesi’s hugely successful career in Tech [07:45]  ➡️ Being the only black employee at HotelTonight and how that led to Hustle Crew [11:45]  ➡️ Getting stuck in the DE&I Founder echo chamber [13:00]  ➡️ Her experience of being made redundant, twice [16:22] ➡️ How to bounce back from layoffs and figure out what’s next [26:54]  ➡️ A podcast recommendation from us [30:30]  ➡️ Navigating layoffs as a Founder [31:44]  ➡️ The evolution of Hustle Crew [34:58]  ➡️ Why community building isn’t about size and not everyone needs to have one [40:12]  ➡️ Advice on getting into Tech [45:31]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Abadesi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abadesi/ ➡️ Check out Hustle Crew: https://www.hustlecrew.co/ ➡️ Get your copy of ‘Dream Big, Hustle Hard: https://www.hustlecrew.co/dream-big-hustle-hard ➡️ Read ‘Do Things That Don’t Scale’ by Paul Graham: http://paulgraham.com/ds.html   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re looking back on two 40 Minute Mentor episodes with two absolute trailblazers - Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon and Amali de Alwis.  Anne-Marie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Stemettes, an award-winning social enterprise working to inspire and support girls, young women and non-binary people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths careers. You may also know Anne-Marie from the popular Channel 4 show Countdown, or have come across her new book, ‘She’s In CTRL’.  Amali is the CEO of Subak, the world’s first not-for-profit accelerator that scales climate impact through data policy and behaviour change. Prior to joining Subak, she was CEO of Code First: Girls - the largest provider of free coding courses for women in the UK.  Anne-Marie and Amali shared so much great mentorship in their 40 Minute Mentor episodes. In today’s STEM career feature, we’ll focus on:  ➡️ Why a societal change is needed to make Tech more inclusive [01:54]  ➡️ How the industry itself is a barrier [04:21]  ➡️ The importance of just getting started and finding a community [08:01]  ➡️ Advice for more inclusive hiring practices [10:30]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Anne-Marie’s full 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/changing-the-face-of-stem-with-dr-anne-marie-imafidon-mbe/ ➡️ Amali’s full 40 Minute Mentor episode:  https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-amali-de-alwis-subak/ ➡️ More about ‘She’s In CTRL’: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/444767/shes-in-ctrl-by-imafidon-anne-marie/9781787635029 ➡️ More about Stemettes: https://stemettes.org/ ➡️ More about Subak: https://subak.org/ ➡️ More about Code First: Girls: https://codefirstgirls.com/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“A lot of people expected me and Joe to go off the rails. We almost had permission because of our childhood. Because of that, there was always a part of me that wanted to prove people wrong.”  In this inaugural episode of 40 Minute Mentor’s 9th Series, we’re joined by Nikki Wicks, the CEO of the legendary global fitness brand, The Body Coach.  There won’t be a lot of you who haven’t heard of Joe Wicks and The Body Coach, but today, we get a real inside scoop into how the brand grew to what it is today and the often unspoken challenges they faced along the way.  We find out:  ➡️ Why Nikki doesn’t consider himself to be entrepreneurial [05:09]  ➡️ The difficult balancing act of running a business and raising children [06:33]  ➡️ Joe and Nikki’s turbulent childhood and upbringing [09:06]  ➡️ How their upbringing has shaped Joe and Nikki’s relationship with each other [10:56]  ➡️ Nikki’s publishing career and why he became CEO [17:00]  ➡️ The realities of being a first-time CEO [22:15]  ➡️ More about our sponsor’s Alchemist [23:51]  ➡️ How The Body Coach went from 15 second Instagram videos to a book deal and a global brand [25:49]  ➡️ Building and scaling a team and why TBC had to restructure earlier this year [32:03]  ➡️ Keeping the purpose at the core of the brand [39:17]  ➡️ How Nikki and Joe work with each other [43:04]  ➡️ How to stick to your new year’s resolutions and form healthy habits [45:43]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Nikki Wicks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-wicks-15065661/ ➡️ Check out The Body Coach: https://www.thebodycoach.com/ ➡️ Listen back to our Sifted Summit episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/live-at-sifted-summit-purpose-v-profit-with-nikki-wicks-the-body-coach-emma-steele-ascension-amali-de-alwis-subak/   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To commemorate this year’s World Cancer Day, we’re looking back on one of our all-time favourite episodes, featuring the late Catherine Wines.  Catherine was the Co-Founder of WorldRemit, one of the fastest growing FinTechs in the UK, allowing people to send money to friends and family living abroad. Catherine was one of the most high-profile female leaders in FinTech and it came as a real shock to the industry when she lost her battle to stage 3 pancreatic cancer in 2020.  We have benefited first-hand from Catherine’s ongoing mentorship and support, and couldn’t think of a better way to raise awareness of and commemorate World Cancer Day, by re-sharing some of our favourite moments from our conversation with her.   In today’s episode, you’ll hear:  ➡️ How WorldRemit was born [01:44]  ➡️ Her advice for anyone wanting to break into the industry [04:25]  ➡️ How she dealt with her cancer diagnosis and how employers can support [06:08]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Catherine’s full-length 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/living-life-to-the-fullest-without-regret-with-catherine-wines/ ➡️ More about WorldRemit: https://www.worldremit.com/ ➡️ More about World Cancer Day and how you can get involved:  https://www.worldcancerday.org/   🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk   🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your pocket-sized career mentor is back with a brand new Series.  40 Minute Mentor was created to make business mentorship more accessible and raise aspirations. We do this, by interviewing the most brilliant leaders who are building exceptional, category-defining businesses.  Our guests have ranged from Tech CEO’s to Sustainability Entrepreneurs and from Investors to Olympic Gold Medallists.  And this Series will be no different.  For a little preview of what’s to come, check out our brand new Series 9 trailer.  💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🏆 Want to partner with us?  Do you want to get your brand in front of leading Startup Founders, Investors and C-Suite decision-makers, and attract some of the sharpest talent in the Startup/Scaleup scene? Get in touch with our Head of Marketing and Producer, Hannah to find out more about how we can co-produce content that will help you stand out and engage with over 40,000 loyal monthly listeners. You can reach her on hannah@jbmc.co.uk 🤝 Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Why is there a need to prove ourselves? Why are we in a situation where we’re not being treated equally as smart as any other ethnicity, especially when we’ve done all this great stuff throughout history?”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor feature episode, we’re joined by Samuel Tholley, a History Teacher and Founder of Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. In today’s episode, we find out:  ➡️ Why Samuel set up Hidden Pages [00:54]  ➡️ How his upbringing shaped Hidden Pages and his perception of Black History [03:57]  ➡️ Why these untold stories are so important [07:31]  ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [10:41]  ➡️ 5 brilliant historic figures we can all learn from [22:08]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Samuel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-tholley-758135105/ ➡️ More about Hidden Pages: https://www.instagram.com/_hiddenpages/?hl=en 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The key is to be niche on an audience, but fairly liberal in what’s the best way for you to interact with them. And particularly with how to monetise that audience.”  In this week’s ‘Where Are They Now’ feature episode, we’re joined by James McClure - experienced C-level Tech Exec, Angel Investor, Advisor and Executive Coach.  James has grown big names, like Airbnb and Google, internationally and scaled up VC-backed businesses, like SeatGeek and Adzuna, running the commercial operations in regional and global roles.  Since the last time he’s come on 40 Minute Mentor, James has made the move down under, officially turned his coaching, investing and advisory side hustle into a business and launched x2 online courses for busy tech execs.  In today’s episode, we find out:  ➡️ Why James decided to move to Australia [02:03]  ➡️ The importance of being active on social media, especially as a Solopreneur [05:22]  ➡️ Defining where you get your energy from and finding your audience [08:03] ➡️ More about our sponsors, Alchemist [10:59]  ➡️ What to expect from James’s online courses [12:06]  ➡️ The biggest lessons he’s learned as an angel investor [15:52]  ➡️ How Founders benefit from angel investors [19:02]  ➡️ More about his plans for 2023 [21:23]  ➡️ How you can partner with JBM/40 Minute Mentor [22:42]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmcclure/ ➡️ Sign up to “How To Angel Invest For Busy Tech Execs”: https://maven.com/reload-ventures/how-to-angel-invest ➡️ Sign up to “Scale Your Impact Beyond Your Authority”: https://coleap.cc/s4m 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“This idea of a lone genius that has all the answers does not solve anything, it only makes things worse.”  We’re back with a fresh episode of our ‘Where Are They Now’ feature Series, where we invite some of our most popular 40 Minute Mentors back on the podcast to discuss their latest news and insights.  This time, we’re joined by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, Co-Founder and CEO of Stemettes, Author, Podcast Host and Arithmetician on the popular Channel 4 show, Countdown.  In this episode, we find out:  ➡️ The story behind Anne-Marie’s new book, ‘She’s In CTRL’ [01:53] ➡️ What becoming an author was like for her and her advice for any aspiring writers [03:24]  ➡️ An insight into some of the fantastic stories featured in her book [06:50]  ➡️ More about our Sponsors, Alchemist [09:35] ➡️ The main message to take away from ‘She’s In CTRL’ [10:40]  ➡️ How she found this experience compared to writing a children’s book [12:06]  ➡️ What it’s really like to be on Countdown and the response she’s seen from it [13:40]  ➡️ Big plans for 2023 and what we can all look forward to seeing more of [16:05]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Anne-Marie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimafidon/ ➡️ Get your copy of ‘She’s In CTRL’: https://aimafidon.com/books/ ➡️ Check out Stemettes: https://stemettes.org/ 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The recession period felt awful, but actually during that time, even as a small business, we got to be the UK market leader, and all that with only five people working for us, at the time.”  To kick off 2023, we’re looking back on the latest Series of 40 Minute Mentor and hand pick some of the great advice our mentors shared with us, this time focused on the economic downturn and fundraising.  There’s still a lot of uncertainty and instability in the world and it’s hard to predict what 2023 will look like for most Tech Founders.  However, this isn’t the first recession for many Startup Founders out there, so we thought we’d share some of the brilliant advice from our latest Series, including:  ➡️ How Photobox became the UK market leader during a recession [01:55]  ➡️ Why you can still fundraise in this climate [03:41] ➡️ The metrics to focus on when fundraising as a mission-driven Startup [04:37]  ➡️ Why cold emails work in fundraising [06:12]  ➡️ How money alone won’t help you through the recession [07:09]  ➡️ Fundraising do’s and don’ts in this climate [07:28]  ➡️ Who to listen to when it comes to advice [09:56]  For the full 40 Minute Mentor episodes mentioned in this episode, head over to:  🎧 Graham Hobson: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-graham-hobson-photobox/ 🎧 Sho Sugihara: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-sho-sugihara-pave/ 🎧 Amali de Alwis: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-amali-de-alwis-subak/ 🎧 Ian Hogarth: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-ian-hogarth-plural-platform/ 🎧 James Lo: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-james-lo-mana/ 🎧 Molly Johnson-Jones: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-molly-johnson-jones-flexa/ 🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As 2022 is coming to an end, we take the chance to look back and reflect on the last 12 months of 40 Minute Mentor.  We did this, by asking some of the JBM team, our series sponsors and 40 Minute Mentor ambassadors for their favourite episodes of the year.  To listen back to the episodes mentioned in today’s episode, click through the list below:  🎧 Amali de Alwis: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-amali-de-alwis-subak/ 🎧 Dan Garrett: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/destigmatising-death-with-farewills-dan-garrett/ 🎧 Molly Johnson-Jones: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-molly-johnson-jones-flexa/ 🎧 Rachael Twumasi-Corson: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/feature-series-rachael-twumasi-corson-afrocenchix/ 🎧 James Lo: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-james-lo-mana/ 🎧 Sifted Summit Live Recording: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/live-at-sifted-summit-purpose-v-profit-with-nikki-wicks-the-body-coach-emma-steele-ascension-amali-de-alwis-subak/ 🎧 Job van der Voort: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-job-van-der-voort-remote/ 🎧 Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-baroness-tanni-grey-thompson/ 🎧 Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/from-olympic-gold-to-femtech-founder-with-dame-jessica-ennis-hill/   Thank you so much for all your support over this year and we can’t wait to see you again in the new year!  🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Where it does become an issue for you, the people around you, your team and your family, is when you are burning out, getting stressed and ill, because you’re not finding any balance at all.”  In this second part of our new 40 Minute Mentor mini-series, we learn more about the lessons our Founder, CEO and host of this podcast, James Mitra, learned over the last 10 years of building and scaling JBM.  If you haven’t caught up with the first part of the series, yet, make sure you check it out here:  https://40-minute-mentor.simplecast.com/episodes/part-1-10-lessons-from-10-years-of-scaling-jbm-with-james-mitra-founder-ceo-of-jb-VKWGjvCD  Today, we learn about:  ➡️ The importance of long-term partnerships [01:08]  ➡️ The impossible task of finding balance as a Founder [05:16]  ➡️ Why you need to listen to your gut more [10:18]  ➡️ Learn more about our Series Sponsors, Alchemist [14:52]  ➡️ Why hiring is incredibly difficult, even when recruitment is your day job [15:34]  ➡️ The importance of letting your hires leave on good terms, when it doesn’t work out [19:23]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about James Mitra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmitra-jbm/ ➡️ More about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/ 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I’m ashamed to say I was a bit embarrassed at times when I went to dinner parties and told people what I did for a living. There was always this reputation of sharky, dishonest recruiters.”  This week, we’re launching the first of a special two-part Series on 40 Minute Mentor.  JBM turned 10 years old this year and we’re officially turning the microphone and sharing our own Startup story.  In today’s episode, our Founder, CEO and Host of this podcast, James Mitra, will share how JBM was started and the ups and downs along the way, including:  ➡️ The importance of building relationships [2:08]  ➡️ JBM’s mission and how this drives us as a team [04:00]  ➡️ The mistakes James made along the way and how he overcame them [06:12] ➡️ Learn more about our Series sponsors, Alchemist [11:26]  ➡️ The power of mentorship and why that’s always been the foundation of JBM [12:08]  ➡️ How personal branding has made all the difference over the years [14:07]  For more startup lessons, tune back in next week for part 2 of this mini-series.    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about James Mitra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmitra-jbm/ ➡️ More about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I realised that for the first time in my career, I reported to a board and investors, but the decisions were on me. It was all on me.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Stuart Packham, CEO of our Series Sponsor’s Alchemist, JBM board advisor and longtime mentor and friend of team JBM.  Our host, James Mitra, and Stu have known each other for years, dating back to their days at Michael Page, so it was extra special to have Alchemist as our Series sponsor and Stu joining us on the podcast today.  We chat about:  ➡️ Stu’s journey through recruitment and into learning and development [02:05] ➡️ Why recruitment is such a great foundation to your career [04:36]  ➡️ His transition from recruitment to learning and development [07:58]  ➡️ Why becoming a CEO was a much bigger shift than expected [10:47]  ➡️ How he puts being people-centric first [14:00]  ➡️ The imposter syndrome that comes with being CEO [15:42]  ➡️ Realities of merging two businesses into one [18:43]  ➡️ How Alchemist approaches L&D differently [22:51]  ➡️ Transitioning from 98% face to face L&D sessions to digital and virtual sessions [25:56]  ➡️ The benefits of bringing on external partners to help with hiring [29:42]  ➡️ Why now is the time to put together a risk plan and not ignore the downturn [33:47]  ➡️ What the future holds for Alchemist [35:59]  ➡️ The advantages of being a board advisor [38:02]  ➡️ Why Alchemist partnered with JBM and the results they’ve seen so far [40:06]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Stu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartpackham/ ➡️ More about Alchemist: https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/     🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Series 8 of 40 Minute Mentor has officially come to a close.  It’s been 12 weeks of brilliant mentorship from some of the best in the industry, including: ➡️ Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Britain's greatest Paralympian and Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords  ➡️ Graham Hobson, Founder of Photobox ➡️ Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Flexa ➡️ Sho Sugihara, Founder and CEO of Pave ➡️ Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak ➡️ Ian Hogarth, Co-Founder of Plural Platform ➡️ Emma Steele, Partner at Ascension  ➡️ Nikki Wicks, CEO of The Body Coach  ➡️ Job van der Voort, Co-Founder and CEO of Remote ➡️ Simone Maini, CEO of Elliptic ➡️ James Lo, Co-Founder and CEO of Mana ➡️ Elizabeth Uviebinené, Award-winning author and Founder of Storia ➡️ Joe Robinson, CEO of Improbable Defence ➡️ Eleanor Kaye, Executive Director at Newton Venture Program ➡️ Ellie Mckay, property entrepreneur and host of the 'On a Mission' Podcast Thanks so much to all of you for your support throughout this Series. If you’re not all caught up yet, make sure you have a look through the archives and stay tuned for some special feature episodes dropping soon.  And if you have any recommendations or feedback for Series 9 launching next year, please feel free to contact our producer Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When people say that money doesn't make you happy, they've often not experienced both extremes." For our final 40 Minute Mentor episode of this Series, we’re joined by Ellie McKay, property entrepreneur and host of the popular ‘On A Mission’ Podcast.  Not long ago, Ellie’s life was barely recognisable - raising three children under the age of five, battling postnatal depression and facing redundancy.  Fast forward to today, Ellie is a serial entrepreneur, building a multi-million-pound property portfolio.  How she got here and the main lessons learned throughout her journey, she shares with us in today’s episode.  We talk about:  ➡️ Watching her parent’s business and marriage dissolve [05:56]  ➡️ How those childhood experiences shaped her [08:50]  ➡️ The failure of her first property investment [11:50]  ➡️ Becoming a career advisors in prisons [13:00]  ➡️ Advice for those looking for work after having been to prison [16:47]  ➡️ Facing redundancy with three children under the age of five [20:31]  ➡️ The moment when she knew she had to turn her life around [23:04] ➡️ Advice for anyone facing redundancy [25:35]  ➡️ James’ podcast recommendation [28:34]  ➡️ Getting back into the property business [29:57]  ➡️ Advice for other wanting to get into property [32:53]  ➡️ Building a business with her husband and navigating conflict [35:15]  ➡️ More about her ‘On A Mission’ Podcast [40:16]  ➡️ Her most memorable interviews [43:08]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Ellie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-mckay/ ➡️ Listen to On A Mission: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/on-a-mission-podcast/id1547571458 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Don't think because you perhaps don't have a typical background for VC, that you're not welcomed. That's actually far from the truth.” In our penultimate episode of this 40 Minute Mentor series, we’re joined by Eleanor Kaye, Executive Director at Newton Venture Program.  Newton is a joint venture between London Business School and Local Globe VC, on a mission to ensure the next generation of VCs represents the world we all live in, by running programmes for people from overlooked or under-estimated backgrounds who want to break into VC or accelerate their career in the sector.  As social mobility and diversity are topics very close to our heart at JBM, we’re huge fans of the work Eleanor and the Newton Venture team are doing.  In today’s episode, we find out:  ➡️ The difficulties of returning to work after being on parental leave [05:22] ➡️ Her unconventional path into VC [06:43]  ➡️ How she overcame her initial imposter syndrome [11:01]  ➡️ The day to day of an Executive Director at Newton [12:44]  ➡️ Advantages of an operational background [14:44]  ➡️ A note from our sponsors, Alchemist [20:45]  ➡️ The joint venture between London Business School and Local Globe VC [21:38] ➡️ How to apply to Newton Venture Program [27:26] ➡️ Leveling the playing field in VC [30:31]  ➡️ Retaining diverse talent [32:08]  ➡️ Advice for diverse Founders fundraising [35:15]  ➡️ Europe’s VC landscape and why you should consider a career in VC [36:30]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Eleanor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanorkaye/ ➡️ More about Newton Ventures Program: https://newtonprogram.vc/   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s okay not to know. It’s not okay not to learn.”  The Metaverse often makes headlines, but what does it really mean?  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Joe Robinson, the CEO of Improbable Defence. Improbable is a British Metaverse technology Scaleup and Unicorn, that partners with video game developers, entertainment companies and defence institutions to help them bring to life rich, powerful, virtual worlds of unprecedented size, scale, ambition and usefulness.  We’ve had the huge pleasure of working with Joe and the Improbable team, and we’re so excited to share a bit more about their incredible journey and Joe’s impressive career journey to date.  In today’s episode, we chat about:  ➡️ Why leadership doesn’t have to have all the answers [04:38]  ➡️ The importance of mental resilience and resetting priorities [05:44]  ➡️ Joe’s 10 years at the Ministry of Defence [07:06]  ➡️ What the military has taught him about team dynamic [08:34]  ➡️ How you build resilience and why empathy is the key to it [11:43]  ➡️ What Improbable does and how it works in Defence [15:27]  ➡️ Why the CEO role is the worst defined job of all [20:12]  ➡️ Lack of sleep, accountability and making decisions as CEO [23:20]  ➡️ Joe’s definition of the Metaverse [25:37]  ➡️ How you put company values into day to day practice [30:59]  ➡️ Making your values part of your company’s DNA [35:28]  ➡️ Why you can’t lose track of the ultimate value you’re building [39:42]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-robinson-20b2664b/ ➡️ More about Improbable: https://www.improbable.io/ 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/ to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages:  For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience.  We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from. This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We don’t just recruit for mission alignment, but for mission obsession. You can spot a mission obsessed person from a mile away - they almost can’t contain it within them.”  In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we talk about all things hiring - the importance of getting hiring right and how hiring for values can help with that.  In almost every conversation we have with Founders, hiring is referenced as a real pain point and something that’s difficult to get right but can be detrimental for a Startup when you get it wrong.  Throughout today’s episode we’ll hear the best hiring advice from some of our previous 40 Minute Mentors, including:  ➡️ Wing Chan, Co-Founder & CEO of Sourceful ➡️ Tessa Clarke, Co-Founder & CEO of OLIO  ➡️ Margot de Broglie, Co-Founder of Your Juno ➡️ Rachael Twumasi-Corson, the Founder & CEO of Afrocenchix  ➡️ Dan Garrett, Co-Founder & CEO of Farewill    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Write what you know. Two black girls from South London wrote a book that resonates with 1000s of people around the world.” In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Elizabeth Uviebinené, the multi-award-winning author, columnist at The Financial Times, and Founder of Storia.  After starting her career in marketing, Elizabeth went on to publish five books, including her debut Bestseller ‘Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible’ which won many awards and was critically acclaimed.  Now, Elizabeth has stepped into the Founder world, with her new exciting Startup, Storia - the first app dedicated to guided mindful writing to help you develop new perspectives, gain clarity and understand yourself better.  In today’s episode, we chat about: ➡️ Why sometimes it’s not your job to convince other people of your work [04:26]  ➡️ How growing up without her mum shaped her [08:01]  ➡️ Why she started out in a corporate marketing job [09:57]  ➡️ The ways in which she was treated differently at work and how that turned into ‘Slay In Your Lane’ [12:21] ➡️ Becoming an author and what she’s most proud of [16:37]  ➡️ Why inclusion & equality needs to be championed by leadership teams [21:03]  ➡️ The inspiration behind ‘The Reset’ and easy steps to look after your wellbeing [23:56]  ➡️ Why aspiring authors should focus on writing what they know [34:31]  ➡️ Why she’s building Storia and what her experience as a first-time Founder has taught her so far [38:21]  ➡️ What to expect from Storia [42:46]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Elizabeth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-uviebinene/ ➡️ Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38202269-slay-in-your-lane ➡️ The Reset: Ideas To Change How We Work: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57094682-the-reset?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=JZzmmgH23r&rank=1 ➡️ More about Storia: https://storia-app.webflow.io/ 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The beauty of a portfolio career is that it gives you lots of flexibility and variety. And that’s been the number one reason a lot of people are choosing this path.”  In this bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we discuss a topic which has increasingly become more popular amongst our candidates - portfolio careers.  You’ll find out:  ➡️ Why this has become such an interesting option for high-performing talent and an attractive solution for clients alike  ➡️ The factors to keep in mind before you start building your portfolio career  ➡️ Why it might not be the right career for you  ➡️ How JBM SOS is connecting fractional talent with more flexible opportunities  Plus, we talk about our exciting new partnership with Career Paths, a mentorship platform, on a mission to make mentorship more accessible and provide an easy way for industry leaders to pay it forward.  Find out more about Career Paths here: https://careerpaths.io/   ⭐ Enjoyed this episode? ⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I’ve been rejected by every ideal university I imagined I wanted to go to, at least 50 jobs I interviewed for and by 130 VC funds in fundraising so far.” In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by James Lo, Co-Founder and CEO of Mana - the app designed to help everyone make a living by sharing their passion.  James started his entrepreneurial journey early, founding an educational social enterprise at the age of 16, before following a more traditional Founder path of consulting at McKinsey and time at the VC SoftBank Vision Fund.  His latest venture, Mana, have been on an incredible journey, including an impressive £1.5 million pre-seed funding round, led by Flash Ventures and Global Founders Capital.  Today, we find out more about James’s journey with Mana and beyond, including:  ➡️ His upbringing in Hong Kong and the inspiration for his first social enterprise [05:09]  ➡️ The importance of a sustainable business model [09:07]  ➡️ Why he turned down his university offers and went protesting instead [12:49] ➡️ The crucial skills he learned at McKinsey [17:46]  ➡️ His window into WeWork through his time at SoftBank Vision Found [21:44] ➡️ The story behind Mana [25:17]  ➡️ Why the initial concept of Mana failed and what he learned from it [30:33]  ➡️ The key components for getting a pivot right [35:42]  ➡️ How to responsibly let people go [40:20] ➡️ Mana’s culture and what James looks for when hiring [44:53]  ➡️ His funding experience [48:44] ➡️ Why VC is in need of some fundamental changes [51:38] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yfjameslo/ ➡️ More about Mana: https://mana.live/qr?shortlink=1asclcd4&is_retargeting=true&pid=QR_code   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/ to find out more.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Within 24 hours, we said goodbye to all our corporate partners and set off on a new path.”  In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we chat more about the pivot that turned JBM into the search firm it is today.  James Mitra, Founder of JBM and Host of 40 Minute Mentor, talks us through why he decided to pivot the business, the drastic decision he had to make and why transparency, empathy and mentorship were so crucial to the success of the pivot.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Even CEOs have those moments of doubt and vulnerability. I continually have to work on making sure that I'm balancing the journey with enjoying the journey.”  This week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode features Simone Maini, CEO of Elliptic, a FinTech helping businesses make the crypto economy a safe place to transact and invest by managing financial crime in crypto.  Having had the pleasure of working with Elliptic and Simone on some key senior hires into their growing team, we’ve seen firsthand what a great culture they’re building.  Today, we’ll find out:  ➡️ The doubt and vulnerability that comes with being a CEO [03:25]  ➡️ Her squiggly path to becoming CEO [05:05]  ➡️ The skills needed to transition from COO to CEO [08:21]  ➡️ Why Elliptic’s mission was so compelling and how she adapted to the complex nature of the industry [12:53]  ➡️ How she managed to overcome her imposter syndrome after not having had any industry experience before joining Elliptic [16:28]  ➡️ What makes Elliptic’s culture so special [19:28]  ➡️ Simone’s candid advice for any aspiring and first time CEOs [24:18]  ➡️ Why it doesn’t have to be lonely at the top [28:13]  ➡️ Her highlights from Elliptic’s hypergrowth journey and what their next chapter looks like [36:50]  ➡️ What needs to happen to level the playing field in the industry and the steps Elliptic are taking to attract more diverse talent [42:00]  ➡️ What the future of crypto looks like [44:52]  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Simone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-maini/ ➡️ More about Elliptic: https://www.elliptic.co/ ➡️ More advice for COOs: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Z5v0dwtFJBgzci-62Z40woc6yp1-7A6 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/ to find out more.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There is nothing wrong with doubting yourself. Having a bit of self doubt is good, because it means you’re constantly trying to improve, grow and evolve.”  In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we tackle a topic that is often discussed amongst Founders and leaders - imposter syndrome.  Having experienced imposter syndrome on many occasions over the last 10 years of leading JBM, our host James Mitra shares some of the advice that has helped him to push through self doubt.  Plus, we hear again from two previous 40 Minute Mentors - Michelle You of Supercritical and Amelia Sordell of Klowt, and their own experience with imposter syndrome.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Michelle You’s 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/from-exiting-songkick-to-tackling-the-climate-crisis-with-supercriticals-michelle-you/  ➡️ Amelia Sordell’s 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/the-power-of-personal-branding-with-amelia-sordell-founder-of-klowt/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you're not in a situation where you can safely take a year or two to start your own business, you probably shouldn't do it.” In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Job van der Voort, Co-Founder and CEO of Remote, the FinTech empowering companies of all sizes to pay and manage workers in 50+ countries all over the world.  Having always had a desire to start his own business, Job joined GitLab early on in their journey and spent 5 years with them growing the business, before setting up Remote.  And what an incredible journey Job and his Co-Founder, Marcelo Lebre have been on - having scaled from 2 to 800 employees in just 3 years, all of course, entirely remotely.  Job gave us a real insight into his journey as a Founder, with all the ups and downs that came with it, in today’s episode.  We chat about:  ➡️ What it was like to scale GitLab, before remote working was considered as a viable option in many industries [04:50]  ➡️ The challenges of being up against a much bigger and better funded competitor [07:13]  ➡️ Where the inspiration for Remote came from [09:47]  ➡️ Job’s advice for anyone thinking about starting their own business and how you can easily test your business idea, even today [13:07]  ➡️ How Remote evolved over the years and what some of the biggest challenges were along the way [17:08]  ➡️ Remote’s fundraising experience and Job’s advice for any Founders looking to raise investment [20:09]  ➡️ The lessons from scaling the team from 2 to 800 and why everyone in the room needs to understand how to interview effectively [24:57]  ➡️ How to build an effective and inclusive onboarding process [31:03]  ➡️ Why kindness sits at the core of Remote’s team culture [34:29]  ➡️ How remote work is really about the freedom to choose an alternative and what the future of work may look like [37:47]  ➡️ Why Job avoids meetings as much as he can [41:41]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Job: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobvo/ ➡️ More about Remote: https://remote.com/   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When your values are so set and embedded in what you do, then anything that doesn’t line up with them, is a ‘No’.”  This 40 Minute Mentor episode, is the live recording we were honoured to host at this year’s Sifted Summit in London.  Our panel discussion was all about putting purpose over profit and accelerating impact - a topic that has gained a lot of traction over the last years.  Gone are the days in which top talent are looking to go into Banking, Consulting or Investing. Now the best of the best are on a mission to find companies and Founders with a strong purpose, to really make a difference in the world.  And there are so many truly purpose driven Founders out there, many of which we’ve had the great pleasure of featuring on 40 Minute Mentor, including today’s panel, for which we were joined by:  ➡️ Emma Steele, Partner at Ascension, an early-stage VC built by exited entrepreneurs to back the next generation of tech and impact Founders.  ➡️ Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak, the world’s first not-for-profit accelerator that scales climate impact through data, policy and behaviour change.  ➡️ Nikki Wicks, CEO of The Body Coach, the popular fitness brand behind Joe Wicks, on a mission to get people moving and live a healthier life.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There's a very long list of these iconic companies that actually weren't started by first time Founders.” In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Ian Hogarth, a hugely accomplished Entrepreneur, Angel Investor and Co-Founder of Plural Platform, an exciting new early-stage platform dedicated to investing in Europe’s next generation of tech companies with global ambitions.  If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you may recognise Ian’s name from a previous episode, in which we were joined by one of his former Songkick Co-Founders, Michelle You.  Ian served as Songkick’s CEO for 8 years, scaling the business to $100m in sales and 120 employees, before eventually exiting to Warner Music Group.  It was such a privilege to have Ian join us on the podcast and share so much great mentorship, including:  ➡️ How he found his passion for creating something new [05:09]  ➡️ How this passion led him to create Songkick [08:16] ➡️ The many lessons he learned as a first time CEO and why external mentorship was such a crucial part of his journey [11:09]  ➡️ Why you shouldn’t hire people who can’t be replaced and why some hires can completely change your business [14:29]  ➡️ How his experience with loss influenced his decision to step away from Songkick and the important lessons this has taught him [19:13]  ➡️ Why he jumped back in the Founder seat and the mission behind Plural [24:42] ➡️ Why Plural isn’t following a VC model and what changes it’ll drive in Europe [28:16]  ➡️ What it really takes to be an incredible Founder [32:52] ➡️ The types of businesses he’s personally looking to invest in [36:44]  ➡️ His advice for any diverse Founders looking for investment and the importance of mapping out the investors you’re going to approach [38:48]  ➡️ Plural’s north star and the plan to get there [40:58]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Ian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianhogarth/ ➡️ More about Plural Platform: https://pluralplatform.com/  ➡️ Songkick Co-Founder, Michelle You’s episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/from-exiting-songkick-to-tackling-the-climate-crisis-with-supercriticals-michelle-you/   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The more we talk about mental health, the more we normalise it and hopefully help save lives.”   This year’s World Mental Health Day theme is ‘making mental health and wellbeing a global priority for all’ - something we’ve spoken about a lot on 40 Minute Mentor over the years.  Whether it’s our mental health panel discussions, the day to day lived experience of mental health of the Founders we chat to, or purpose-driven Founders like James Routlegde, who is empowering people to connect with themselves and the world around them through coaching and community with Sanctus - making mental health a topic that is more openly talked about, has always been a core driver for our podcast.  Today’s bite-sized episode gets a bit more personal.  Our host and JBM Founder, James Mitra talks more about his own journey with his mental health as a Founder and shares some of the valuable advice he’s received over the years.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk For more mental health resources:  ➡️ Mental Health Foundation – https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk    ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123  ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 ➡️ Our 40 Minute Mentor Mental Health Roundtable conversation: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/encouraging-conversations-about-mental-health/ ➡️ 40 Minute Mentor James Routledge from Sanctus: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/putting-the-first-mental-health-gym-on-the-high-street-with-james-routledge/   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to  https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/ to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If we’re trying to say that the only way to find answers and the only way to fund climate issues is through equity based investment, it’s just not going to work. It doesn’t suit every type of business.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak, the world’s first not-for-profit accelerator that scales climate impact through data, policy and behaviour change.  Prior to joining the team at Subak, Amali was Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups UK and CEO of Code First: Girls. Amali is a woman of many talents who wears many hats, including being a Board member at Ada National College for Digital Skills and the Raspberry Pi Foundation.  It was a great honour to have Amali join us on the podcast and she shares some really insightful mentorship, including:  ➡️ What her nonlinear career has taught her and why changing careers frequently can have positive effects on your trajectory [05:46]  ➡️ How she landed her first CEO role [12:39]  ➡️ Amali’s journey with Code First: Girls and the milestones she’s most proud of [16:22]  ➡️ What the tech industry needs to do to level the playing field and make it more accessible for women and especially women from underrepresented backgrounds [20:41]  ➡️ Why you just need to get started if you’re looking to get into tech [26:06]  ➡️ Subak’s incredible mission and why Amali got involved [28:19]  ➡️ What Founders can expect from the accelerator [32:16] ➡️ Why equity based investment can simply not be the only solution to tackle climate challenges [34:42] ➡️ Why we all need to start understanding the data behind climate change [36:32]  ➡️ The importance of having a strong board of advisors [39:17]  ➡️ How Amali juggles her many responsibilities and why being a board advisor makes her a better CEO [41:51]    💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/ to find out more.    📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit!  We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th.  To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for your Startup ticket on www.summit.sifted.eu   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sometimes you can use difficult times to come up with incredible new ideas. It’s a great opportunity to get your team to think creatively and empower them to come to you with suggestions and try new things. It's probably going to be pretty scrappy, but you never know, it might just be the making of your business.”  In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we talk about navigating challenging times, as a Founder and business leader.  James reflects on the pandemic and shares some of the best advice he’s received over the years and some insights into how he’s applied the advice during difficult times for JBM, including:  ➡️ Increasing your transparency and communication with the team [1:43] ➡️ Leila Zegna’s advice on reminding yourself of what you can and can’t control [3:20]  ➡️ The importance of having a great board of advisors and mentors [5:18]  ➡️ And why this could be a great time for you to innovate and come up with new ideas for your business [6:27]    📅 Join us at The Sifted Summit!  We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th.  To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for your General Admissions ticket on https://sifted-summit-2022.reg.buzz/splash   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It's really demotivating in the early days to keep building, keep building but nothing seems to happen. You need tenacity and planning skills to get you through that.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Sho Sugihara, Founder and CEO of Pave, the FinTech-for-good helping customers improve their credit score and history with bill monitoring and credit building.  Sho started his career working with NGOs around the world, driven by the desire to build a world free of financial inequality which led him to start Pave, out of Entrepreneur First in 2017.  In this episode, we learn more about his brilliant journey with Pave alongside his candid advice and mentorship for any aspiring Founders, including:  ➡️ How his education has shaped him into the leader he is today [04:50]  ➡️ Where Sho got his entrepreneurial spirit from and why he went into consulting before starting Pave [07:05]  ➡️ The most difficult part of switching from a consulting mindset to a Founder mindset [13:48]  ➡️ How becoming a Deliveroo driver shaped the early days of Pave [16:05]  ➡️ How the business has evolved since and why it’s so important to evolve your product with the market climate [19:58]  ➡️ How Pave have shifted from a pure B2C product to a B2B offering [25:27]  ➡️ The importance of getting the hiring of your leadership team right [28:09]  ➡️ Why tenacity and conviction will set you apart as a Founder in tougher economic times [30:44] ➡️ Small but meaningful things we can all do to improve our financial health [32:25]  ➡️ Why Founders need to think about their bigger purpose before starting a business [34:32]  ➡️ How Sho’s own leadership style has evolved over the years and his own battles with imposter syndrome [38:09]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Sho: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoalexander/ ➡️ More about Pave: https://www.paveapp.com/ ➡️More about the Unrest Accelerator: https://www.unrest.world/   📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit!  We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th.  To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for your General Administration ticket on https://sifted-summit-2022.reg.buzz/splash    💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

40 Minute Mentor LIVE and in person!  We’re attending Sifted Summit on Thursday, October 6th, to record a live panel discussion with some of the most inspiring purpose-driven Founders and Investors.  If you haven’t heard of Sifted Summit before, it’s the Startup event of the year, bringing startup Europe under one roof with new perspectives, new opportunities and new chances to collaborate.  Our 40 Minute Mentor session at 2pm on the Thursday will be all about ‘Purpose Over Profit’ and will feature an amazing panel, including:  ➡️ Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak  ➡️ Dr. Anna Hushlak, Co-founder and CSO of Ferly  ➡️ Emma Steele, Partner at Ascension  ➡️ Nikki Wicks, CEO of The Body Coach   Listen to today’s episode to learn a bit more about why this is such a relevant topic, who has already championed purpose-driven businesses on the podcast and why more and more candidates are looking to join purpose-driven businesses.  📅 Secure your free ticket!  To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for a General Attendee ticket on  https://sifted-summit-2022.reg.buzz/splash  💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at  hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The biggest shift in the candidate market is that people care just as much about how they work as what they do.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Flexa.  Flexa is a global directory of verified flexible companies that lists companies by vacancies and flexibility percentage scores, benchmarked against thousands of data points.  We’re proud partners of Flexa and were ‘flexified’ earlier in 2022. That’s why we were so excited to catch up with Molly on the podcast, share her story and the incredible journey Flexa have been on.  Molly shares some truly candid insights into her own journey and the future of flexible working, including:  ➡️Her unfair dismissal from investment banking and how she bounced back after [06:43] ➡️Why she started Flexa and how it works for candidates and employers [14:36]  ➡️ The hardest parts of being a first-time Founder [18:33]   ➡️ Why investing in your mental health is so important [20:00]  ➡️ Her advice for any aspiring Founders [22:23]   ➡️ What it’s like to found a business with your partner and why it held them back when raising funding [24:31]   ➡️ Why flexibility means choice and how employers can embrace flexible working [31:33]  ➡️ The cases in which stripping back flexibility can be beneficial [33:48]   ➡️ How employers can attract more talent in a very competitive market [36:31]   ➡️ What do the next 5 to 10 years of flexible working look like [40:53]   ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Molly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-johnson-jones/ ➡️ More about Flexa: https://flexa.careers/ ➡️ JBM on Flexa: https://flexa.careers/companies/jbm   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit!  We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th.  To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for a Startup ticket on on www.summit.sifted.eu   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We’ve really found that added flexibility has been an amazing way to attract talent, retain talent, and give everybody a chance to work in a way they want to work.”  In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we talk about all things flexible working and the way in which we’ve implemented more flexible ways of working here at JBM.  We touch on the various benefits we introduced to the JBM team over the past 12 months, what’s been working the best and the lessons we learned along the way.  Whether you’d like to find out more about how you can benefit as an employer or you’d just like some candid insights into what is working and what isn’t when it comes to flexible working at JBM - there’s something for everyone in this bite-sized episode.  💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at  hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Entrepreneurship is a process of natural selection. You can't ever guarantee that the playbook you're going to follow is going to guarantee success.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Graham Hobson, the Founder of Photobox, a photo printing company that acquired Moonpig and was later sold for a reported £400 million. Today, Graham is an angel investor, mentor and advisor, working to support climate change initiatives, fairer tax and social impact.  In this episode, Graham shares candid insights into the brilliant journey he’s taken Photobox on and the chapter that followed, including:  ➡️ How Graham’s upbringing and natural inclination to not follow a traditional path has brought him to entrepreneurship [07:54]  ➡️ Why social mobility played a huge part into the leader he is today [09:37]  ➡️ How Photobox was created on Graham’s commute to and from work and what the early years were like [11:58]  ➡️ How Graham and his Co-Founder Mark navigated the bumpy growth journey Photobox was on  [18:38]  ➡️ Graham’s candid advice for anyone looking to merge businesses [23:37]  ➡️ How he transitioned from CEO to CTO and the challenges that came with that [26:56]  ➡️ Why Photobox acquired Moonpig and what exiting the business was like for him [30:11]  ➡️ Why it didn’t take a long time for Graham to get back into work after exiting Photobox and his advice for any Founders preparing for their exit [34:12] ➡️ Graham’s involvement in driving for higher taxes for the Wealthy and why this is a topic so close to his heart [40:58]  ➡️ What Founders should keep in mind as they navigate the economic downturn and impending recession [47:52]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Graham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamhobson ➡️ More about Photobox: https://www.photobox.co.uk/   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    Pacaso - a co-ownership platform for luxury homes. Picasso curates stunning holiday homes in top vacation destinations around the world. Find out more over on https://www.pacaso.com/   📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit!  We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th.  To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREEE on on www.summit.sifted.eu   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There are so many opportunities out there for Founders. If you decide to step away, I can promise you there will be lots of people that will want to hire you.”  This week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, is all about knowing when to stay as a Founder and when to exit - something we talk a lot about with Founders, including in our upcoming episode with Graham Hobson.  Over the next 4 minutes, James shares his insights on what Founders need to think about when deciding whether to transition to CEO or stepping away to pastures new and the many opportunities that lie ahead for exited Founders.  💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    📅Join us at the Sifted Summit!  We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th. To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREEE on on www.summit.sifted.eu   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at  hannah@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“In the whole of my career, I lost more races than I won. I think people like to look at the medals, but don’t necessarily look at the other side of it.”  40 Minute Mentor is officially back for Series 8!  We’re kicking off this new series with the amazing Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Britain’s greatest Paralympic athlete, who has won 11 Gold medals and broke 30 world records throughout her career.  Following her competing years, Tanni was created a life peer and is a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords.  In today’s episode, we get a really candid insight into Tanni’s life and career, including:  ➡️ Why setbacks have been so important to her success as a Paralympian [03:10] ➡️ Her upbringing and why her parents fought to keep her in a mainstream school [04:09] ➡️ What made her fall in love with wheelchair racing and what it was like to make the British squad at age 17 [07:27] ➡️ Her experience of her first Paralympics and the journey to Seoul [09:39]  ➡️ How you consistently push yourself and build the resilience to keep going [13:52]  ➡️ Why she never saw anything as a sacrifice [15:57] ➡️ Why breaking the 400 meter world record stands out from all her successes [20:50]  ➡️ How she decided to retire and her advice for anyone transitioning careers [22:30]  ➡️ How she transitioned to a career in Politics and the issues closest to her heart [27:41] ➡️ Why getting into sports is such a great opportunity and how people can get motivated [31:32] ➡️ And why it’s so important to open up and talk to people when the going gets tough [33:04]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Tanni: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanni-grey-thompson-9a6b84a6/ ➡️ For mental health support, we recommend:  Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk The Samaritans can be reached on 116 12 And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you feel that you can be your vulnerable self, and you can bring your true self to work, you’re going to push yourself outside your comfort zone and achieve more.” In addition to our usual 40 Minute Mentor episode on Wednesdays, we’re launching a brand new bite-sized mentorship format.  Starting today, every Monday, you can tune in and spend 4 minutes with JBM Founder and 40 Minute Mentor host, James Mitra.  We’ll be covering some of the most popular topics we get asked about, share first-hand experiences and mentorship; and you’ll get a chance to submit your questions at the end of every episode.  Today’s episode is all about resilience.  James shares his own experience of building resilience, within himself and the JBM team, why he almost threw in the towel 5 years ago and what 3 things helped him stick with it and turn JBM into what it is today.    ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Plus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

40 Minute Mentor, your pocket-sized career mentor, is back with a brand new series! From purpose-led Founders to Olympic champions; learn first-hand from today’s successful leaders on what it takes to be brilliant, all in just 40 minutes. To get a little preview of what's coming your way over the coming months, hit play on our Series 8 trailer.    ⭐Enjoying 40 Minute Mentor?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.  To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Every single problem that you’re experiencing in your business today, there’s somebody out there that has solved it.”  To round off our 40 Minute Mentor ‘Early Stage Founders’ Feature Series, we’re joined by Nathan Chan, Founder and CEO of global media and education company, Foundr.  Foundr provide training from the world’s greatest entrepreneurs through magazines, podcasts, videos, articles and online courses, to inspire their worldwide community of entrepreneurs.  As a seasoned 40 Minute Mentor listener, you’ll see the obvious synergy between Foundr and our podcast, so we were really excited to include Nathan in this feature series, sharing his own ups and downs of being a Founder and the lessons he has learnt from interviewing some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.  Some of these lessons include:  How becoming a Founder sparked his ambition and drive [05:15]  What helped him through the early stage knock-backs [07:25]  How he’s pivoted Foundr from a magazine to an education and media business [11:47] The lessons he’s learned from hiring mistakes and an early doors lawsuit [16:50] What he’s learned from interviewing some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs [18:49] How he landed those big names to begin with and his advice for landing big name clients [24:06] How he measures impact from the community Foundr is building [26:43] Why Justin Bieber’s Manager has left the biggest impression on him [28:27] The traits that most successful Founders have in common [31:31]  Plus, the biggest advice he can give to any aspiring Founders [33:44]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ More about Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhchan/➡️ More about Foundr: https://foundr.com/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“This is an industry where 78% of products that are targeted to black women contain horrible toxic ingredients. There was a paper that came out that linked parabens in black hair care products to breast cancer growth in black women. Nothing you use to groom yourself should be making you sick.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor ‘Early Stage Founder’ feature series episode, we’re joined by Rachael Twumasi-Corson, the Founder and CEO of black-owned haircare business, Afrocenchix.  Afrocenchix are on a mission to put health first in haircare, and people and planet before profit. They do this by using environmentally friendly preservatives, ethically sourced, organic and vegan certified ingredients.  Their brilliant work has been recognised by multiple awards, a thriving community of loyal customers in more than 54 countries and world-class investors backing their mission, including Google’s Black Founders Fund.  However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Rachael and in today’s episode we hear very candid stories, including the successes and the setbacks that led to them, including:  Why interviews don’t always give you the full picture of a potential hire [03:03]  How having children has changed her as a Founder and business leader [06:01]  How her upbringing fuelled her entrepreneurial spirit [11:07]  What her University experience was like and how a kitchen lab in her student house saw the beginnings of Afrocenchix [16:49]  Why touching someone’s hair is an invasion of space and a microaggression which needs to stop [25:45] What makes Afrocenchix such a special D2C business [31:01]  How D2C Founders can prepare for the recession [33:45]  The do’s and don’ts of building a community [39:17]  Rachael’s experience of fundraising and her advice for any Founders embarking on that journey [43:56]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ More about Rachael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaeltwumasi/➡️ More about Afrocenchix: https://afrocenchix.com/ ➡️Rachael’s Medium article on fundraising: https://rachaeltwumasicorson.medium.com/10-tips-for-raising-investment-how-afrocenchix-secured-google-funding-in-1-2m-seed-round-ae29f18ed3a2  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There are a lot of cases where I think raising capital can actually ruin a perfectly good business model.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor 'Early Stage Founders' Feature Series episode, we’re joined by Hannah Russell, the Co-Founder of multi-award-winning podcasting company, Mags Creative.  Mags Creative aren’t just the brilliant team behind our 40 Minute Mentor podcast, but are also the brains and creative power behind some of the best podcasts in the industry. The team helps brands and individuals tell their stories from concepts and planning to production and promotion.  In today’s episode, we hear about the incredible journey Hannah and her sister, Faith have been on with Mags Creative and learn more about what got them to where they are today, including:  The importance of celebrating success as a Founder [04:37] What led Hannah to entrepreneurship and what her first business was all about [09:27]  Why the tumbleweed was the biggest surprise for her as a first-time Founder [13:32]  The biggest lessons she learnt from building Layer Home [16:01] How she ended up selling the business to one of her competitors [18:37]   Why she decided to jump back in the Founders seat and why podcasting [23:47]  How what she’s building at Mags Creative is so different to her first business [27:26] Why Mags is a bootstrapped business and her advice for anyone trying to decide whether to raise capital [29:50] Why you should start a podcast and what to keep in mind before you do it [36:17] Why comparison is so dangerous for Founders [42:00] How becoming a mother has changed her as a leader [44:33]    ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ More about Hannah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahruss/➡️ More about Mags Creative: https://www.magscreative.co.uk/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“What matters to me about the people in our cap table is that they’re people who really care about what we’re trying to achieve and our values, and fundamentally believe and support me as the Founder.”  To kick off our brand new 40 Minute Mentor ‘Early Stage Founders’ feature series, we’re joined by the brilliant Freddie Fforde, Founder of Patch.  Patch creates dynamic work clubs and community venues for local highstreets. Open and available to everyone, Patch are looking to redefine what the future of work looks like and create spaces designed to celebrate businesses and talent close to home.  In today’s episode, we learn more about Patch’s journey so far, their aspirations for the future and Freddie shares some candid insights into his journey as a Founder, including:  The biggest challenges and failures he faced as a Founder [03:14] The importance of the people around him and how they’ve helped him become the Founder he is today [07:32] Why he became a Founder in the first place [10:24] Where the inspiration for Patch came from and why it all started during Covid [17:06] What the future of work will look like and how employers can embrace it [22:58] Freddie’s approach to raising investment for Patch and why it’s so important to base your cap table on skillset [26:33] His first-hand advice for any aspiring Founders listening [29:57] Some of the most common Founder life myths and what the reality of being a Founder actually looks like [39:42] The valuable experience he got from being a fractional leader ahead of starting Patch [41:52] And why balancing all aspect of his life has become one of Patch’s  company values [45:41]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ More about Freddie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddiefforde/ ➡️ More about Patch: https://www.patch.work/  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“VC should be a great career for people from diverse backgrounds, because it’s really a role where you’re judged on your output. At the end of a fund cycle, it’s pretty clear to see whether you’re a good investor or not.”  In our final 40 Minute Mentor VC Feature series episode, we’re joined by Hannah Seal, Partner at one of the most prestigious VCs in the world and one of JBM’s favourite clients, Index Ventures.  Index Ventures is an international multi-stage venture capital firm, investing in technology-enabled industry disrupters. Their portfolio includes multiple 40 Minute Mentors, such as Unicorns Ankorstore and Multiverse and category defining companies like Bloom & Wild and Sourceful. As well as household names such as Deliveroo, Revolut, Glossier, and many others.  In today’s episode, Hannah shares some brilliant insights into how Index work and what they look for when assessing Founders, as well as some great mentorship for anyone looking to get into VC, including:  Why she decided to pivot from Operator to VC [06:23] What skills Hannah relied on when making the transition [07:22] Hannah’s advice for any Operators thinking of moving into VC [10:02] What differentiates Index Ventures from other VCs [11:22] How Index Ventures works with Founders [13:10] What Hannah looks for when assessing companies and their Founders [14:52] The trends Index Ventures are seeing at the moment and some of the sectors Hannah’s getting excited about [16:28] How the economic downturn doesn’t necessarily mean doom and gloom for Founders [18:58] What changes Hannah has seen in the European VC landscape, compared to the US [20:22] And why VC is actually a great career option for diverse talent [22:17]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ More about Hannah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-seal-78938a22/ ➡️ More about Index Ventures: https://www.indexventures.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“One of the biggest misconceptions in VC is that it’s an easy way to be successful, or a quick shortcut to something - that’s absolutely wrong. It’s a really long journey.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor VC Feature series episode, we’re joined by Antoine Nussenbaum, the Co-Founder of Felix Capital.  Felix is a venture capital firm for the creative class, at the intersection of technology and creativity, focusing on opportunities in digital lifestyle.  They’re on a mission to support ambitious Founders with big ideas, capturing new behaviours and cultural shifts. Their portfolio includes the likes of Farfetch, Deliveroo, Unmind, Papier, amongst many other high-growth brands.  In this episode, Antoine shares some incredible insights into the market and buckets of brilliant mentorship for Founders and aspiring VCs, including:  What led Antoine to start Felix Capital [06:36] Why he chose the digital lifestyle niche and what makes Felix so different from other VCs [08:50] The potential opportunities the economic downturn can present to Founders, no matter whether they’re in B2B or B2C [11:27] What common traits some of the most successful Founders share and how you can stand out when fundraising [17:02] The difficulties of separating work and life as a Founder and how it can sometimes be beneficial to let the two intertwine [21:55] What makes Felix’s culture so special and how Antoine tests for high conviction in interviews [25:01] What Antoine looks for when he assesses Founders and their businesses [29:12] The most common mistakes he sees Founders make during pitches [31:09] Why working in VC isn’t about finding a shortcut to success [32:51]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ More about Antoine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinenussenbaum/ ➡️ More about Felix Capital: https://www.felixcap.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Create an anxiety balance sheet with the things you have control over and the things you don’t have control over. Put the things that give you anxiety into these credits and debits and you’ll realise that actually there’s a lot more that’s in your control than you think.”  Kicking off our VC feature series, we’re joined by Leila Zegna, the Founding General Partner of Kindred Capital.  Kindred are building a new model for Venture Capital where every Founder they back becomes a co-owner of the fund. Launched in 2015, Leila and her Co-Founders are on a mission to create the venture firm they would have wanted to work with when they were running Startups themselves.  Leila tells us more about their Equitable Venture model in today’s episode, along with some candid mentorship, including:  How she made the transition from Operator to VC [10:55]  Why more Operators should work in VC [19:18] What European VCs can learn from their US counterparts [22:22] How Kindred’s Equitable Venture model works [25:27] What advice Founders should keep in mind as they face the economic downturn [29:00] What Leila and the Kindred team are looking for when assessing businesses and their Founders [32:25] How Leila does everything she does all while having three kids under the age of 6 [37:21] And why she wants Kindred to be the best of its kind and not the biggest [41:36]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ More about Leila: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilazegna/ ➡️ More about Kindred Capital: https://kindredcapital.vc/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The moment you start seeing yourself as a black Founder, you end up almost acting with all the facts that impact black Founders. So, you end up going into conversations with investors expecting not to raise money, or you don’t even approach VCs because you think they won’t give you money, etc.”  In this final episode of our 40 Minute Mentor ‘Where Are They Now’ feature series, we’re joined by the brilliant Timothy Armoo, Forbes 30 Under 30, Co-Founder and exited CEO of the recently acquired influencer marketing agency, Fanbytes.  Fanbytes have been on an incredible journey, going from strength to strength over the years, working with leading global brands, including Nike, Samsung, Deliveroo and even the UK Government.  The pinnacle of their incredible journey, however, was reached earlier in 2022, when they were acquired by global digital media agency, Brainlabs.  That’s why we thought a catch up with Timothy was well overdue. He shared endless insights and candid mentorship with us in today’s episode, including:  The story behind Fanbytes and how it came to exist [02:04] How they landed such big name clients, even in the early days of Fanbytes [03:19] The behind the scenes of their deal with Brainlabs and what this means for Fanbytes and Timothy personally [05:54] How influencer marketing has changed and the opportunities for brands today [10:26] Why Timothy sees himself as a Founder first and as a black Founder second [14:04] Plus, he shares some of his upcoming plans and what he’s looking forward to the most following his exit [18:12]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Timothy Armoo: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/building-a-multi-million-pound-agency-for-gen-z-with-timothy-armoo/ ➡️ More about Timothy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyarmoo/ ➡️ More about Fanbytes: https://fanbytes.co.uk/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If we were to see truly representative investment committees and truly diverse representation amongst the gatekeepers of power and capital, then we would solve this problem pretty much overnight.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor instalment of our ‘Where Are They Now’ feature series, we’re joined by Tessa Clarke, Co-Founder and CEO of OLIO.  OLIO is the number one sharing app, connecting neighbours with each other and local businesses, so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away.  Over 6 million people have joined OLIO so far and they’re on an incredible mission to help create a world in which nothing of value goes to waste, and every single person has enough to eat - all without destroying our planet in the process.  In today’s episode, Tessa shares some behind the scenes insights into OLIO’s scaling journey and some brilliant mentorship for any fellow Founders, including:  Why OLIO exists [01:51]  Tessa’s biggest learnings from scaling the business [03:54] What makes OLIO’s culture so special and what Tessa looks for when hiring [06:19] Why it’s so important to take a step back from the day to day as a Founder [10:43] Tessa’s advice for any diverse Founders looking for investment [12:54] What she looks for when assessing businesses and their Founders [17:41] And what the rest of 2022 holds for her and the OLIO team [19:43]    ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Tessa Clarke: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/tackling-the-food-waste-crisis-with-tessa-clarke/ ➡️ More about Tessa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tecook/ ➡️ More about Olio: https://olioex.com/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When you’re 60 and you look back on your career, you’re never going to look back and think - I wish I worked for the two months more, I didn’t spend with my daughter.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor, ‘Where Are They Now’ feature, we welcome back one of our very first guests on the podcast and JBM Board Advisor, the incredible Fred Jones, VP and Regional Manager of Northern Europe at TIER Mobility.  TIER is Europe’s leading shared micro-mobility provider. Their international team of serial entrepreneurs and highly skilled operators from around the world are all united by one shared mission - to change mobility for good.  Founded in 2018, TIER operates in 200+ cities across 21 countries in Europe and the Middle East, with a focus on providing the safest, most equitable and most sustainable mobility solution.  Fred shares so many insights into the mobility sector with us in today’s episode, including:  Why Fred decided to move from Uber to TIER Mobility [02:43]  What the day to day as TIER’s VP and Regional Manager for Northern Europe looks like [06:29] The most challenging part of his scaleup journey so far [08:31] Why TIER is such an amazing place to work at and why now is a really exciting time to join [10:21] What the future of mobility looks like [14:09] Why Fred decided to take 2 months of parental leave and why he urges everyone to do the same [16:26] And what the rest of 2022 holds for him and TIER [21:45]   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Fred Jones: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/leadership-lessons-from-building-uber-in-the-uk-with-fred-jones/ ➡️ More about Fred: https://www.linkedin.com/in/f-jones/ ➡️ More about TIER Mobility: https://www.tier.app/en/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Don’t be trapped by your job title. You can do more things. And by doing more things, by exploring all the sides of your identity and hidden talents, you’ll discover a completely different future than you can see right now.”  Up next in our 40 Minute Mentor, ‘Where Are They Now’ feature series, we’re joined by the Co-Founder of BAFTA-winning gaming studio, Bossa Studios, and multi-creative entrepreneur,  the incredible Roberta Lucca.  Having transitioned from Co-Founder and CMO to Non-Executive Director at Bossa Studios, Roberta shares some brilliant insights into building her portfolio career and exclusive mentorship for any multi-entrepreneurs out there, including:  Why Bossa Studios was founded and how Roberta’s embracing being a multi-entrepreneur herself [02:20]   How she transitioned from being a Founder to a portfolio career and her advice for anyone looking to do the same [05:29]  What the future of work will look like and why business leaders need to nurture their intrapreneurs [11:17]   Roberta’s experience of being a judge on the BBC hit show, The Apprentice [13:56]  And what she looks for when assessing Founders and their businesses as an angel investor [16:49]    ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Roberta Lucca: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/building-a-multimillion-dollar-games-empire-with-roberta-lucca/   ➡️ More about Roberta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertalucca/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Just a single conversation can actually change the direction of someone’s life.”  To kick off Series 2 of our popular 40 Minute Mentor, ‘Where Are They Now’ mini-series, we’re joined by Alex Stephany, Co-Founder and CEO of Beam - the world’s first crowdfunding platform for homeless people.  When Alex last joined us in Series 2 of 40 Minute Mentor, we talked about the early days of Beam, the inspiring story behind why the business exists and some brilliant actionable mentorship on providing a long-term solution to the homelessness problem, and how we can all play our part in it.  In today’s episode, we hear how Beam has scaled since and Alex shares some more incredible mentorship, including:  Why Beam exists and why they’ve only just scratched the surface of social problems they're solving. [02:21]   How the pandemic has helped Beam scale from an in-person service to an online platform. [07:05]   Why now is such an exciting time to join Beam and what the future holds for the team. [09:55]   Alex’s candid advice on how candidates can prepare for an interview at Beam and examples of how you can go the extra mile. [12:42] ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Alex Stephany: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/long-term-solutions-for-homelessness-with-alex-stephany/  ➡️ More about Alex Stephany: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexstephany/➡️ More about Beam and their incredible mission: https://beam.org/➡️ Current roles at Beam: https://beam.org/careers   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“One of the biggest challenges that we’re facing is that we have a category defining product and nothing like it has existed before, so we have to do a lot of consumer education.” To celebrate the completion of 40 Minute Mentor Series 7, we’ve put together a fascinating roundup episode spotlighting industry disrupting business leaders.  We hear from category defining businesses, including Dan Garrett from Farewill, Margot & Alexia de Broglie from Your Juno, Nicolas d’Audiffret from Ankorstore and Wing Chan from Sourceful.  These Founders share some brilliant mentorship with us, including:  How Farewill came to exist and what mistakes Dan has learned from over the years [2:16] The fine line Your Juno have to balance while educating their consumers on what and why they’re building [17:02]  What it takes to scale Ankorstore, the fastest growing Unicorn in Europe, all while taking on big retail players like Amazon [23:30] And how Sourceful are helping businesses make more sustainable choices when it comes to sourcing [32:19]    ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Dan Garrett: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/destigmatising-death-with-farewills-dan-garrett/  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Margow & Alexia de Broglie: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/closing-the-financial-literacy-gap-with-your-juno-founders-margot-alexia-de-broglie/  ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Nicolas d’Audiffret: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/how-to-build-a-2-billion-unicorn-in-under-3-years-with-ankorstores-nicolas-daudiffret/   ➡️ The full 40 Minute Mentor episode with Wing Chan: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/making-business-more-sustainable-and-developing-talent-with-wing-chan-co-founder-ceo-of-sourceful/   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the end of Series 7, we have a special roundup episode in store for you, in which our Host James Mitra sits down with 40 Minute Mentor Producer and JBM Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Hannah Urbanek.  Together, they reflect on their favourite moments of Series 7 and tell us a bit more about the upcoming episodes, including the comeback of a very popular mini series.  ➡️ If you’re not all caught up on Series 7 yet, make sure you have a look through the episode archives at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/40-minute-mentor/id1459665761?uo=4&ct=ratethispodcast&mt=2&ls=1 ⭐ If you enjoyed Series 7 and can’t wait for more, please do make sure you hit the subscribe button and leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm 💌 For any ideas and recommendations for the next Series, please get in touch at info@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“A healthier brain leads to a happier life. If you have more healthy habits than bad ones, you will ultimately be healthier and happier. But having healthy habits is hard….”  For our final episode of our Mental Health mini-series, we look back on our conversation with the brilliant Dan Murray-Serter, serial entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Heights and host of the popular Secret Leaders podcast.  In today’s episode, Dan shares some candid insights into Heights, including:  How struggling with Insomnia led him down the path to start Heights [00:52]  Why supplements are such an important part of a healthy body and mind [03:50]  Why Heights can help build healthier habits [07:49]  If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure you check out the full 40 minutes at: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/the-ups-and-downs-in-the-life-of-an-entrepreneur-with-dan-murray-serter/ ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ Find out more about Dan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmurrayserter/ ➡️ Check out Heights - https://www.yourheights.com/ ➡️ Listen to Secret Leaders - https://www.secretleaders.com/   And for helpful mental health resources, head to:  ➡️ Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123  ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463   ⭐️Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I really think now is the time for business leaders to step up, act boldly and put in some of the changes that have been needed for a while.”  In today’s Mental Health feature episode, we look back on our episode with Reeva Misra, the Founder and CEO of Walking on Earth - a holistic health platform on a mission to elevate human happiness.  Reeva shares her candid insights from blending technology and holistic health, including:  How she’s scaling Walking on Earth while still prioritising her own wellbeing and mental health [01:33] Why the pandemic has forced her to re-evaluate her priorities and what we can all learn from this time of uncertainty [06:09]  Reeva’s advice for any leaders looking to support their team’s wellbeing more [08:20]    If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure you check out the full 40 minutes at: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/revolutionising-holistic-health-with-reeva-misra/   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ Find out more about Reeva - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reeva-misra/ ➡️ Check out Walking on Earth - https://www.walkingonearth.com/   And for helpful mental health resources, head to:  ➡️ Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123  ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463   ⭐️Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Getting out of bed was hard. Every day felt like a chore - it felt like the grind. And one night in bed, I just thought to myself, if I feel the same way again tomorrow morning, I honestly don’t want to wake up…”  Continuing our Mental Health mini-series, we look back on our discussion with James Routledge, Founder and former CEO of Sanctus - a purpose-driven mental health organisation focused on providing support in the workplace.  In today’s episode we hear about James’s mental health journey and how it led to starting Sanctus, including:  Why none of the existing mental health services felt like the right choice for James [00:54]  The most difficult steps he had to take in his own mental health journey [07:49]  James’s advice on how you can find balance as a Founder [10:59] If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure you check out the full episode at https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/putting-the-first-mental-health-gym-on-the-high-street-with-james-routledge/   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ Find out more about James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdroutledge1/?originalSubdomain=uk ➡️ Check out Sanctus - https://sanctus.io/   And for helpful mental health resources, head to:  ➡️ Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123  ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463   ⭐️Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Silence is the oxygen [this illness] needs, it thrives on it. So the more insular that we become, the more we don’t talk, the more illogical and irrational our belief system gets.”  In episode 2 of our Mental Health Spotlight mini-series, we cover segments from our roundtable discussion featuring Psychotherapist and Wellness Expert, Sophie Scott, HR Director and Mind Ambassador, Rohan Kallicharan and mental health campaigner and author, Carrie Carlisle.  This inspiring panel of guests brings many different perspectives and personal experiences to the topic of mental health, including:  Stories about suicide and suicidal thoughts [01:49]  What signs to look out for when it comes to deteriorating mental health [06:08]  And why it’s okay to have a bad day [08:10] If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure you check out the full roundtable episode at https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/encouraging-conversations-about-mental-health/   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ Find out more about Sophie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-scott/ ➡️ Find out more about Rohan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakallicharan/ ➡️ Find out more about Carrie - https://www.clarkeandcarrie.com/   And for helpful mental health resources, head to:  ➡️ Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123  ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you imagine that life is just about now, then the purpose of cleaning the dishes is to do it as best as you can and enjoy yourself. You can find micro purpose and joy in everything you do.”  To continue shining the light on the importance of mental health, we’re launching a special feature mini-series this week. Every day of this week we’ll be taking a look back on some of our mental health conversations from our 40 Minute Mentor archives.  To kick off the series, we take a look back on some of our favourite moments from our conversation with the brilliant Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X, author of Solve for Happy and Founder of One Billion Happy.  In today’s episode snippets, you’ll discover:  How the tragic loss of his son, completely changed Mo’s career path [01:23]  Why he sees life like a video game [4:00]  Mo’s advice on finding your purpose and why we need to shift our focus to micro purposes [09:26]  If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure you check out Mo’s full 40 Minute Mentor episode at https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/cultivating-happiness-in-your-career-with-mo-gawdat/   ⛳️  Helpful links:  ➡️ Find out more about Mo and his career - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mogawdat/ ➡️ Check out his book ‘Solve for Happy’ - https://www.solveforhappy.com/ ➡️ Learn more about One Billion Happy - https://www.onebillionhappy.org   And for helpful mental health resources, head to:  ➡️ Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123  ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463    ⭐️Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When I lost my seat in parliament, as devastating as it was, I genuinely felt relieved that I got out with my life.”  We’ve officially reached our final episode of Series 7, but we’re definitely finishing on a high with today’s 40 Minute Mentor - it’s none other than Baroness Oona King.  Oona has worn many hats throughout her career - from becoming the second black woman elected into British Parliament, becoming a Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister on Equalities, to ultimately pivoting into tech working within Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Channel 4, YouTube, Google and currently Snap Inc.  Based on our own commitment to help build more diverse and inclusive companies, we couldn’t think of a better person to finish off this Series of 40 Minute Mentor with.  In this episode, Oona shares some incredibly candid mentorship and advice, including:  What her path to the House of Commons looked like and how her mum ultimately inspired her to go into politics [07:15] What it was like for a black woman in British Politics and the lessons she learned from that environment [10:10] How she lost her seat in front of millions of people watching and why there’s a part of her that’s really glad it happened when it did [16:32] Why she pivoted into Tech and her advice for anyone else looking to pivot careers [21:54] What a typical day in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion looks like [27:51] Oona’s advice for any business leaders looking to improve their DE&I efforts and how you can measure impact [31:55] What the murder of Georg Floyd has taught her [36:18]   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.   ⛳️  Helpful links: ➡ ️The ACT Report - https://newsroom.snap.com/en-GB/introducing-catalyze-tech/ ➡ ️More about DE&I at Snap Inc - https://citizen.snap.com/diversity ➡ More about Baroness Oona King - https://www.linkedin.com/in/oona-king-sheher-00ba8414/ ➡ Find out more about our sponsors and their rocket ship journey -  https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If the product is good enough, ultimately the business will succeed.”  In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Nick Jenkins, Founder of Moonpig, former Dragon on BBC hit show Dragons' Den and angel investor.  Due to its incredible success story, greeting card business Moonpig probably doesn’t need much of an introduction, but we don’t often hear about the challenges it took to overcome to eventually sell Moonpig for £120 million to Photobox Group in 2011.  In today’s episode, Nick shares buckets of candid insights and mentorship, including:  Nick’s career before Moonpig and why he received a death threat [06:23] What inspired him to start Moonpig and how he turned the business around before it went bust [08:35] The story behind the iconic Moonpig jingle [15:10] What made Moonpig so successful and Nick’s biggest learnings from scaling the business [20:01] His advice on hiring for the right fit and how to nurture a great team culture [23:17] How he approached figuring out what to do after he sold Moonpig and how he landed in the charity sector [29:11] What it was like to become CEO of someone else’s business after selling his own [31:12] His involvement with the charity sector today and advice for anyone looking to give back [33:06] What it was really like on Dragons' Den and some of the scenes you might have not seen on TV [38:31] His advice for any Founders looking to raise angel investment [43:01]   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.   ⛳️  Helpful links: ➡ ️To order your next Moonpig card, head to: https://www.moonpig.com/uk/ ➡ Find out more about our sponsors and their rocketship journey at - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Before you scale, you need to make sure you are solving big pains with a great value proposition.”  It’s not every day you get to speak to someone who turned their Startup into a Double-Unicorn with over 500 employees in just 3 years.  Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Nicolas d'Audiffret, one of the Co-Founders of Ankorstore - the marketplace taking on e-Commerce giants like Amazon. Ankorstore was founded by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs and is a partner to more than 200,000 retailers, florists, coffee shops and other concept-stores across 23 countries in Europe.  Ankorstore have been on an incredible journey and reached their $2 billion valuation after just two years of launching their wholesale marketplace, and are backed by world-class VCs like Bond, Tiger Global and Index Ventures, to name a few. JBM have had a front row seat to their incredible Scaleup journey over the last years and we’re so excited to have Nicolas on the podcast to share some candid Founder insights and mentorship, including:  How Nicolas pivoted from being a consultant to an entrepreneur [06:15] The story behind his first Startup, A Little Market, and how he ended up selling it to Etsy [10:08] Why, even though the sale to Etsy looked like a huge success, Nicolas didn’t only see it as such [11:45] How Ankorstore was born and more about their brilliant mission [13:23] What the dynamic between the four Co-Founders looks like and Nicolas’s advice for any fellow Co-Founders listening [17:10] Why the pandemic was such a great opportunity of growth for Ankorstore and how they got to their $2 Billion evaluation in such a short amount of time [18:38] The crucial attributes Ankorstore look for when interviewing talent [22:40] His advice on building a truly authentic community [26:05] What the future of retail will look like and Nicolas’s advice for anyone looking to break into the industry [28:32]   💙 A big thank you to our Sponsors: Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.   ⛳️  Helpful links: ➡ ️To find out more about Ankorstore, head to: https://www.ankorstore.com/ ➡ ️To learn more about Nicolas, check out his LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolasdaudiffret/ ➡ ️Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Even if we electrify everything and switch to renewables and decarbonise - we still need to remove billions of tonnes of carbon from the sky because we have polluted so much.”  Ahead of World Earth Day this week, we’re really excited to welcome Michelle You, Co-Founder of Songkick and Co-Founder and CEO of Supercritical, to 40 Minute Mentor.  You might have heard of the popular concert ticket app Songkick before, which Michelle and her Co-Founders built to one of the most popular apps on the market. After a turbulent time navigating a lawsuit including winning an antitrust settlement from Ticketmaster, Michelle exited to Warner Music and reassessed her purpose and identity outside of Songkick.  This journey led her to starting Supercritical - a software enabling businesses to measure, reduce and offset their climate impact in weeks, without the need for a sustainability team.  We absolutely loved having Michelle on the podcast and can’t wait for you to listen to the incredible mentorship she shares in today’s episode, including:  How she transitioned from studying Humanities to working in Tech [05:40] Why she started Songkick and how working in the industry has affected her relationship with music [07:56] The key lessons she learned from growing Songkick and the challenges she faced throughout [12:17] How she dealt with the grief and emotional exit from Songkick and how she found her passion to go again with Supercritical [15:17] The mission behind Supercritical and how Michelle and her team work with businesses to tackle the climate crisis [20:06] Michelle’s advice on what we can all do to offset our climate impact [31:28] What Supercritical are looking for when hiring talent [33:42] How Michelle managed to build a 50/50 cap table and her advice for anyone looking for more diverse investors [35:07]   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.   ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡ ️To find out more about Supercritical, head to: https://gosupercritical.com/ ➡ ️To learn more about Michelle, check out her LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleyou/ ➡ ️Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There’s a general recognition that doing good is good for business - and that applies at all levels of business.”  This week we have the pleasure of welcoming not one, but two amazing mentors to 40 Minute Mentor - Natalie Graeme, Co-Founder of Uncommon Creative and Orr Vinegold, Co-Founder of Unrest.  Uncommon Creative is an award-winning creative studio building brands that matter, make a difference and brands that people in the real world actually wish existed. And Unrest is an accelerator programme fuelling the fire of entrepreneurs challenging the status quo.  With decades of marketing and brand building experience, Orr and Natalie share some great advice and mentorship in this episode, including:  The key lessons they learned when starting out in their career, including working with both big corporates and Startups [12:07] Why Natalie decided to leave big agency names to start Uncommon with her Co-Founders [16:06] Why Orr and his Co-Founder, Pan, started Unrest and how it’s different to other Startup accelerators out there [21:46]  How Unrest and Uncommon are working together to build purpose-led brands of the future [27:18] How brands have evolved over the last years [31:13] What fundamentals you need to embed early on to help you build a purpose-led brand [35:53]  What we can all learn from industry leaders, like Patagonia [39:37] How you can embed purpose in your culture from day one [45:31] And why it’s so important that you, as a Founder, prioritise your mental health and Orr and Natalie’s top advice for doing so [50:50] 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more. ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡ ️To find out more about Uncommon Creative, head to: https://uncommon.london/➡ ️To find out more about Unrest, head to: https://www.unrest.world➡ ️To learn more about Natalie, check out her LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-graeme-93608b4/ ➡ ️To learn more about Orr, check out his LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orr-vinegold/  ➡ ️Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I thought burnout was just the equivalent of meaning you hadn’t got it - you couldn’t keep going. Then one day at work, I came out of a meeting and collapsed in the streets.”  In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by industry-disrupter Dan Garrett, Co-Founder and CEO of Farewill - the multi-award-winning wills, probate and funerals company on a mission to change the way the world deals with death.  In today’s episode, Dan shares thought-provoking mentorship, including:  His candid take on burnout and how collapsing after a meeting has changed his outlook and the way he deals with stress [07:53] How his upbringing and engineering and design background have turned him into the entrepreneur he is today [11:22] What inspired him to take on the biggest untouched consumer industry with Farewill [14:15] How him and the Farewill team are changing the attitudes towards death [19:53] The mistakes he made while building Farewill to a team of over 90 and raising their 30 million Series B funding [22:43] Exclusive outtakes from some of the most heart-warming messages people have left in their will [32:10] How Farewill have embedded their customer-centric approach in everything they do - from hiring to day to day customer care [36:07] And Farewill’s brilliant approach to hiring and why they’re looking for ‘BLOBs’ [41:37]   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.   ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡ ️To find out more about Farewill, head over to: https://farewill.com/ ➡ ️To learn more about Dan, check out his LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangarrett-ceo-farewill/ ➡ ️Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi -  https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When people say that you can’t do something, it’s really because they can’t do it. Don’t stop doing what you want to do because someone told you you can’t, because you can.”  To ring in the halfway point of Series 7, we had the pleasure of interviewing an absolute icon in personal branding: Amelia Sordell, the Founder of Klowt. Klowt is THE personal branding agency on a mission to build entirely authentic personal brands that drive real results - something we’ve had the pleasure of experiencing first-hand here at JBM.  In today’s episode, Amelia shares some brilliant mentorship, including:  The lessons she learned from her first business failing [08:40] How she dealt with the heartbreak and feelings of grief after her first business and how she decided the time was right to start another business [17:30] Her mission with Klowt and what inspired Amelia to start Klowt in the first place [21:36] Why personal branding is such a critical aspect of any successful business [28:10] Amelia’s step by step advice on how you can get started with your own personal branding [34:30] Her advice on how to deal with negative comments - online as well as offline [40:45] How you can tackle imposter syndrome and why it’s okay to doubt yourself [46:00]   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.   ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡ ️To find out more about Klowt, head over to: https://klowt.io ➡ ️To learn more about Amelia, check out her LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliasordell/ ➡ ️Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we’re joined by sisters, Margot and Alexia de Broglie, Co-Founders of Your Juno - an app widely referred to as ‘the Duolingo of Finance’ and on a mission to empower women and non-binary people through financial education.  The de Broglie sisters give us an exclusive insight into Your Juno’s amazing journey from conception to over 10k downloads and raising £1.6 million.  💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:  Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team has been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more. ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡️ To find out more about Margot, head to https://www.linkedin.com/in/margot-de-broglie/ ➡️ To find out more about Alexia, head to https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexia-de-broglie/ ➡️ To learn more about Your Juno, check out https://www.yourjuno.co/ ➡️ Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we had the pleasure of welcoming Wing Chan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Sourceful - the Index Ventures backed all-in-one platform bringing together tools, data and products companies need to make their supply chains more sustainable.  In today’s episode, Wing recounts his experiences of quickly climbing the ranks at The Hut Group to become CMO at 25 and CTO at 28, what has led him to start Sourceful and he shares some excellent mentorship on the importance of seeing the potential in emerging talent and how executives need to lead by example.  💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:  Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team has been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more. ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡️ To find out more about Wing, head to https://www.linkedin.com/in/wingyungchan/➡️ To learn more about Sourceful, check out https://www.sourceful.com/ ➡️ Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham/id1459665761?i=1000536950880 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we speak to one of Britain’s most decorated Olympians and Founder of FemTech Startup, Jennis, the incredible Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill.   Jess shares the ups and downs of her athletics career, including how setbacks early on in her sporting career turned her into the successful athlete she became and how she dealt with the pressures of Super Saturday. We also hear more about her FemTech business, Jennis, which is on a mission to change women’s lives by helping them gain a better understanding of their bodies.   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:   Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more. ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡️ To find out more about Jess’s incredible career, head to https://www.jessicaennis.net/   ➡️ To learn more about Jennis and download the app, head over to https://www.jennis.com/   ➡️ Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we chat to the inspiring Marta Krupinska, serial entrepreneur and Head of Google for Startups UK - a programme run to support thriving, diverse and inclusive Startup communities around the world.  Marta shares some brilliant mentorship in this episode, including the lessons learned from her first Startup, her candid take on the progress made in DE&I in the Tech sector and the crucial skills Founders should really be focusing on.    💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:  Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.   ⛳️ Helpful links: ➡️ To find out more about Google for Startups, head to:  https://startup.google.com/➡️  Tune into Marta’s ‘Scale ups & downs’ podcast here: https://www.scaleupsanddowns.com/ ➡️ And to find out more about Marta, check out her LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/martakrupinska ➡️ Our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ ➡️ And for charitable organisations to get involved with to help Ukraine, take a look at: The Ukrainian Red Cross, United Help Ukraine, Doctors Without Borders, Nova Ukraine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To kick off Series 7, we had the pleasure of welcoming a real rising star in the UK Tech scene, Christian Facey, the Co-Founder and CEO of AudioMob.  AudioMob allows brands to connect with gamers without interrupting their gaming experience, using in-game audio ads. In today’s episode, Christian gives us an exclusive insight into AudioMob’s fascinating journey to date and shares some great mentorship for any fellow Founders and aspiring entrepreneurs - including his advice following their impressive $14 million Series A funding round.  💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:  Chipper Cash - an African cross-border payments company trusted by over 4 million users. The team have been on an incredible expansion journey and is hiring for some exciting roles. If you want to be part of their mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa, one transaction at a time, head over to https://bit.ly/40mmsponsor to find out more.  ⛳️ Helpful links:  ➡️ To find out more about AudioMob, head over to: https://audiomob.com/ ➡️ To learn more about Christian, check out his LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-facey/ ➡️And for our episode with Chipper Cash’s Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi, head to: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/unlocking-global-opportunities-with-chipper-cashs-ham-serunjogi/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

40 Minute Mentor is back with a brand new series, filled with mentorship from Founders of some of the world’s fastest growing businesses and future unicorns as well as a number of world class leaders from other industries. To get a little preview of what's coming your way, hit play on our trailer. And if you've enjoyed the past 6 series, please leave us a review over on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm - we absolutely love hearing your feedback and really appreciate all the support we get from our listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s ‘Where Are They Now’ episode is our last one before we launch Series 7 - and we’re definitely finishing on a high, as we catch up with the amazing Ezechi Britton MBE, Co-Founder of Code Untapped and Founding Member and Principal at Impact X.  2 years after his appearance on our 40 Minute Mentor social mobility special, Ez tells us about what it felt like to find out he received an MBE at the start of 2022 and we talk about the progress he’s seen in social mobility in Tech and VC, and what else needs to happen to level the playing field.    Helpful links:  For Ezechi’s feature in our Social Mobility feature episode, head to -  https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/levelling-the-playing-field-a-social-mobility-special/ To find out more about Ezechi, check out his profile on - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezechi-britton-mbe-452a893/ And for more info on Code Untapped and Impact X, head to - https://codeuntapped.com/ and https://www.impactxcapital.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this ‘Where Are They Now’ feature mini episode, we catch up with the brilliant Juliet Davenport OBE, Founder and former CEO of Good Energy Group.  A year after coming onto 40 Minute Mentor, Juliet chats to us about her decision to step down as CEO of Good Energy, what she wishes she had known before her switch to a portfolio career, and she tells us what she’s been up to since. Plus, Juliet shares some candid insights into the changing energy market and how we can all play our part in moving to net-zero emissions.  Helpful links: For Juliet’s full 40 Minute Mentor episode on building the UK’s first 100% renewable electricity company, head over to - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/building-the-uks-first-100-renewable-electricity-company-with-juliet-davenport/ And to find out more about Juliet, check out her LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-davenport-643564/ Plus, listen to her ‘Great Green Questions’ podcast over on https://great-green-questions.simplecast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this ‘Where Are They Now’ feature mini episode, we catch up with the brilliant Sophie Adelman, Co-Founder and CEO of The Garden and Co-Founder and former President of Multiverse.  2 years after coming onto 40 Minute Mentor, we chat to Sophie about her decision to leave hypergrowth EdTech Scaleup, Multiverse and we find out more about her exciting new venture, The Garden. Plus, Sophie shares some brilliant advice for anyone looking to make a career pivot or start their own business.  Helpful links:  For Sophie's full 40 Minute Mentor episode on her journey with Multiverse, head to - https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/creating-access-to-opportunities-for-everyone-with-sophie-adelman/ To find out more about Sophie, check out - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sophie-adelman1 And to sign up to The Garden, head to-https://onegarden.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special ‘Where Are They Now’ feature mini episode, we catch up with one of our very first 40 Minute Mentors we welcomed onto the podcast, the brilliant Kresse Wesling CBE. We talk about her journey with Kresse & Elvis since 2019, why they’re building a one-of-a-kind regenerative farm in Kent, and why now is the time for all of us to be environmentally focused and help reduce waste. Helpful links: For Kresse’s full 40 Minute Mentor episode on building an award-winning business from waste, head to https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/building-an-award-winning-business-from-waste-with-kresse-wesling/ To find out more about Kresse & Elvis, check out https://www.elvisandkresse.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Series 6 of 40 Minute Mentor might have come to a close earlier this month, but with another Series filled to the brim with advice and Scaleup insights, we thought we’d add a little something to your pre-Holiday playlist. In this special roundup episode, we focus on a topic we often get asked about here at JBM - VC and Fundraising. Whether you’re wondering how to get into the industry or you’re a fellow Founder about to embark on your next fundraising journey, this episode features some of the movers and shakers in VC as well as first-hand insights from industry leaders and their fundraising journeys, including: • Cleo Sham, a JBM SOS Board Advisor and Partner at Stride.VC • Dominic McGregor, Founder and Former COO of Social Chain and Founding Partner of Fearless Adventures • Daisy Onubogu, widely regarded as the Queen of Community, Head of Network & Community at BACKED VC and COO of Diversity VC • Tom Foster-Carter, Former COO of Monzo and Founder and CEO of Lollipop • Ben Stephenson, Founder and CEO of travel platform Impala • And Ham Serunjogi, the Co-Founder and CEO of Chipper Cash, our brilliant sponsors of Series 6. We can’t thank all of our guests and listeners enough for another amazing Series. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure you check out the full 40 minutes with each of today’s featured guests, as well as our remaining amazing guests across Series 6 and beyond. Enjoyed this episode? We are always keen to hear your thought and ideas for 40 Minute Mentor, so whether you have feedback on any of the existing episodes or ideas for our next Series, please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this final 40 Minute Mentor episode of Series 6, we’re joined by the Founder and former COO of Social Chain, and now a Founding Partner of Fearless Adventures, the brilliant Dominic McGregor. A lot of you will be familiar with the incredible journey Social Chain and their team have been on. At a very young age, both Dominic and his Co-Founder Steven Bartlett, have built a unique company culture, based on the drive to make it work for their team, even if that meant ripping up the corporate rule book and setting new standards within the industry. Although not an easy journey, they saw some great success over the years having grown Social Chain to over 750 employees across 24 offices worldwide, and ultimately taking it to IPO. We loved having Dominic on the podcast – he spoke with such humility and honesty, and we managed to dig deeper into some really interesting topics, including: Social Chain’s journey to IPO including some of the hardest challenges they had to overcome alongside their growth journey. Dominic’s candid advice for any fellow COOs and his personal insights into making the relationship between Co-Founders work. And his personal struggles along the way, including his battle with his alcohol addiction. Whether you’re a Founder or an aspiring COO looking to join a high-performing business, we know you’ll take so much great advice from this episode with Dominic. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Dominic, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpjmcgregor/ If you want to find out more about Fearless Adventures, head over to - https://fearlessadventures.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by former COO of Monzo and Founder and CEO of Lollipop, Tom Foster-Carter. Tom started his career in consulting before embarking on his Operations journey - first as Founder of both Osper and Curve, and then as Monzo’s COO where he scaled the business to 4 million customers and the team from 30 to 1,000, in just 2 years. In May 2020, Tom decided to take yet another entrepreneurial leap and launched his latest venture Lollipop – a grocery Startup widely known as “the Monzo of supermarkets”. With his wealth of experience in launching and scaling rocketships, Tom was a great 40 Minute Mentor, and shares some really interesting insights in this episode, including: The highs and lows from his journey as a three-time Founder and how he’s applying the lessons learned to his latest venture, Lollipop. -How he scaled the Monzo team from 30 to 1,000 and his advice for any aspiring COOs wanting to embark on a similar journey. -And the importance of not defaulting to always putting work first and his own experience of learning to strike a better balance. Whether you’re a Founder yourself, an aspiring COO or a seasoned COO about to make the switch to CEO – Tom shares some incredible useful advice for your next chapter ahead. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Tom, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomfostercarter/ And to find out more about Lollipop and sign up, simply head to - https://www.lollipopai.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Team GB hockey legends and Olympic Gold Medallists Kate & Helen Richardson-Walsh. Kate and Helen have been on an incredible journey, playing Hockey when it wasn’t really a viable career choice and continuing to represent Team GB at the Olympics, resulting in winning Gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016. While being teammates, Kate and Helen’s win on the Olympic podium also represented a big step in sporting history, as they became the first same sex married couple to share the Olympic podium. In the years since, they’ve become inspirational ambassadors and speakers, and have published their book, Winning Together: An Olympic-Winning Approach to Building Better Teams. In today’s episode, Kate and Helen share some really invaluable insights, including: The highs and lows of their road to the Olympics – discussing the setbacks they faced and how they continued pushing forward to succeed. How to deal with the often scary emptiness after a big win, such as the Olympics, and how to figure out what to do next. And what needs to happen for sport to really break down barriers and become accessible for all, no matter your gender, race, sexuality, or ability. We absolutely loved having Helen and Kate on our podcast and we know you’ll take so much great advice from this episode. Whether you’re a big sport fan, you’re about to make a big career change or you’re building a high-performing team, you won’t want to miss this episode. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Kate and Helen, take a look at their LinkedIn profiles – Kate - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katewalsh11 Helen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenrichardson-walsh And make sure you buy their book “Winning Together: An Olympic-Winning Approach to Building Better Teams” in your local bookstore or over at - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Winning-Together-Olympic-Lessons-Difference/dp/1529316146/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by our very own JBM SOS Board Advisor, Partner at Stride.VC and former Director of Operations at Uber, Cleo Sham. Cleo has had an incredible career, spanning from building Uber’s Guangzhou city business and team from the ground up to becoming Uber’s largest city business globally and the first city to reach 1 million weekly trips, to leading the sales, operations, strategy and marketing functions as Spotahome’s COO, and transitioning into VC as a Partner at Stride.VC. Speaking to Cleo was an absolute joy and she shares so much great advice in this episode, including: The importance of not focusing on having the right or wrong answers as a COO but being decisive, and other crucial skills, any aspiring COOs should be adding to their toolbelt. How you can make the transition from being an Operator to VC – and how the skills gained in a high-growth Ops career can be very useful when assessing businesses to invest in. And what needs to be done, specifically in VC, including efforts from investors and Founders alike, to level the DE&I playing field. Whether you’re an Operator looking to become an Investor, an aspiring COO, or a Founder looking for your next round of investment – you won’t want to miss the crucial advice Cleo shares in this episode. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk And if you want to find out more about Cleo, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cleosham/ If you want to find out more about Stride.VC, head over to – https://stride.vc/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Co-Founder and CEO of Amazing If, Co-Author of best-seller ‘The Squiggly Career’, and Co-Host of the popular Squiggly Careers podcast (a JBM favourite!), Helen Tupper. Helen has enjoyed a hugely successful career at some of the biggest companies in the world – Virgin, Microsoft, BP and Capital One, to name a few – but decided to take the leap into the world of entrepreneurship together with her friend Sarah Ellis and start Amazing If – an award-winning training consultancy. At a time when so many of us are reassessing our post-pandemic careers, finding happiness and fulfilment at work has never felt more important. And that’s where Helen and Sarah come in with their incredible coaching skills and resources. Speaking to Helen in today’s episode was an absolute joy. She shares so many great insights and speaks with so much passion and enthusiasm about making work better for everyone. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, covering topics including: Why the traditional linear career ladder isn’t a realistic “one size fits all” career development strategy anymore and what companies need to do to support their teams’ development better. What a squiggly career actually looks like and how it will help with employee retention, when supported in the right way. And what it’s really like to build a successful business with a friend, without compromising your friendship. No matter what stage you’re at in your career and whether you’re in a big corporate or a Founder yourself, we know you’ll take so much great advice from this episode with Helen. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Helen, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/helentupper/ If you want to find out more about Amazing If, head over to – https://www.amazingif.com/ For the Squiggly Career podcast, simply head to - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/squiggly-careers/id1202842065 And to pre-order their new book ‘You Coach You’, ask in your local bookshop or head over to - https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Coach-Overcome-Challenges-Control/dp/024150273X Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Ben Stephenson, the Founder and CEO of the ground-breaking travel platform Impala. Ben has raised millions in funding for Impala over the last five years from some of the best VCs out there, including Lakestar which previously invested in Airbnb. He’s seen his staff mushroom to over 100 people, and he made the company remote-first way back in 2017, when having remote teams wasn’t something people looked too favourably upon. A true problem-solver in every way - whether the problem is how to rebuild travel-booking infrastructure from the ground up, to how to create exactly the right culture at work – Ben has made it his mission to improve the industry. Speaking to Ben was truly inspiring and we cover some really interesting topics, including: How Impala has grown to a team of over 100 people and raised millions in funding in just five years. The secrets behind Impala’s outstanding culture DNA, including Ben’s advice for anyone looking to build a remote-first team. And why the best Founders are the ones who don’t try to do everything themselves but hire talent that compliments their skills. If you’re a Founder yourself looking to support your remote or hybrid teams, or you’re looking to get into the travel industry – this episode is packed with great advice and honest anecdotes from Impala’s inspiring growth journey. A special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Ben, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-stephenson-13032b33/ If you want to find out more about Impala, head over to - https://impala.travel/en-gb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by journalist, broadcaster, TV presenter, Podcast host of ‘The Solo Collective’ and author, Rebecca Seal. Rebecca’s had a hugely varied career so far, including working as a journalist at The Observer, featuring as a Food and Drink expert on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, writing and publishing multiple books, including her latest best seller: “Solo: How to Work Alone(and Not Lose Your Mind)” and working as a Freelance journalist and author for over 10 years. We absolutely loved having Rebecca as a 40 Minute Mentor and know you’ll learn so much from her advice in this episode, including: What it takes to have a successful career in broadcasting and what to expect from your initial years in the industry. What solo working actually does to the human mind and how you can combat loneliness with a simple change in environment. And Rebecca’s approach to juggling many competing priorities, without falling into the traps of over-working. So, whether you’re a Freelancer yourself or you’re navigating a hybrid or fully remote work model, we know you’ll find this episode hugely valuable. A special thank you to our sponsors for this Series – Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Start up. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratehthispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Rebecca, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaseal/ If you want to buy a copy of her book Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind), head over to – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solo-Work-Alone-Lose-Your/dp/1788164857 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by a real-life child prodigy, Co-Founder and CEO of Stemettes, and Host of the Evening Standard’s Women Tech Charge podcast, Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE. Anne-Marie was one of the youngest to pass two GCEs in two different subjects while in primary school and completed her master’s degree from the University of Oxford by the age of 20. Since those days, she’s been knocking down walls and inspiring the next generation of women in STEM, through her work with Stemettes – a social enterprise promoting women in STEM careers. And if you haven’t heard of Stemettes or listened to the Women Tech Charge podcast, you might have seen Anne-Marie on Channel 4’s Countdown ‘Black To Front’ initiative earlier this year, where she filled in for no other than the queen of numbers, Rachel Riley. Anne-Marie speaks with such humility and honesty – we could have talked for hours. In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about: -How Stemettes has developed from a side-hustle to the success it is today, opening doors to careers in STEM for girls all over the UK -What businesses in the Tech sector need to do to attract and retain more diverse talent -And how listening to understand, rather than to answer questions is an often neglected skill by leaders. Whether you work in Tech or are simply looking for some mid-week inspiration, we know you’ll learn so much from Anne-Marie in this episode. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Anne-Marie, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimafidon/ If you want to find out more about Stemettes, head over to – https://stemettes.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Founder and CEO of Walking on Earth, Reeva Misra. Reeva has made it her mission to tackle the epidemic of stress in the modern world – with Walking on Earth taking a holistic approach to health, focusing on the interaction between mind, body, and the environment to elevate happiness, particularly at work. It’s certainly been a fascinating journey for the business so far, not least because it was launched just two months before the global pandemic. Reeva quickly pivoted the business, launching a series of Zoom sessions with practitioners at a time when stress levels nationwide were going through the roof. We absolutely loved having Reeva as our 40 Minute Mentor for this episode and cover some fascinating topics, including: How Reeva and her team navigated the global pandemic and secured high calibre angel investors along the way. Why it’s so important for business leaders to model mindful behaviour and counter-act the perceived understanding that stress and burnout are unavoidable by-products of success. And how we can all leverage hybrid work models without falling into the “living at work vs working from home” trap. Reeva shares so many great insights in this episode, so if you’re a Founder or someone building high-performing teams, you won’t want to miss this episode. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Reeva, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/reeva-misra/ If you want to find out more about Walking on Earth, head over to – https://www.walkingonearth.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Co-founder and CEO of Chipper Cash, Ham Serunjogi. Chipper Cash aren’t just our Sponsors for this 40 Minute Mentor Series but are also widely considered to be Africa’s most valuable Startup. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far, with many more coming soon. Ham’s success is testament to the power of taking the road less travelled and despite the amazing success of Chipper Cash, he remains incredibly humble and focused on their ultimate mission to unlock global opportunities and connect Africa – one transaction at a time. We loved having Ham on the podcast and discuss some fascinating topics with him, including: The tricky side of scaling a mission-driven Rocketship, from making the right hires, to learning how to delegate effectively. A behind the scenes look on the successful fundraising journey Chipper Cash have been on and how they secured backing from Amazon's Jeff Bezos. And why perseverance is the real key to success. If you’re a Founder looking to scale your business, you’ll get priceless insights from Ham in this episode. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Ham, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamserunjogi/ And if you want to find out more about Chipper Cash, head over to – https://chippercash.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the Head of Network & Community at BACKED VC, and the recently appointed COO of Diversity VC, the brilliant Daisy Onubogu. So much of Daisy’s career has been driven by a clear fascination with human behaviour, figuring out what makes us tick individually, and how to match that personal ambition with making the world a better place. In recent years, she’s also been at the forefront of driving change in DE&I, recognising that it’s less a time for discourse and more a time for action. We loved chatting with Daisy, she always talks with such clarity, honesty, and passion. It’s impossible not to be inspired by her. During our conversation in this episode, we cover some fascinating topics, including: The importance of creating the right kind of environment to inspire human interaction and true connections. How the sign of having built a successful community is if it functions in the same way without you being part of it anymore. And how DE&I is just at the starting point, and in need of big systemic change, which we can all be a part of. Whether you’re a Founder, an investor or someone passionate about DE&I – we know you’ll gain so much valuable insights from this episode. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm or get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk. If you want to find out more about Daisy, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisyonubogu/ If you want to find out more about BACKED VC, head over to – https://www.backed.vc/ And if you want to find out more about Diversity VC, listen to our episode with their Founder Check Warner at https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/supporting-underrepresented-founders-with-check-warner/ or head over to https://www.diversity.vc/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To kick off Series 6 of our 40 Minute Mentor podcast, we’re joined by serial entrepreneur and Founder of The Stack World, Sharmadean Reid MBE. From WAH London – a nail salon that mushroomed into a global mecca for aspiring entrepreneurs – to her latest venture, The Stack World, which combines leading editorial and beauty content with a marketplace for mission-driven women, Sharmadean has always placed female empowerment at the forefront of her work. In today’s episode, Sharmadean speaks candidly about taking her first steps into entrepreneurialism at a time when there wasn’t a well-trodden path guiding digital Startups, and the many lessons she learned along the way, including: The importance of having a definite plan when you launch a business, and not falling into the trap of saying yes to everything. Why it’s so crucial to remove your ego from your work and focus on your business’ success. And how, despite the shift in the right direction, we’re still a long way off from achieving gender equality in business and beyond. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to speak to someone so humble and honest about the reality of launching your own business. That’s why we can’t wait for you to listen to this episode. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or someone driven to move the equality lever, we know you’ll get so much valuable insights from Sharmadean in this episode. And a special thank you to our sponsors for this Series - Chipper Cash. The team have been on an incredible journey, having launched their borderless way to send money across Africa and beyond, in 8 countries so far and are widely considered to be Africa's most valuable Startup. To find out more, head over to their website, or tune into our 40 Minute Mentor episode with their Co-Founder and CEO, Ham Serunjogi. Enjoyed this episode? We’d love to hear your feedback on this episode, so please feel free to get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk or leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm If you want to find out more about Sharmadean, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmadeanreid/ If you want to find out more about The Stack World, head over to – https://www.thestack.world/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

40 Minute Mentor is back with a brand new series, filled with exclusive insights from CEOs, world class investors, purpose driven entrepreneurs and Olympic gold medallists. To get a little preview of what's coming your way over the coming weeks, have a listen to this trailer. And if you've enjoyed the past 5 series, please leave us a review on whichever podcast platform you listen to 40 Minute Mentor on or over at https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm - we absolutely love hearing your feedback and really appreciate all the support we get from our listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahead of launching Series 6 of the 40 Minute Mentor in September, we take another look back on some of our favourite episodes across all series so far. If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you’ll notice that we like to wrap up each episode with a couple of questions focused on mentorship – why it’s important and who some of our successful guests lean to when they’re looking for advice. The answers are always beyond inspiring, so we’ve compiled our favourite ones in today’s roundup episode. You’ll hear from a range of our incredible guests over the last 5 series, including: • Will Greenwood MBE – England Rugby legend and broadcaster • Fred Jones – JBM Board Advisor, ex GM of Uber and VP & Regional GM of TIER Mobility • Pippa Lamb – Partner at Sweet Capital • James Routledge – Founder of Sanctus • Caroline Murphree – CEO Europe of Wealthsimple • Timothy Armoo – Co-Founder and CEO of Fanbytes • Check Warner – Co-Founder of Diversity VC and Ada Ventures • Ben Sanders – JBM SOS Board Advisor and ex MD for Europe at Pollen • Zoe Jervier-Hewitt – Talent Director Europe at Sequoia Capital • David M. Brear – CEO of 11:FS • The late Catherine Wines – Co-Founder of WorldRemit • Chris Severson – Head of People and Culture at PMI • Sam Gyimah - Former UK Minister for Science, Technology, Universities and Innovation • Shefali Roy – Former COO and CCO of TrueLayer • And Tara Lajumoke – Managing Director of FT Strategies As firm believers in the power of mentorship, finding out who has inspired our guests is always so interesting to hear. This episode will also give you some ideas of who you can turn to and how to reach out to new mentors, which is a question we often get asked. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since we started the 40 Minute Mentor podcast, we had the honour of speaking to so many mission-driven founders who have shown that business can be a force for good. They’ve been full of insights and inspiration, which is why we’re excited to bring you this compilation of our favourite moments from our conversations. You’ll hear from 11 amazing people who are all making a positive difference in a variety of ways: Alex Stephany, on what inspired him to start Beam, the world’s first online platform that crowdfunds employment training for homeless people. Jenny Costa, who discusses how her company, Rubies in the Rubble, creates condiments with a conscience from unwanted fruit and veg. Tessa Clarke on how she scaled up her free food sharing app Olio with no budget into a global success story. Kresse Wesling CBE, and how her mission to stop the nation’s landfills overflowing has become an award-winning business creating luxury goods from reclaimed material. Mo Gawdat on the tragedy that shaped his mission to spread joy through the One Billion Happy movement. Rachael Crook who was inspired to create a better caregiving system both for carers and those providing care, through her Lifted platform. Sophie Adelman Co-Founder of White Hat, now Multiverse, on how they’re helping to unleash potential by providing apprenticeship programmes. Henry Faber and Walter Kerr on the thinking behind Oppidan and the transformative power of a platform that pairs pupils with mentors. Juliet Davenport, the brains behind green energy supplier Good Energy, on the small changes we can all make to have a big impact. Dan Murray-Serter, Founder of supplement provider Heights, who gives the low down on the nutrients your brain needs to stay healthy. And Martin Morales on how his success in the music business, as a restauranteur and setting up social enterprises, has been influenced by his life experiences. Whether you run your own social enterprise or are thinking of starting one, you won’t want to miss this compilation of inspiring stories in this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk Offer for our listeners: The fantastic team at The Portfolio Collective are offering all our listeners a Pioneer membership for free for one month. Simply use the code 'TPC-JBM' to become a Pioneer today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second part of our 40 Minute Mentor Series Five compilation, we delve a little deeper into the inner workings of some of the most successful businesses. In this episode we hear from Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X and Founder of One Billion Happy, Andy Davis, Founder of 10x10, Roberta Lucca, Co-Founder of Bossa Studios, Grace Beverley, CEO of SHREDDY and TALA, Brett Wigdortz, Founder of Teach First and Co-Founder and CEO of Tiney, Juliet Davenport CEO of Good Energy and Gary Stewart, CEO of FounderTribes. We look at the importance of nurturing a positive team culture, with an emphasis on diversity from the boardroom down. We find out how you can make your business environmentally friendly in a bid to counter climate change and with a growing shift towards purpose-driven careers, we look at how you can find personal fulfillment through your work. It was such a pleasure doing these interviews and if you enjoyed this special two-part roundup, make sure you check out the full episodes in series 5. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our 40 Minute Mentor Series 5 was packed to the brim with candid advice and insights from some of the most inspirational leaders across industries. To relieve some of our favourite parts, we’ve decided to release a special 2-part ‘best bits’ compilation episode. In part one you’ll hear from: Sir Clive Woodward and the importance of creating an environment where your whole team feel comfortable enough to speak up and disagree Andy Davis, Co-Founder of 10x10 and his journey to becoming an entrepreneur. Alice Bentinck MBE, Co-Founder of Entrepreneur First on the characteristics and traits she looks out for when choosing Founders to invest in. Gary Stewart, CEO of FounderTribes on why businesses should be looking to hire proven entrepreneurs. Juliet Davenport, CEO of Good Energy and the importance of getting exactly the right people in place to build a successful business. Grace Beverley, Founder of SHREDDY and TALA on her entrepreneurial journey and her experience of being such a young CEO. Rachel Carrell, Founder of Koru Kids, shares how Koru Kids adapted to the pandemic.  And Mo Gawdat, Founder of One Billion Happy and Host of the Slo Mo podcast, shares why mentorship is so important. It was such a please to sit down with these inspirational 40 Minute Mentors, so if you enjoy today’s compilation episode, make sure you listen back to their full episode in series 5. Thanks to our sponsors A big thank you also to this episode’s sponsors – Treedom. Treedom is a B-Corp delivering social, economic and environmental benefits by working in partnership with local NGOs and smallholder farmers, enabling people and companies to plant trees remotely. They’ve generously given us a 20% discount code* for all of our listeners. Simply enter ‘40MINUTEMENTOR’ at checkout over on the Treedom website to redeem the offer. *This offer can be used once per person and it expires at the end of 2021. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the World Cup winning England Rugby coach and former Director of Sport for the London 2012 Olympics, Sir Clive Woodward. After spending his childhood with big dreams of becoming a professional footballer, it was playing rugby at his local club as a kid that started Sir Clive down the path to becoming the first England Coach to lift the Rugby World Cup in 2003. What people don’t always know is that rugby only went professional in the late 90s. And while Sir Clive was playing for England and the British Lions in the 1980s, he was also doing his ‘day job’, running his own Finance & Leasing company. As you’ll hear in this episode, he has since applied much of what he learned in the boardroom to his sterling work on the pitch. During our conversation, we cover some really fascinating topics, including: How running a successful business is fundamentally the same as coaching a winning Rugby team. Why you need to become comfortable with pressure if you want to be able to handle it effectively. And the importance of creating a culture where everyone feels comfortable enough to contribute, no matter how controversial their ideas might be. Sir Clive has achieved so much over the years and it was an absolute honor to speak to him for this podcast. No matter whether you’re an avid Rugby fan or you’re simply hungry to succeed in your career, we know you’ll benefit to much from Sir Clive’s advice and insights throughout this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Sir Clive, take a look at his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sirclivewoodward If you want to find out more about Sir Clive’s Apex2100 Ski Academy, head over to – https://apex2100.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Co-founder of Bossa Studios and Host of the Hyper Curious Podcast, Roberta Lucca. As her podcast title suggests, Roberta has built a career on her curiosity and it’s paid off in spades. Bossa Studios is a huge multimillion-dollar Games business, which won a BAFTA in 2012, and resulted in Roberta being named on the Forbes Top 50 Women in Tech in 2018. Roberta’s success is testament to her drive and commitment, but as every entrepreneur will be able to relate to, it hasn’t come without its struggles. She talks with refreshing honesty about being a high achiever dealing with a tricky inner critic and battling burnout at various times during her career. During our conversation, we cover some really interesting topics, including: The importance of luck in business and how you can adjust your sail, but you can’t control the wind. The benefits of being strict with the time you allocate to different projects and the importance of being a person first and an entrepreneur second. And how we should all challenge companies on their initiatives to drive diversity and create an inclusive culture. It was such a pleasure to have Roberta on the podcast. She talks so passionately about her work, and about the emphasis she puts on being a good role model and a good person. If you’re a founder or an aspiring entrepreneur yourself, we know you’ll get a lot of great insights and advice from this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Roberta, take a look at her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertalucca/ If you want to find out more about Bossa Studios, head over to – https://www.bossastudios.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the CEO and Founder of Good Energy, Juliet Davenport OBE. From childhood dreams of being a racing driver, to becoming one of the leading voices in tackling climate change, Juliet’s been on an incredible journey and we’re so excited for her to share it with us in today’s episode. Juliet launched Good Energy in 2002, and almost 20 years later, Good Energy now supports over 73,000 homes, businesses and communities, which has led to Juliet being rewarded with an OBE for services to renewables. We cover some really fascinating topics in this episode, including: The lessons Juliet and the team have learned while building a successful mission-driven business and how they’ve adapted their growth plans in the face of the global pandemic. The importance of getting hiring new talent right and making sure the whole team (old and new) share a similar mindset and ultimately get behind the mission of the business. And how you can make changes in your own life, focusing on where you live, what you eat, and how you get around, to help move towards net-zero emissions. Juliet is so passionate about Good Energy’s mission and making sure everyone enjoys the journey that they’re on. She talks with refreshing honesty about the hurdles she’s faced, and the tricky decisions she’s had to make over the years, which we know many founders will resonate with. If you’re thinking of building a mission-driven business yourself, you definitely won’t want to miss this episode and Juliet’s crucial insights from her own journey with Good Energy. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Juliet, take a look at her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliet-davenport-643564/ If you want to find out more about Good Energy, head over to – https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Angel Investor and Co-Founder of 10x10, Andy Davis. From early employment as a presenter on Nickelodeon to being named one of Business Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business, Andy’s career is a truly inspirational one, which has found him enjoying success as both a founder and an investor. Interestingly, Andy doesn’t see himself as an entrepreneur, but as a “problem solver” – whether that be in the form of his own startups or in helping first-time black founders find investment through 10x10. In 2020, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement Andy also released the Black Report, which examines the landscape facing black founders in the UK. While much of it makes for grim, but unfortunately unsurprising, reading, it also points to a brighter future for D&I, with black founders more likely to build refreshingly diverse teams. We cover some really eye-opening areas in our conversation, including: How vanity won’t help your business, but honesty will. How the word “and” can sound the death knell for a startup, with too many add-ons overshadowing the real point of interest. And why Andy looks for obsession in his founders – the willingness to run through walls to get the end result. If you’re thinking about launching a startup, particularly as a black founder looking for investment opportunities, you won’t want to miss this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Andy, take a look at his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrandydavis/ If you want to find out more about 10x10, head over to – https://10x10.fund/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Grace Beverley, the CEO and Founder of sports tech brand, SHREDDY and TALA, a clothing brand specializing in sustainable sports fashion. At just 24, Grace has achieved so much already, from founding her two massively successful businesses to writing her book “Working Hard, Hardly Working”, which was subject of a nine-way auction with publishers champing at the bit to get their hands on it. And it’s easy to see why. Grace is the epitome of the modern entrepreneur – she understands the new business landscape and how you need to think quickly to adapt to it, and to be unafraid of making big changes to move your brand forward. We cover some really interesting topics in our conversation, including: The importance of modern brands being purpose-driven. How collaboration is the key to running a successful business, as well as knowing precisely where your own strengths lie. And why it is important that you invest well in the hiring process, and making sure to find the right people to join your business. We loved talking to Grace. She has found the path that is right for her, and her passion for her work really shines through in today’s conversation. If you’re thinking about launching your own business, or are looking to join a purpose-driven business, you won’t want to miss this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Grace, take a look at her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-beverley-574a10102/ If you want to find out more about SHREDDY and TALA, head over to – https://www.shreddy.com/ and https://www.wearetala.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the Co-Founder of Entrepreneur First and Code First: Girls, Alice Bentinck MBE. Frustrated by a business landscape that found latent talent shackled by predetermined career paths, Alice set out to challenge cultural norms when she co-founded Entrepreneur First in 2011 – an accelerator that celebrates and invests in talented, ambitious individuals, and looks to match-make Co-Founders to launch successful businesses. Almost 10 years later, Entrepreneur First has launched over 300 companies with a value of well over £2billion, which is testament not only to their passion for the work they do, but also to their tenacity in the face of adversity in those early years. During our conversation we cover some really interesting and insightful areas, including: The most important traits to look for when you’re investing in talent and how to shift culturally pre-determined career paths. The many benefits of having a Co-Founder with a different skill set to you and how you can make the most of this relationship. And the importance of diversity in the workplace, and what businesses need to do to get through to diverse candidates. It was such a pleasure talking to Alice. She talks so openly about the importance of learning from your mistakes and always moving forward. If you’re thinking about launching a startup from scratch or are looking to attract a more diverse talent pool, you won’t want to give this episode a miss. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Alice, take a look at his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicebentinck/ If you want to find out more about Entrepreneur First, head over to – https://www.joinef.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the founder of Teach First, and co-founder and CEO of Tiney, Brett Wigdortz OBE. Driven by a sense of fairness, and a belief that all children should have access to the best education possible, Brett launched Teach First in 2002, convinced that it would ultimately become one of the biggest graduate recruiters and charities in the UK. His instincts were right. After 15 hugely successful years, he stepped down as CEO in 2017 and went on to set up Tiney, a digital startup aimed at positioning small nurseries in homes all around the country. As Brett explains in today’s episode, he saw an early years’ educational system that was completely broken, and made it his mission to fix it. During our conversation we cover some really interesting areas, including: Why resilience and self-belief are key when you’re starting a new business. The importance of getting a full picture of potential hires by talking to as many references as possible. And how to seek out the right mentors and use their knowledge and guidance in a way that suits you. Brett talks with great honesty about the lessons he has learned along the way, and how he might have done things differently – which is so inspiring and insightful from such a successful entrepreneur. If you’re thinking about launching a startup yourself, there are few people better placed to give you a full view of the business landscape – you won’t want to miss this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Brett, take a look at his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-wigdortz-obe-5ba64b If you want to find out more about Tiney, head over to – https://www.tiney.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the founder and CEO of FounderTribes, Gary Stewart. Gary has had such a varied life and career. Born in Jamaica, raised in the Bronx, educated at Yale. He started his career in law, before moving to the UK to pursue his passion for startups. Through his work at Wayra UK he helped to launch 185 start-ups, and he has since launched FounderTribes, an app designed to democratise entrepreneurship by providing founders with the right advice, networks and ultimately capital, no matter what their background, nor where they sit on the socio-economic spectrum. Gary is such an inspiration, and we cover some really important and hard-hitting topics in today’s episode, including: The importance of not letting other people define you by your race, gender, or sexuality – particularly in business. How the challenges of starting a business will always be the same, no matter what your social strata. Plus, what companies need to do to level the playing field, and why adding Diversity and Inclusion ‘window dressing’ isn’t going to change anything. Gary is so inspiring and passionate about the mission he’s on and it was fantastic to speak to a leader who is so driven to challenge and change the assumptions people have about race and gender in the workplace. If you’re thinking about launching your own startup or are looking for ways to play your part in pushing D&I forward in your sector, you’ll definitely want to listen to today’s episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Gary, take a look at his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/garystew/ If you want to find out more about FounderTribes, head over to - https://foundertribes.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the Founder and CEO of Koru Kids, Rachel Carrell. After a successful career in strategy and innovation, including working at McKinsey and growing the healthcare company DrThom to 1.3 million paying users in 3 countries, Rachel took the leap and launched her own business, Koru Kids. The idea for Koru Kids was born out of her own frustration with the lack of affordable childcare options for working parents and is now London’s fastest growing childcare brand. Not only has the business survived the multiple lockdowns of the past 12 months, but it’s thrived. Navigating the restrictions and changing its business model at pace. Speaking to Rachel was truly inspiring and we cover some really interesting topics in our conversation, including: The importance of getting the other areas of your life on track, both financially and emotionally, before launching a startup. The power of creating a positive working environment, and why you want to focus on ensuring that everyone is on the same page. And the self-talk that’s helped Rachel through the tough times over the last year, her advice to others and why we all need to find our own “Sasha Fierce”. Rachel is so passionate and shares so many insights on how to ensure that everyone around her, from her clients to her employees, feel positively about the business. If you’re thinking about launching a startup, or if you’re looking to build a positive work culture around you, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Rachel, take a look at her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachcarrell/ If you want to find out more about Koru Kids, head over to – https://www.korukids.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the infectiously optimistic and inspiring former Chief Business Officer of Google X, author of Solve for Happy and Founder of One Billion Happy, Mo Gawdat. There’s no doubting Mo’s pedigree when you look at his career in tech – he made giant leaps up the ladder at IBM, BAT, Microsoft, and Google – but his real passion lies in spreading happiness around the world and promoting purpose-driven careers. Following the tragic death of his son Ali in 2014, Mo wrote his book Solve for Happy, applying his skills as an engineer to understanding human emotion. Today he continues to share Ali’s legacy of joy and fulfilment in all areas of life. Speaking to Mo was an absolute joy. He has such wisdom and clarity about what it takes to make sure you have as rewarding a career as possible and that you don’t find yourself unhappy at work just for the sake of climbing the ladder. We cover some really fascinating topics in our conversation, including: The importance of making sure you savour and enjoy the work you are doing while you’re doing it. Recognising the aspects of your job that don’t resonate with you even if you don’t know exactly what your purpose is yet. And the importance of being selfless in the workplace. Mo is someone who has achieved so much in his career, but who talks with such refreshing humility. No matter what stage of your career you’re in, listening to Mo will inspire you to make positive changes to your life and find what you’re truly passionate about. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Mo, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mogawdat/ If you want to find out more about One Billion Happy, head over to - https://www.linkedin.com/company/one-billion-happy/ If you haven’t read Mo’s book ‘Solve for Happy’ yet, make sure you check it out at - https://www.solveforhappy.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JBM SOS and Spring Partners are proud to be launching this bonus feature of the 40 Minute Mentor podcast. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of our lives, including the way we work and how we collaborate with our teams. To help us answer some of the most burning questions about improving WFH set ups, managing global teams remotely and what the future of offices will look like, we’re joined by an incredible panel in today’s episode, including Nicki Lynch and Joanne Thompson, Founding Partners at Spring Partners and Roger Hassan, COO at TIER Mobility. We cover some great topics in today’s episode, including: Whether or not employers and employees have benefited or suffered from the switch to remote working. How organisations can maintain their pre-pandemic culture and offer inspiration to leaders, like you, on how you can recreate the office experience at home. And what the future of work will actually look like and how business leaders can prepare for the changes ahead. This is the perfect resource for anyone looking to plan towards the future and to work beyond a post-Covid world. We are excited to share our insights with you – so please enjoy my conversation with Nicki, Joanne and Roger! If you want to find out more about today’s panellists, check out their LinkedIn profile at – Nicki Lynch - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-lynch-46907423/ Joanne Thompson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jthompson23/ Roger Hassan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/roger-hassan/ If you want to find out more about Spring Partners you can have a look at their website – https://wearespringpartners.com/ And if you want to find out more about TIER Mobility, have a look at - https://www.tier.app/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we're joined by the incredible Aron Gelbard, founder of the rocket ship flower delivery Scale Up, Bloom & Wild. Founded in 2013 Bloom & Wild has reinvented the flower delivery and gifting industry – using cutting edge technology and predictive analytics, innovative design (their flowers fit through a letterbox!) and guaranteeing the best quality and value for money as their flowers are sourced directly from growers. Their success has led to them recently securing a $100m Series D funding round from top VC’s which will help then hire more talent, expand their international foot print and launch new propositions and partnerships. A big part of Bloom & Wild’s success is down to Aron’s entrepreneurial spirit; he spotted a gap in the market, took the lessons he’d learned from his work as a consultant in Silicon Valley and he applied them to the floristry industry. Talking to Aron about building a disruptive business from the ground up was a real treat. He’s not afraid to share the important lessons he’s learned from his own mistakes, and his ethos of building a business fuelled by kindness is truly inspiring. We cover some great topics in today’s episode, including: The importance of being able to communicate clearly and effectively when you’re pitching to investors and also engaging with customers. How listening to feedback, both good and bad, is so crucial to building a successful business. And we discuss Bloom & Wild’s Thoughtful Marketing movement – a marketing campaign with the sensitivity of its customers at the core. Whether you’re a customer keen to hear about how Bloom & Wild’s growth story, an entrepreneur just starting out, or looking at how you can take your business to the next level like Aron has, this episode is packed full of inspiring advice and insights! We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Aron, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/aron-gelbard-a075a11/ If you want to find out more about Bloom & Wild you can have a look at their website – https://www.bloomandwild.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It takes a certain type of person to trade being in a plush skyscraper in the middle of Manhattan for a trading estate on the outskirts of Leeds. But that’s exactly what today’s 40 Minute Mentor, Tom Elvidge, did when he moved from Goldman Sachs to Uber at the time when it was a little-known new entrant to the UK market. Tom played a fundamental role in taking it from a 3 person operation in a windowless room, to becoming one of the most recognisable companies in the UK. There were a few high-profile bumps along the way, as with every scaleup journey, but that’s what is so great about Tom – he’s not afraid to admit it and in this episode he openly share the lessons he’s learned from both his Uber experience as UK GM and also his subsequent role as EMEA COO at WeWork. We also got to discuss Tom’s new role as CEO of Arrival Mobility – a tech Unicorn that has set out to revitalise public transportation with cutting-edge, zero-emission electric vehicles . We cover some great topics in today’s episode, including: What Tom learnt from his early consulting career, and the lesson he learnt early on about taking your work seriously, but not yourself. How being open-minded about the roles that have come his way has been so crucial to his career. And how being a good leader often means trusting others and giving them the space to make mistakes I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Tom for a number of years so I loved talking to Tom about his scale-up career. He’s always so honest and never afraid to attribute his success to the people around him. This episode is full of priceless golden nuggets of advice. So, whether you’re in consulting or in a high growth scaleup, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot from his experience and brilliant advice. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Tom, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-elvidge-0b2b1514/ If you want to find out more about Arrival Mobility you can have a look at their website – https://arrival.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the incredibly inspiring CEO of Lifted, Rachael Crook. From early internships working to improve conditions for sex workers in Bangladeshi brothels and campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda, to her job advising the Prime Minister on youth unemployment, Rachael has spent her career striving to help people who really need it. In 2019 following her mother’s dementia diagnosis, Rachael was inspired to co-found Lifted – a company looking to revolutionise home care by using cutting edge tech to improve not just the lives of those in need of care, but their families, and the carers themselves. Something that is more relevant than ever given the impact the pandemic has had on the care industry. We loved speaking to Rachael about her mission-driven career. She’s one of those enviable entrepreneurs who is always looking to fix meaningful problems, make things better and tackle the big issues in society. We cover some really fascinating topics in our conversation, including: Rachael’s career shift from Government to Consulting and the importance of getting the right skills to structure a rewarding career The benefits of having a Co-Founder and building a start up focused on an industry that she is personally connected to And the importance of being kind to yourself as a start up Founder and to remember to let the ‘fun outweigh the fear’ when you’re scaling. Rachael’s intrinsic drive and passion is so infectious and inspiring, as you’ll hear for yourself today. Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to take your business to the next level or you’re thinking of joining a mission-driven business and want to know how to find the right one for you, we know you’ll take so much from Rachael’s experience and advice in this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Rachael, check out her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-crook-4723373b/ If you want to find out more about Lifted you can have a look at their website – https://www.liftedcare.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy New Year everyone! We're very excited to be starting 2021 with a brand-new episode of the 40 Minute Mentor. With the recent announcement of Lockdown 3.0 in England, we can all do with some extra inspiration and motivation and that’s exactly what today’s 40 Minute Mentor is here to do. Just over a decade ago, today’s guest, James Hind, took his passion for cars and turned it into a business that has since grown into one of the Europe’s most popular car buying and reviewing platforms, Carwow. You’ve probably heard of it, or quite possibly used it yourself! Today, Carwow boasts a team of more than 200 people across London, Munich, and Madrid, and raised over $100m in funding since it launched. It can also lay claim to the world’s most popular YouTube car channel with over 5 million subscribers. Having jumped straight from university into running his own business, James has some fascinating insights into the life of a tech founder and what it takes to get a new venture off the ground without a ‘big brand’ CV behind him. In this episode he tells all and shares so much great advice including: How to raise money from VC’s and angel investors when you have no experience and no contacts. The growth story of Carwow and how his approach to hiring world class talent has evolved over time And the challenges of expanding into new territories and the importance of culture and communication when scaling It was such a privilege to speak to James who we’ve got to know well in recent years and respect hugely. It was great to hear his candid perspectives on some of the top issues that so many entrepreneurs struggle with. In the current climate, it was great to hear his optimism and some of the big positives he thinks have come out of the pandemic. So whether you’re thinking about starting your own business, are getting ready for your first round of funding or are looking to scale in 2021, this episode is an absolute must-listen. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about James, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshind If you want to find out more about Carwow, have a look at its website and YouTube channel – https://www.carwow.co.uk/ – https://www.youtube.com/c/carwow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we’re heading into a very different holiday season this year, today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode on mental health couldn’t be timelier, and we're so pleased to have gathered such an inspiring panel to discuss a topic that touches so many lives. Although so much progress has been made over the last years, mental health is still a topic that comes with many stigmas, misconceptions, and a discomfort to openly talk about. That’s why it’s so important to actively encourage dialogue, which is something today’s panellists are very passionate about. Our guests in today’s episode are three people who have all experienced and overcome mental health problems, in different ways. They are: wellness expert, psychotherapist and Balance Media founder Sophie Scott, Benevolent AI HR director and Mind ambassador Rohan Kallicharan and author, presenter, mental health campaigner and James Mitra's former drama teacher Carrie Carlisle. In today’s discussion we touch on a lot of points I’m sure many of you will be able to relate to and will appreciate insights and advice on, including: Why silence is so dangerous and why the first step to finding a way forward is by talking to someone you trust Practical advice on how to maintain your wellbeing and what to do if you feel that you need professional support And how you can help a loved one who is suffering from a mental health condition, while also protecting your own wellbeing We may have been talking about a heavy subject, but we left our conversation feeling optimistic that no matter how low you may currently feel it is possible to turn it around and start feeling better again. We hope anyone listening who may be struggling, feels that way too. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Sophie, Rohan and Carrie check out their LinkedIn profiles: Sophie Scott - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-scott/ Rohan Kallicharan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakallicharan/ Carrie Carlisle - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-and-clarke-carlisle-765aa749/ And take a look at the organisations they’re part of: Balance Media - https://balance.media/ Benevolent AI - https://www.benevolent.com/ Clarke and Carrie’s Place - https://www.clarkeandcarriesplace.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Mentor for the next 40 Minutes has had probably the most diverse and interesting career journeys of anyone we’ve ever met. He’s gone from launching some of the most successful bands in the world like the Jonas Brothers in his early music career, to working with Steve Jobs as part of the team that launched iTunes in Europe taking it from revenues of zero to £500m in three years and in more recent times he is best know as a world renown chef and restaurateur, responsible for Cerviche - a business built on his passion for Peruvian food and culture, which at one point was the fastest growing restaurant group in the UK with a turnover of more than £10m. Martin shared some truly inspiring stories with me in today’s episode - from having a hugely successful corporate career to the ups and downs from his start up experience, which including scaling, restructuring and eventually exiting Cerviche. He shared some candid advice, including: How to build a loyal team working towards the same goal, whether that’s launching a singer-songwriter or a central London restaurant The importance of diplomacy when you are driving change in a big organisation and working with tough, uncompromising characters And what it takes to turn your passion into a viable business that can attract investors and, most importantly, customers. Despite his successes Martin is such a humble and lovely man who we’ve had the privilege to get to know a bit in recent times through our respective roles as board advisors at the new for good accelerator Unrest. Martin’s upbringing saw his family flee civil unrest in Peru when he was 11 and has a big part to play in why he has always remained so grounded. It’s also a background that fuels his passion for sustainability, the circular economy and social enterprise something we discuss further in our chat. So if you want to know what it takes to reach the top in a variety of competitive industries while sticking to your principles, you won’t want to miss Martin’s advice in this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Martin, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmoraleslondon If you want to find out more about Cerviche, have a look at their website – https://www.cevichefamily.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your 40 Minute Mentor today is the fantastic, Jeff Lynn, co-founder of the hugely successful crowdfunding platform Seedrs. Since recording this episode it was also announced that Seedrs will be merging with their biggest competitor Crowdcube to create the worlds largest PE marketplace – an incredibly exciting proposition! Jeff started his career as a lawyer but while doing his MBA at Said Business School he got the entrepreneurial bug and with his co-founder Carlos Silva, created Seedrs 11 years on have helped fund almost over 1200 businesses with more than £1bn has been invested on the platform including funding well known scale ups Revolut, Allplants, Perkbox and FreeAgent amongst many others! Jeff has such an insightful perspective on the start-up world, both from his own journey as a Founder and as the owner of a platform that supports other entrepreneurs following a similar path. In today’s episode, we delve into Jeff’s career and hear some incredible career advice, including: How to approach doing an MBA if your goal is to become an entrepreneur rather than climb the corporate ladder Why a Founder isn’t always the best person to run a start up in the long term, and how he came to the decision to replace himself as CEO of Seedrs in 2017 And we discuss the power of crowd funding and hear which have been some of his favourite startups to come through the Seedrs platform over the years. It was fascinating to hear Jeff’s story and learn more about the incredible startups that Seedrs supports - from those just starting out to established household names. So, whether you’re thinking of starting your own business or are interested in finding out more about crowdfunding, I know you’ll take a lot from this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Jeff, take a look at his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefflynn/ If you want to find out more about Seedrs, check out their website – https://www.seedrs.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your mentor for the next 40 minutes is the incredible Check Warner, Co-Founder of non-profit organisation Diversity VC and Ada Ventures, a venture capital firm, committed to investing in overlooked founders and markets. It took around 18 months, 67 flights and 300 pitches to raise their first fund and Check shares her learnings through this process in today’s episode. She also shares brilliant insights into what it takes to succeed in the VC sector, including: How her graduate job in advertising gave her experience across a variety of industries and some core skills that helped her as she transitioned into VC Why she is passionate about supporting underrepresented founders and her tips for breaking into VC And how having the right mentor can help you overcome imposter syndrome, recover from knockbacks and keep you focused on your goals D&I and social mobility are topics very close to our hearts, so it was an absolute pleasure to speak to Check about her career and the incredible work she is doing in the VC and tech world to drive much needed change. She’s made us feel much more optimistic about the future of the industry, so whether you’re a Founder fundraising or you’re desperate to break into VC, this episode is packed full of tangible advice that we're sure will be of great benefit. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Check, take a look at her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescawarner/ If you want to find out more about Ada Ventures, have a look at their website – https://www.adaventures.com/ If you want to find out more about Ada Ventures, have a look at their website – https://www.diversity.vc/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your 40 Minute Mentor today is Tessa Clarke Co-Founder and CEO of the food-sharing app Olio. We throw away around one third of the food we buy, while 800 million people go to bed hungry every night. That’s 1 in 9 people on the planet who are starving or malnourished. Every one of them could be sufficiently fed on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the USA, UK and Europe each year. Tessa is on a mission to to change this. In just 5 years Olio has built up almost 2.5 million users in 54 countries and 50,000 ambassadors, who are all cutting waste in their communities by sharing their spare food with their neighbours. Tessa’s success as a founder is built on a high-flying career that’s taken her from consulting to publishing and included four years as MD of eCommerce at Dyson, where she worked directly with founder James Dyson. It was a pleasure to chat to Tessa and learn more about her career journey and what it takes to found and grow a successful social enterprise, like Olio. She shared so many interesting insights in this episode, including: The leadership lessons she learnt from James Dyson, and how she has scaled Olio into the successful business it is today. How Olio’s clear and simple mission and purpose is key for recruiting and retaining a high-performing team. And how investors are short-changing the world by not backing diverse founders; and what we can do to change that. Tessa is a fantastic leader who is so passionate about Olio’s mission, which is incredibly inspiring. So if you’re looking for easy to implement ways to decrease your own food waste or perhaps you’re thinking about joining or starting your own mission-driven business, you’ll definitely want to listen to the great advice Tessa shares in today’s episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Tessa, check out her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/tecook/ If you want to find out more about Olio, have a look at their website and download the app – https://olioex.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s not every day you get to chat to a former COO of Google, but Ben Legg, your 40 Minute Mentor today, is exactly that! Ben spent the first 10 years of his career in the British Army building bomb-proof structures and, occasionally, arm-wrestling members of the French Foreign Legion…. He successfully transitioned into business, working for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Coca Cola and Google as well as the high growth mobility Scale Up Ola and Adknowledge which he grew into one of the largest adtech companies in the US. Since then, Ben has built a portfolio career for himself and has recently founded The Portfolio Collective, a community for portfolio professionals. In this episode we explore the many sides of Ben’s career to date and what he’s learned along the way, including: The skills that he was able to leverage from the military into business, such as the ability to bring order to chaos and stay calm under pressure How he transitioned from a commercial role at Coca Cola to becoming a COO for Google and what it was like to work alongside the Google Founders And the key things you need to consider when you’re recruiting a high performing team in any organisation It was fascinating talking to Ben who is one of the most impressive and productive leaders we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing. He is a real force of nature, with so much knowledge and experience to share. So, if you’re looking to switch sectors, want to start a business of your own or are considering becoming a portfolio professional, we know you’ll get so much from Ben’s insights and fantastic career advice. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Ben, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/benlegg/ If you want to find out more about the Portfolio Collective, have a look at their website – https://portfolio-collective.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest and your mentor for the next 40 minutes is Dan Ziv, CEO at TouchNote, the world’s most popular postcard sending app. Since joining the company in 2016 as Chief Product Officer, they’ve gone from strength to strength and Dan quickly climbed the ladder to CEO. But Dan’s career hasn’t always been plain sailing. A previous tech start up he founded with a friend failed to take off, but with his infectious optimism, he saw the shortcomings as a good way to learn and move forward with his next venture, the last minute table booking app Uncover, which was a huge success. In just over two years Dan and his cofounders proved there was a market for the app, attracted £1m in seed funding and sold it to a competitor. Together, we discuss the ups and downs throughout his career and how they’ve shaped him as an entrepreneur and business leader, including: How taking command of 132 soldiers as a 21-year-old in the Israeli army gave him a crash course in leadership and built his resilience The importance of choosing who you work with carefully and how the complementary skills of his cofounders at Uncover contributed to its success And why he has pivoted TouchNote from eCommerce to communications by focusing on a subscriptions business model. Dan is such an upbeat person with some brilliant insights into how to create a positive culture within an organisation. It was a pleasure talking to him and discovering more about the values that drive him and the wider team at TouchNote. If you’re considering starting your own business or are about to step into your first leadership role, this episode is an absolute must-listen. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Dan, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/danziv/ If you want to find out more about TouchNote, have a look at their website – https://touchnote.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Social mobility is a subject that’s very close to our heart which is why we're so excited to bring you this extra special roundtable episode of the 40 Minute Mentor. In today’s episode you’ll hear from an expert panel, who are all committed to advancing social mobility They are: Mandy Nyarko, Co-founder of Startup Discovery School; Lucy McCarthy-Christofides, Head of Proposition and Range at Tails.com; Ezechi Britton, Co-Founder of digital skills academy Code Untapped and Founding Member and Principal at Impact X Capital; Ruth Penfold, People Practice Lead at BP Launchpad and Euan Blair, Co-founder and CEO at WhiteHat. Every single person on this panel is incredibly passionate about levelling the playing field and providing more opportunities to those from underrepresented communities. It was so interesting to dive deeper into this important topic and we covered a lot of ground, including: The numerous barriers people from underprivileged backgrounds must overcome as they attempt to build a career and we explored what steps business leaders can take to help level the playing field. Why a degree isn’t the be all and end all, and how apprenticeships can play a key role in boosting social mobility. The cultural shift many companies still need to make when it comes to recruiting people from different backgrounds, specifically people who have been on less traditional educational journeys. Plus, why Black Founders are far less likely to gain venture capital funding and what can be done to rebalance this. As you’ll hear, there was so much to discuss and we could easily have gone on for another hour, so we hope that there will be an opportunity for a round 2 soon! Our panel shared personal stories, frustrations, many thought-provoking opinions and provided inspirational advice and ideas on how we can tangibly make a difference. So if you are keen to do more to support those who are underrepresented in your industry or society at large, then this podcast will give you an insight into what can be done right now and what you can do to start making a difference. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Mandy, Lucy, Ezechi, Ruth and Euan check out their LinkedIn profiles: Mandy Nyarko - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-nyarko Lucy McCarthy-Christofides - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarthytails Ezechi Britton - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezechi-britton-452a893/ Ruth Penfold - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthpenfold/ Euan Blair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/euan-blair-54a11925/ And take a look at the organisations they’re part of: Startup Discovery School - https://startupdiscoveryschool.com/ Tails.com - https://tails.com/gb/ Code Untapped - https://codeuntapped.com/ BP Launchpad - https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/what-we-do/technology-at-bp/bp-launchpad.html WhiteHat - https://whitehat.org.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s inspiring guest and your mentor for the next 40 minutes is Adrian Blair, CEO of the digital bookkeeping platform Receipt Bank. Receipt Bank helps make accounting easier for over 400,000 small businesses around the world and recently raised $75 million Series C funding for the next chapter in their growth journey. Before joining Receipt Bank, Adrian led the development of the eCommerce partnership strategy at Google and helped grow Just Eat from a small scale start up to the FTSE 100 company we now know it as now. In today’s episode, we talk about the lessons Adrian has learned on his amazing career journey so far, including: The leadership lessons from working alongside Google Co-Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and how they still influence his approach to this day. The highs and lows from his journey with Just Eat and how this experience has shaped how he’s steering Receipt Bank on their rapid growth journey. And, what to think about when planning your career and why you should be considering more than just money and experience when planning your next move. It was fascinating to learn more about Adrian’s early days at Google, the motivations behind his big career moves since, and what the future holds for Receipt Bank. If you’re thinking about making your next career move or want to know what it’s really like on the inside of an incredible growth journey like Just Eat, you’ll definitely want to listen to Adrian’s invaluable advice in this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you’d like to find out more about Adrian, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianblair To see what Receipt Bank are all about, take a look at their website - https://www.receipt-bank.com/uk/ And if you want to see some of the brilliant things Circl are doing, take a look at their website – https://www.circl.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People are at the heart of every startup’s success and nobody knows the importance of recruiting the right talent more than today’s 40 Minute Mentor, Zoe Jervier Hewitt, Operating Partner for Talent at venture capitalists EQT Ventures. Zoe’s career started in HR and Talent at Apple before transitioning into Tech at the high growth Start Up Mind Candy. She then became one of the first employees at Entrepreneur First, where she built a global, talent acquisition and assessment function from scratch. After 4 very successful years at EF, Zoe joined the leading VC EQT Ventures as an Operating Partner where she acts as both an in-house Talent Advisor to the investment team and EQT’s portfolio. In today’s episode, we talk more about Zoe’s unusual route into the sector, having done a degree in History of Art at Oxford University, and we take a deeper look into her biggest learnings from her career so far, including: How growing up in a mixed race, working class family helped to instil in her a strong work ethic that has aided her throughout her career The importance of brand building and proactively searching for talent when you are a small start up Why a structured recruitment process is key to preventing biases creeping into your decision making Plus, her advice for those from underrepresented communities looking to raise investment from VC’s like EQT Zoe’s passion for developing talent really shines through in this episode and it was fascinating to get her perspective on recruitment in the Tech sector from someone who is a bona fide expert. We really enjoyed chatting to her about a topic we are particularly passionate about. So, if you’ve recently founded your own start up and are looking to expand your team, or you’re looking for advice on how to raise from a top VC like EQT, or perhaps you’re weighing up the benefits of a career in talent – whatever your situation, we're sure you will benefit from Zoe’s insightful advice. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you’d like to find out more about Zoe, check out her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoejervier/ And if you want to get to know EQT Ventures a little better take a look at their website – https://eqtventures.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s not every day you close a $13m Series A funding round, but to do it in a global pandemic is really quite an achievement. That’s what today's 40 Minute Mentor Stefano Vaccino successfully did with his FinTech Yapily. A feat that is even more impressive, given the fact that he also contracted Covid-19 during the raise – he is truly made of tough stuff. Stefano has an impressive and diverse career, pivoting from academia to Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, then into product leadership roles in start ups, before he took the plunge and set up Yapily in 2017. Yapily’s mission is to transform the Financial services sector by harnessing the power of open banking and it was an absolute pleasure to hear more about their incredible growth journey over the last 3 years. In today’s episode we talk about the future of Financial Services and dig deeper into various aspects of Stefano’s entrepreneurial journey, including: The lessons he learnt from raising a $13 million Series A round this year and his advice for anyone looking to fundraise Why building a diverse team and a positive company culture is so important and why you need to build a team that embraces learning and innovation Plus, his candid insights into the day-to-day life as a CEO of a fast growing, well-funded, start up. Stefano was a fantastic guest and it is not difficult to see how he has achieved so much in such a short amount of time with Yapily. He shares some wonderful advice that is applicable to anyone working in or looking to move into the start up world – from CEO’s looking to fundraise, to frustrated bankers looking to break into Fintech; Stefano provides fantastic mentorship throughout this episode. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you’d like to find out more about Stefano, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanovaccino/ And if you want to get to know Yapily a little better take a look at their website – https://www.yapily.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After eight successful years at Google, James joined what was at the time a little known travel tech firm called Airbnb to lead their business in the UK and Northern Europe. Over 3.5 years he had significant successes, as well as having to overcome a fair few challenges, before he moved to another US Headquartered Scale Up SeatGeek as their International GM Never shying away from a challenge, James joined the job search engine Adzuna, as their CCO, right at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic…! In this episode, we talk though James' career highlights and lessons learned including: How he built a successful career at Google and the lessons he’s taken forward into all his roles since His experience of working for US headquartered businesses like Google and Airbnb and how you can ensure you stand out, even if you’re on the other side of the world Plus, how he’s dealt with starting a new exec role in the middle of a global pandemic and how he’s helped the team adapt to the “new normal” We had a brilliant time talking to James who has had such an impressive career to date. Despite holding senior roles for some of the most aspirational Tech Scale Ups that have ever existed, he has remained incredibly down to earth and we really enjoyed hearing about his varied experiences. James provides a fascinating window into the workings of Tech Scale Ups and shares some great advice for anyone looking to follow in his footsteps. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you’d like to find out more about James McClure, check out his LinkedIn profile –https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mcclure-5b6a364/ And if you want to get to know Adzuna a little better take a look at their website – https://www.adzuna.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our 40 Minute Mentor in this episode is the brilliant Tara Lajumoke, Managing Director of FT Strategies’, the Financial Times consulting arm. After starting her career at Goldman Sachs, Tara moved in to consulting at McKinsey where she progressed to Junior Partner before taking the bold and entrepreneurial move in March 2020 to move to FTS. As you’d probably expect, it’s been a roller coaster few months for Tara, walking into a new senior role right at the beginning of a global pandemic and having to juggle this with having a young family, which is something we dive in to in this episode. Outside of work Tara uses the skills she’s learnt from Consulting to help develop the female leaders of tomorrow, working as a Business Mentor at the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women Entrepreneurs. In this episode, we dive into Tara’s story and explore how she’s been able to achieve the things she has, both from a personal and professional perspective, including: Why Tara decided to leave McKinsey for what many would see as a riskier move and what it’s been like leading FT Strategies through a global pandemic. The importance of education, why it’s such a big factor in Tara’s life and why it’s a huge focus for the way she’s bringing up her own children. And we also discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and what companies and individuals can do to make a tangible difference to the cause We have had the pleasure of working with Tara for a little while and we were so excited to get her on our podcast as she is such a positive and down to earth role model. Needless to say, we loved hearing more about her career journey and how she’s managed to achieve so much in her career to date. So whether you work in consulting or you’re just in need of some inspiration from a brilliant leader, this episode is packed full of gems for you to learn from and apply to your own life and career. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Tara, check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-lajumoke-40aa29/ And if you’d like to find out more about FT Strategies, you can have a look at their website here - https://www.ftstrategies.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest and your Mentor for the next 40 minutes is an England Rugby legend, a hugely popular broadcaster and journalist and a successful business owner – Will Greenwood MBE. If you’re a Rugby fan Will needs no introduction, but for those of you who may not follow the sport, Will is one of the greatest English rugby players of all time, playing 55 times for his country, representing the British and Irish Lions on multiple tours and most famously, playing a fundamental role in England’s 2003’s Rugby World Cup winning team. Today, Will is a popular rugby commentator and analyst for The Telegraph and Sky Sports, as well as hosting his own Rugby union podcast. Will is also a fellow entrepreneur, and started his own hospitality business in 2011, Legend Holidays and Events, where he runs family holiday experiences, corporate events and sports festivals. It was a genuine honour to sit down with Will and hear more about his life and career, including: Will’s upbringing and the influence his Dad (who was also a Rugby international and coach) had on his career What it was like to be a part of World Cup winning team in 2003 and what made their culture so fundamental to their success Plus, Will’s tips for anyone thinking of making a bold or difficult career change and his advice from his own experience of transitioning from Rugby into a career in media. Will has achieved so much in his career and his passion truly shines through in our conversation as well as his dedication to inspire and help others. He is a brilliant 40 Minute Mentor and whether you’re Rugby fan or not, we're sure you will be just as inspired as we were, hearing his career story. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Will, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/willgreenwood If you’d like to find out more about Legend Holiday and Events, you can have a look at their website - https://www.ourlegend.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest and your Mentor for the next 40 minutes is the incredible Claire Valoti from Snapchat. Having completed a degree in politics, Claire quickly realised that this wasn’t going to be the career for her and pivoted into marketing and advertising, spending a number of years at Mindshare before making the move into Tech with Facebook. In 2016 she was headhunted to become the GM responsible for launching and growing Snapchat in Europe and she has since progressed to VP of International. It was an absolute pleasure hearing about Claire’s career, which has seen her recognised as one of Business Insider’s Most Powerful Women. In today’s conversation we discuss a whole range of topics, including: How Claire’s upbringing helped shape her career and how her parents instilled certain qualities and values that have helped her become the leader she is today How she managed to secure leadership roles at two social media giants, one including Snapchat where she received an offer while pregnant and joined 2 weeks before the birth of her 2nd child Plus, Claire’s first-hand experience of climbing the ranks in the largely male-dominated tech industry and what tech businesses can do to help promote diversity and inclusion Claire is one of the most inspiring and high profile female leaders in Tech and was an absolute joy to interview. She gave a truly honest and candid insight into her career and shared so many insightful pieces of advice – so whether you’re a job seeker, an aspiring GM or a leader in Tech, there is something for everyone in this episode. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Claire, check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevaloti/ If you’d like to find out more about Snapchat, you can have a look at their website - https://www.snap.com/en-GB/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor, we had the pleasure of interviewing fellow podcast host and serial-entrepreneur, Dan Murray-Serter. Dan is Co-Founder of Heights, the holistic brand for the brain, and Co-Founder and Host of the UK’s number 1 business podcasts, Secret Leaders – one of my personal favourites. Despite initially wanting to be a Football coach, he started his career in the world of advertising before co-founding his first business at the age of 24. Since then, Dan has been running his own businesses for the last 7 years, which has led to him winning multiple awards, including being named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 off the back of his success with his previous start up Grabble. Over the course of our chat we covered a number of topics: Dan’s candid insights into the life of an entrepreneur How the idea for Heights was born and how the team leveraged high-profile expert opinions from the likes of Stephen Fry to help rapidly grow their community Plus, he reveals who the most inspiring person is, that he’s had on Secret Leaders. It was a real pleasure interviewing a podcast legend like Dan, who is such a honest and gregarious entrepreneur. We really enjoyed hearing Dan’s candid reflections on the ups and downs he’s faced as an entrepreneur and more about his ambitious plans for Heights. So if you’re currently thinking about taking the leap and starting out on your own, or if you’re a Secret Leaders fan keen to learn more about the man behind the mic, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode! We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview, just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Dan, you can check out his LinkedIn profile here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmurrayserter/ If you want to find out more about Heights, you can have a look at their website following – https://www.yourheights.com/ And if you haven’t listened to the Secrets Leaders podcast, you’ll want to head over to - https://www.secretleaders.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor, we get the privilege of speaking to not one, but two inspiring mentors – Ina Kjaer and Maggie Brereton from EOS Deal Advisory. Following successful careers as senior Partners within KPMG’s deal advisory business, Ina and Maggie took the bold decision to leave with a determination to shake up an industry known for it’s macho culture, long hours and a shocking gender pay gap. To do this they launched EOS Deal Advisory– a diverse, tech driven deal advisory consultancy that has already grown to a team of over 15 and has an enviable client list. It’s not every day that we get to talk to such impressive leaders who have reached the top of the Big 4 and then taken the bold leap of starting a business from scratch! It was fascinating to hear Ina and Maggie’s stories and learn more about their experience and how they’re striving to do things differently at EOS. Having started the business less than 12 months ago, today’s conversation focuses on the highs and lows of launching your own business, including: The initial challenges they faced in the early months of EOS and how they were able to overcome them. Why they decided to start EOS together, as equal partners, and how this has influenced the way they work and the way they’re building the business. And the importance of culture and diversity and how EOS are actively trying to create a business that’s distinct from the ‘macho culture’ often found in bigger consultancies. Ina and Maggie were fantastic 40 Minute Mentors and it was an absolute pleasure to dive into their careers and the vision they have for EOS. So whether you’re currently working in a consultancy and want to understand how you can progress your career, or perhaps you’re contemplating starting your own professional services business – this episode is packed with great career advice and life lessons from two trail blazers, who are truly disrupting the industry. We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Ina, you can check out her LinkedIn profile here – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ina-kj%C3%A6r-065540/ If you want to find out more about Maggie, you can check out her LinkedIn profile here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-brereton-99339814/ If you want to find out more about EOS Deal Advisory, you can check out their website following - https://www.eos-dealadvisory.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have always found the world of politics intriguing, so I was especially excited when Sam Gyimah, the Former UK Minister for Science, Technology, Universities, and Innovation, agreed to be on the 40 Minute Mentor. Sam was born in the UK but raised in Ghana before returning to study PPE at Oxford University, where he was elected the first Black British President of the Oxford Union Society - one of the world’s most prestigious debating societies. After starting out in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, Sam successfully transitioned into entrepreneurship, working in both Fintech and then a Logistic Training business which he scaled to £10m turnover and 70 staff in a 4 year period. His endeavours saw him voted the CBI Entrepreneur of the Future in 2005. Following his entrepreneurial success, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, which was the start of an impressive and high profile political career. In today’s conversation, Sam shares a wealth of valuable insights from his incredible journey from a comprehensive school education to Number 10 Downing Street. During our fascinating chat we discuss: • How Sam’s experience at Oxford University set him on the path for a career in business and politics, despite initially being attracted to a career in law • What you need to know about working for a high-profile person and how to overcome the challenges of being in the public eye • Why working in politics is like being in a constant asteroid shower and the core skills you need to develop to survive and thrive in that kind of environment • Plus we also touch upon his take on how his former colleagues are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. Sam was a great guest - open and honest, he shared some fascinating insights into the inner workings of parliament and what a career in government really entails. So whether you’re plotting to enter the world of politics yourself, or simply want to know how Sam came to be known as one of the most influential people in the country, I’m sure you’ll gain a lot of insights from hearing his story. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Sam, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-gyimah/?originalSubdomain=uk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent weeks we have been having lots of conversations with candidates who are concerned about the impact the current economic climate will have had on their careers. If this has been on your mind too, then today’s episode is perfect for you. That’s because our 40 Minute Mentor today is Amir Nooriala, whose story will both inspire and reassure you. He has proved through his career that no matter what the circumstances are, there are always opportunities, if you’re willing to put in the work. Amir is the Chief Commercial Officer at Callsign, a leading fraud detection, authorisation & authentication company. Although he now is a highly respected FinTech executive, he started his tech career in Silicon Valley at a very challenging time - just as the dot com bubble burst. Since then, Amir’s journey took him back to the UK and has seen him work in consulting and Banking, before pivoting into in the fast-paced world of FinTech at the Unicorn Oaknorth. Alongside his impressive CV, something that we really admire about Amir is the fact that he is also incredibly passionate about promoting social mobility. Alongside his full-time job, Amir is a trustee of Making the Leap and the UK Social Mobility Awards.  Alongside that, we take a trip back through Amir’s colourful career to date, where he shares some fantastic insights, including: His top career tips for navigating through uncertain economic times, and his personal lessons from bouncing back from both redundancy and a demotion. How you can tailor your CV and identify your transferable skills to break into the competitive FinTech sector, even if you have no direct experience and a limited network. Plus, Amir’s entrepreneurial and productivity secrets and how he has successfully balanced all of his commitments over the years which have included full-on executive roles, advisory work, side hustles and 3 kids! Amir is a fantastic person as well as a super impressive leader and this conversation couldn’t have come at a better time given everything that is going on in the world. His journey has so much to teach us all about resilience, perseverance and staying positive when times are tough. No matter what stage of your career you’re in, we know you’ll get a lot of value and confidence from listening to Amir’s life lessons. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Amir, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirnooriala/ If you’d like to find out more about Callsign, you can have a look at their website - https://www.callsign.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode features the incredible Shefali Roy, COO and CCO at TrueLayer. Shefali started her career in financial services, working across the Australasian market, before moving to London to get her Master’s degree in Economic History at LSE. Shefali decided to stay in London and joined Goldman Sachs before moving out of Financial Services and into the world of Tech. Since then she’s gone on to work for a whole range of leading Tech companies including global tech giant Apple, FinTech trailblazer Stripe and most recently, the leading tech company TrueLayer. In this conversation, Shefali shares some really interesting insights from her experience of building a successful tech career in the Compliance and Risk space, including: What initially got her into compliance, and why this underrated sector could offer you a great opportunity to build a fantastic tech career. What she learned from working across regions and across industries. Including her move into Tech and what it was really like to work at Apple. And what a typical day as the COO and CCO at TrueLayer looks like and how the team have adapted and changed in the face of COVID-19. Shefali shares so many great insights in this episode and goes into detail on how she tackled those big and important career decisions over the years to help you, if you’re considering a career change. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Shefali, check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shefaliroy/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moving on to a different career path will always be a daunting prospect and it can be difficult to know how best to approach it. We regularly hear from candidates who are looking to make the shift and aren’t always sure where to start. And equally, from clients, unsure about taking a risk on someone with a different or out of the ordinary background. If you’re in this position, then you’re going to love today’s episode as our guest tells you all about his remarkable career change. Chris Severson has never been one to shy away from risk. Having started his career in the US Marine Corps as a TOPGUN fighter pilot, he took his adventurous approach into his post military career, successfully making the switch into leadership roles in the corporate and start up worlds. Chris has held senior positions across Barclays, Atlas Mara, Digicel and most recently at PMI, and has lived in the USA, the Middle East, Switzerland and the Caribbean. As Chris explains in today’s episode, making a career change is going to be hard work, no matter your background, but building a great network is the key to success. During our conversation we elaborate further on the power of networking and dig deeper into how leveraging your innate capabilities can help you as a leader. Some of the topics we discussed, include: His experience of transitioning from a high pressure and disciplined military career into the private sector. Plus, how his background as a Marine taught him to be an enthusiastic leader and communicator. The importance of networking when changing careers and how best to ‘find your tribe’ and build good relationships online and offline. And his advice for building a high performing team. From hiring people smarter than himself, to his favourite interview question - it’s certainly one that might catch you off guard! Chris has been a candidate, client and friend of JBM, as well as a personal inspiration to James throughout his career. He is an amazing and charismatic leader, so it was fascinating to dig deeper into his diverse and exciting career journey. We're sure you’re all going to really enjoy this one – especially any of you who are fans of the movie Top Gun! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Chris, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisseverson1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to careers, there’s so many more options out there than there used to be even 5 years ago. Speaking to clients and candidates day in and out, we hear so many different stories of how people have got to where they are, the route they took and the different paths that people follow. The days of getting a university degree, joining a graduate scheme and staying with one company for 10-15 years are long gone. With rising university fees and increasing opportunity we’re seeing many companies starting to offer apprenticeships to enable talented young people to follow an alternative path to reach the career they want. At the forefront of this major shift across education and employment is today’s 40 Minute Mentor – the amazing Sophie Adelman, Co-Founder and president of WhiteHat. While Sophie has a very successful academic background herself, she saw her acceptance into Cambridge as a lucky break and in some ways an unfair advantage over all the equally talented people who for whatever reason didn’t get the same opportunity. As Sophie explains in today’s episode, this helped her shape her mission in life to create access to opportunities for everyone, no matter the background, social status or upbringing.  That’s where the idea for WhiteHat came from. Sophie and her co-founder Euan launched WhiteHat – a tech start-up building an outstanding alternative to the traditional university route – to level the playing field and open opportunities to work with great companies to more people, rather than a small selected pool of talent from well-known universities. Sophie’s passion for creating equal opportunities, changing the way the university system works and topics, such as social mobility is truly inspiring. In today’s conversation, we dig deeper into a whole host of topics, including:   The problems Sophie sees with the university sector and how her own experience has shaped her vision to change it. Why she founded WhiteHat and her experience of starting and growing her mission-driven business from just herself and Euan to a team of 140 people. And her experience of raising $16m Series A funding in 2019 and her advice for others looking to emulate her success. If you’re interested in working for a mission-driven start-up like WhiteHat, or you're a leader looking at diversifying your talent pool, or you're considering whether to go to university - you’re going to love this conversation. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Sophie, check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-adelman1/ If you want to find out more about WhiteHat, you can have a look at their website - https://whitehat.org.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're really excited to bring you this special bonus episode of the 40 Minute Mentor with one of the most well-known figures in FinTech – the awesome David M. Brear, CEO of 11:FS. 11:FS are made up of some of the greatest minds in FinTech who are working to build and launch next-generation digital propositions for some of the biggest financial institutions in the world. In just 4 years they have achieved some incredible results as a challenger consultancy, whilst also launching one of the top business podcasts in the UK. Their strapline alone – Digital banking is only 1% finished – gives you a flavour of their drive to challenge the status quo and disrupt the industry. As a fellow podcast host and passionate sports fan, David and James had a lot to talk about! We have admired 11:FS for a long time so it was a real honour to sit down with David to find out more about his own career path and hear first-hand the incredible journey that 11:FS have been on. Meeting him in person didn’t disappoint and, in the episode, we cover some really exciting topics, including: How David’s initial plans to become a professional Basketballer were curtailed by injury and how he ended working up in Banking during the Financial Crisis His incredible journey with 11:FS and how they’ve carved their own path, creating a multi-faceted business full of incredible talent and amazing clients – all without any external funding And what company culture means to him and how his love for sports has shaped the way 11:FS have grown their own high-performing team David is such a down to earth and refreshingly honest leader, who was so easy to talk to. This episode is filled to the brim with great advice, particularly for those of you working in consulting or Fintech. Whether you’re a junior consultant looking to advance your career or a founder yourself – David goes into detail on the secrets that have helped him succeed and the lessons he’s learned along the way. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about David M Brear, check out his LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrear/  If you want to find out more about 11:FS you can have a look at their website –  https://11fs.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The word ‘inspiring’ gets thrown around a lot when discussing entrepreneurs and business owners. However, with today’s guest, we can’t think of a more accurate or deserving description. Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is the incredible Catherine Wines, co-founder of WorldRemit. WorldRemit is a mission-driven online money transfer service that allows people to send money to friends and family living abroad. WorldRemit is one of the most successful and fastest growing Fintechs in the UK, with a worth of almost $1bn, employing over 700 people and serving 4 million customers across 150 countries. Catherine is one of the most high profile female leaders in Fintech so it came as a real shock to the industry when she was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer in 2018. Despite the shock of this and the ensuing treatment she has had to go through, she has remained incredibly positive and active throughout. She continues to support WorldRemit’s as a Non-Exec Director whilst also mentoring and advising a number of other start up founders (including fellow 40 Minute Mentor guest, Alex Stephany of Beam). Since her diagnosis, she’s paved the way for firms to improve the way they support employees living and working with cancer. We go into detail on this in today’s show and Catherine shares some great advice for anyone out there either living with, or supporting a loved one or colleague with, cancer. In today’s conversation you’ll hear about a number of interesting topics, including: • Why Catherine set up WorldRemit and how she has grown the business from a small start up to a team of over 700 employees across 6 continents. • Her philosophy on living with cancer and how she is happy to talk about it in order to raise awareness and change perceptions about it • Plus, her thoughts on the importance of mentorship, championing women in tech and why she got involved with Beam, the tech for good start up that helps homeless people get back in to work and off the street. It was an absolute pleasure speaking with Catherine about her many achievements and hearing her unique and uplifting approach to life. She truly is an inspiration and is certainly a great reminder to live life to the fullest, and without regret. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Catherine, check out her LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-wines-8060b26/ If you want to find out more about WorldRemit you can have a look at their website – https://www.worldremit.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest and our first 40 Minute Mentor of 2020 is the brilliant Ben Sanders, who is the MD for Europe at the Tech Scale Up Pollen. Pollen, formerly known as Verve, is one of the top 10 fastest growing UK scale-ups and a global leader in word-of-mouth sales in the live entertainment and travel industries. As MD for Europe, Ben leads a team of over 100 people, and he has played a key role in the growth of their marketplace, which has been turbo charged by a recent £70m Series C Funding round. Ben started his career in Consulting at Bain & Company where he spent just under 5 years before pivoting into Fintech in 2014 with Worldpay. He was subsequently headhunted by the UK Digital Bank Pockit as COO in 2016, despite having no previous COO experience, and in that time achieved significant successes – scaling the team to over 70 people and winning multiple awards. Ben has achieved some very impressive feats during his career, and it was great to get a chance to talk to him about his diverse experience so far (which has also included spending time as a Nightclub promoter) and share his advice for others who want to do the same. Some of the highlights from our chat include: • Why Ben made the move from Consulting into Fintech and how he was able to adapt so quickly and achieve so much in a such a short time frame • How Ben successfully made the jump into being a COO, and the lessons he learned from his time at Pockit, as well as his advice for others looking to make a step change in their own careers • And finally, Ben’s guidance for building and leading high performing teams and his thoughts on the importance of getting culture right Having talked to a lot of candidates who want to make the move from Consulting into Fintech, it was fascinating to hear Ben’s experience and get his candid advice for people looking to make the same move that he did. Ben is one of the nicest and most impressive people I know in Tech. He was open and honest during our conversation and he shared some fantastic insights that I’m delighted to be able to share with you in this episode. I hope you’ll get as much out of it as I did. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk. If you want to find out more about Ben check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-sanders-b280716/ If you want to find out more about Pollen you can have a look at their website - https://pollen.co/uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode I get to talk to a guest who has been described as “one of the UK’s most hotly-tipped young entrepreneurs”: co-founder and CEO of Fanbytes, Timothy Armoo. Timothy started his first ever business at the tender age of 14 and sold his second business at just 17. In 2017 Timothy and his co-founder, Ambrose, started the ‘Gen Z’ focused advertising agency, Fanbytes. Fanbytes specialises in helping brands reach the ‘Gen Z’ audience through popular social media channels like Snapchat and TikTok. Using their specially developed algorithm they search out the future stars of social media and connect them with global brands to create impactful campaigns. Their unique approach has drawn a high-profile client base and they’ve already worked with some of the world’s biggest brand names such as Apple Music, Warner Brothers, Deliveroo and Universal. Since launching the business they’ve grown rapidly, and Timothy and Ambrose now lead an award-winning team of 30. Helping their clients make an impact with Gen Z buyers. In today’s interview we cover some really interesting topics; going all the way from Timothy’s teenage years starting his first business through to how he’s growing and scaling a team working with global brands. During our conversation you’ll hear about: How Timothy began Fanbytes while still studying at University and how he balanced his studies with launching the business. The challenges he faced convincing brands to work with Fanbytes in the early days and his advice for other entrepreneurs looking to carve their way in a new niche. And his thoughts on the importance of culture and how he’s managed to maintain and develop Fanbytes unique culture while rapidly scaling the business. I really enjoyed speaking to Timothy and it was so inspiring to hear how much he’s accomplished as such a young age. He is clearly incredibly passionate about what he does and is a truly inspiring individual to talk to. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk. If you want to find out more about Timothy check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyarmoo/  If you want to find out more about Fanbytes you can have a look at their website - https://fanbytes.co.uk/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest and your Mentor for the next 40 minutes is the ever so inspiring author of “The Business of Sharing” and Founder and CEO of Beam – Alex Stephany. Having started his career as a lawyer, living and working all over the world, Alex decided to join the tech startup JustPark as their COO in 2011. Alex was promoted to CEO at the end of 2012 and let the business to close the largest start up equity crowdfunding raise in history. Following his success with JustPark, where he remains a board advisor to this day, Alex ventured out on his own and started Beam - the world’s first crowdfunding platform that helps homeless people to train up and get back into work. Beam’s growing community of supporters have made a total of 17,000 donations, helping over 50 people find stable employment in a position that will provide a living wage. Beam hasn’t grown unnoticed, winning lots of plaudits in the press and it has won many awards, including being named by The Guardian as one of the most important social tech innovations of 2018. I loved finding out more about Beam and Alex’s diverse experiences. In our conversation, we talked about many different aspects of his career, including: The skills that helped Alex switch from working as a lawyer to a high-growth tech startup and the challenges he faced in the early days of JustPark How he became a thought leader on the sharing economy and how this led him to write and publish his book, “The Business of Sharing” (which involved him interviewing some very high profile people, which we discuss during our chat) And also his ideas on how everyone can get involved in the sharing economy and how we can find long-term solutions for the homelessness problem, including ways to get involved with his amazing business Beam Alex’s passion for using technology to connect people who want to help, with people who need help, is both inspiring and contagious. I am so glad I get to share our conversation with you and I hope you’ll be as inspired as I was after hearing Alex’s story. If you want to find out more about Alex you can check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexstephany/ If you want to find out more about Beam you can have a look at their website - https://beam.org/ We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview, just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor is another bonus episode which was recorded live at our JBM drinks event in September. We run these events every quarter, to bring together clients and candidates who have helped us spread the word about JBM and to thank them for all their help and support. These events are always great fun and give our network a chance to get to know some of the great business leaders that we get to work with. Our special guest on the night and your 40 Minute Mentor today is the brilliant Pippa Lamb, Partner at Sweet Capital. Pippa has had a fascinating career so far. After graduating from the University of Oxford, she joined the Global Equity Strategy Team at J.P. Morgan where she spent 5 years before leaving to pursue her MBA at Harvard Business School as a Fulbright scholar. Following her MBA experience, she decided to take a different course and moved into the VC world, joining Sweet Capital – the investment fund established by the founders of King.com. She climbed quickly and earlier this year was promoted to Partner across their London and LA offices. I really enjoyed my interview with Pippa and there’s some great advice in here for anyone considering a bold career move. Be it pursing an MBA, moving into venture capital or taking a step out to do something else. We cover a whole range of topics in this one, including: How Pippa landed the role at Sweet Capital and her advice for anyone looking to move into the world of VC Why Pippa left banking to undertake her MBA and the key questions that she would recommend asking yourself when deciding whether an MBA is the right choice for you And her advice to start ups, and what she looks for in founders and companies that are pitching to her in her role at Sweet Capital It was great to sit down with Pippa and hear her advice on some of the hot topics that we regularly get asked about by our candidates. If you’re thinking about doing an MBA, looking to move into VC or want to learn how your business can secure its next round of investment, you’re going to love this conversation! If you want to find out more about Pippa you can check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pippalamb/ If you want to find out more about Sweet Capital you can have a look at their website - https://sweetcapital.com/ We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview, just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this episode are our guest's own opinion and do not represent any entity with which they've been, are now, or will be affiliated in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor, I’m joined by the former Bulgarian football international and Aston Villa captain, Stiliyan Petrov. Having started his professional football career in Bulgaria, Stiliyan joined Celtic, in 1999, where he went on to win ten trophies, including four Scottish Premier League titles. Following his success with Celtic, he moved to Aston Villa, ultimately becoming the club’s captain in 2009, leading the team to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the final of the League Cup in his first season. With his career going from strength to strength, everything changed for Stiliyan in March 2012 when after going for some routine medical tests after a game, he was diagnosed with Leukaemia. He tackled this challenging part of his life with an incredible bravery and positivity and ultimately successfully beat the cancer, although the road to recovery took its toll and despite getting back to being fit and healthy, he ultimately had to retire from the professional game in May 2013. Stiliyan is extremely honest and open about the struggles he went through and it was amazing to sit down with him to learn more about his incredible career story and what he’s taken from both the highs and the lows so far. In this interview we talk about so many interesting and important topics including: Stiliyan’s early years and how he went from playing Sunday league in Bulgaria to professional football in the UK, when he didn’t speak the language! His take on what makes a great leader, how he adapted to the role of captain and his advice for others looking to get the best from their team. And his battle with cancer and post football career, how he overcame the mental and physical challenges that he faced and what the future holds for him now. As an avid Aston Villa football fan, I’ve followed Stiliyan’s journey throughout his career and it was a true honour to sit down with him and learn more about his life on and off the pitch. What he’s achieved is truly inspiring and it’s incredible to see how he’s managed to come back from such adversity to continue pursuing a career and life around the game he loves. Meeting Stiliyan dispelled a lot of the stereotypes I had about footballers. He is warm and very down to earth, honest and generous with his time and ultimately a very loyal, family man with strong values and a genuine desire to help others. I hope you enjoy listening to this very special episode and take some inspiration from Stiliyan’s amazing story and his wise mentorship. If you want to find out more about the Stiliyan Petrov Foundation and how you can help its mission to revolutionise the way leukaemia and cancer are treated, check out the Foundation's website following - http://www.thestiliyanpetrovfoundation.com/phone/index.html We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor, I’m joined by founder and CEO of Rubies in the Rubble, Jenny Costa. Having started her career in finance, Jenny soon realised there was a bigger cause she felt passionate about. After reading that one third of all food produced globally is wasted, she knew she had to see it with her own eyes. So, one morning she decided to visit the New Covent Garden wholesale fruit and veg market. Her visit ended with her cycling back with baskets full of perfectly good and yet unsold produce. Produce that would have otherwise gone to landfill. That’s how Rubies in the Rubble, the UK’s leading ‘anti food waste’ brand, was founded. In 2011 Jenny started making and selling chutneys, made of produce saved from the rubbish heap. Having started with a single stall on Borough Market, Rubies in the Rubble now stocks their delicious jams, relishes, chutneys, ketchups and other condiments at major retailers, such as Waitrose, Ocado, Whole Foods and a large number of independent stores. In my conversation with Jenny, we cover some really interesting topics including: How Jenny took the leap from a lucrative career in investment management to selling home-made chutneys on Borough Market. Jenny’s key learnings as she’s taken Rubies from a single market stall to a rapidly growing business with products on the shelves of supermarkets up and down the country. And Jenny’s advice to fellow entrepreneurs on growing a team, building a successful culture and her approach to work life balance. I loved chatting to Jenny about Rubies in the Rubble and hearing how her team are disrupting the food industry with their amazing products. It was fascinating to hear her advice on how we can all help do our part to tackling the problem of food waste and how her team are setting the tone for it. It has certainly changed my view on the importance I place on the appearance of the fresh produce I buy, and hopefully my conversation with Jenny will inspire you to follow in her footsteps and reduce your own food waste too. If you want to find out more about Jenny you can check out her LinkedIn profile here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-costa-685b474a/ If you want to find out more about Rubies in the Rubble you can check out their website following - https://rubiesintherubble.com/ We’re always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode of the 40 Minute Mentor, I’m joined by my first guest from a tech Unicorn, as I speak with Fred Jones, Board Director and Head of New Mobility for Uber UK and Ireland. Uber need no introduction, they’re one of the world’s biggest tech businesses and have grown from a small scale start up in 2009 to one of the world’s most valuable companies, with a market cap of over $56 billion. Having started his career on Consulting, Fred joined Uber in 2015 and climbed rapidly through the company, to where he is today. For those of you who are considering making this move yourselves, Fred’s journey from Consulting into tech is a really interesting one and something we discuss in detail in today’s show. In addition to his role at Uber, Fred advises a number of start-up and scale up businesses, including ourselves here at JBM, where he provides invaluable advice to myself and the team as part of our advisory board. We cover some really interesting topics in this interview including: How Fred made the move from Consulting into tech and his advice to others thinking of doing the same. What it’s like to work at one of the world’s biggest tech unicorns and why feedback is such an important part of Uber’s culture. And Fred’s advice to aspiring leaders in tech and why he sees optimism is a key characteristic that all aspiring leaders should foster. If you want to find out more about Fred you can check out his LinkedIn profile here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-jones-2b25875/?originalSubdomain=uk If you want to find out more about Uber you can check out their website - https://www.uber.com We're always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode you get to hear from not one, but two brilliant guests as I chat with Henry Faber and Walter Kerr, founders of Oppidan. Frustrated by shortcomings that they saw in the tuition sector, Henry and Walter set up Oppidan to tackle the pressurised, anxiety-driven education market in the U.K. Their goal was to disrupt the tuition sector by focusing on mentoring children - not simply teaching them fact. Their services help children develop critical life skills like empathy and emotional intelligence and not just how to pass their 11+. Since founding the business in 2016 they have grown rapidly and in 2017 expanded from tutoring in to summer camps with their unique, Oppidan Camps. Taking the US summer camp experience and bringing them to the U.K for children aged 7-14. We discuss so many fascinating topics during this interview and go deep in to the state of education today including: The impact that mentoring can have on children, Why it’s important for children to learn these life skills at a young age and What we can do to help level the playing field when it comes to social class and educational achievement We also dig into the business side of Oppidan and Henry and Walter share their insights in to what it’s like launching a start up in a completely new niche and the challenges they’ve had to overcome along the way. I loved chatting to Henry and Walter who are truly passionate about their business and it’s great to see them making a real difference. I took so much away from this interview and it really got me thinking about how I’ll approach some of these critical decisions for my own 3 year old daughter, Sienna, as she grows up. So if you’re currently working in the education sector, you’re a parent wanting to know how to give your child the best possible start in life or you simply want to hear how two inspiring entrepreneurs are carving a brand new niche in one of the UK’s most traditional industries, I know you’re going to love this one. If you want to find out more about Walter and Henry you can check out their LinkedIn profiles: Henry Faber - https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-faber-7989b5109/ Walter Kerr - https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-kerr-145308119/ If you want to find out more about Oppidan you can check out their website - https://www.oppidaneducation.com/ We're always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is a special bonus episode which was recorded live at our JBM drinks event last month. We run these events for a mix of clients and candidates who have helped us spread the word about JBM over the years, and without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today. The goal for these evenings is to bring together a mix of talented people from diverse backgrounds to get to know each other better, make new connections and to learn from some of the best and most inspiring mentors in our network. Our special guest and your 40 Minute Mentor at this latest event was the brilliant former McKinsey Consultant Caroline Murphree, who is now the UK Director of Growth & Operations at Wealthsimple. Wealthsimple is an online investment manager that combines user-friendly digital tools and personal investment advice to make smart, automated investing available to everyone. They have over 100,000 clients globally, £2bn in assets under management and have raised over $250m Canadian Dollars to fund their impressive growth. I am pleased to say that I am one of those 100,000 clients having recently set up a Junior Isa for my daughter, Sienna and I am a big fan. Two of the questions that I get asked most often by candidates are “how do I move in to Consulting” and “how do I move in to Tech”. Having moved from Silicon Valley into Consulting and then from Consulting back to Tech, Caroline has experienced this first-hand and she shares her advice on exactly these questions in today’s interview. This conversation isn’t just focused on Caroline’s career advice though, we talk about the challenges that come with growing a rapidly scaling start up, the importance of culture and her advice for others looking to expand their business into international markets. We also touch upon her views on diversity in tech and what the industry can do to promote it as well as the key role that mentorship has helped play throughout Caroline’s career. Those who were there on the evening, the JBM team and I got a huge amount from this interview with Caroline. It was great to get the chance to speak with her and I’m really pleased to be able to share our conversation with you. As this was a live event our interview was followed by some questions from the live audience. Some of whom where a little further from the microphones than others so please excuse the fact that some of the questions at the end of this episode are a little quiet. I hope you will all really enjoy this extra special episode and learn lots from the great insights that Caroline shares! If you want to find out more about Caroline you can check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-murphree-73247112/ If you want to find out more about Wealthsimple you can check out their website - https://www.wealthsimple.com We're always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is the brilliant Ruth Penfold, People VP at Onfido. Onfido uses machine learning to help companies verify the identity of their users online. Founded in 2012 the business has gone from strength to strength and earlier this year raised $50 million in a funding round led by SoftBank Investments and Salesforce ventures. Ruth is a phenomenal leader in the people and talent space and as People VP and part of the executive team at Onfido she is responsible for all aspects of their people strategy. Helping their ever-growing team to manage the people and recruitment challenges that come with a rapidly growing tech business. As Ruth says, her role is to create the right environment for the people of tomorrow, whilst retaining the people for today. Prior to joining Onfido Ruth was the head of talent acquisition at Shazam, responsible for managing their global recruitment as they went from start up, to scale up, to a household name. In this conversation we go into detail on Ruth’s journey with both Shazam and Onfido and discuss her experience of helping to scale two disruptive tech firms, how she is focused on creating cultures that enable individuals to bring their true self to work and how she has tackled the challenges that come with scale up life. In addition to her high-flying tech career Ruth is also a practicing yoga instructor and writes a regular blog. Her approach to balancing the different aspects of her life and ensuring she makes time for the things she enjoys is really unique and Ruth shares some great advice on how she does this in today’s show. If you’re looking to understand how to grow your own tech business, explore ways to make your firm more inclusive, or just looking for some inspirational mentorship from one of the most engaging and honest leaders that I’ve met - this conversation is a must listen! If you want to find out more about Ruth you can check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruthpenfold/ If you want to find out more about Onfido you can check out their website - https://onfido.com/ We're always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is James Routledge, Founder of Sanctus. Sanctus is a mental wellness start up that is on a mission to inspire people to work on their mental health just like we do our physical health. They have a bold vision to put the world’s first mental health gym on the high street, and I for one hope that they can achieve this. James’s passion to help others improve their mental health came from his own experience having suffered mental health issues, following the failure of his first business Match Chat, something we discuss in detail in today’s show. The idea for Sanctus actually came about when he shared this struggle in a heart-felt and honest blog where he openly talked about the journey that he and his co-founder George had been through. This blog received 100s of responses and from this initial post the idea for Sanctus was born. Since then Sanctus has grown into a large team with over 40 businesses including Aviva, Secret Escapes, Tansferwise, RedBull amongst others, to help them reframe the conversation around mental health. Their amazing work has been featured in publications including the Times, The metro, and now the 40 Minute Mentor! I have close friends and family that have had struggled with their mental health over the years so when I heard about the work Sanctus was doing and saw the refreshing honesty and humour with which James talks about it, I was really keen to get James on the podcast to have a chat. This episode was recorded shortly after mental health week here in the UK and we go into some really important topics in this interview around mental health, the challenges we all face and what you can think about to look after yours. James’s experience of launching and growing a VC funded start up and then dealing with and overcoming its failure to get to where he is today is truly inspiring. It’s a little longer than previous episodes but I know you’re going to get so much from what he shares in this interview. If you want to find out more about James you can check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdroutledge1?originalSubdomain=uk If you want to find out more about Sanctus you can check out their website - https://sanctus.io/ We're always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is the environmental entrepreneur, Kresse Wesling MBE, who is quite simply, one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever met. Kresse is the co-founder of the award-winning business Elvis and Kresse, who turn industrial waste into innovative, luxury products and return 50% of their profits to charities related to the waste that they use. It was a chance meeting with the London Fire Brigade in 2005 that gave Kresse the idea that ultimately become the business she runs today. At the time, the London Fire Brigade sent all of their decommissioned fire hose to landfill and Kresse thought that there had be a better way to reuse and recycle it. This led Kresse and her partner Elvis – hence the brand name – to launch Elvis & Kresse. Since founding the business Elvis and Kresse has gone from strength to strength. From their origins using reclaimed firehose they now work with 12 different waste streams, have several charitable partnerships and are involved with collaborations across industries. This includes a unique partnership with the Burberry Foundation to turn Burberry’s off cut leather into stunning bags and accessories. In recognition of the incredible work she has done, she was awarded an MBE and was named Cartier’s Women in Business Laureate in 2011. She has advised global brands, governments and recently sat on a judging panel with Will I Am from the Black Eyed Peas! In this episode we cover a range of fascinating topics including: Kresse’s childhood and why she decided to leave home at 16 to attend collage half way around the world in Hong Kong. How Elvis and Kresse started the business and the challenges that they had to overcome in their early years. Kresse’s philosophy on building a team and her approach to hiring great people. And the importance of the circular economy and why it is critical to your business’s long term success. It was a lucky encounter with her partner Elvis on a train back after a rugby match many years ago that led to me getting to know Kresse and hearing about their inspiring story and unique mission, played a big role in me setting up JBM almost 7 years ago. She was also the first person I asked to join our board of advisors and has been a brilliant confidante and mentor to me over the years. So if you’re thinking about launching your own business or want to know how you and your firm can achieve profitable growth that also helps the environment then you’re going to love this interview. If you want to find out more about Kresse you can check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kresse-wesling-mbe-0933646/ If you want to find out more about Elvis and Kresse you can check out their website - https://www.elvisandkresse.com/ We're always keen to get feedback so if you have any thoughts once you’ve listened to this interview just drop me an email at james@jbmc.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Iain Martin, former Managing Director of Moonpig and the recently announced, new CEO of Mahabis. I was introduced to Iain by a client who thought we’d really get on and he was completely right. Iain’s a great guy and was kind enough to come and talk at one of our recent JBM Ambassador networking events which is where this interview was recorded. Now, Most of you will have used Moonpig at some point in your life but for those who haven’t heard of them, Moonpig are the UK’s largest online card retailer with over 15 million cards sent through their online platform in 2017 alone. Iain was one of the early members of the Moonpig team and during his time as Managing Director, he grew the business from a team of just 8 people to a team of over 160, turning over £60m a year. This phenomenal growth led to Moonpig being acquired by Photobox for £120m in 2011. Iain’s story of how he became the MD of Moonpig and his take on what’s important when growing a tech business were fascinating and he shares so many great insights during this conversation. Including how they came up with the Moonpig jingle! Those who were there on the night really benefited from his insights and advice, and I hope that you will to. If you want to find out more about Moonpig you can check out their website - https://www.moonpig.com/uk/ If you want to find out more about Mahabis you can check out their website - https://mahabis.com/ If you want to find out more about Iain you can check out his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/iainscv/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest and our first mentor is Charlene Chen, COO at BitPesa. BitPesa is an online payment platform that leverages Blockchain technology to significantly lower the cost and increase the speed of business payments to, from and within sub-Saharan Africa. I sat next to Charlene at an Innovate Finance dinner a couple of years ago and we instantly hit it off, sharing very similar views on the importance of people, culture and mentorship. She had a fantastic energy and I found her passion for BitPesa infectious. Charlene’s story is a really interesting and inspiring one that shows what you can achieve if you chose to follow the path less well travelled. Having started her career in Consulting she decided to take some time out to complete an MBA which led to her moving to Ghana for 3 months to work with the Tech Start up, Busy Internet. This trip opened her eyes to the opportunities that existed in Africa and after completing her MBA she went back to work with companies across Kenya and Tanzania for the best part of the last decade before moving to London to launch BitPesa. We cover some really interesting topics in today’s conversation and I hope you’re going to get a lot from what Charlene has to say. Whether you’re thinking about launching your own start up, considering an MBA or thinking of going to work in a different country or continent, there’s something in here for everyone. If you want to find out more about BitPesa you can check out their website - https://www.bitpesa.co If you want to find out more about Charlene you can check out her LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlenechen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices