The Business Leader Podcast

Thursday. The company that’s stolen a day of the week and reinvented the way that dating apps work. Imagine creating a business model where your product only works one day a week. It’s not exactly the recommended strategy in any business manual but for the past few years, dating app Thursday has taken social media by storm with their viral stunts and unique personality.

The company is happy not fitting in with the norm and founders George Rawlings and Matt McNeill Love have serious ambition. If you think you know Thursday and its story, think again. If you’ve never heard of them, it’s time to pay attention. This is an interview you won’t want to miss.

In this exclusive interview, we sat down with the founders of Thursday to discuss their fast-growing brand, the funding landscape, their approach to marketing and much more.

Here's what we discussed:

• Could you tell us about your background before setting up Thursday? (00:42)
• What led you to start a dating app? (03:28)
• For those who don't know what the app is, could you talk us through the user journey? (07:39)
• Are you worried that the idea for Thursday doesn't have the longevity you'd hope? (12:38)
• How have you funded the business to this point, and do you have any tips for people going through the process of raising? (14:53)
• Could you tell us about your approach to marketing and if it's got you into any hot water? (24:50)
• How do you generate your marketing ideas? (28:15)
• How do your personal brands fit into the overall brand identity of Thursday? (29:58)
• How does the wording and attitude towards marketing compare between the UK and US? (34:10)
• Everyone’s very quick to claim to be offended. Do people need to chill out more and can brands like yours help achieve this? (36:30)
• Being co-founders can be tricky. Do you two ever clash? (37:30)
• Do you worry that you'll lose the energy and vibe you have as the business continues to grow? (38:37)
• You're still only a year or so in but do you think about an exit or IPO? (39:21)
• Have you considered other verticals outside of dating, such as business networking? (40:27)

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and the Business Leader YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s leading business figures.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We paid a visit to Matt Hancock MP to get his views on all things business. Best known for his role as Health Secretary, Matt also says he is looking to come back to his roots in business – having previously worked at the Bank of England and seeing first-hand his parents’ experience of the ups and downs of running a company.
In the interview, Matt talks about the work he is doing around dyslexia, FinTech and cryptocurrency; and the headwinds hitting the UK economy.
Here’s what we covered in our chat with Matt Hancock MP
- Who is Matt Hancock? (0:28)
- You're dyslexic and you have been doing a lot of work around this. Could you tell us about this? (1:13)
- Many successful business leaders didn’t do well at school, but state education has been criticised for not focusing enough on business-focused skills and helping those that are different. Does more need to be done? (3:28)
- Do you think the education system is too rigid because the set curriculum doesn’t work for everybody as we’ve discussed? (5:03)
- You mentioned your background at the Bank of England. What is your prognosis for the UK economy? (6:43)
- Can more be done to help with the issues businesses have around finding the talent they need? (9:56)
- Do you think people will look back on how the events of 2020 and think that the government actually handled it well? (11:54)
- What do you see as the biggest challenges for business leaders going forward? (14:34)
- You have been talking a lot lately about crypto – why have you been doing that? (15:50)
- Do you think that crypto might democratise investing? (18:25)
- How do you compare the UK to the likes of the EU, USA and Singapore in terms of innovation? (20:05)
- What is your message to investors who will be looking at the UK? (20:47)
- There are unprecedented amounts of capital available to businesses but could this result in a consequence of companies not achieving product-market fit and raising for raising’s sake? (22:00)
- What is your message to business leaders who have become disengaged with politics? (23:25)
- Are there any business leaders that you admire? (24:35)
- What is one fact about you that we can't find online? (25:25)

Be sure to subscribe to the Business Leader YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s leading business figures.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s safe to say that firing yourself is a rather unique experience in business. But this is an entrepreneur that has made a career of challenging the norm and thinking differently. Whether it’s taking on the male-dominated insurance industry or questioning the culture of high company valuations (AKA “Ponzi schemes”), she’s not afraid to blaze her own trail.

With refreshing honesty and unwithering self-reflection, in this conversation with Sam White, Founder of Freedom Services Group & Stella Insurance, we cover being “unemployable”, leading teams across the globe, raising funding as a woman, and much more.

Here's what we discussed:

• If we listed your achievements to date to a younger Sam White, what would her reaction be? (00:23)
• Were you an entrepreneurial person from a young age? (01:03)
• Could you give us an overview of your career to this point? (02:17)
• You describe yourself as “unemployable”, is that something you notice in your peers too? (05:28)
• You started a psychology degree at university, you have a podcast called “Human Business”, where does your fascination with the mind and what makes people tick come from? (07:20)
• You’ve fired yourself as CEO – could you tell us about that story? (10:16)
• You’ve always been a disruptor with your businesses, but as this disruptive native always been within you and how did it manifest itself? (13:43)
• Did you find that leading teams in the US and Australia were different to ones in the UK, and if so, how did you adapt your leadership style? (15:21)
• What has your funding journey been like? (19:25)
• You touch on female funding in your own podcast, have you been shocked at the stories you’ve heard on the podcast and in the female entrepreneurs you come across? (23:10)
• Have you noticed an improvement since you first started fundraising to now? (25:41)
• Do we need to change the relationship and view of failure, and did you notice a difference in the attitudes towards failure between the US and elsewhere? (31:47)
• What are your thoughts on the trend of companies raising a lot of money, with wild valuations, before even turning a profit? (37:48)
• The Good News Postcard: What is the hardest challenge you've ever faced as a business? (42:06)
• What makes a great business leader? (43:28)

Thanks to Oscar from the Jill Dando News for bringing us The Good News Postcard this week. Get your dose of positive news by visiting The Good News Post, a website collated by hundreds of young people aged 8 to 18 in the UK. They've written real-life “news that’s good for you”, covering people, animals, stories to cheer people up, and tips to make lives better.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and the Business Leader YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s leading business figures.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest is a partner at Local Globe and Latitude and a board member at Innovate Finance. Yvonne Bajela is a founding member and VP at Impact X Capital, a venture capital firm investing in companies led by underrepresented founders at the Seed and Series A stages.

Previously a Senior Investment Manager at Mitsui & Co, she led over $200m in investments in companies including TransferWise, and has played a pivotal role in leading a wide range of investments in companies including Predina and Marshmallow while at Impact X.

Here's what we discussed:

• How did you get into investment? (01:05)
• Did you have role models growing up that were in the sector you work in now? (03:06)
• You were a Senior Investment Manager at Mitsui & Co. and were the youngest investment manager across 90,000 global employees within the group. Have you ever been intimidated being in these positions or have you felt largely comfortable being in the roles you’ve been in? (05:05)
• What do you look for in a business when deciding to invest in it? (06:34)
• For companies you look to invest in, would you say the team is more important than the product or service itself? (07:47)
• What is the difference between a business that makes it and a business that doesn’t? (08:23)
• Do you see luck as a factor in the success of a business? (09:09)
• What questions should a business owner ask an investor to make sure that they are the right investor for them? (10:23)
• How can business owners grab the attention of investors? (11:35)
• Do you think being an extroverted business leader helps when it comes to gaining investment? (13:06)
• From your work with businesses, would you say there is a common flaw you might see come up time and again? (13:46)
• How do you think the investment space will change as a result of the global economic crisis? (14:57)
• How can businesses continue to achieve funding despite the economic conditions? (17:02)
• Why did you feel there was a need for a venture capital firm like Impact X Capital? (18:09)
• What implications does it have to not have more diverse people in investment? What does it mean for the business landscape of the future? (18:51)
• It's important for there to be investors from more diverse backgrounds. How can entrepreneurs or those from a finance background break into investment? (19:59)
• How have you dealt with failure? (20:59)
• Is there any particular factor that comes into play when a business fails? (22:16)
• From working with various business owners, what would you say is the most effective way to lead? (24:25)
• What kind of challenges can arise in a relationship between a business owner and an investor? (25:31)
• What is the benefit of having a company board? (27:39)
• What is the power of having a NED on your board? (29:27)
• Answer the Internet: Why do business owners need investors if they have a steady stream of revenue? (30:40)
• What makes a great business leader? (31:52)

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and the Business Leader YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s leading business figures.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest is the founder of Enter the Arena, a business coaching company that aims to empower female business owners in investment. She is a serial entrepreneur and an expert in raising investment and scaling businesses, she is also the recent author of the book RAISE: The Female Founder’s Guide To Securing Investment.

Here's what we discussed:

• Can you tell us a bit about your journey up until this point? (00:56)
• Did you have any role models in your early business life? (03:30)
• Was there anything in particular that drew you into helping other businesses grow? (05:11)
• Why do you feel investment into female funded businesses in an area that needs particular attention? (07:00)
• Only 15% of venture funding goes to female founders and only 6% of scale-up companies are led by women. Why are there so few female business owners? What are the barriers women face in getting into business? (09:40)
• Because the business world is male-dominated, the space may understandably seem intimidating for women, how can women who are at the start of their journey or thinking about going into business approach going into business if they do feel intimidated? (13:31)
• Which sectors do female business owners receive the most amount of funding? (17:04)
• Can there be opportunities during this period of time? And what can a business owner do to scale their business even in a global recession? (19:22)
• Is there a common doubt or issue that you see across all of the female founders you work with? (22:22)
• Businesses are part of the fabric of society, so when there aren’t many female business owners what implications does this have on society? (27:23)
• How can our listeners tackle raising investment in the wake of a global economic crisis when investors are likely holding onto cash during this period? (30:56)
• Answer the Internet: What are investors in a start-up allowed to do? (33:42)
• What makes a great business leader? (35:32)
• If a female founder reads your book and realises that they don't want to raise funding, what would be your advice to them? (37:23)

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and the Business Leader YouTube channel for more interviews with some of the world’s leading business figures.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.