Send us a textYou may be familiar with today’s guest, Richard Farleigh, a high-profile entrepreneur, former Dragon on the TV show Dragon’s Den, and member of the Sunday Times Rich List.The successes are well documented - but Richard’s start in life couldn't have been much worse.Born into a family of 11 children with an alcoholic father, they travelled around the Australian outback, living in poverty in 2 tents.Eventually, Richard was taken into the care system at 2 years old, and his early ye...

Send us a textPaul is a serial entrepreneur who has started, scaled up and sold several businesses, invested in many others, and is now building yet another company. He also advises and mentors several other founders and business owners.Through his personal and business experiences, he’s effectively created a success blueprint for any business owner to adopt and apply within their company.During the conversation, Paul explains.How to build a systematic sales and marketing engine to drive...

Send us a textWelcome to a special episode of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast.One issue that has been dominating the conversations online and in person for business owners over the last few days has been the budget.October 30th was a very significant day. It was the first labour budget for almost 15 years and the first by a female Chancellor.After three months of speculation and predictions, we finally had the details—and there was a lot to unpack for all business owners.For starters, th...

Send us a textWe’re publishing this episode just before the Autumn 2024 Budget, when Rachel Reeves will share her vision of how she plans to improve the country’s economy. I really hope she understands how valuable the start-up and entrepreneurial economy is in the UK and that she’ll encourage it and ensure its continued success.Today’s guest is a fantastic example of that British entrepreneurial spirit. Magnus Willis hatched a plan with his co-founder during a long walk after they’d watched ...

Send us a textThis show is all about reverse engineering the successful scale, sale, and exit of your business and enjoying life on the other side.And for every successful business owner, smart tax planning is crucial to business growth and future sale.Whether it's corporation tax, PAYE, income tax, dividends, or VAT, , they all play a part and impact decisions you make. When the time comes to sell your business, planning effectively and well ahead of time can have a huge impact on you and yo...

Send us a textOur guest today is Helen Pattinson, a former lawyer who left behind a promising career to embark on a bold and, at times, uncertain new path—one that would ultimately lead to a flourishing business, Montezuma Chocolate.But this story is far from straightforward. Helen doesn’t just share the wins—she takes us through the moments of doubt, the near-disasters, and the pivotal choices that could have ended it all before the business even started. What would you do if your...

Send us a textHello, and welcome back to the latest episode of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast. I’m your host, Alan Smith. In this episode, I speak with someone I’ve known for many years, and as you’re about to discover, he’s a force of nature!His name is Jason Butler, and although I’ve known him for a long time, I had no idea just how challenging his upbringing was. People talk about a tough childhood and not having the same chances as other people from more privileged backgrounds...

Send us a textMy guest, Elizabeth Hopkins, candidly shares her inspiring journey through the ups and downs of life as a founder entrepreneur who has experienced everything that life has to offer, including scaling a business to a multi-million-pound exit, but then having to deal with the worst kind of tragedy immediately after.As Liz mentions, she’s recently become a client of our financial planning business, and in the time I’ve known her, I’ve been blown away by her positivity, resilience, ...

Send us a textOur guest, John Rood, hails from Chicago, USA. John and his wife built an education business which they later sold to a private equity firm for a life-changing sum of money.And to some degree, that’s where his problems started...‘Life after exit’ was far from plain sailing for John, despite the fact that he was now financially secure. He went through a number of changes and realised that he was not prepared for the life transition and new set of challenges he faced as a wealthy ...

Send us a Text Message.My guest today, Marc Adams, is the author of a book by the same title and has spent nearly four decades deep in the trenches of business and entrepreneurship. His extensive experience, from a career in corporate life to setting up his own business, has given him a unique perspective on the ups and downs of life as an entrepreneur.A cancer diagnosis in 2020, giving him six months to live, compelled him to write a book about everything he knows about business building, cr...

Send us a Text Message.This podcast is for entrepreneurs, reverse engineering the formula for successful scale, sale, and exit—inspired conversations with world-class entrepreneurs and the specialists who support them.I came up with that strapline when I launched the pod a couple of years ago, as that’s exactly what I wanted to create—a resource that, if you’re a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur, you can tap into and learn from those who were perhaps a few years ahead of you on the jou...

Send us a Text Message.This podcast is for business owners and entrepreneurs - reverse engineering your way to success through inspiring conversations.And the conversation you're about to hear is truly inspiring. I'm conscious that many of the guests I've had on the podcast over the last couple of years have shared stories of incredible success.But anyone who’s been in business for any length of time knows the significant challenges and difficulties of entrepreneurship.And no one knows that b...

Send us a Text Message.Joanna Jensen is the founder of Child's Farm, the hugely successful baby and child skincare company that was recently sold for £40m.This is one of the most inspiring conversations I’ve had since we launched the podcast. Joanna is a fabulous storyteller, and her enthusiasm is infectious!Hers is an amazing story of grit, resilience, and sheer determination to succeed against the odds. Joanna battled cancer, surgery, and a divorce, all while building her business.She funde...

Send us a Text Message.Welcome back to the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast, where we delve into the minds of experienced entrepreneurs and uncover their secrets to success.I’m your host, Alan Smith, and I’m really excited to bring you my conversation with today’s guest, Alexis Sikorsky. Alexis is an entrepreneur who built a software business from the ground up and eventually negotiated a sale to private equity for over $100m.I’ve just read his new book, "Cashing Out: A Business Owner’s Guide...

Send us a Text Message.If you’re a business owner who plans to sell your business one day, this episode is essential listening.Picture this: You've poured years of your life into a business, helping to build it from the ground up, and then the business is sold. As a result, you receive a seven-figure sum, and you’re financially secure.Or at least you hoped so.But then you take the proceeds, decide to invest in a new company, and lose it all.That’s the situation today’s guest, Jim McLaughlin, ...

Send us a Text Message.Peter Cowley is one of Europe’s best-known angel investors and active supporters of entrepreneurship. He studied computer science at Cambridge and founded his first company in 1984.Since then, he’s launched no less than 12 companies, some of which he exited from successfully, some of which failed, and one that is still going over 40 years later.As one of the UK’s most successful business angels, he’s invested in 76 technology companies, and his book, The Invested Invest...

I’m pleased to share a fascinating conversation I had recently with Jeremy Harbour, one of the most successful and experienced entrepreneurs around. Jeremy is a born entrepreneur who started selling jeans, watches, and even Cadbury creme eggs at age 11!  He left school at 15 and has gone on to build, buy, and sell multiple companies. He’s currently more active than ever through his company and network, The Harbour Club. Jeremy has deep insight into the strategies and tactics needed to...

Let me set the scene by telling you that one of my all-time favourite TV shows is "Succession”. It's a fascinating tale of a wealthy family wrapped up in the complexities of their business empire led by the founder and patriarch, Logan Roy, brilliantly portrayed by the actor Brian Cox. If you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommend you do. But let me give you a quick overview: "Succession" is not just about wealth and power; it's a saga of business intrigue, sibling rivalry, and the...

Let me start by sharing some statistics with you, which I find rather shocking. 90% of SMEs are unsellable50% close down for zero valueOnly one in 2,000 are sold for the full market value. It was today’s guest, Christine Nicholson, who shared that data with me, and as awful as the numbers are, the good news is that she’s developed a business owner’s toolkit to ensure that you’ve got the best chance of being that 1 in 2000 who do have a successful exit. Christine is an extraordinary lady....

Alex Chisnall is the creator and host of one of the UK’s leading podcasts called Screw It Just Do It and is now a highly successful entrepreneur in the content creation space. The name of his podcast is a reference to the time he spent working at Virgin and observing his then-boss, Sir Richard Branson, at close quarters. Screw It Let’s Do It was a phrase often used by Sir Richard and the title of one of his books. During our conversation, Alex talked in depth about the resilience needed to...

My guest today, Rand Fishkin, is the author of one of the best business books I’ve ever read, and trust me, I’ve read a lot of business books! It’s called Lost and Founder, and it charts his journey as a marketing tech business entrepreneur who raised money from Venture Capital investors and was growing at 100% year on year. It’s a ruthlessly honest book in which Rand breaks down the details and behind-the-scenes experiences of an entrepreneur. I think it’s essential reading for any founder...

Hello, and welcome back to the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast, the first of 2024. We’ve  got something special for you to kick off the New Year! ‘Bitconned” is currently one of the top shows streaming on Netflix around the world is and it features my guest Ray Trapani. It tells the story of 3 young hustlers who get caught up in the murky world of crypto investing and ultimately create a criminal enterprise and make millions. There are so many twists and turns, and if it were a fictional...

Most business owners that I know aren't entirely focused on making money or on the financial rewards, but nevertheless, creating economic security for you and your family is a vital part of why you started your business in the first place. So whether you sell your business in the future or simply use it as a vehicle to build your personal wealth, having some deep insight into the world of money and financial success can never be underestimated. So, I couldn't think of anyone better to round...

I was in Cape Town a couple of months ago, speaking at a conference, and I was in the audience to witness one of the best keynote speeches I’ve ever seen, certainly the best keynote on the subject of entrepreneurship. The speaker was Bruce Whitfield, who is a big-name broadcaster in South Africa, hosts his own daily business show and is a writer, journalist, podcaster, and incredible storyteller. During his career, he’s met with, interviewed, and spent time with some of the best business...