Ahead of the launch of season two of the Naked Founder podcast, we’ve produced two short bonus episodes featuring highlights from season one.

Each episode contains 12 founder stories from the entrepreneurs we interviewed.

The advice touches on a range of issues, including raising investment, mental health, seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the impact of AI.

The 12 founder stories featured in the first bonus episode are:

1. Peter Cliff and Jos van der Steen, CONDUCTR
2. Hayley Roberts, Distology
3. James Cole, Panache Cruises
4. Holly Bennett (née Moore), Make Events
5. Jonathan Fitchew, Apprentify
6. Michelle and James Laithwaite, FuelHub
7. Russell Teale, Vivify
8. Matthew Scullion, Matillion
9. Jen Atkinson, Travel Seen
10. Laura Earnshaw, MyHappyMind
11. Derry Green, The Secret Garden Glamping
12. Sam White, Stella Insurance

Naked Founder is a BusinessCloud podcast produced by Dan Brown at Renowned.

When Daniel Burton’s nine-year-old daughter Ella asked for a £300 hairdryer, his response was simple: ‘Build your own.’

Burton is the guest on the season one finale of The Naked Founder podcast, where he explains why it’s vital that children understand the value of money.

That conversation with his daughter ultimately led to the launch of IONI, an independent British technology business created to design and manufacture high-end consumer electronics that are affordable and accessible to all.

In this episode of The Naked Founder, Burton also talks about:

• His mission to change the world of smart home technology;
• Living in his own sustainable smart home;
• Why he’ll never quit; and
• The loneliness of being a sole founder.

The Naked Founder is sponsored by Financielle – The Home of Money for Women – and produced by Dan Brown at Renowned.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro & Meet Daniel Burton 00:50 – The Question We Always Ask 01:29 – Ella's Story: Build Your Own Hairdryer 03:22 – Tough Love & Kids Standing on Their Own 04:00 – Leaving School at 16 05:04 – Are Schools Built for Entrepreneurs? 06:20 – The Idea Behind Wondrwall 07:24 – Where the Name Wondrwall came From 08:13 – The Original Vision: An Intelligent Home 09:22 – Heating Only the Room You're In 10:32 – Building Net Zero Homes 11:33 – Inside Daniel's Own Smart Home 13:22 – How Much Customers Save 13:48 – The Gas Boiler Ban That Never Came 15:10 – The Pivot: Energy as a Service 16:51 – How the Subscription Model Works 18:05 – Funding, Revenue & Headcount 18:45 – The Hardest Part of Being a Founder 19:47 – Doubt, Difficult Times & Staying the Course 20:06 – A Backup Job 22:36 – Final Advice to Founders

Dez Derry’s story is one of resilience, ambition and the power of dreaming big.

Born into a traditional Indian family in Walsall in 1982, Derry suffered years of physical abuse before he and his two younger brothers were adopted together by a loving white family.

Derry went on to become a successful entrepreneur, launching the digital marketing consultancy that evolved into customer acquisition specialist Blume and grew to £30m turnover.

But selling the business and being retired at 40 brought an unexpected challenge.

Despite dismissing warnings that he would lose his sense of purpose and identity after exiting, Derry admits that was exactly what happened.

What changed was drawing on his own experiences in the care system and becoming an ambassador for Adoption Matters and Foster Care Matters.

In this episode of The Naked Founder podcast, he also talks about:

· Why, regardless of where you come from, you should never be afraid to dream;

· Giving a car to Afghan refugee, Adnan Miakhel, to help him pursue his cricketing ambitions;

· How his white adoptive parents showed him what true love was;

· How selling nail varnish changed the direction of his career;

· Retiring at 40 and losing his identify; and

· Why he’s determined to use his experiences of the care system to help others.

The Naked Founder is sponsored by Financielle – The Home of Money for Women – and produced by Dan Brown of Renowned.

Chapters: 00:00 – Intro & Welcome 01:08 – The Question We Always Ask 02:06 – Vision Boards & Dreaming Big 02:33 – A Difficult Childhood 03:49 – Adopted 05:16 – Trauma, Resilience & Work Ethic 06:11 – Breaking In: Selling Nail Varnish 08:10 – Building MMA Digital 09:38 – Bootstrapping With No Money 10:10 – Scaling Blume to £30M 10:47 – Why He Sold Blume 11:42 – Life After the Exit 12:30 – Finding a New Purpose 15:20 – His Message on Fostering & Adoption 17:13 – Adnan's Story & Field of Dreams 19:41 – Angel Investing Since Blume 21:12 – What He Looks For in Founders 21:52 – Launching Escapism (Music Venture) 23:12 – Contact With Biological Parents 24:06 – Losing Dad & Family Reflections 26:33 – Final Advice to Founders