Russell Teale was juggling the pressures of business and family life when he thought he was having a heart attack.

Tests later revealed he was having a panic attack but the near-miss changed his life and his outlook.

He’s the founder and CEO of Vivify, which today employs 500 people and is set to grow turnover from £8m to £12m this year.

At the same time, the startup has given more than £10m back to schools and raised £2m in investment.

In this episode of The Naked Founder podcast he discusses:

• Living with panic attacks • Having former Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy as an investor • Coping with the death of his mum while building Vivify • Giving £10m back to schools • Why your network is your net worth

Chapters: 0:00 Introduction – Russell Teale, founder & CEO of Vivify 0:43 Opening question: what didn't they tell you about founding a business? 1:42 The highest of highs and lowest of lows – what founding really feels like 2:04 Fitter: the Uber-style fitness app, hockey stick projections, and the brutal reality of traction 3:54 Money running out, wife pregnant, and a terrifying thud in the chest 4:22 Panic attacks in his early thirties – and learning they never fully go away 5:33 How panic attacks manifest and how he manages them now 6:02 School Letting Solutions: landing on his feet, then made redundant when it went into liquidation 6:46 What he learned from failure and why there's no point looking backwards 7:39 Founding Vivify in 2020 – the problem: 27,000 schools full of empty facilities 9:48 Where the name Vivify came from – meaning "to breathe life into" 10:12 Mum Janice: single parent, two jobs, rehoming stray cats, and a lesson in resilience 11:58 Janice dies of blood cancer on New Year's Day 2022, aged just 56 12:25 How do you manage personal trauma, COVID, a startup, and a young family? You just get on with it 13:04 Co-founders leaving, bootstrapping, and raising £1m from Arete in 2022 13:44 Choosing the right investor and the full-circle moment of pitching to the former Tesco CEO 15:26 Founder vs CEO – two very different skill sets 16:47 Total Fitness, rising through the ranks, and how far Vivify has still to go 17:43 The global opportunity: 27,000 schools in the UK, and the same problem everywhere 18:30 Do's and don'ts for scaling: never lose sight of cash 19:16 The importance of a commercially-minded CFO 20:02 Hiring for passion and pride over skill set – and why attitude always wins 21:19 Building a network from scratch and the power of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme 22:53 Founders he admires and why ego-led founders put him off 24:21 Letter to a younger Russell: go easy on yourself 24:56 Wrap-up

James Laithwaite has been described as rugby league’s unluckiest player after fracturing his left leg four times and breaking his neck during a career that saw him play for Warrington Wolves, Toronto Wolfpack and Bradford Bulls.

However, from the depth of despair, he launched premium meal prep delivery firm FuelHub in 2019 with his wife Michelle.

Today the company is working with some of the UK’s most talented sports stars and clubs and now makes 20,000 meals a week.

FuelHub has now grown turnover to £6.5m and forged a partnership with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.

In this episode of the Naked Founder podcast, James and Michelle Laithwaite discuss:

· Fearing he was paralysed after breaking his neck · How his spells out injured inspired FuelHub · How love blossomed after an online date and turned into a business · Raising £1.2m from AJ Bell founder Andy Bell and former director Fergus Lyons · Partnering with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom · How their son was born on their launch day · The secret of working with your partner

This episode is a product of BusinessCloud. It was sponsored by ‘Financielle – The Home of Money for Women’ and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned.

To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk

Chapters: 0:00 Introduction – Michelle & James Laithwaite, founders of Fuel Hub 0:20 What didn't they tell you about founding a business? 0:51 From 10,000 meals to £5 million – how the weight of responsibility grows 1:50 The story: single mum meets rugby player, and an unlikely partnership begins 3:10 Watching James break his leg at the AJ Bell Stadium on their second date 4:22 Wanting to eat healthy but not being able to find the quality – the light-bulb moment 5:37 Launching Fuel Hub eight months pregnant – and Stanley arriving early 6:31 Brand story, green identity, and the three pillars: premium, trust, quality 8:49 Starting with £20k, a £20 eBay desk, and a red swivel chair 10:34 Selling the family home, moving into a two-bed flat, and taking no wage 11:11 The landlord connection: how Fergus Lyons led them to a £1.2m investment from Andy Bell 12:41 Warrington Wolves, Chelsea, England Rugby – leveraging James's sporting contacts 14:08 Eddie Hearn ordered off his own back: how the Matchroom partnership came about 17:19 Never racing to the bottom – why staying premium builds loyal subscribers 18:51 The subscription model and the power of authentic LinkedIn storytelling 20:08 Michelle reads their five-year anniversary LinkedIn post live 22:15 The reality of being a female CEO – school calls, tiredness, and raw honesty 24:04 Co-founder dynamics: CEO vs COO, and why being so different makes it work 25:50 Drawing the line between work and home life with kids and a clear 8pm rule 27:48 Date nights in the Lake District and trusting the team enough to switch off 28:59 Michelle on public speaking, BBC Radio 5 Live, and getting comfortable being visible 30:32 James's turn: Michelle doesn't like being told what to do (he nods vigorously) 31:38 Transitioning from professional rugby to business – resilience, injuries, and broken necks 34:53 Starting from scratch: learning emails, invoicing, and everything from the ground up 36:33 An insatiable appetite to learn – podcasts, people, and being a sponge 37:27 Advice for couples thinking about co-founding: sacrifice, hard work, and plan A only 37:54 Vision for Fuel Hub: 100,000 meals a week, a forever home, and B2B growth 41:24 Letter to a younger Michelle: always trust your gut and never deviate 41:59 Wrap-up

As the co-founders of Pareto Law, Jonathan Fitchew and Andy Sawer were inseparable.

For 26 years they shared the same office and, when away on business trips, even shared the same bed rather than book separate rooms.

One look at his best friend’s empty desk after he died in 2021 was enough to convince Fitchew that he could never work there again.

In this episode of the Naked Founder podcast, he discusses: • The grief of losing your best friend and business partner • Going again with the launch of Apprentify • Growing Apprentify to £25m turnover and 250 staff • His regrets at selling Pareto Law to Randstad • Being kicked out of school for being rebellious • Relaxing by keeping chickens and building Lego

This episode is a product of BusinessCloud. It was sponsored by ‘Financielle' - The Home of Money for Women’ and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned.

To sponsor the show, email news@businesscloud.co.uk

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: Jonathan Fitchew & Apprentify 00:28 What They Don't Tell You About Founding a Business 00:53 Would You Do It All Over Again? 01:39 Losing a Co-Founder: The Story of Andy Sawyer 02:25 Andy's Illness, COVID & Keeping the Business Alive 04:00 Friend First, Founder Second: How Andy & Jonathan Met 05:11 You Can't Force a Business Partnership 05:47 Risk Taking vs. Gambling: The Entrepreneurial Mindset 07:03 Borrowing 15 Grand & Pitching a Bank Manager 07:47 Why They Named It Pareto Law 09:52 Hiring Graduates Over Experienced Salespeople 10:07 Starting in a Broom Cupboard in Salford (1995) 10:51 Sharing a Room, Sharing a Business: Life with Andy 11:57 Did You and Andy Ever Disagree? 12:45 Pareto Law Grows to £40M & 400 Staff 13:25 When Randstad Came Knocking (2008) 15:02 Selling Part of the Business: The Air Was Sucked Out 16:06 Visiting Andy in Hospital While Running a Business 17:52 Do You Still Think About Andy? Every Single Day 18:27 Leaving Pareto Law & Going Again: Launching Apprentify 18:52 The Embryo of Apprentify Started Before Andy Died 20:38 Still Hungry: The Eye of the Tiger 21:18 How Apprentify Grew to £25M & 250 Staff 23:25 AI: The Biggest Opportunity Jonathan Has Ever Seen 25:27 AI Won't Replace You If You Add Value 26:23 Top Tips for Anyone Thinking of Starting a Business 27:51 Getting Kicked Out of Boarding School 28:13 The Itch That Always Needs Scratching 29:44 The Chickens: Mary, Latte & Cappuccino 30:57 Chickens as a Decompression Valve 31:21 Building Lego as a Switch-Off: 4,000-Piece Ferrari & Concorde 32:12 Whatever You Do, You're a Builder 32:43 Letter to His Younger Self