Podcast · 35 episodes
What It Takes with Olly Fawcett
by Olly Fawcett · English
What does it take to build something? What does building something take from you? In this podcast, we speak with the founders and owners of some of the most incredible brands and businesses to find out the truth about what it takes to build a brand from the ground up, and as founders what going through that process teaches you. Olly Fawcett is the founder of 303, a creative performance marketing agency working with premium brands. Over the last 10 years, he has spent time inside some amazing brands as they have grown and now is sharing those insights through What It Takes.
Latest episodes
How To Build A Business That Beats Giants Like Airbnb | Co-Founder of Kindred, Justine PalefskyJustine Palefsky (Kindred co-founder) discusses how to build a business that can outcompete “giants” like Airbnb by embracing hard problems, tolerating chaos, building community, and creating…29 Sep 2026 · 1 h 39 min
CLIP: One Google Ranking Saved My ENTIRE Business | George SullivanGeorge Sullivan explains how Sole Supplier scaled from near-zero revenue to a major sneaker/streetwear media business by winning Google rankings and building taste-led content, then turning that…23 Sep 2026 · 5 min
Turning A Hobby Into A £350M Brand | George Sullivan, The Sole SupplierGeorge Sullivan explains how he turned a sneaker/trainer hobby into The Sole Supplier, a content-led brand reaching millions, scaling to roughly £350M value, and building a culture based on trust,…22 Sep 2026 · 1 h 27 min
All episodes
How To Build A Business That Beats Giants Like Airbnb | Co-Founder of Kindred, Justine PalefskyJustine Palefsky (Kindred co-founder) discusses how to build a business that can outcompete “giants” like Airbnb by embracing hard problems, tolerating chaos, building community, and creating…29 Sep 2026 · 1 h 39 min · 41 chapters
CLIP: One Google Ranking Saved My ENTIRE Business | George SullivanGeorge Sullivan explains how Sole Supplier scaled from near-zero revenue to a major sneaker/streetwear media business by winning Google rankings and building taste-led content, then turning that…23 Sep 2026 · 5 min · 5 chapters
Turning A Hobby Into A £350M Brand | George Sullivan, The Sole SupplierGeorge Sullivan explains how he turned a sneaker/trainer hobby into The Sole Supplier, a content-led brand reaching millions, scaling to roughly £350M value, and building a culture based on trust,…22 Sep 2026 · 1 h 27 min · 34 chapters
CLIP: The Worst Gig of My Career with Eshaan AkbarEshaan Akbar discusses the “worst gig” of his early comedy career, how comedians should stay professional with any audience, and why failures often come from audience readiness rather than the…16 Sep 2026 · 8 min · 6 chapters
CLIP: They Flooded My Entire Restaurant, Took Me 8 Months to Rebuild! Jun TanakaJun Tanaka describes a July 2022 restaurant fire at 22 Charlotte Street, how it started, the firefighting response, and the rebuilding timeline (8 months).9 Sep 2026 · 4 min · 1 chapter
Kicked Out Of College, Michelin Restaurant Fire, Stage 3 Cancer | The Life of Jun TanakaJun Tanaka recounts his path into elite fine dining, starting after being kicked out of college, then working through Michelin kitchens (Le Gavroche, The Square, and Marco Pierre White’s group),…7 Sep 2026 · 1 h 49 min · 41 chapters
CLIP: The Fashion Designer Who Built a Clothing Brand That Makes No Clothes!How Stuart Trevor (the fashion label) tackles textile waste by upcycling existing garments instead of producing new clothing, and why regulation and consumer education are needed to change the…2 Sep 2026 · 6 min · 7 chapters
CLIP: He Made DOAC's Trailers, Here's What He Learned About Going ViralHow DOAC trailer director(s) handle virality, threats, and ethics while using storytelling craft to entice listeners without misrepresenting episodes.19 Aug 2026 · 12 min · 5 chapters
The Formula Behind Diary Of A CEO's Trailers | Director of Trailers, Anthony SmithAnthony Smith, former Director of Trailers at Diary of a CEO, discusses how trailer-making works as a craft, how he built an industry career through necessity, and how he handled intense pressure and…17 Aug 2026 · 1 h 58 min · 33 chapters
CLIP: "I Was Sober, Healthy And Meditating Every Day, I Still Got Sick!" | Founder, Hector HughesHector Hughes describes getting sick after quitting alcohol and later recovering from mold poisoning, arguing that “optimized” living and suppressed emotions/trauma can increase vulnerability.12 Aug 2026 · 5 min · 4 chapters
A Decade Of Addiction, A Silent Retreat And Starting Over | With Hector HughesHector Hughes recounts a decade of addiction and burnout, recovery from mold poisoning, and how those experiences shaped his offline “silent retreat” business, Unplugged.4 Aug 2026 · 1 h 27 min · 36 chapters
A marmite advert made him richer than selling his company with Founder of Yo! SushiFounder of Yo! Sushi discusses scaling fast, selling early, and how a royalty deal (seeded by a Marmite advert) created long-term wealth and security. Guest backgrounds: Yo!29 Jul 2026 · 5 min · 4 chapters
CLIP: Want to go viral? Hundreds of artists are now copying his idea... | Billy LockettBilly Lockett explains how he used transparent weekly Instagram/TikTok “live” updates of real ticket sales to combat failing grassroots gig ticketing, reduce fan anxiety, and ultimately drive a…23 Jul 2026 · 11 min · 6 chapters
From prison to Dragon's Den: the man who built Yo Sushi | Simon WoodroffeSimon Woodroffe recounts his path from being a drug dealer and time in prison to building Yo!22 Jul 2026 · 1 h 13 min · 28 chapters
His manager called it career suicide, it got 6 million views | Billy LockettBilly Lockett’s rise from a lonely, self-taught piano kid to a chart-seeking solo artist; the adrenaline rush of winning a school talent contest; how touring success and major-label control shaped…13 Jul 2026 · 1 h 32 min · 32 chapters
CLIP: An ex-investor reveals why your cold DMs get ignored | Elevate, £1m Smoothie FirmHow to get investors to respond to cold DMs and raise funding for a new, non-trading brick-and-mortar wellness concept; then how to secure a London location after raising.8 Jul 2026 · 8 min · 5 chapters
From Burnout to Building Elevate | Julia Baldet's Founder StoryJulia Baldet’s journey from ambitious student in France to investment banking/private equity burnout, then to launching Elevate, a brick-and-mortar wellness-focused drink business in London.30 Jun 2026 · 1 h 16 min · 34 chapters
CLIP: Live music isn't dead, the talent is | Molto Music GroupMolto Music Group founders argue live music isn’t dead; it’s being neglected in high-end London hotels while thriving in grassroots venues.22 Jun 2026 · 5 min · 3 chapters
What Nobody Tells You About Building a Business in Entertainment | Rosie SkuseBuilding Malto, a music/entertainment agency for luxury hospitality, and what it takes to survive early-stage chaos, give useful creative feedback, and win major hotel/brand clients—especially during…17 Jun 2026 · 1 h 8 min · 24 chapters
CLIP: The Reason Most People Give Up Right Before It Gets Good, with Chef Paul AinsworthChef Paul Ainsworth discusses why hospitality professionals “give up right before it gets good,” arguing the industry’s brutal hours in the 90s/2000s were “almost broken,” while newer generations…17 Jun 2026 · 5 min · 4 chapters
CLIP: She Pitched 100 Investors, Here's What Happened | Founder of JUDEFounder of JUDE recounts pitching an incontinence health/wellness startup to ~100 investors, why most said no, and how she stayed motivated during fundraising.7 Jun 2026 · 5 min · 4 chapters
How She Built a £16M Business in a Category Nobody Wanted to Talk About | Founder of JUDEPeony (founder of JUDE) explains how she built a £16M women’s health business focused on bladder and pelvic-floor issues, a taboo category she says investors avoided.2 Jun 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 29 chapters
CLIP: Why The Williams F1 Team Had To Be Sold.Why the Williams F1 team had to be sold, focusing on financial pressure from unequal spending, sponsor failures, and COVID-19’s impact on revenue, culminating in a forced sale during 2020.29 May 2026 · 14 min · 6 chapters
CLIP: What Gordon Ramsay Is Really Like Behind Closed Doors with Paul AinsworthPaul Ainsworth recalls his first day at Gordon Ramsay’s Raw Hospital Road (Restaurant Gordon Ramsay), describing the intense pressure of high-star dining and Ramsay’s behind-closed-doors mentorship…24 May 2026 · 8 min · 4 chapters