40 Minute Mentor

“The recession period felt awful, but actually during that time, even as a small business, we got to be the UK market leader, and all that with only five people working for us, at the time.” To kick off 2023, we’re looking back on the latest Series of 40 Minute Mentor and hand pick some of the great advice our mentors shared with us, this time focused on the economic downturn and fundraising. There’s still a lot of uncertainty and instability in the world and it’s hard to predict what 2023 will look like for most Tech Founders. However, this isn’t the first recession for many Startup Founders out there, so we thought we’d share some of the brilliant advice from our latest Series, including: ➡️ How Photobox became the UK market leader during a recession [01:55] ➡️ Why you can still fundraise in this climate [03:41]➡️ The metrics to focus on when fundraising as a mission-driven Startup [04:37] ➡️ Why cold emails work in fundraising [06:12] ➡️ How money alone won’t help you through the recession [07:09] ➡️ Fundraising do’s and don’ts in this climate [07:28] ➡️ Who to listen to when it comes to advice [09:56] For the full 40 Minute Mentor episodes mentioned in this episode, head over to: 🎧 Graham Hobson: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-graham-hobson-photobox/🎧 Sho Sugihara: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-sho-sugihara-pave/🎧 Amali de Alwis: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-amali-de-alwis-subak/🎧 Ian Hogarth: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-ian-hogarth-plural-platform/🎧 James Lo: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-james-lo-mana/🎧 Molly Johnson-Jones: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-molly-johnson-jones-flexa/🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As 2022 is coming to an end, we take the chance to look back and reflect on the last 12 months of 40 Minute Mentor. We did this, by asking some of the JBM team, our series sponsors and 40 Minute Mentor ambassadors for their favourite episodes of the year. To listen back to the episodes mentioned in today’s episode, click through the list below: 🎧 Amali de Alwis:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-amali-de-alwis-subak/🎧 Dan Garrett:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/destigmatising-death-with-farewills-dan-garrett/🎧 Molly Johnson-Jones:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-molly-johnson-jones-flexa/🎧 Rachael Twumasi-Corson:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/feature-series-rachael-twumasi-corson-afrocenchix/🎧 James Lo:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-james-lo-mana/🎧 Sifted Summit Live Recording:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/live-at-sifted-summit-purpose-v-profit-with-nikki-wicks-the-body-coach-emma-steele-ascension-amali-de-alwis-subak/🎧 Job van der Voort:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-job-van-der-voort-remote/🎧 Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/series-8-baroness-tanni-grey-thompson/🎧 Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill:https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/from-olympic-gold-to-femtech-founder-with-dame-jessica-ennis-hill/ Thank you so much for all your support over this year and we can’t wait to see you again in the new year! 🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Where it does become an issue for you, the people around you, your team and your family, is when you are burning out, getting stressed and ill, because you’re not finding any balance at all.” In this second part of our new 40 Minute Mentor mini-series, we learn more about the lessons our Founder, CEO and host of this podcast, James Mitra, learned over the last 10 years of building and scaling JBM. If you haven’t caught up with the first part of the series, yet, make sure you check it out here:  https://40-minute-mentor.simplecast.com/episodes/part-1-10-lessons-from-10-years-of-scaling-jbm-with-james-mitra-founder-ceo-of-jb-VKWGjvCD Today, we learn about: ➡️ The importance of long-term partnerships [01:08] ➡️ The impossible task of finding balance as a Founder [05:16] ➡️ Why you need to listen to your gut more [10:18] ➡️ Learn more about our Series Sponsors, Alchemist [14:52] ➡️ Why hiring is incredibly difficult, even when recruitment is your day job [15:34] ➡️ The importance of letting your hires leave on good terms, when it doesn’t work out [19:23]  ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about James Mitra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmitra-jbm/➡️ More about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I’m ashamed to say I was a bit embarrassed at times when I went to dinner parties and told people what I did for a living. There was always this reputation of sharky, dishonest recruiters.” This week, we’re launching the first of a special two-part Series on 40 Minute Mentor. JBM turned 10 years old this year and we’re officially turning the microphone and sharing our own Startup story. In today’s episode, our Founder, CEO and Host of this podcast, James Mitra, will share how JBM was started and the ups and downs along the way, including: ➡️ The importance of building relationships [2:08] ➡️ JBM’s mission and how this drives us as a team [04:00] ➡️ The mistakes James made along the way and how he overcame them [06:12]➡️ Learn more about our Series sponsors, Alchemist [11:26] ➡️ The power of mentorship and why that’s always been the foundation of JBM [12:08] ➡️ How personal branding has made all the difference over the years [14:07] For more startup lessons, tune back in next week for part 2 of this mini-series.  ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about James Mitra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmitra-jbm/➡️ More about JBM: https://jbmc.co.uk/ 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on  https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I realised that for the first time in my career, I reported to a board and investors, but the decisions were on me. It was all on me.” In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Stuart Packham, CEO of our Series Sponsor’s Alchemist, JBM board advisor and longtime mentor and friend of team JBM. Our host, James Mitra, and Stu have known each other for years, dating back to their days at Michael Page, so it was extra special to have Alchemist as our Series sponsor and Stu joining us on the podcast today. We chat about: ➡️ Stu’s journey through recruitment and into learning and development [02:05]➡️ Why recruitment is such a great foundation to your career [04:36] ➡️ His transition from recruitment to learning and development [07:58] ➡️ Why becoming a CEO was a much bigger shift than expected [10:47] ➡️ How he puts being people-centric first [14:00] ➡️ The imposter syndrome that comes with being CEO [15:42] ➡️ Realities of merging two businesses into one [18:43] ➡️ How Alchemist approaches L&D differently [22:51] ➡️ Transitioning from 98% face to face L&D sessions to digital and virtual sessions [25:56] ➡️ The benefits of bringing on external partners to help with hiring [29:42] ➡️ Why now is the time to put together a risk plan and not ignore the downturn [33:47] ➡️ What the future holds for Alchemist [35:59] ➡️ The advantages of being a board advisor [38:02] ➡️ Why Alchemist partnered with JBM and the results they’ve seen so far [40:06]  ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Stu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartpackham/➡️ More about Alchemist: https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/   🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Series 8 of 40 Minute Mentor has officially come to a close. It’s been 12 weeks of brilliant mentorship from some of the best in the industry, including:➡️ Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Britain's greatest Paralympian and Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords ➡️ Graham Hobson, Founder of Photobox➡️ Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Flexa➡️ Sho Sugihara, Founder and CEO of Pave➡️ Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak➡️ Ian Hogarth, Co-Founder of Plural Platform➡️ Emma Steele, Partner at Ascension ➡️ Nikki Wicks, CEO of The Body Coach ➡️ Job van der Voort, Co-Founder and CEO of Remote➡️ Simone Maini, CEO of Elliptic➡️ James Lo, Co-Founder and CEO of Mana➡️ Elizabeth Uviebinené, Award-winning author and Founder of Storia➡️ Joe Robinson, CEO of Improbable Defence➡️ Eleanor Kaye, Executive Director at Newton Venture Program➡️ Ellie Mckay, property entrepreneur and host of the 'On a Mission' PodcastThanks so much to all of you for your support throughout this Series. If you’re not all caught up yet, make sure you have a look through the archives and stay tuned for some special feature episodes dropping soon. And if you have any recommendations or feedback for Series 9 launching next year, please feel free to contact our producer Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“When people say that money doesn't make you happy, they've often not experienced both extremes."For our final 40 Minute Mentor episode of this Series, we’re joined by Ellie McKay, property entrepreneur and host of the popular ‘On A Mission’ Podcast. Not long ago, Ellie’s life was barely recognisable - raising three children under the age of five, battling postnatal depression and facing redundancy. Fast forward to today, Ellie is a serial entrepreneur, building a multi-million-pound property portfolio. How she got here and the main lessons learned throughout her journey, she shares with us in today’s episode. We talk about: ➡️ Watching her parent’s business and marriage dissolve [05:56] ➡️ How those childhood experiences shaped her [08:50] ➡️ The failure of her first property investment [11:50] ➡️ Becoming a career advisors in prisons [13:00] ➡️ Advice for those looking for work after having been to prison [16:47] ➡️ Facing redundancy with three children under the age of five [20:31] ➡️ The moment when she knew she had to turn her life around [23:04]➡️ Advice for anyone facing redundancy [25:35] ➡️ James’ podcast recommendation [28:34] ➡️ Getting back into the property business [29:57] ➡️ Advice for other wanting to get into property [32:53] ➡️ Building a business with her husband and navigating conflict [35:15] ➡️ More about her ‘On A Mission’ Podcast [40:16] ➡️ Her most memorable interviews [43:08] ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Ellie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-mckay/➡️ Listen to On A Mission: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/on-a-mission-podcast/id1547571458💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Don't think because you perhaps don't have a typical background for VC, that you're not welcomed. That's actually far from the truth.”In our penultimate episode of this 40 Minute Mentor series, we’re joined by Eleanor Kaye, Executive Director at Newton Venture Program. Newton is a joint venture between London Business School and Local Globe VC, on a mission to ensure the next generation of VCs represents the world we all live in, by running programmes for people from overlooked or under-estimated backgrounds who want to break into VC or accelerate their career in the sector. As social mobility and diversity are topics very close to our heart at JBM, we’re huge fans of the work Eleanor and the Newton Venture team are doing. In today’s episode, we find out: ➡️ The difficulties of returning to work after being on parental leave [05:22]➡️ Her unconventional path into VC [06:43] ➡️ How she overcame her initial imposter syndrome [11:01] ➡️ The day to day of an Executive Director at Newton [12:44] ➡️ Advantages of an operational background [14:44] ➡️ A note from our sponsors, Alchemist [20:45] ➡️ The joint venture between London Business School and Local Globe VC [21:38]➡️ How to apply to Newton Venture Program [27:26]➡️ Leveling the playing field in VC [30:31] ➡️ Retaining diverse talent [32:08] ➡️ Advice for diverse Founders fundraising [35:15] ➡️ Europe’s VC landscape and why you should consider a career in VC [36:30]  ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Eleanor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanorkaye/➡️ More about Newton Ventures Program: https://newtonprogram.vc/ 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.  🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s okay not to know. It’s not okay not to learn.” The Metaverse often makes headlines, but what does it really mean? In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Joe Robinson, the CEO of Improbable Defence.Improbable is a British Metaverse technology Scaleup and Unicorn, that partners with video game developers, entertainment companies and defence institutions to help them bring to life rich, powerful, virtual worlds of unprecedented size, scale, ambition and usefulness. We’ve had the huge pleasure of working with Joe and the Improbable team, and we’re so excited to share a bit more about their incredible journey and Joe’s impressive career journey to date. In today’s episode, we chat about: ➡️ Why leadership doesn’t have to have all the answers [04:38] ➡️ The importance of mental resilience and resetting priorities [05:44] ➡️ Joe’s 10 years at the Ministry of Defence [07:06] ➡️ What the military has taught him about team dynamic [08:34] ➡️ How you build resilience and why empathy is the key to it [11:43] ➡️ What Improbable does and how it works in Defence [15:27] ➡️ Why the CEO role is the worst defined job of all [20:12] ➡️ Lack of sleep, accountability and making decisions as CEO [23:20] ➡️ Joe’s definition of the Metaverse [25:37] ➡️ How you put company values into day to day practice [30:59] ➡️ Making your values part of your company’s DNA [35:28] ➡️ Why you can’t lose track of the ultimate value you’re building [39:42] ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-robinson-20b2664b/➡️ More about Improbable: https://www.improbable.io/💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/ to find out more. 🤝Explore Hidden Pages: For this year’s Black History Month, we’ve had the great pleasure of partnering with Samuel Tholley and Hidden Pages - a zine discovering hidden Melanated history & lists of sources exploring the Melanated/"Black" experience. We talked about his motivation behind Hidden Pages, why it's so important to normalise black history and he shares some amazing historic figures we can all learn from.This is only the beginning of this partnership, so make sure you check out our initial conversation with Samuel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF_-blY_kUQ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We don’t just recruit for mission alignment, but for mission obsession. You can spot a mission obsessed person from a mile away - they almost can’t contain it within them.” In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we talk about all things hiring - the importance of getting hiring right and how hiring for values can help with that. In almost every conversation we have with Founders, hiring is referenced as a real pain point and something that’s difficult to get right but can be detrimental for a Startup when you get it wrong. Throughout today’s episode we’ll hear the best hiring advice from some of our previous 40 Minute Mentors, including: ➡️ Wing Chan, Co-Founder & CEO of Sourceful➡️ Tessa Clarke, Co-Founder & CEO of OLIO ➡️ Margot de Broglie, Co-Founder of Your Juno➡️ Rachael Twumasi-Corson, the Founder & CEO of Afrocenchix ➡️ Dan Garrett, Co-Founder & CEO of Farewill  ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mmPlus, if you have any questions you’d like us to answer in our bite-sized Monday episodes, please get in touch with Hannah at hannah@jbmc.co.uk 💙A big thank you to our Sponsors:Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance.To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices