In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl chats with Nigel Mills CBE, a champion for business and entrepreneurialism in the North of England.

Like Carl, Nigel began his career as a Chartered Accountant. He qualified at PriceWaterhouseCoopers before leaving to buy an independent convenience store business, which he scaled to a portfolio of 77 stores, before selling it to Tesco PLC.

After selling, Nigel set up, developed and subsequently sold highly regarded The Lakes Distillery, which was acquired by English sparkling wine producer, Nytimber in a deal, which valued The Lakes Distillery at £71 million.

Nigel was one of the founders of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum and is a trusted advisor, Non-Executive Director, mentor and investor.

Nigel talks to Carl about how he switched from a plan to be a professional golfer to become an accountant after his grandfather passed away, before landing a place at PwC. He covers the highs and lows of his business career, the importance of sport in his life, the range of investment and mentoring opportunities he is regularly offered and how he decides which ones to pursue, and invest in.

This educational and thought-provoking episode highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with the experience and expertise of others, coupled with persistency when pursuing ambitious entrepreneurial endeavours.

Connect with Nigel

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-john-mills-cbe-6a555042/

Connect with Carl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.

In this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl chats with inspiring global recruitment specialist Steve Carter.

Australian entrepreneur, who has been in the UK for almost 30 years, Steve rose from recruitment industry novice to a CEO position and subsequently become a board advisor helping firms in the sector from start-ups, scale-ups and those looking to internationalise their operations.

An accidental recruiter and accidental ‘Aussie export’, having only originally planned to be in the UK for two years, Steve has made Britain his home and the base for his entrepreneurial endeavours.

He began his career with Hays Global, as a candidate and was offered a job as a recruiter, thus beginning a journey that took him to the other side of the world, falling in love with the UK.

After climbing the ladder with a number of corporate firms, Steve became CEO of Robert Half UK, before making the move to run his own business, acquiring a London-based agency, which he, and an investor, scaled, buying a plc in a ‘take private’ deal and rebranding the collective group, Morgan McKinley Recruitment.

Steve talks in this podcast about the inspiration that led him to a career in recruitment, (and how she became his wife), and how he earned the focus that gave him the financial independence and drive to take his career forward.

This insightful and engaging episode highlights and the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurialism, when is it time to exit and what happens next.

Connect with Steve

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevecarter2/

Website: https://www.thesatoripartnership.com/

Connect with Carl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.

In this episode of ‘Confessions of a CEO’, Carl sits down with straight-talking, networking and recruitment specialist entrepreneur Helen Trueman-Howe.

Helen is the co-founder of Northeast Network, a thriving networking hub in North East England, and the founder and Managing Director of Heels & Brogues Group, which specialises in recruiting talent across manufacturing, engineering, renewables, HVAC and professional services.

A reunion of secondary school friends, Helen and Carl reminisce about growing up in Sunderland and how her formative years in education had no bearing on her future success.

Rather than sitting her GCSEs, Helen was working in a tampon factory and from there built a ‘streetwise’ education that actually led her to securing a place at university, setting the tone for a very interesting and varied career path that has seen her succeed in entrepreneurship.

Helen talks in this podcast, as she does in life, with her heart on her sleeve, covering everything from ADHD and imposter syndrome versus self-belief, to the opportunities and challenges of self-employment and business ownership.

This insightful and entertaining episode highlights how the dynamism of entrepreneurship, building networks and how you can make your own fate in life and business, can transform challenges into opportunities and turn bold ideas into lasting success.

Connect with Helen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-trueman-howe-528469121

Websites: https://northeastnetwork.co.uk/ & https://hbgrecruitment.com/

Connect with Carl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-swansbury-fca-33b21923/?originalSubdomain=uk

Website: https://ryecroftglenton.com/team/carl-swansbury/

This podcast is brought to you by Recognition PR.