The Naked Founder

James Cole: Building a £100m company without the b*llocks

James Cole is the straight-talking founder of Panache Cruises.
He founded the luxury cruise retailer during Covid and believes in authenticity and honesty, and is partial to the odd swear word.
A two-time founder, he’s on track to build his second £100m turnover company, but this time it won’t be at the expense of his family or by turning to drink.
In this episode of the Naked Founder podcast, he discusses:
• How he nearly lost it all with his first startup Cruise118• How stopping drinking on New Year’s Eve 2018 transformed his life• Launching Panache Cruises during Covid• Turning 50 by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity• Growing to £50m turnover in five years• Why his family will always come first• Meeting his hero Sir Richard Branson
This episode is a product of BusinessCloud. It was sponsored by ‘Financielle – The Home of Money for Women’ and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned.
To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk
Chapters0:00 Introduction: James Cole & Panache Cruises00:35 What They Don't Tell You About Founding a Business02:09 Christmas Day & Drinking to Cope: The Cruise 118 Crisis03:24 Launching Into Lehman Brothers: Nearly Going Bust04:26 Giving Up Alcohol: New Year's Eve 201805:40 Building Panache on Better Foundations06:52 How to Build a £100 Million Turnover Company07:21 The Entrepreneur's Playbook Is Bollocks08:21 Launching Cruise 118 With Everything on the Line08:49 Hour to Hour Survival: The Early Years11:17 Why Launching Panache During COVID Was the right move11:39 Leaving Cruise 118: Was There Any Sadness?12:59 What James Did Differently Second Time Around14:27 Vision 2020: Colleagues, Customers, Cruise Lines15:12 A Tour of the Panache Cruises Office16:09 What Is a Connoisseur? The Panache Sales Model16:46 Top 40 Customers: £8 Million in Bookings17:05 Thriving With Your Back Against the Wall18:20 Turning COVID Into an Opportunity: 12,000 Leads19:21 Influencer Marketing & Richard and Helen Tallew20:58 Anna Perra, CCO: Why Panache Is Different21:42 Giving Customers the CEO's Mobile Number23:18 A More Content James Cole: Family, Balance & Growth24:14 Work-Life Balance Is Bollocks — Life Balance Isn't25:47 Being Authentic on LinkedIn as a Founder27:15 Turning 50 & Climbing Kilimanjaro for Rubens Retreat28:52 Reaching the Summit: What It Meant30:07 The Road to £100 Million & Going Global30:40 Expanding Into the US, Australia & Canada32:14 Meeting Richard Branson on Necker Island33:14 The 5km Open Water Swim: Visualise It First34:31 Staff Perks, Pensions & Doing the Right Thing36:53 Long-Term Goal: World's Biggest Luxury Cruise Seller38:53 Letter to His Younger Self: Look After Yourself

Hayley Roberts: I had it all until my divorce

Hayley Roberts had it all. And then she didn’t.
She founded cybersecurity business Distology in 2015 and has grown it to £63m turnover, 50 staff and offices in the UK, Netherlands and Germany.
Roberts is one of a growing number of female founders who get divorced and has opened up on the price she paid for going it alone.
In this episode of the Naked Founder podcast, she discusses:• Why female founders can’t have it all• Why women and mothers always put themselves last• The shock realisation that having three amazing kids wasn’t enough to fulfil her• The cost of divorce, both financial and on the business• Launching Distology and why the business has never been in a better place• Why she’d tell her younger self not to worry and celebrate the little winsChapters00:00 Introduction: Hayley Roberts & Distology00:28 What They Don't Tell You About Founding a Business00:57 Childhood Dreams: Wanting to Be an Actress01:28 Dad's Influence & the Academic Route01:53 Divorce, Growth & Evolving Apart03:43 Being a Mum vs. Being a Founder05:56 Can You Have It All?08:24 How Divorce Impacted the Business09:57 Masking Your Emotions as a Leader11:00 A Hard Father & Never Feeling Good Enough12:35 Resilience: The Gift of a Tough Upbringing14:09 Mum: The Stay-at-Home Opposite14:36 First Jobs: From IBM to Toiletries16:50 The Road to Founding Distology (2015)18:29 Telling Dad She Was Starting a Business20:11 The Founding Years: Easy Bit, Hard Reality21:10 Building the Business from Scratch23:04 Juggling Three Kids & Running a Company24:11 Giving Up a Six-Figure Salary25:00 Raising Private Equity Investment (NorthEdge, 2021)27:03 The Investment Process: Did It Hurt the Business?28:17 Navigating Divorce & a PE Round at the Same Time30:34 Where Is Distology Today?31:33 How Far Ahead Does Hayley Plan?32:46 Setting Goals, Not Resolutions33:18 Key Lessons for Founders34:36 The Friday Night Review Ritual35:47 Mindset: Stop Attracting the Negative37:14 Letter to Her Younger Self: Don't Worry

Peter Cliff and Jos van der Steen: From arch-enemies to best friends

Peter Cliff and Jos van der Steen hated each other when they first met but went on to launch one of the UK’s most exciting companies.
They are co-founders of CONDUCTR, which creates world-class ‘kick-ass attractions’ from its Manchester HQ.
In four years, the startup has grown turnover to £26m and staff numbers to 100, with studios in the UK, US and Middle East.
In this episode of the Naked Founder podcast, they discuss:• Acting with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe• Going from arch-enemies to best friends and co-founders• Risking everything to deliver a £1.6m contract for Alton Towers• Launching their two latest ventures – Game Volt and Originals• Remembering to enjoy the ride
This episode is a product of BusinessCloud. It was sponsored by ‘Financielle – The Home of Money for Women’ and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned.
To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk
 
Chapters
00:00 The Naked Founder On Location at CONDUCTR, Manchester00:35 What do you wish you'd known before launching?01:05 The reality of being a founder – relentless pivots and risk02:12 The Alton Towers deal – a £1.6M contract with 8 staff03:05 The Curse of Alton Manor – delivering the full show package04:30 No service lift, no warehouse: finding a solution on the fly06:20 Peter's backstory – trained actor, Daniel Radcliffe & drama school07:45 Leaving acting: the agent ultimatum & joining Merlin/Alton Towers08:31 Rising to Global Creative Director at Merlin09:29 Meeting co-founder Jos at Holovis – friction at first11:02 Founding CONDUCTR in 2022 with just 6 months of self-funding13:16 Early doubts, lost contracts, and a trademark dispute14:26 CONDUCTR today – £24–26M turnover, 100+ staff, global offices15:28 Game Vault & Originals – why they launched two new brands17:00 Game Face at Printworks Manchester – opening April 202617:36 How Peter & Jos handle co-founder disagreements18:28 Interview with Jos Van der Steen – co-founder perspective19:18 Friends first, founders second – the co-founder relationship20:34 Jos' backstory – IBM consultancy, South America22:12 Risk taker vs. cautious thinker – how they balance each other24:06 Vision for CONDUCTR, Game Vault & Originals26:09 Behind-the-scenes warehouse tour – arena products & interactive tech27:41 Final question: letter to your younger self28:28 Peter's advice – enjoy the journey29:30 Jos' advice – prioritise company culture30:09 Sign off

The Naked Founder - Season 1 Trailer

The Naked Founder - Season 1 Trailer