In this episode of SRLV’s Not Just a Number, we bring together five of the UK’s most inspiring female founders for a no-holds-barred conversation on what it really takes to build a business from scratch - and scale it into a multi-million pound success story.The panel conversation, brilliantly hosted by Natasha Thomas, Founder and CEO of Total Management Group (TMG), covers bootstrapping beauty brands and disruptive fashion tech, consumer-first media, mental wellness and key considerations around venture capital and fund raising. This episode is packed with actionable insight, candid reflections and brutally honest advice from founders who’ve been through it all.Our Founder Panel:Natasha Thomas, Founder and CEO of Total Management Group (TM G) and Co/Founder of Lockdown Liquor – leading luxury cocktails and corporate travel brands with bold strategy and resilience.Georgie Coleridge-Cole, Founder of SheerLuxe, Luxe & Co and Blush Talent Management – digital media mogul behind one of the UK’s most influential online lifestyle platforms.Maria Hatzistefanis, Founder of Rodial & Nip + Fab – best-selling author and beauty trailblazer with 25+ years of experience and no external investment.Victoria Prew, Co-Founder & CEO of HURR – the tech-first fashion rental platform revolutionising sustainable style through peer-to- peer lending and retailers, such as Selfridges, John Lewis, and Net-A-Porter.Olivia Ferdi, Co-Founder of TRIP – the UK’s fastest growing CBD drinks brand and largest privately owned soft drinks company, with offices in Paris and Los Angeles.In this episode, our entrepreneurial panel discuss: Equity vs. control: How to fundraise (or not) without losing your visionBuilding a tech-first business from the ground up (literally, line by line)Hiring mistakes, culture killers & how to spot who really “gets it”Surviving near-bankruptcy, factory fires & million-pound setbacksWhy founder energy can’t be delegated - and how to show up as a leaderHow these formidable women drive large teams, whilst still remaining good leaders and striking the right work/life balanceKey Moments: 0:00 - Meet the panel who know what it really takes to build a business from scratch and scale it into a multi-million pound success story.01:21 – Georgie Coleridge-Cole on the Evolution of SheerLuxe03:22 – Maria Hatzistefanis on Growing Rodial Without External Funding  06:30 – Victoria Prew on Raising $10m and Scaling HURR08:47 – Olivia Ferdi on Building the UK’s Largest Privately-Owned Drinks Brand 11:46 – Natasha Thomas on TMG’s Evolution and Founding Lockdown Liquor16.45 – The Challenges of Getting Start-up Investment  19:50 – Venture Capital Vs Control: Raising Finance Without Selling Out  27:15 – The Personal Financial Pain That Can Come with a Start-Up 28:48 – The Finance Options for a Product Business in the UK31:43 – Scaling a Business in the United States  36:54 – Building a Business that is Consumer-First (not SEO-First)39:30 – The Importance of Finding a Peer Group for Female Founders  44:50 – How HURR Developed the Tech Behind the Brand  50:22 – Founder vs CEO: Wearing All the Hats  54:06 – The Importance of Switching Off and Being a Flexible Employer57:14 – Biggest Business Mistakes (And What We Learned)  1.04:32 – Balancing People and Cash: Getting the Right Team in Place1.06:21 – Delegating, People Management and Trust1.08:38 – When Big Hires Don’t Deliver  1.08:51 – How Culture Champions can Help Scale a Business Internally  Prefer to watch?

Ver todos los episodios