40 Minute Mentor

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

“Write what you know. Two black girls from South London wrote a book that resonates with 1000s of people around the world.”In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Elizabeth Uviebinené, the multi-award-winning author, columnist at The Financial Times, and Founder of Storia. After starting her career in marketing, Elizabeth went on to publish five books, including her debut Bestseller ‘Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible’ which won many awards and was critically acclaimed. Now, Elizabeth has stepped into the Founder world, with her new exciting Startup, Storia - the first app dedicated to guided mindful writing to help you develop new perspectives, gain clarity and understand yourself better. In today’s episode, we chat about:➡️ Why sometimes it’s not your job to convince other people of your work [04:26] ➡️ How growing up without her mum shaped her [08:01] ➡️ Why she started out in a corporate marketing job [09:57] ➡️ The ways in which she was treated differently at work and how that turned into ‘Slay In Your Lane’ [12:21]➡️ Becoming an author and what she’s most proud of [16:37] ➡️ Why inclusion & equality needs to be championed by leadership teams [21:03] ➡️ The inspiration behind ‘The Reset’ and easy steps to look after your wellbeing [23:56] ➡️ Why aspiring authors should focus on writing what they know [34:31] ➡️ Why she’s building Storia and what her experience as a first-time Founder has taught her so far [38:21] ➡️ What to expect from Storia [42:46] ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Elizabeth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-uviebinene/➡️ Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38202269-slay-in-your-lane➡️ The Reset: Ideas To Change How We Work: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57094682-the-reset?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=JZzmmgH23r&rank=1➡️ More about Storia: https://storia-app.webflow.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. ⭐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

“The beauty of a portfolio career is that it gives you lots of flexibility and variety. And that’s been the number one reason a lot of people are choosing this path.” In this bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we discuss a topic which has increasingly become more popular amongst our candidates - portfolio careers. You’ll find out: ➡️ Why this has become such an interesting option for high-performing talent and an attractive solution for clients alike ➡️ The factors to keep in mind before you start building your portfolio career ➡️ Why it might not be the right career for you ➡️ How JBM SOS is connecting fractional talent with more flexible opportunities Plus, we talk about our exciting new partnership with Career Paths, a mentorship platform, on a mission to make mentorship more accessible and provide an easy way for industry leaders to pay it forward. Find out more about Career Paths here: https://careerpaths.io/ ⭐ 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

“I’ve been rejected by every ideal university I imagined I wanted to go to, at least 50 jobs I interviewed for and by 130 VC funds in fundraising so far.”In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by James Lo, Co-Founder and CEO of Mana - the app designed to help everyone make a living by sharing their passion. James started his entrepreneurial journey early, founding an educational social enterprise at the age of 16, before following a more traditional Founder path of consulting at McKinsey and time at the VC SoftBank Vision Fund. His latest venture, Mana, have been on an incredible journey, including an impressive £1.5 million pre-seed funding round, led by Flash Ventures and Global Founders Capital. Today, we find out more about James’s journey with Mana and beyond, including: ➡️ His upbringing in Hong Kong and the inspiration for his first social enterprise [05:09] ➡️ The importance of a sustainable business model [09:07] ➡️ Why he turned down his university offers and went protesting instead [12:49]➡️ The crucial skills he learned at McKinsey [17:46] ➡️ His window into WeWork through his time at SoftBank Vision Found [21:44]➡️ The story behind Mana [25:17] ➡️ Why the initial concept of Mana failed and what he learned from it [30:33] ➡️ The key components for getting a pivot right [35:42] ➡️ How to responsibly let people go [40:20]➡️ Mana’s culture and what James looks for when hiring [44:53] ➡️ His funding experience [48:44]➡️ Why VC is in need of some fundamental changes [51:38]⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yfjameslo/➡️ More about Mana: https://mana.live/qr?shortlink=1asclcd4&is_retargeting=true&pid=QR_code 💙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. ⭐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

“Within 24 hours, we said goodbye to all our corporate partners and set off on a new path.” In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we chat more about the pivot that turned JBM into the search firm it is today. James Mitra, Founder of JBM and Host of 40 Minute Mentor, talks us through why he decided to pivot the business, the drastic decision he had to make and why transparency, empathy and mentorship were so crucial to the success of the pivot.  ⭐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

“Even CEOs have those moments of doubt and vulnerability. I continually have to work on making sure that I'm balancing the journey with enjoying the journey.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode features Simone Maini, CEO of Elliptic, a FinTech helping businesses make the crypto economy a safe place to transact and invest by managing financial crime in crypto. Having had the pleasure of working with Elliptic and Simone on some key senior hires into their growing team, we’ve seen firsthand what a great culture they’re building. Today, we’ll find out: ➡️ The doubt and vulnerability that comes with being a CEO [03:25] ➡️ Her squiggly path to becoming CEO [05:05] ➡️ The skills needed to transition from COO to CEO [08:21] ➡️ Why Elliptic’s mission was so compelling and how she adapted to the complex nature of the industry [12:53] ➡️ How she managed to overcome her imposter syndrome after not having had any industry experience before joining Elliptic [16:28] ➡️ What makes Elliptic’s culture so special [19:28] ➡️ Simone’s candid advice for any aspiring and first time CEOs [24:18] ➡️ Why it doesn’t have to be lonely at the top [28:13] ➡️ Her highlights from Elliptic’s hypergrowth journey and what their next chapter looks like [36:50] ➡️ What needs to happen to level the playing field in the industry and the steps Elliptic are taking to attract more diverse talent [42:00] ➡️ What the future of crypto looks like [44:52] ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Simone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-maini/➡️ More about Elliptic: https://www.elliptic.co/➡️ More advice for COOs: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Z5v0dwtFJBgzci-62Z40woc6yp1-7A6💙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. ⭐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