Danny Gray: Leading the mental health revolution

This week’s guest on The Business Leader Podcast rose to fame on Dragon’s Den having founded the male cosmetics brand War Paint. Danny Gray's most recent venture is JAAQ, an interactive mental health platform that gives users access to knowledge from experts and known figures with lived experience.

We talk to Danny about building a brand in the face of hate, revolutionising an entire industry, and helping people manage their mental health.

Here's what we discussed:

• What was your motivation for starting War Paint? (0:46)
• You got offers from all of the Dragons after your appearance on Dragons' Den. What was the post-show experience like? (02:41)
• What were you doing prior to founding War Paint? (04:34)
• The types of products you have in the War Paint range, like bronzer, foundation, primer, and concealer, are all things that have been a part of the make-up routines of many women for decades. Why do you think these products haven’t typically been adopted by men historically? (07:31)
• This industry is interesting because make-up branded for men is not saturated at all and you can look to the women’s cosmetic industry to see specific trends and issues. I think one issue that comes up in women’s cosmetics is make-up as a way to achieve perfectionism. How can you be an empowering cosmetics brand instead of perpetuating the issue you were trying to resolve? (13:08)
• How did you manage to deal with the initial hate you received on social media towards your brand from a business sense? (15:34)
• Is there such a thing as bad press? (19:29)
• Could you tell us about your new venture JAAQ? (22:17)
• Because mental health is sensitive and giving advice on health is serious. How do you ensure the platform is giving sound advice and abides by any ethical rules? (25:23)
• What is your strategy for scaling your businesses? (28:04)
• Founding a business, you inadvertently become a leader whether you like it or not. Are you a natural leader? (29:44)
• How do you manage your own mental health, along with the stress that comes from being an entrepreneur? (32:02)
• The Good News Postcard: What was the highest and lowest point in your career and how did you get through it? (37:05)
• What makes a great business leader? (39:08)

Thanks to Heneh 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.