Business Leader

Profit is not the purpose. That’s Simon Sinek’s view on this week’s episode of How to Make a Billion. He joined Richard Harpin and Graham Ruddick to talk about the common misunderstanding founders make when they treat money as the goal — not the fuel. They discuss: • Why profit is a result, not a purpose • How founders can lose their way when growth becomes the only focus • What it means to build a company that’s going somewhere A clear reminder that scaling means more than making money. Watch the full episode here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eviPJem3

What can business learn from sport? One word: adversity. When Saracens were relegated from English rugby’s top tier in 2019, despite being reigning champions, it was called “the biggest scandal in the history of English professional club rugby” by veteran journalist Alex Spink. They had dominated the 2010s with five Premiership titles and three European Champions Cups. But they were found guilty of breaching salary cap rules that let them field a star-studded team. The fallout was huge. Their rivals, Exeter Chiefs, had lost three finals to them and had every reason to rage. But they didn’t get distracted. They focused on performance, control, and process. What followed was a masterclass in turning frustration into fuel. In the latest episode of The Turnaround by Business Leader, we break down what happened—with coaches, players, and organisational psychologists—revealing lessons in leadership, resilience, and rebuilding that every business can use. 🎧 Episode 4 is out now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or click here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eHnXdv_t ✏️ Josh Dornbrack

Burnout rarely arrives all at once. It builds slowly and often in silence. According to Jan Gerber, founder of Paracelsus Recovery - Swiss Clinic, the earliest warning sign is a change in sleep. From there, it can escalate into anxiety, irritability and poor decision-making. Some CEOs continue working through treatment. Others wait until their health, judgement or leadership begins to suffer. The same traits that make founders successful — focus, control, resilience — often make it harder to recognise or admit when something is wrong. At Business Leader, we understand this. We are not just here to celebrate success. We are here to support the people behind it. Our community exists for ambitious founders who want to grow their businesses without sacrificing themselves in the process. If you are feeling the pressure, you don't have to face it alone: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eC-y_i_c

What defines strong leadership isn’t how present you are every day. It’s how the business performs when you’re not in the room. Steph Hind built Heka into one of the UK’s standout wellbeing platforms by trusting her team to deliver, even in her absence. It’s a masterclass in delegation and resilience. And a reminder that the best leaders build systems that succeed without them. They step back so others can step up.

"Be vulnerable, listen to what exactly your audience wants... don't develop the games you want to play." Our latest guest on the My Business Leader Secret series is Gina Jackson OBE, co-founder of Pitchify. Our senior correspondent Dougal Shaw caught up with her at the Games Finance Market (GFM) event earlier this year. The annual event connects game developers, publishers and other interested parties in the computer games industry. Jackson has a career spanning more than 30 years in the computer gaming industry. She has worked on around 300 titles in development and publishing roles.     In 2023 she drew on her experience to co-found Pitchify, a marketplace built to speed up the funding process for developers and publishers. 📺 Get more than 55+ inspiring and insightful videos from our series here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eim_vUrY

“I don’t know and I need help.” That was the turning point for Simon Sinek — and the starting point for a new kind of leadership. In the latest episode of How to Make a Billion, Simon joins Richard Harpin & Graham Ruddick to talk about what it really takes to scale. They discuss: • The power of copying in business • Why vision without execution fails • Why founders need to ask for help. 📺 Listen to the full episode : https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eviPJem3 🎞️ Lucy McPhee

“The old cliché of you learn more in defeat than victory is true.” That’s how Alex Spink described the 2015/2016 season for Exeter Chiefs. After a dramatic semi-final win over Wasps, Exeter made it to their first Premiership final. But it didn’t go to plan. They arrived late to Twickenham. The crowds outside the ground were overwhelming. And emotionally, the team never quite reset after the highs of the week before. In episode #3 of The Turnaround, we explore that moment in detail. A painful loss. Four major setbacks in fourteen months. And a team asking difficult questions behind closed doors. With insights from Graham Norris and Don Armand, this episode is about more than rugby. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or at the link below: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eHnXdv_t 📽️ Josh Dornbrack

"The old cliché of you learn more in defeat than victory is true..." - Alex Spink 2015/2016 was a painful season for Exeter Chiefs. After an emotional Premiership semi-final match against Wasps, the Devonian side made it through to the big game at Twickenham to face the juggernaut that is Saracens. They were late arriving at the ground, overwhelmed by the crowds outside the stadium and never got their emotional reset right from the dizzying height of their semi-final victory. In episode three of The Turnaround, we go inside the mindset of the coaches and players. Organisational psychologists Graham Norris and Don Armand provide valuable lessons that anyone could apply to their business. Listen to it now wherever you get your podcasts or by clicking this link: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eHnXdv_t

We speak to hundreds of founders, CEOs and investors each year. So when they recommend a book, we pay attention. These aren’t just business books. They’re real-world guides for building modern companies. Here are five stand-out reads recommended by Business Leader: 📘 The Female Founder Formula by Helen McGuire ↳ A practical roadmap for female entrepreneurs — covering everything from early-stage funding to building confidence as a salesperson. Recommended by Dougal Shaw 📕 Is This Working? by Charlie Colenutt ↳ A modern portrait of work in Britain — told through 68 real conversations, from midwives to food delivery drivers. Recommended by Sarah Vizard 📗 The World is Your Office by Prithwiraj Choudhury ↳ A research-backed blueprint for the future of work — showing how 'work from anywhere' can benefit talent, companies, and communities. Recommended by Josh Dornbrack 📙 The Geek Way by Andrew McAfee ↳ A deep dive into how companies like Netflix and Amazon win by prioritising speed, science, ownership and openness. Recommended by Graham Ruddick 📘 How to Make a Billion in 9 Steps by Richard Harpin ↳ 30 years of hard-won lessons from building HomeServe into a £4.1bn business. Recommended by Shaun Prime, CEO of Business Leader We’ll continue to share more trusted picks from the Business Leader community in the months ahead. Which one would you read first?

What defines a great business isn’t how few mistakes it makes... It’s how it responds when things go wrong. Aron Gelbard built Bloom & Wild into one of the UK’s standout digital brands by going the extra mile for customers especially when things didn’t go to plan. It’s a masterclass in customer loyalty— And a reminder that the best businesses learn fast, fix fast, and never stop improving.