In this episode recorded live at our Live Uncut event, Richard Hill sits down with Lucie , founder of Hair Syrup, to unpack one of the most inspiring eCommerce success stories of the past five years. What started as a personal solution to hair problems in a Warwick University student kitchen has exploded into an 8-figure business that became the most viral hair care brand on TikTok globally.

Lucie walks us through the moment she realized Hair Syrup was going to be massive, her unconventional journey from mixing oils with measuring spoons to managing 7 hours of meetings daily while staying creative, and why her Dragons' Den rejection turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her business. She explains how she reduced TikTok Shop revenue from 49% to less than 23% through strategic diversification, her unconventional hiring philosophy of not hiring people who've had traditional jobs, and why content creation should come naturally if you're in the right role.

This episode covers the untold story of what really happened on Dragons' Den including footage that never aired, why Steven Bartlett's concerns about platform dependency were valid but the exposure was priceless, going viral for three consecutive weeks after the show and turning down 60 investors who reached out, shifting TikTok from revenue driver to brand awareness touchpoint, the power of Meta ads, email marketing, SMS campaigns, gift with purchase strategies, and in-person events for building a DTC brand, managing the balance between operational meetings and creative work as a founder, and why the Goldman Sachs 10KSB program transformed her business more than any book could.

Lucie's story proves that sometimes the best businesses aren't meticulously planned, they find you. With no formal business training, no business books read, and starting with just a few hundred pounds, she's built a beauty empire that rivals established brands globally. Whether you're in eCommerce, building a DTC brand, managing social media strategy, or fascinated by modern entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with tactical insights on platform diversification, content creation at scale, viral marketing, and building a brand that resonates deeply with customers.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Topics Covered:

00:00 Introduction and angel number synchronicity

01:14 How Hair Syrup started in a student kitchen

04:33 The viral TikTok that changed everything

08:11 Scaling from 10 bottles to 8 figures

14:36 Dragons' Den: the untold story

21:55 Going viral for 3 weeks and rejecting 60 investors

25:50 Unconventional hiring philosophy

32:15 Content creation strategy: 25 posts per day

39:57 Diversifying revenue beyond TikTok

41:37 Meta ads, email marketing and event strategy

43:50 Why Lucy's never read a business book

44:23 Goldman Sachs 10KSB program recommendation

In this solo episode, Richard Hill breaks down the one thing that keeps coming up with every successful eCommerce founder he's interviewed over the past five years. It's not marketing strategy, tech stack, or hiring process. It's something simpler, but most founders get it completely wrong.

Richard explains why sharing your vision consistently, clearly, and with your entire team is the difference between teams that move fast and make smart decisions, versus teams that feel disconnected from the bigger picture. He walks through the exact framework he uses in his own business: creating a one-year picture and three-year vision, working with senior leadership to define measurable outcomes, and most importantly, re-sharing that vision every three months in all-hands meetings.

This isn't about fancy mission statements on the wall. It's about giving your team ownership, showing them how their work contributes to the bigger picture, and creating a culture where people want to stay because they can see a future for themselves in your vision. Richard shares why some team members will buy in immediately, why others will self-select out, and why that's actually a good thing.

He also covers the practical side: what success looks like in your business one year from now versus three years from now, how to bridge the gap between current revenue and ambitious targets with measurable KPIs, why re-sharing your vision quarterly is non-negotiable, and the importance of off-site all-hands meetings to make vision updates feel like events, not tasks.

If you're a founder or leader who's ever wondered why your team doesn't seem as fired up about the business as you are, this episode will change how you think about communication, alignment, and growth. The shift from keeping your vision in your head to making it visible to everyone is the unlock.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Topics Covered

00:00 Introduction: The one thing successful founders do differently

01:22 Why your team can't help you build what they can't see

02:36 Giving team members ownership through shared vision

03:21 The one-year picture vs three-year vision framework

05:52 Personal vision for founders: creating time and space

07:10 Sharing your vision with the whole company for the first time

08:28 The biggest mistake: set it and forget it

09:12 Quarterly all-hands meetings: making vision updates an event

10:30 Book recommendation: Traction by Gino Wickman

11:20 Core focus and purpose: what drives outstanding culture

12:23 Final thoughts and where to subscribe

In this episode, Richard Hill sits down with Nick Preston, the commercial force behind Muscle Food, to unpack one of the most intense business turnaround stories in UK eCommerce history.

Nick shares the raw, unfiltered account of building a category-defining nutrition brand, being forced out by shareholders, and then getting a phone call that gave him less than 24 hours to decide if Muscle Food lived or died.

Nick breaks down the complete journey, from creating the viral protein pizza that sold over 700,000 units in year one, to being removed from the business in September 2024, to receiving the call in July 2025 that the company was days from administration. He explains the 72-hour scramble to save the business, rebuilding trust with suppliers who'd pulled credit, and making brutal decisions with 150+ jobs on the line and no safety net.

This isn't a polished success story. It's a masterclass in resilience, crisis leadership, and what really happens when rapid scaling breaks a business. Nick explains why the business didn't need fixing, it just needed to evolve. Why shareholders got it wrong when they tried to shrink the company into profit. And why sometimes you have to throw caution to the wind when everyone's telling you not to do it.

Nick shares how Muscle Food became known for "making dirty foods clean," the mistakes made during hypergrowth, what actually breaks when you scale too fast, and why he's now building the business his way for the long term. He also discusses the role of AI in the future of eCommerce, the importance of team stability after years of upheaval, and why he doesn't read business books anymore.

If you're scaling an eCommerce brand, leading through crisis, or trying to understand what sustainable growth actually looks like, this episode is essential. The shift from reactive firefighting to strategic evolution is here, and the founders who understand the difference will build businesses that last.

Listen to the full episode now, and don't forget to hit subscribe.

Topics Covered:

00:00 Introduction: The 24-hour deadline to save Muscle Food

02:09 Meet Nick Preston and the origin story of his partnership with Muscle Food

04:32 Creating the viral protein pizza: 700,000+ units sold in year one

06:00 Developing 130+ products and the "make dirty foods clean" philosophy

07:16 The truth about being forced out by shareholders in September 2024

09:35 July 2025: The phone call that changed everything

12:15 Less than 24 hours to decide if Muscle Food lives or dies

14:40 Due diligence at speed with no safety net

18:28 The 72-hour scramble to save the business from administration

22:10 Rebuilding supplier trust when credit's been pulled

27:15 Communicating with the team during crisis

32:50 The mistakes made during rapid growth phases

38:42 What actually breaks when you scale too fast

45:20 Leadership under pressure: carrying 150+ jobs on your shoulders

52:10 Making brutal decisions with no time and no safety net

58:30 The vision for Muscle Food: evolution vs fixing

01:00:13 The role of AI in eCommerce and Muscle Food's future

01:02:28 Book recommendation: John Grisham novels for disconnecting from work

01:03:00 Where to find Nick Preston and Muscle Food