Leon Founder: “Imprisoned” by big mistake & how to figure out your best role | John Vincent
Have you ever questioned what kind of leader you are and which roles truly suit you?
Today’s interview is with Leon Co-Founder and Former CEO John Vincent. Named after John’s father, Leon was founded in 2004. John became CEO ten years later in 2014 after his co-founder Henry Dimbleby stepped down. In 2017, Leon was named on The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list, which ranks Britain's 100 private companies with the fastest-growing sales over the last three years. In 2021, the company was sold for a reported £100 million to the billionaire Issa brothers.
But look behind this success, and you’ll find a lot of lessons along the way.
John talks about:
How to identify your personality type and which roles might suit you best as a founder
Why every business needs disruptors, scalers and executors
What John did wrong as a disruptive CEO
Coming up with the idea for ‘healthy’ fast-food
Their big mistake early on
Why wise investors keep Founders in the driving seat
His relationship with his co-founder
What to do if you give away too much equity early on
How much he actually made when they sold the business
Why he wrote the book ‘Winning not Fighting’ which draws on the philosophy of Wing Tsun, an ancient Chinese martial art
How identifying your fears can help you understand your desires
Why he thinks it's unhealthy to have too many regrets
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