Entrepreneurs

CLIC celebrates the inspirational leaders of the business world...

Green & Black's Founder, Jo Fairley, explaining why your business needs to have soul

Knights Plc boss, David Beech, on why he has banned secretaries

Alice Stephenson discusses why the UK law industry needs to stop covering its a**e

Sharon Thorne, Deloitte's Global Chair, talk about how to combat imposter syndrome

Martin Frost CBE discusses how he created Cambridge based unicorn CMR surgical

All articles

Why British entrepreneurs must escape the quicksand of perfectionism

ELIZABETH TWEEDALE , CEO, CYPHER

Are you wary of rushing in? Do you want to prepare for every possible problem before starting? If your answer is ‘yes’, then consider changing your mindset and taking a lessons from this entrepreneur who has just rolled out a year-long plan in less than a week thanks to Covid-19. And it’s transformed her business…

Why brilliant internal comms will be the key to post-lockdown success

JUSTIN HARLING , CEO, CAE TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

No company was perfectly prepared for the coronavirus crisis, but CAE Technology Services was better prepared than most. Tech comes into it – an IT provider isn’t scared of the odd Skype call, but tech is only part of their success story. A much bigger reason for CAE’s ability to deal well with lockdown is its hard-won culture of regular, free-flowing communication…

“Keep the faith. The best opportunities come when crises occur”

NICKO WILLIAMSON , CEO & CO-FOUNDER, WEFLEX

Nicko Williamson has sage advice for stressed-out entrepreneurs. “Stay calm, look at the bigger picture and try not to fret over short-term issues,” he says. “If something goes wrong, it’s not the end. The next chapter is waiting to be written…

“Plan for a new world. Don’t dwell on the negatives.”

MIKE CLARE , FOUNDER, DREAMS

Sixty-five-year-old Mike Clare brims with boyish enthusiasm, even over Zoom. As he chats, it’s not hard to imagine him turning a £20,000 investment into £222m Dreams Beds, which is precisely what he did. And his energy is such that it makes you believe you could do something similar – even during a pandemic…

Get your kit off. Wipe…but don’t shake: Five ways to protect yourself from Covid-19

SHAUN DOAK , CEO, REACT CLEANING

Shaun Doak’s company specialises in Covid-19 decontaminations and other ‘extreme cleaning’ jobs. Since the virus hit our shores, he’s been a busy man…

“Everything you thought you knew about your business before coronavirus is fiction”

RUNE SOVNDAHL , CO-FOUNDER, FANTASTIC SERVICES

Rune Sovndahl’s company has just taken its biggest ever financial hit. Rune is scared. But this entrepreneur is also excited for the future. CLIC spoke to him to find out why…

How we built one of the UK’s most profitable fintechs

RICHARD AMBROSE , CEO, AZIMO

Digital money transfer service Azimo is one of the few UK fintechs to have achieved profitability. Its boss tells CLIC how this Tech Track 100 company has done it, and why it matters…

How to launch a business during a crisis

ALEXIA INGE , CO-FOUNDER & CEO, CULT BEAUTY

Alexia Inge co-founded Cult Beauty with no funding, during a deep global recession. Today, they employ over 130 people and turn over £104m. With coronavirus creating such huge uncertainty, we thought we’d sit down with Alexia to hear more about how savvy entrepreneurs can find opportunities at the unlikeliest of times…

“Our testing kit will help the NHS and save lives”

DR ANDREW BOTHAM & LUKE HERON - CO-FOUNDERS, TESTCARD

In today’s world of high-tech medicine, it’s ironic that a product made of paper could play a leading role in improving global healthcare. However, the simplest ideas often pack the biggest punch…

Fancy-dress costumes, robots and £1bn

Martin Frost , Founder - CMR Surgical

This is a story about robots, a six-year-old company worth £1bn, and a costume-wearing CEO. This incredible ‘unicorn’ business is on a mission to disrupt how surgery is done around the world. Read their amazing story here…

8 steps I took to turn my failing company into a fast growth tech business

VIVION COX , FOUNDER, Twenty3

Seven years ago, Viv Cox was crestfallen. His company had run out of cash and he was facing failure. “It was the lowest I’d ever been – I just couldn’t handle the idea of being branded a failure.” It was tough, but the experience taught him 8 lessons which he used to go on to build a successful fast growth tech business. Here’s how he did it…

“How I created and lost the Spice Girls, and what it taught me as an entrepreneur”

CHRIS HERBERT , CEO & FOUNDER OF TEN10 MANAGEMENT, AND NED AT AUDOO

CLIC talks exclusively to Chris Herbert, creator of the Spice Girls, Five and Big Reunion tours…

After the tragedy of my sister’s death, this is the business I had to launch

LUCIE GLENDAY , FOUNDER & CEO, MYSENSE

Entrepreneurs get their motivation from many sources. For some, money or ego may play a role, but a select few are driven by life-changing events. Lucie Glenday responded to personal tragedy by building a high-tech-health business to improve the lives of millions…

“To win in business, you need to scare yourself s!*tless”

Claire Harper , Founder and Director, Muscle Moose

Claire thoroughly deserves her recent victory in the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. Her ballsy approach has moulded Muscle Moose from a niche product to a mass-market brand. Of course, having an 8ft Moose always helps too!

Why podcasts will transform content marketing

Jake Warren , CEO and founder, Message Heard

Podcasts are taking over our commutes, gym sessions and dog walks. We love them so much that Spotify has looked at the future and spent $500m buying podcasting companies. Jake Warren, CEO of Message Heard, tells CLIC exactly why podcasts are on the up and set to revolutionise the way brands talk to their customers…

How I started my multi-million-pound technology business from a pig shed

CHARLIE JARDINE - FOUNDER , EO CHARGING, AND A FORBES 30-UNDER-30 ENTREPRENEUR

Charlie Jardine is probably the only Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur who launched his business in a pig shed. In 2015, he converted a barn on his grandfather’s Suffolk farm and began to develop his first product – an electric-vehicle (EV) charger. From there, things accelerated quickly…

How we pulled off the best Dragons’ Den deal in history and exited for £12.5m

Henry de Zoete and Will Hodson - Founders , Look After My Bills

Entrepreneurs Henry de Zoete and Will Hodson made Dragons’ Den history by netting the best cash-to-equity deal in the show’s history and a year later, they sold their business, for £12.5m. Business-wise, years don’t come much better. Read their full story and more about what they have planned next here…

“How we turned our small garage business into one of the fastest growing companies in Europe”

EDDIE LATHAM & PJ SCOTT - CO-FOUNDERS, VELOCITY COMMERCE

Velocity Commerce has rapidly grown from a small start up run from a home garage to being recognised as the 92nd fastest growing company in Europe in the Financial Times 1000: Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies. Read PJ & Eddie’s story to learn just how they’ve done it….

“Aged 15, I robbed petrol stations. Now, I’m a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur.”

Jay Richards - Founder & CEO , DivInc

Jay Richards’ life nearly ended in unmitigated disaster, but his passion for business saved him. Today, his ingenious start-up bridges the growing gap between brands and Generation-Z.

How bitter disappointment led to plans to generate $2.7 billion for the music industry

RYAN EDWARDS , FOUNDER & CEO, AUDOO

One minute you’re on stage playing your songs to 50,000 fans, partying with The Killers and rubbing shoulders with your idols. A few weeks later you’re knocking on shop doors in the rain begging for a job, breathing a sigh of relief when the manager of Carphone Warehouse invites you in for a trial. That’s life – and that’s how life was for Ryan Edwards…

You can’t create a culture with sweets and pizza

CHRIS HILL , CEO, THE NEW WORLD TRADING COMPANY

Six golden rules that have turned The New World Trading Company into one of Britain’s most effective mid-sized organisations…

Entrepreneurship will test your mental health. Here’s how to protect it.

TONY GOODWIN , FOUNDER & CEO, ANTAL INTERNATIONAL

It’s not a case of ‘if’; it’s a case of ‘when’. If you choose to be an entrepreneur, your mental health will come under strain. It’s inevitable. That’s the conclusion I’ve drawn after 30 years of running my own business. Here’s how I think you can protect yourself…

Why you need a not-to-do list

NICK WHEELER OBE , FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, CHARLES TYRWHITT

When Nicholas Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler talks business, you listen. The founder of Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts has built a company that turns over £220m. He owns 95% of it. When we met Nick, we walked away with seven golden nuggets that we’d like to share with you…

“The five insights I’ve used to build two multimillion-pound brands”

ROGER WADE , FOUNDER & CEO, BOXPARK

“If you’re waking up in the middle of the night because you’re scared, that’s powerful,” says Roger Wade. “As an entrepreneur, it’s that fear that keeps you alive, so embrace it.”

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