40 Minute Mentor

“There is nothing wrong with doubting yourself. Having a bit of self doubt is good, because it means you’re constantly trying to improve, grow and evolve.” In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we tackle a topic that is often discussed amongst Founders and leaders - imposter syndrome. Having experienced imposter syndrome on many occasions over the last 10 years of leading JBM, our host James Mitra shares some of the advice that has helped him to push through self doubt. Plus, we hear again from two previous 40 Minute Mentors - Michelle You of Supercritical and Amelia Sordell of Klowt, and their own experience with imposter syndrome. ⭐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. ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ Michelle You’s 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/from-exiting-songkick-to-tackling-the-climate-crisis-with-supercriticals-michelle-you/ ➡️ Amelia Sordell’s 40 Minute Mentor episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/the-power-of-personal-branding-with-amelia-sordell-founder-of-klowt/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you're not in a situation where you can safely take a year or two to start your own business, you probably shouldn't do it.”In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Job van der Voort, Co-Founder and CEO of Remote, the FinTech empowering companies of all sizes to pay and manage workers in 50+ countries all over the world. Having always had a desire to start his own business, Job joined GitLab early on in their journey and spent 5 years with them growing the business, before setting up Remote. And what an incredible journey Job and his Co-Founder, Marcelo Lebre have been on - having scaled from 2 to 800 employees in just 3 years, all of course, entirely remotely. Job gave us a real insight into his journey as a Founder, with all the ups and downs that came with it, in today’s episode. We chat about: ➡️ What it was like to scale GitLab, before remote working was considered as a viable option in many industries [04:50] ➡️ The challenges of being up against a much bigger and better funded competitor [07:13] ➡️ Where the inspiration for Remote came from [09:47] ➡️ Job’s advice for anyone thinking about starting their own business and how you can easily test your business idea, even today [13:07] ➡️ How Remote evolved over the years and what some of the biggest challenges were along the way [17:08] ➡️ Remote’s fundraising experience and Job’s advice for any Founders looking to raise investment [20:09] ➡️ The lessons from scaling the team from 2 to 800 and why everyone in the room needs to understand how to interview effectively [24:57] ➡️ How to build an effective and inclusive onboarding process [31:03] ➡️ Why kindness sits at the core of Remote’s team culture [34:29] ➡️ How remote work is really about the freedom to choose an alternative and what the future of work may look like [37:47] ➡️ Why Job avoids meetings as much as he can [41:41]  ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Job: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jobvo/➡️ More about Remote: https://remote.com/ 💙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

“When your values are so set and embedded in what you do, then anything that doesn’t line up with them, is a ‘No’.” This 40 Minute Mentor episode, is the live recording we were honoured to host at this year’s Sifted Summit in London. Our panel discussion was all about putting purpose over profit and accelerating impact - a topic that has gained a lot of traction over the last years. Gone are the days in which top talent are looking to go into Banking, Consulting or Investing. Now the best of the best are on a mission to find companies and Founders with a strong purpose, to really make a difference in the world. And there are so many truly purpose driven Founders out there, many of which we’ve had the great pleasure of featuring on 40 Minute Mentor, including today’s panel, for which we were joined by: ➡️ Emma Steele, Partner at Ascension, an early-stage VC built by exited entrepreneurs to back the next generation of tech and impact Founders. ➡️ Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak, the world’s first not-for-profit accelerator that scales climate impact through data, policy and behaviour change. ➡️ Nikki Wicks, CEO of The Body Coach, the popular fitness brand behind Joe Wicks, on a mission to get people moving and live a healthier life.  ⭐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

“There's a very long list of these iconic companies that actually weren't started by first time Founders.”In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Ian Hogarth, a hugely accomplished Entrepreneur, Angel Investor and Co-Founder of Plural Platform, an exciting new early-stage platform dedicated to investing in Europe’s next generation of tech companies with global ambitions. If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you may recognise Ian’s name from a previous episode, in which we were joined by one of his former Songkick Co-Founders, Michelle You. Ian served as Songkick’s CEO for 8 years, scaling the business to $100m in sales and 120 employees, before eventually exiting to Warner Music Group. It was such a privilege to have Ian join us on the podcast and share so much great mentorship, including: ➡️ How he found his passion for creating something new [05:09] ➡️ How this passion led him to create Songkick [08:16]➡️ The many lessons he learned as a first time CEO and why external mentorship was such a crucial part of his journey [11:09] ➡️ Why you shouldn’t hire people who can’t be replaced and why some hires can completely change your business [14:29] ➡️ How his experience with loss influenced his decision to step away from Songkick and the important lessons this has taught him [19:13] ➡️ Why he jumped back in the Founder seat and the mission behind Plural [24:42]➡️ Why Plural isn’t following a VC model and what changes it’ll drive in Europe [28:16] ➡️ What it really takes to be an incredible Founder [32:52]➡️ The types of businesses he’s personally looking to invest in [36:44] ➡️ His advice for any diverse Founders looking for investment and the importance of mapping out the investors you’re going to approach [38:48] ➡️ Plural’s north star and the plan to get there [40:58]  ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Ian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianhogarth/➡️ More about Plural Platform: https://pluralplatform.com/ ➡️ Songkick Co-Founder, Michelle You’s episode: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/from-exiting-songkick-to-tackling-the-climate-crisis-with-supercriticals-michelle-you/ 💙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 more we talk about mental health, the more we normalise it and hopefully help save lives.”  This year’s World Mental Health Day theme is ‘making mental health and wellbeing a global priority for all’ - something we’ve spoken about a lot on 40 Minute Mentor over the years. Whether it’s our mental health panel discussions, the day to day lived experience of mental health of the Founders we chat to, or purpose-driven Founders like James Routlegde, who is empowering people to connect with themselves and the world around them through coaching and community with Sanctus - making mental health a topic that is more openly talked about, has always been a core driver for our podcast. Today’s bite-sized episode gets a bit more personal. Our host and JBM Founder, James Mitra talks more about his own journey with his mental health as a Founder and shares some of the valuable advice he’s received over the years. ⭐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.ukFor more mental health resources: ➡️ Mental Health Foundation – https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk   ➡️ The Samaritans can be reached on 116 123 ➡️ And for local help and support, call the Mind Infoline at 0300 123 3393 or text 86463➡️ Our 40 Minute Mentor Mental Health Roundtable conversation: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/encouraging-conversations-about-mental-health/➡️ 40 Minute Mentor James Routledge from Sanctus: https://jbmc.co.uk/insights/40-minute-mentor/putting-the-first-mental-health-gym-on-the-high-street-with-james-routledge/ 💙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

“If we’re trying to say that the only way to find answers and the only way to fund climate issues is through equity based investment, it’s just not going to work. It doesn’t suit every type of business.” In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak, the world’s first not-for-profit accelerator that scales climate impact through data, policy and behaviour change. Prior to joining the team at Subak, Amali was Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups UK and CEO of Code First: Girls.Amali is a woman of many talents who wears many hats, including being a Board member at Ada National College for Digital Skills and the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It was a great honour to have Amali join us on the podcast and she shares some really insightful mentorship, including: ➡️ What her nonlinear career has taught her and why changing careers frequently can have positive effects on your trajectory [05:46] ➡️ How she landed her first CEO role [12:39] ➡️ Amali’s journey with Code First: Girls and the milestones she’s most proud of [16:22] ➡️ What the tech industry needs to do to level the playing field and make it more accessible for women and especially women from underrepresented backgrounds [20:41] ➡️ Why you just need to get started if you’re looking to get into tech [26:06] ➡️ Subak’s incredible mission and why Amali got involved [28:19] ➡️ What Founders can expect from the accelerator [32:16]➡️ Why equity based investment can simply not be the only solution to tackle climate challenges [34:42]➡️ Why we all need to start understanding the data behind climate change [36:32] ➡️ The importance of having a strong board of advisors [39:17] ➡️ How Amali juggles her many responsibilities and why being a board advisor makes her a better CEO [41:51]  💙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.  📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit! We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th. To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for your Startup ticket on www.summit.sifted.eu ⭐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

“Sometimes you can use difficult times to come up with incredible new ideas. It’s a great opportunity to get your team to think creatively and empower them to come to you with suggestions and try new things. It's probably going to be pretty scrappy, but you never know, it might just be the making of your business.” In this week’s bite-sized 40 Minute Mentor episode, we talk about navigating challenging times, as a Founder and business leader. James reflects on the pandemic and shares some of the best advice he’s received over the years and some insights into how he’s applied the advice during difficult times for JBM, including: ➡️ Increasing your transparency and communication with the team [1:43]➡️ Leila Zegna’s advice on reminding yourself of what you can and can’t control [3:20] ➡️ The importance of having a great board of advisors and mentors [5:18] ➡️ And why this could be a great time for you to innovate and come up with new ideas for your business [6:27]  📅 Join us at The Sifted Summit! We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th. To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for your General Admissions ticket on https://sifted-summit-2022.reg.buzz/splash 💙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/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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It's really demotivating in the early days to keep building, keep building but nothing seems to happen. You need tenacity and planning skills to get you through that.” In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Sho Sugihara, Founder and CEO of Pave, the FinTech-for-good helping customers improve their credit score and history with bill monitoring and credit building. Sho started his career working with NGOs around the world, driven by the desire to build a world free of financial inequality which led him to start Pave, out of Entrepreneur First in 2017. In this episode, we learn more about his brilliant journey with Pave alongside his candid advice and mentorship for any aspiring Founders, including: ➡️ How his education has shaped him into the leader he is today [04:50] ➡️ Where Sho got his entrepreneurial spirit from and why he went into consulting before starting Pave [07:05] ➡️ The most difficult part of switching from a consulting mindset to a Founder mindset [13:48] ➡️ How becoming a Deliveroo driver shaped the early days of Pave [16:05] ➡️ How the business has evolved since and why it’s so important to evolve your product with the market climate [19:58] ➡️ How Pave have shifted from a pure B2C product to a B2B offering [25:27] ➡️ The importance of getting the hiring of your leadership team right [28:09] ➡️ Why tenacity and conviction will set you apart as a Founder in tougher economic times [30:44]➡️ Small but meaningful things we can all do to improve our financial health [32:25] ➡️ Why Founders need to think about their bigger purpose before starting a business [34:32] ➡️ How Sho’s own leadership style has evolved over the years and his own battles with imposter syndrome [38:09]  ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Sho: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoalexander/➡️ More about Pave: https://www.paveapp.com/➡️More about the Unrest Accelerator: https://www.unrest.world/ 📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit! We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th. To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for your General Administration ticket on https://sifted-summit-2022.reg.buzz/splash  💙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

40 Minute Mentor LIVE and in person! We’re attending Sifted Summit on Thursday, October 6th, to record a live panel discussion with some of the most inspiring purpose-driven Founders and Investors. If you haven’t heard of Sifted Summit before, it’s the Startup event of the year, bringing startup Europe under one roof with new perspectives, new opportunities and new chances to collaborate. Our 40 Minute Mentor session at 2pm on the Thursday will be all about ‘Purpose Over Profit’ and will feature an amazing panel, including: ➡️ Amali de Alwis, CEO of Subak ➡️ Dr. Anna Hushlak, Co-founder and CSO of Ferly ➡️ Emma Steele, Partner at Ascension ➡️ Nikki Wicks, CEO of The Body Coach  Listen to today’s episode to learn a bit more about why this is such a relevant topic, who has already championed purpose-driven businesses on the podcast and why more and more candidates are looking to join purpose-driven businesses. 📅 Secure your free ticket! To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for a General Attendee ticket on  https://sifted-summit-2022.reg.buzz/splash 💙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/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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The biggest shift in the candidate market is that people care just as much about how they work as what they do.” In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Flexa. Flexa is a global directory of verified flexible companies that lists companies by vacancies and flexibility percentage scores, benchmarked against thousands of data points. We’re proud partners of Flexa and were ‘flexified’ earlier in 2022. That’s why we were so excited to catch up with Molly on the podcast, share her story and the incredible journey Flexa have been on. Molly shares some truly candid insights into her own journey and the future of flexible working, including: ➡️Her unfair dismissal from investment banking and how she bounced back after [06:43]➡️Why she started Flexa and how it works for candidates and employers [14:36] ➡️ The hardest parts of being a first-time Founder [18:33]  ➡️ Why investing in your mental health is so important [20:00] ➡️ Her advice for any aspiring Founders [22:23]  ➡️ What it’s like to found a business with your partner and why it held them back when raising funding [24:31]  ➡️ Why flexibility means choice and how employers can embrace flexible working [31:33] ➡️ The cases in which stripping back flexibility can be beneficial [33:48]  ➡️ How employers can attract more talent in a very competitive market [36:31]  ➡️ What do the next 5 to 10 years of flexible working look like [40:53] ⛳ Helpful links:➡️ More about Molly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-johnson-jones/➡️ More about Flexa: https://flexa.careers/➡️ JBM on Flexa: https://flexa.careers/companies/jbm 💙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.  📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit! We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th. To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREE for a Startup ticket on on www.summit.sifted.eu ⭐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