Success Stories

Richard Walton moved from London to Costa Rica to take up surfing and run his business remotely from there after a health scare prompted him to rethink his work-life balance. He tells Jonathan Moules how it worked out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Jonathan Moules introduces a second season of his popular FT Start-up Stories podcasts, in which entrepreneurs talk candidly about their successes and failures: real stories from those who've done it, from idea to exit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Engineer Paul Roberts and his co-founders spotted a need in the market that was not being met for a device that could make keyhole surgery more widely available to patients all over the world. He now has a 50-strong team working to bring the devices to market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Phil Davidson is a bit of a health nut, and was frustrated when working long hours as a broker in London that he couldn’t find healthy food in the office vending machines. So after a spot of travelling, he decided to design his own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

In a new FT business education podcast, you can hear Jonathan Moules in conversation with entrepreneurs on the front line, who tell stories of building a successful brand through tweets, giving birth to a child in the middle of a funding round, and rebuilding a business reputation in the wake of bankruptcy. Real stories from those who've done it, from idea to exit. This ten-part series starts on Monday October 26. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Nuno Sebastiao had trouble finding European backers for his untested tech start-up based in Portugal. But he found US investors more willing to take a gamble because they understood the technology behind Feedzai's fraud detection service. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Alberto Lopez tells Jonathan Moules how he developed his idea for Alva, a corporate reputation management service, in the British Library. What's really important, he says, is that you do something you know well: "Knowledge of the domain is key." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

James Watt found the secret of success was building a community of fans for his craft beer. They have provided investment, ideas and even helped find locations for his expanding network of bars.Picture credit: Rosie Hallam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Branding is about more than just a logo, says Adrian Lomas of digital marketing company Blueleaf. It's about defining a clear purpose for your business and making sure everyone - from staff to customers and competitors - know what that is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

John Lynch moved from Connecticut to Krakow in 1991 as a volunteer for a US aid mission designed to train entrepreneurs in the newly liberated Eastern Bloc. After a year, he decided to stay on and start a business himself, becoming an 'ice-breaker' in what was still a harsh climate for start-ups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew started their tree-top adventure business after deciding they wanted to get out of the city. They tell Jonathan Moules about the risks they took, what they would do differently next time, and how it all worked out, with a little bit of luck and a lot of optimism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Alex Cheatle's business had a near-death experience when he lost customers after the dotcom bubble of the late 1990s burst. He tells Jonathan Moules that the experience proved invaluable.Music: Kevin MacLeod - Off to Osaka Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Andrew Mullinger of Funding Circle tells Jonathan Moules why he and his co-founders opted for a rapid rate of growth and the difficulties that entailed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

In the final episode of the series, Jonathan Moules looks at the reasons why founders decide to sell up and hears a cautionary tale from Paul Collins, chief executive of M&A advisor Equiteq Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Alicia Navarro has been dubbed the 'queen of the pivots', a process of developing a business by changing the direction of travel - and living with an expectation of constant change. She tells Jonathan Moules her story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Lopo Champalimaud, wanted to expand his online marketplace for health treatments rapidly across Europe. He chose the unusual route of recruiting other entrepreneurs who provided both local knowledge, an existing customer base - and a new name for the business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Entrepreneur Martin Spiller tells Jonathan Moules that using recruitment professionals doesn't always make sense when you are looking to hire graduates. He found a talented designer for his design start-up by chatting to a barista. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

UK founder Jamie Waller tells Jonathan Moules how an ethical approach helped him get ahead of rivals in the debt collection business Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Ismael Ahmed, an expert in remittances, used funds from a compensation award to finance his start-up WorldRemit. He tells Jonathan Moules that a successful revenue model was key to attracting the second stage funding he needed to go global. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

The Brompton folding bike has grown into a global brand sold in 43 counties. During the recent downturn, it raised its prices by over 65 per cent without putting a dent in sales. Finance director Lorne Vary tells Jonathan Moules why having a bold pricing strategy makes sense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Gary Grant found that his "ethical" approach to business that put people before profits helped his toy shop chain thrive when others were closing down. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Andy Harter funded his technology start-up with an early version of crowd funding. He tells Jonathan Moules how fans of his software provided an excellent source of seed capital and market research Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

The Drum is a magazine and events business for the marketing industry. It was well regarded but not particularly profitable, and Diane Young its chief executive found herself looking for ways to boost her flagging motivation. She tells Jonathan Moules how she turned things around. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

John Stapleton co-founded a successful food business in the UK and then sold the business with the idea of setting up a similar venture in the US. As he tells Jonathan Moules, things didn't quite go to plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article

Daniel Reilly made a mistake that is all too common among tech entrepreneurs. He failed to test the strength of demand for his product before launching it onto the market. But the experience left him with a renewed respect for founders and helped him to discover what he really wanted, he tells Jonathan Moules. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. View the full article