show episodes
 
Welcome to the START UP. START NOW. podcast with your host Sharena Shiv. START UP. START NOW. publishes a new episode EVERY WEEK, showcasing the journeys of inspirational entrepreneurs, side hustlers and their mentors. We discuss their successes, challenges and how they overcame setbacks. Focusing mainly on what they wish they had known when starting out. The podcast aims to give aspiring entrepreneurs the confidence to START UP. and START NOW. by showcasing real and relatable entrepreneurs. ...
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show series
 
Send us a Text Message. Alex Gibbs is co-founder and director of BAM (Built Asset Management), London’s leading co-living operator. BAM has housed over 6,500 young professionals in London and provides over 1,500 units of accommodation across the capital and beyond. In under eight years, Alex and his business partner bootstrapped BAM from a zero- to…
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Send us a Text Message. Louise Hill is co-founder and CEO of GoHenry - the prepaid debit card and financial education app designed to teach kids and teens how to be smart with money. Responsible for the UK operations of GoHenry, Louise has built the business from the ground up and played an integral role in its international growth, firstly with Go…
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Send us a Text Message. Adam Wills, a seasoned entrepreneur and visionary in the culinary world, boasts a track record of creating and launching successful food concepts both domestically and internationally. With a knack for innovation, he has spearheaded ventures like Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK), Crosstown Doughnuts, and Slerp, securing funding …
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Send us a Text Message. It all started with a chopping board. In 2003 twin brothers and designer-makers, Antony & Richard Joseph designed their first product – a clever chopping board – and that was the beginning of Joseph Joseph. With a passion for invention and an emphasis on functionality and quality, they set out to revolutionise everyday tasks…
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Send us a Text Message. Chai Guys is the brainchild of Abhilash Jobanputra and Gabriel Unger, two entrepreneurs driven by their love for authentic Indian chai. Their journey began in September 2018 with a transformative trip to India, where they immersed themselves in the vibrant world of chai culture. Returning to London with a suitcase filled wit…
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Send us a Text Message. Humble Crumble - A food stall that started from humble beginnings, today is the world’s first crumble bakery and a multi-million pound business with permanent fixtures in Old Spitalfields and Borough Market. With more than 500,000 crumbles served in the last three years, Humble Crumble has struck a chord with passionate crum…
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Send us a Text Message. Ben is the visionary Founder and CEO of BOXRAW - a boxing lifestyle & sportswear brand driving cultural and social change. BOXRAW was manifested from the powerful themes of Boxing and Business interwoven throughout Ben’s life which elevated him out of the socioeconomic and racial hardships he experienced growing up. BOXRAW h…
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Send us a Text Message. Sam Jameson is one of many UK-based, Black and female founders that are transforming the beauty and wellness space, one product at a time. A born creator and leader, Soapsmith isn’t Samantha Jameson’s first endeavour into the world of Entrepreneurship. At the age of just 24, Sam launched and ran a successful event chocolate …
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Send us a Text Message. Paul Lindley is an award-winning British entrepreneur and social campaigner. Paul began his career as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG, then spent 9 years at Nickelodeon's children’s TV network, rising to become Deputy Managing Director. In 2006, he founded Ella’s Kitchen, the UK’s biggest baby food brand. Ella’s Kitchen belie…
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Send us a Text Message. Established in 1985, Kiki McDonough Ltd was born from Kiki’s passion for showcasing coloured gemstones in innovative, contemporary designs. She continues to lead the way in British fine jewellery design. The brand’s very first creation, a pair of distinctive crystal heart earrings, were put on display in the Victoria and Alb…
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Send us a Text Message. Olly Hiscocks is a snack fanatic and founder of Olly's, one of the most exciting brands in the healthier delicious snack space with their range of innovative Pretzel Thins, Chocolate Pretzel Thins and Olive snack pouches. Having landed a degree in neuroscience, he then embarked on his entrepreneurial journey in the wonderful…
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Send us a Text Message. The Debate Mate Group is a social business with 2 distinct but complementary parts – the charity Debate Mate Schools, and the business Debate Mate Limited. At its core, Debate Mate – across the entities - teaches confidence, communication and leadership from the classroom to the boardroom. Margaret founded Debate Mate (Schoo…
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Send us a Text Message. Al is a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder/CEO of Grenade, one of the most successful UK FMCG brands of the last 25 years. Starting with a £500 loan from the UKTI Passport to Export program in 2010, he sold shares in Grenade in 2014 for £35M, again in 2017 for £72M, and in 2021 for £200M, to Mondelez International. Current t…
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Send us a Text Message. In 1987 John co-founded The New Covent Garden Soup Co Ltd which pioneered and grew the fresh soup category in the UK. Daniels PLC bought New Covent Garden Soup Co in 1998. John then co-founded Glencoe Foods Inc., to bring the fresh soup concept to the US. In 2005, John co-founded Little Dish, which supplies healthy, natural …
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Send us a Text Message. Jo Fairley is a businesswoman and writer. She co-founded the Green & Black’s chocolate company with Craig Sams, her husband, and has launched several other successful ventures since then. Jo did not enjoy school, left at 16 with six O-levels and learned shorthand and typing at a secretarial college. She got a job with a maga…
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Send us a Text Message. Wild is the UK’s first refillable plastic-free deodorant. Charlie Bowes-Lyon is a serial entrepreneur with a background in marketing, particularly focused on sustainable businesses. He co-founded Wild and runs their tech and marketing departments since launch. Wild sells sustainable, natural personal care products that are s…
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Send us a Text Message. A former lawyer, she started two ground-breaking businesses: the UK’s first coffee bar chain, Coffee Republic, which she grew to 110 stores and a £50 million market cap, and Skinny Candy, a market segment-defining brand of sugar-free sweets. Her first book, ANYONE CAN DO IT became a bestseller by demystifying the idea that e…
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Send us a Text Message. David Buttress, who hails from Cwmbran in South Wales, joined JUST EAT in March 2006 to launch its UK business, and was appointed CEO in January 2013. David led JUST EAT in the UK from startup to becoming Europe’s largest technology IPO in a decade. JUST EAT has over 67,000 restaurant partners and 100+ cuisine types availabl…
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Send us a Text Message. Best known for her time on Dragons' Den, Jenny Campbell is also widely known for her role as the founder of YourCash Europe. Having acquired her banking qualifications by attending night school, Jenny soon embarked on a rewarding career with The Royal Bank of Scotland. She was initially appointed as the Head of Operations fo…
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Send us a Text Message. Your Juno was founded by two sisters: Margot and Alexia. Margot de Broglie is the co-founder of Your Juno, building a financial education platform - think “the Duolingo of money”. Users can learn about any financial topics via its app, including negotiating a raise, buying a property, and becoming an investor. "Money was nev…
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Send us a Text Message. Alex Partridge is one of the pioneers of social media content the way we know it today. At age 21 in 2010, whilst a student at Oxford Brookes University, he founded UNILAD, one of the most popular social news and entertainment Internet companies in the world with an astonishing following of 50 million people around the globe…
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Send us a Text Message. Rosie Fortescue - the jewellery designer and famous alumnus of the original Made in Chelsea. With her trend setting, enviable fashion sense, Rosie Fortescue has always been a go-to for style advice and inspiration. Rosie began running her successful blog, At Fashion Forte in 2014 and has been collaborating with desirable fas…
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Send us a Text Message. This week's guest is Chris Sheldrick, co-founder & CEO of what3words. what3words is a global address system that has assigned three-word labels to all of the 57 trillion 3-meter squares that make up the surface of the earth. With a background in the music industry, Chris noticed that traditional addresses for venues and prec…
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Send us a Text Message. Harriet Hastings launched Biscuiteers in 2007 after identifying a gap in the market for luxury food gifting. Over the past 15 years she has grown the business from a small startup to a unique artisan business working at scale and employing over 150 people. Biscuiteers’ beautiful hand-iced biscuits are sold directly online as…
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Send us a Text Message. Nick Telson is an exited founder from DesignMyNight in 2017 for $30-$40m and has since invested in over 55 startups across US, UK, Latam and Africa, through his investment arm, Horseplay Ventures. Nick’s career started off in marketing at L’Oreal before starting DesignMyNight in 2010. DesignMyNight grew to 100+ employees, 15…
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Send us a Text Message. Nick Wheeler first had the idea for Charles Tyrwhitt shirts - to make the best shirts, using only the finest materials, at great value, with unbeatable service - whilst studying Geography at Bristol University in 1986; He used his middle names - Charles Tyrwhitt – more anonymous (and better sounding!) than “Nick Wheeler shir…
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Send us a Text Message. Morten Toft Bech is an entrepreneur and investor who started Meatless Farm in 2016 to help reduce the world’s dependency on intensively farmed meat. He and his family had struggled to find a meat replacement that the whole family enjoyed and that wasn’t too expensive. In 2018, the company launched its original fresh mince in…
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