The moment a business starts making real money is exactly when it's most at risk of losing what made it work in the first place. In this special 100th episode of All About Business, James sits down with entrepreneur Cath Kidston MBE, who built a single shop into a globally recognised brand, watched its values slip once investors and private equity got involved, and has spent her second business, C

Every founder eventually hits a decision that determines whether their company survives them or dies with them. Almost all of them get it wrong. In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic Farmers, who turned three acres and a borrowed tractor into a £120 million business, and found a way to cash out on his terms without ever putting t

What if you could see what your Rolex was actually worth before a dealer made an offer? In this episode, James is joined by Ross Crane to explain how that approach became a business, and what other founders can learn from it. Ross Crane co-founded Subdial to make buying and selling pre-owned luxury watches clearer and faster. Its market data helps customers understand watch prices in an industry w

Building and scaling a venture at the intersection of culture and technology requires deep industry insight, structural thinking, and relentless adaptability. In this episode of All About Business , James sits down with Rio Caraeff, Co-President of Musixmatch and former CEO of Vevo. Together they unpack a 30-year career spent shaping how music is distributed, monetized, and consumed globally. Rio

Navigating a competitive industry requires adaptability, sharp execution, and a clear focus on long-term value. In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with David Powell, CEO of Andrews Property Group, to trace his rise from a 19-year-old negotiator to leading a major property services firm. David shares candid lessons on managing older teams at age 21, rebuilding after his employer

Scaling a business demands a clear story, sales strategies, and a realistic approach to capital. In the third episode of our Summer Shorts series, James sits down with Enterprise Nation founder and UK Small Business Commissioner Emma Jones one final time, to dissect what it truly takes to transition from a running startup to a high-growth company. Emma outlines how to build a distinct brand withou

You can start a business for under £100, but building one that lasts requires navigating a minefield of practical, legal, and financial decisions. In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with Emma Jones to break down the mechanics of turning an idea into a fully operational company. Emma walks through the real-world choices every founder faces. From writing a lightweight five-page b

How do you start a business? In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with Emma Jones, serial entrepreneur, founder of Enterprise Nation, and the UK’s Small Business Commissioner. This is part one of a three-part masterclass on starting a business from scratch. Emma delivers practical, step-by-step advice on how to spot market gaps, validate ideas through smart market research, and b

When do you hire, when do you raise, and when is expansion actually the right move? In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with Forest co-founder Caroline Seton to pull back the curtain on how a London startup scaled to over two million rides a month. From using smart pricing to make customers do the heavy lifting in logistics, to navigating 33 separate sets of local regulations, C

If your industry is facing a talent shortage or failing to prepare the next generation of workers, the solution isn't to wait for traditional institutions to adapt, it's to build the training infrastructure yourself. In this episode of All About Business, James sits down with Oscar-nominated film producer Lisa Bryer OBE, and Day One Trust CEO Charlie Kennard MBE. Together, they break down a practi

Are you exhausting resources trying to build every system from scratch? You could achieve faster, safer, scale by taking a proven playbook. And executing it better than anyone else. In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Jake Wilmot-Sitwell, co-founder and COO of Sandbox VR UK. Jake shares how he transitioned from venture capital to entrepreneurship, taking on £10M in capital to

When your business hits an existential wall, are you willing to rethink your entire financial structure to protect your vision, or will you compromise the mission just to survive? Most founders believe scaling requires bowing to traditional venture capital and prioritizing short-term margins. COOK proved there is another way by surviving near-bankruptcy, funding its own expansion through an unexpe

Most consumer goods brands ask you to buy more - SURI does the opposite. They designed a sustainable, electric toothbrush made from plant-based materials that is fully recyclable. As a result they scaled to over £50 million worth of sales in just four years. In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Mark Rushmore, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Sustainable Rituals, SURI.

Most charities are told to secure funding before they spend. Bloomsbury Football did the opposite — investing in fundraising before the money existed, and growing from four children to 7,000 a week as a result. In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Charlie Hyman, founder and CEO of Bloomsbury Football. His fast-growing social enterprise harnesses the universal power of grassroot

Most people underestimated lab-grown diamonds. Conventional wisdom says that luxury is about heritage, exclusivity and the power of a brand. So why are consumers embracing them so quickly? And what does that tell us about the future of luxury businesses and the shift in consumer values? In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Nathalie Morrison, founder and CEO of Astrea London. He

Financial crises can hit any business- especially in today's economy. Selling might feel like the only option. But is it? What should founders do when things look bleak? How do you rebuild momentum, and give your business the best possible chance of surviving and thriving? When one pair of siblings were running The End nightclub, they found themselves £1.5 million in debt and facing enormous press

Scaling a business seems like the obvious goal. But what if growth without the right strategy leads to losing control? In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with David Palmer, founder of Life of Fish, the modern London fishmonger that started as a lockdown pop-up outside a Peckham cafe, and has now grown into a multi-site retail and wholesale business built on sustainability, craft,

Thirty years of building a business without a board, without investors, and without ever wanting to sell, and it just keeps growing, there’s something to learn from that. In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Victoria Stapleton, founder of Brora, the British luxury cashmere and clothing brand. Victoria has built Brora over 30 years from a single supplier and a home phone number

Most people think successful entrepreneurs spot brilliant ideas. Sahar Hashemi believes the opposite. In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Sahar Hashemi, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Buy Women Built. They talk about Sahar’s journey over three decades building businesses, backing herself, and why entrepreneurship is far simpler than most people make it. Sahar shares the

60% of the UK diet is ultra-processed. And the food industry is manufacturing your addiction. So why is this public health crisis continuing in plain sight, and what it would actually take to change it? Two things are clear. Britain's food system is more broken than most people realise. And Gousto is far more interesting a business than its recipe boxes suggest. In today’s episode, James speaks wi