
Secret Leaders with Dan Murray-Serter & Chris Donnelly
Dan Murray-Serter and Chris Donnelly are two serial entrepreneurs who've built, sold, scaled & failed companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In Secret Leaders we get inside the greatest minds and greatest moments in business, because we believe the best way to learn about business is to hear from the people who make it happen.Sponsored by Wise Business and Vanta.Contact: hello@secretleaders.com
Latest episodes

Dec 7, 2023 • 15min
My Favourite Failure: Unpaid payments nearly destroyed my business despite UK legal system & rock solid contracts - Neil Ambikar
Neil Ambikar, Founder of B2Bpay and Narvi Payments, shares his near-loss of business due to unpaid payments, leading him to question the UK legal system. The podcast highlights the challenges of relying on a financial institution partner, frustration with unpaid payments and legal battles, and the importance of trust in business relationships.

Dec 5, 2023 • 58min
How $4b Webflow Founder failed 3 times before getting it right - Vlad Magdalin
Vlad Magdalin is the Founder of Webflow, a no-code platform which allows people who aren't software engineers to build complex websites. They were valued at $4b at the last count but amazingly he tried doing the business three times before getting it right. He wouldn't advise a friend to take the same risks he did - despite the enormous pay off. Here's why.--SponsorsVorboss - get better internet: https://vorboss.com/secretleaders.Vanta - get 20% off security certifications like ISO27001 and SOC2: https://vanta.com/secretleaders.Vertice - save on your SaaS or cloud spend ($5k off or a free benchmark) using the code secretleaders: https://www.vertice.one/l/secretleaders--NewsletterSign up here: https://secretleaders.email/.You can find our historic newsletters here: https://www.secretleaders.com/episodes.

Nov 30, 2023 • 13min
My Favourite Failure: Given a settlement and pushed out after declaring disability | Molly Johnson-Jones
Molly Johnson-Jones is the Founder of Flexa, a global directory of flexible companies. The idea was born out of the worst moment in Molly’s career, which left her doubting her worth and ability to be in a workplace.--To get a better handle on your security, check out https://npsa.gov.uk/innovation and download their free Quick Start Guide.

Nov 28, 2023 • 1h 17min
How to manage your stress response when you're up against it - Sensate Co-Founder Anna Gudmundson
Anna Gudmundson is the Co-Founder of Sensate: a pebble like device you can put on your chest which tones (vibrates) the vagus nerve, which helps control your stress response. Anna is fascinated by stress and how we can handle it (75% of the world are anxious - go figure). She explains some some of the science and tactics to manage your stress response, and of course it's a subject Dan love being Mr Vagus Nerve.Sensate: https://www.getsensate.com/--SponsorsVorboss - get better internet: https://vorboss.com/secretleaders.Vanta - get 20% off security certifications like ISO27001 and SOC2: https://vanta.com/secretleaders.Vertice - save on your SaaS or cloud spend ($5k off or a free benchmark) using the code secretleaders: https://www.vertice.one/l/secretleaders--NewsletterSign up here: https://secretleaders.email/.You can find our historic newsletters here: https://www.secretleaders.com/episodes.

Nov 23, 2023 • 17min
My Favourite Failure: I lost my company, job, had to sell my cars, house & move back in with my mum | Tay Sweat
Retired entrepreneur Tay Sweat shares his experience of bouncing back from failure. He discusses losing his company, job, and having to move back in with his mom. Tay emphasizes the importance of overcoming setbacks, rebuilding confidence, and understanding the business cycle. He also shares his journey of starting with limited resources and eventually building a successful business.

Nov 21, 2023 • 1h 4min
Ticket Tailor - Bootstrapping to £6m after selling business to TimeOut and buying it back
Jonny White, Founder of Ticket Tailor, built a white labelled ticketing service. He discusses transitioning from services to software, the decision-making process behind selling the business, and the concept of 'growth on purpose'. The podcast also covers potential failures, reflections on bootstrapping, and advice for success.

Nov 16, 2023 • 12min
My Favourite Failure: Chef who got rave reviews, celeb diners and a bustling business but couldn't sustain it
Sameer Vaswani, Co-Founder of Prodigy Chocolate, discusses his failed restaurant venture in London despite rave reviews and celebrity diners. He reflects on the challenges of being a founder, the lessons learned from this failure, and the subsequent success of his food manufacturing business in West Africa.

Nov 14, 2023 • 1h 10min
Cobra beer Founder - how to get through crises having nearly lost his business three times | Lord Karan Bilimoria
Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-Founder of Cobra beer and member of the House of Lords, shares his journey of building resilience after nearly losing his business three times. The podcast discusses starting a business, finding a gap in the market, importing products from India, consistency in entrepreneurship, finding the right mentor, and the importance of product market fit. It also explores the stories of successful startups, personal branding, striving for growth and continuous learning, and the significance of diversity in companies.

Nov 9, 2023 • 13min
My Favourite Failure: Entering a death spiral - Rico Mandel
Sometimes in business you pass the point of no return and you don't even know it. Someone who knows all too well is Rico Mandel, the Founder of Miz En Place, a successful foodie marketplace... but Rico only got into food after his marketing agency business went bust. This is how Rico failed, what he learnt from it - and a simple hack to make you feel better about your life, however bad things seem.--To get a better handle on your security, check out https://npsa.gov.uk/innovation and download their free Quick Start Guide.

Nov 7, 2023 • 1h 6min
How to know if it's the right time to sell - UK's greatest record producer behind Sade, Sting, Clapton etc. | Sir Robin Millar
Sir Robin Millar is arguably the UK's leading record producer, having worked with the likes of Sade, Randy Crawford, Eric Clapton, Sting, The Grateful Dead and many others.He produced the Atlanta Olympic Games opening ceremony in 1996, has had over 160 gold & platinum discs - including 44 No. 1 hits. He's got a great CV.He's also a blind man and in today's episode we learn what that's really like, how to make great music - and how to build a successful music business. Sir Robin is full of business principles, whatever industry you're in - with some real insights to when you should exit even if it's not the best price you'll ever get.--SponsorsVorboss - get better internet: https://vorboss.com/secretleaders.Vanta - get 20% off security certifications like ISO27001 and SOC2: https://vanta.com/secretleaders.Vertice - save on your SaaS or cloud spend ($5k off or a free benchmark) using the code secretleaders: https://www.vertice.one/l/secretleaders--NewsletterSign up here: https://secretleaders.email/.You can find our historic newsletters here: https://www.secretleaders.com/episodes.
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