The Growth Diary

Épisodes

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  The Blueprint Nobody Teaches: How One Woman Built a Premium Construction Empire on Reputation Alone 14.07.2026 43min

  Claudia Hearne studied English linguistics, worked in PR, and had no plans whatsoever to go into construction. Then a family tragedy changed everything. She went to work for her parents, spent five years learning the business from the ground up, and in 2018 walked away to start something entirely her own.Hearne House now delivers high-end residential renovations across London, from Grade II listed apartments in Bayswater to full house renovations in Islington and Clapham. No advertising. No lead generation. No cold outreach. Just word of mouth, exceptional work and a reputation that does all the talking.In this episode, Claudia shares:Why a family tragedy became the unexpected catalyst for a career she never plannedHow she and her husband Nick built Hearne House from a kitchen table with two laptops and two phonesWhy fewer projects and a smaller geography has meant a bigger and better businessWhat it is actually like being a woman in one of the most male dominated industries on earthHow she uses renders, CAD and AI to bring design to life before a single wall goes upWhy she ended up on Good Morning Britain debating banter and how a TV career followed from nowhereThis is a conversation about backing yourself when there is no safety net, building something premium through integrity rather than marketing spend, and why being fifth generation in a trade gives you a perspective that simply cannot be taught.If you work in construction, design or property, or are building a service business purely on trust and reputation, this one is for you.Connect with Claudia Hearne:🌐 www.hearnehouse.co.uk🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiahearne/About The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, Keith Atkinson has spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  60 Years Inside Construction and rewrote the rulebook - with Richard Saxon 25.06.2026 15min

  Richard Saxon CBE spent nearly 40 years at BDP, one of the world's leading interdisciplinary design practices, eventually becoming its chairman. Then he spent the next two decades trying to drag an entire industry into the digital age, whether it wanted to come or not.He was the UK Government's BIM Ambassador for Growth, helped mandate building information modelling across public sector construction, persuaded the EU to follow the UK's lead, chaired the Joint Contracts Tribunal, and has written multiple books that have shaped how the built environment thinks about information, data and the future of construction. He now consults through Deploi.In this episode, Richard shares:What it took to persuade government to mandate digital working across public sector constructionWhy Grenfell became an unexpected accelerant for information management across the entire industryThe real cost of construction errors, why 20% of all project spend goes on fixing mistakes, and how AI is beginning to close that gapWhy building owners remain the biggest bottleneck and nobody has ever simply asked them what they actually needWhere AI genuinely transforms construction and where the hype is running well ahead of realityWhat the built environment looks like in ten years if the industry rises to the challenge, and what it looks like if it carries on as beforeThis is a conversation with someone who has 60 years of pattern recognition on one of the most important industries in the world, an industry so large it is effectively invisible.If you work in construction, architecture, property or technology, or are simply curious about why the built environment still operates the way it does, this one is essential listening.🔗 Connect with Richard Saxon:🌐 www.saxoncbe.com🌐 www.deploi.co.uk🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-saxon-433a694About The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  Made Redundant With Two Kids at Home — So He Built a Thriving Estate Agency From Scratch 10.06.2026 21min

  It was 2010. The worst recession since the Second World War. Tom Williams had just been made redundant, had two young children at home and had just spent six figures on a house extension. He had no backing, no investment and no safety net.So he built an office in his back garden, leaflet dropped 8,000 homes, and started Find A Home Online before most people had even heard of the online agency model. Four years before Purple Bricks existed.Sixteen years later he is still going strong, still doing it his own way, and still saving home sellers thousands of pounds in the process.In this episode, Tom shares:Why being made redundant in the depths of a recession was the push he needed to go out aloneHow he spotted the online agency model before it became mainstream and built on it before the big players arrivedWhy he still believes upfront pricing works and what the national online agents got wrongWhat the Renters Rights Act is actually doing to landlords, tenants and agents on the groundHow he is using AI in the business and why he is careful about where it stops and human judgement beginsWhere he wants to take the business next and why the franchise model is firmly on his radarThis is a conversation about backing yourself when everything is stacked against you, building something that lasts in one of the most disrupted industries in the country, and knowing when it is time to go again.If you are in property, thinking about buying or selling, or just want to hear from someone who has been doing it honestly for 16 years, this one is for you.Connect with Tom Williams: 🌐 www.findahomeonline.co.uk 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/findahome-online-estate-letting-agentsAbout The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  The Hospitality Industry Is in a Perfect Storm — And Most Venues Still Don't Know It 09.06.2026 46min

  Barry Clark has spent nearly 40 years in hospitality. He has walked into distressed properties, turned them around, rebuilt sales cultures from scratch, and watched the industry stumble through crisis after crisis. He has seen what kills a venue from the inside and he is not shy about saying it out loud.Today he runs Events Plus, an outsourced corporate sales service connecting hotels, conference centres and sports stadiums with the agency buyers and corporate bookers they simply cannot access on their own. He also runs a consultancy helping venues build the sales culture they should have had all along.In this episode, Barry shares:What a distressed property actually looks, feels and smells like the moment you walk through the doorWhy the belief that if you build it they will come is quietly destroying venues across the UKThe dangerous gap between working in a business and working on it, and why most owners never bridge itWhy hospitality is in the toughest trading environment he has ever seen, worse than 2008The real cost of employing someone in 2026 and what it is doing to the mid-marketWhere AI genuinely belongs in the sales process and exactly where human beings still have to take overThis is a conversation about uncomfortable truths, the state of an industry that is trying to pretend nothing has changed, and what it actually takes to build a sales culture that survives the pressure.If you work in hospitality, events or venues, or are running a service business in one of the toughest markets in a generation, this one is essential listening.Connect with Barry Clark: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/barryclarkmih 🔗 Events Plus: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eventsplusvenuesalesAbout The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  He Saw How the Property Industry Really Works — Then Built Something at the Complete Opposite End 08.06.2026 20min

  Lucas James spent years on the inside of the off-plan property sector. He saw how advice was shaped, not by what was best for the investor, but by what could be packaged, financed and sold at volume. He saw incentive structures quietly guiding recommendations. And he saw portfolios that looked fine on paper but were structurally stalling their owners year after year.So he walked away and built something different.Lucas now helps investors design portfolios that function as capital engines, not just collections of properties, where every asset has a job, capital moves with purpose, and the next move is always built into the structure of the last one.In this episode, Lucas shares:Why the advice gap in property investment is structural, not personalWhat the quiet stall is, why so many portfolios suffer from it, and why nobody notices until it's too lateWhy yield is not a strategy and what questions investors should actually be askingHow expected value thinking changes every property decision before a single asset is selectedWhy most investors inherit their buying criteria from the wrong placesWhat capital architecture actually means and why it is fundamentally different to just owning propertiesThis is a conversation about thinking clearly before you buy, understanding the system behind the opportunity, and building a portfolio that creates its own momentum rather than quietly consuming it.If you invest in property, are thinking about starting, or are wondering why your portfolio feels stuck despite doing everything right, this one is essential listening.Connect with Lucas James: 🌐 www.lucasjames.co.uk 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/lucas-james-property-advisorsAbout The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  He Taught AI at University, Then Built a Property Empire From Scratch 04.06.2026 18min

  Nasser Abouzakhar spent years in academia teaching AI and cybersecurity, writing research papers, supervising students and publishing books. It was intellectually rewarding. It just wasn't enough.So he started buying properties on the side. Then more. Then moved his entire family from Watford to Manchester to be closer to the business. He went on to win AI Champion of the Year and appeared on TV show; Homes Under the Hammer. Then completed a government-funded AI project with Salford University to help property developers convert commercial buildings into residential units using generative AI.Today he runs Anzar Property Group, a deliberately focused Manchester-only, families-only buy to let portfolio, built on a simple but disciplined model of buying, renovating, tenanting and refinancing.In this episode, Nasser shares:Why a stable academic career was not enough and what made him go all in on propertyThe buy to let model he has refined over nearly two decades and why he has never strayed from itWhat Homes Under the Hammer did for his profile and what it accidentally did to auction room competitionHow his AI background is now being applied directly to property development and conversionWhy he believes family business models have a unique advantage and a unique tensionWhat the next chapter looks like as commercial to residential conversion moves centre stageThis is a conversation about intellectual curiosity meeting entrepreneurial ambition, and what happens when someone who genuinely understands AI decides to build a property business around it.If you are in property, interested in where AI is actually going in the real estate world, or building a business around deep specialist knowledge, this one is for you.🔗 Connect with Nasser Abouzakhar: 🌐 www.anzar.co.uk 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasser-abouzakhar-64878a60About The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  She Took Her Redundancy Cheque, Ran and Built One of the UK's Most Loved Travel Businesses 04.06.2026 17min

  When Wendy Haines was handed her redundancy after 20 years in a job, she didn't hesitate; She took the cheque, ran, and built something entirely her own.What followed was over a decade of grinding, networking, working behind a pub bar just to meet locals, and slowly building a client base that now books holidays two and three years in advance. Today Wendy runs an award-winning independent travel agency, holds the title of top agent for Riviera Travel across the UK and Ireland, and has created one of the most talked about solo travel communities for women in the country, Wendy's Wanderers, with over 1,200 members and trips running back to back across the globe.In this episode, Wendy shares:Why she took redundancy and never looked back after two decades on the high streetHow she chose which village to move to specifically because of how it would grow her businessThe origin of Wendy's Wanderers and why it accidentally became a national movementWhat the current travel market really looks like and how she is holding her own while others are down 20%Why her clients book years in advance and what that says about the value of trustWhere she sees AI fitting into the business and what she still needs to figure outThis is a conversation about backing yourself when the paycheque disappears, building a business on reputation rather than budget, and why the travel agent is far from dead.If you are building a service business on loyalty and word of mouth, or simply love the idea of adventure without the hassle, this one is for you.🔗 Connect with Wendy Haines: 🌐 www.wendyhainestravel.co.uk 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/plantwendyAbout The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  He Picked Up a Toolbox and Built One of London's Most Impressive Property Businesses 02.06.2026 16min

  Ravi Jheeta didn't finish his law degree. He picked up a toolbox instead.Twenty years later, starting from nothing and coming from humble beginnings, he has built Kaya Landmarks into a full turnkey London property development business, controlling everything from land acquisition through to construction, delivery and now development finance through his own lending arm. It is one of the rarer models in the industry, and it was built entirely from the ground up.In this episode, Ravi shares:Why he walked away from law and went all in on property from scratchHow controlling the full life cycle of a development de-risks everythingWhat it means to be a lender who has actually been on the tools and run the sitesWhy he stripped his team back post-COVID and became more productive with lessHis vision for floating the business and building a serious loan bookThe one thing he believes most people in property consistently get wrongThis is a conversation about backing yourself when you have nothing, building a business around people rather than process, and why focusing on execution rather than rewards is the only way to build something that lasts.If you are in property, construction, or development finance, or simply building something from the ground up with no safety net, this one is for you.🔗 Connect with Ravi Jheeta: 🌐 www.kayalandmarks.co.ukAbout The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  30 Years Selling Vending Machines — Then He Quit and Started Again From Scratch 28.05.2026 39min

  Jason Boull spent three decades in a family business. He was first in the office, last out, working evenings, weekends, constantly. When he finally found a gap in the diary to book a family holiday, the travel agent never called him back. He never rebooked. He never went.That one missed phone call stayed with him. Years later, when he finally walked away from the family business, it became the seed of everything that followed.Today Jason runs Boullies Travel, a bespoke concierge travel service specialising in the kind of experiences most booking platforms couldn't design if they tried. Lapland, Disney, Caribbean, Japan, multi-generational family adventures and everything in between, all handled from first conversation to welcome home call.In this episode, Jason shares:Why he walked away from 30 years in one industry and started completely overThe moment a missed phone call quietly shaped an entire business philosophyWhat the online booking industry has stripped out of travel and why it mattersWhy AI will never replace a human who actually understands what you want from a holidayHow January became his biggest ever sales month and what happened nextHis vision for a high street presence and what that means for the people he servesThis is a conversation about starting over with purpose, building a business around the service you always wished existed, and why in travel, the human touch is not a nice to have, it is everything.If you are planning a trip and want it to actually mean something, or you are building a service business on genuine care and expertise, this one is for you.🔗 Connect with Jason Boull: 🌐 www.boulliestravel.com 📞 UK: 029 2166 1507 🎙️ The Jason Boull Travel Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jason-boull-travel-podcast/id1820713572 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7jjfy069tjkGww-KpWVw-fx7nzmvPh72 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-boulliestravel 📘 https://www.facebook.com/BoulliesTravelAbout The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  She Went on a Gap Year, Got on a Sailing Yacht, and Never Came Back - Lucy Jackson 13.05.2026 15min

  Lucy Jackson went on a gap year after graduating from Imperial College with a first class degree. She got on a racing yacht. That was 2009. What followed was 100,000 miles at sea, a life built entirely on the water, and eventually the world's leading racing yacht charter company.LV Yachting matches private yacht owners with individuals and teams who want to race at the world's most prestigious regattas, from Cowes Week and Antigua Sailing Week and the Caribbean circuit, without the logistical headache. It's a niche nobody else has properly cracked, and Lucy built it by simply being the most experienced person in the room.In this episode, Lucy shares:Why a gap year sailing trip became a 16 year career and a global businessThe freedom of being completely disconnected at sea and why so few of us ever find itHow she spotted a gap in the racing charter market that nobody else wanted to touchWhy AI generated content is an immediate turn off in a high trust lifestyle industryThe crew berth model that lets solo sailors race world class regattas and meet lifelong friendsWhere LV Yachting is heading next, from luxury cruising charter to brokerageThis is a conversation about following something you love so completely that it quietly becomes a business, and about building something genuinely world class by staying true to the experience that made you.If you love the water, dream of racing offshore, or are building a lifestyle business on expertise and reputation, this one is for you.🔗 Connect with Lucy Jackson:🌐 www.lvyachting.com📧 [email protected]📞 +44 (0) 20 3920 6261🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-jackson-bb24a920
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  Don't Be Fooled By the Numbers — What You Can't See Will Hurt You - with Lee Driscoll at Rougemont 17.05.2026 26min

  Lee Driscoll didn't take the conventional route. He studied surveying, spent a decade trading futures in London and corporate bonds in Milan, then came back to the UK in his thirties with a very deliberate plan, and eventually co-founded a practice that punches well above its weight.Rougemont Property Consultants is an intentionally lean, director-led firm advising some of the biggest names in commercial property, Royal London Asset Management, Derwent London, and high-profile private estates, without the red tape, the hierarchy, or the armies of inexperienced juniors that come with the big firms.In this episode, Lee shares:Why he walked away from the city and came back to construction with a completely different mindsetThe real reason experienced professionals should never be stuck in boardroomsWhy gut feel and honest advice matters more than data when serious money is on the lineHow the RICS global AI standard is already reshaping the property industryWhy being small is actually a competitive advantage when it comes to innovation and agilityThe construction trades he believes are genuinely AI-proof, and why young people should be paying attentionThis is a conversation about doing less, doing it better, and having the confidence to tell a client what they don't want to hear.If you work in property, construction, or are building a lean professional services firm on reputation and expertise, this one is for you.Connect with Lee Driscoll:🌐 www.rouge-mont.com📧 [email protected]🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-driscoll-77896a20About The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing.Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  The Dirty Secret Nobody in Property Will Say Out Loud — Until Now - with Patsy Irwin-Brown 05.05.2026 15min

  Every buyer thinks their estate agent is on their side. They're not.Patsy Irwin-Brown spent 15 years on the inside of London's property industry, overseeing thousands of transactions, and watched buyers get left out in the cold time and time again. The agent is contracted by the seller. The solicitors are overwhelmed. Nobody is in your corner. And nobody was willing to say it out loud until Patsy decided to do something about it.In 2022 she founded MyPIPS, a buyer representation service that works exclusively for the person buying the property, handling everything from offer negotiation to chain management to solicitor chasing, so buyers can focus on finding the home they love and leaving the rest to someone who genuinely has their back.In this episode, Patsy shares:The conflict of interest baked into every property transaction that nobody talks aboutWhy buyers are the only party in the process with no professional in their cornerHow she negotiates thousands off purchase prices and takes a percentage of what she savesThe growing Hong Kong relocator community that found her through word of mouth aloneWhy social media has failed her and referrals have been her entire growth engineHer vision for a national network of buyer consultants and what needs to happen to get thereThis is a conversation about a broken system, a bold fix, and one woman determined to level the playing field for every buyer in the UK.If you are buying a property, have ever bought a property, or just want to understand why the process feels so stacked against you, this one is essential listening.Connect with Patsy Irwin-Brown:🌐 www.mypips.co.uk🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/patsy-irwin-brown-13a850255Tel: 0203 916 5916E-Mail: [email protected] The Growth DiaryAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  The Woman the Ultra-Wealthy Call When No One Else Can Be Trusted 23.04.2026 29min

  Sonia Felfli spotted the same problem everywhere she looked: people were being treated like a booking number.That frustration became the foundation for Savoir Vivre Lifestyle, a boutique luxury villa rental, private events, and lifestyle management company operating across Mykonos and Ibiza. Her clientele are ultra-high-net-worth individuals who expect total discretion, bespoke service, and someone who genuinely cares. Sonia built the business to deliver exactly that.In this episode, Sonia shares:Why being treated as a number in luxury hospitality inspired her to build something completely differentHow she earns the trust of ultra-high-net-worth clients before they even arriveThe real meaning of privacy, discretion, and personal service at the highest levelWhy human connection is her greatest competitive advantageThe challenges of managing high expectations, complex logistics, and demanding seasonsWhat she believes the luxury hospitality industry is still getting wrongThis is a conversation about building a business where the product is trust, the standard is perfection, and the person behind it all does it because she genuinely loves it.If you work in hospitality, luxury services, or simply want to understand what world-class client experience really looks like, this one is for you.🔗 Connect with Sonia Felfli:🌐 www.savoirvivrelifestyle.comThe Growth Diary - Host: Keith AtkinsonAfter a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, I've spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing. Through The Growth Diary, I'm on a mission to spotlight the real stories behind successful business growth, what works, what doesn't, and how leaders stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  How Jack Dawson Turned a Trowel Into the UK's Biggest Bricklaying Event 16.04.2026 18min

  Jack Dawson didn't come from a boardroom. He came from a building site.Starting work alongside his dad at age four, competing as a natural bodybuilder, and eventually landing in a teaching role at the same FE college where he trained, Jack's path has always been shaped by craft, discipline, and a deep love for the trade. Then in 2022, an idea sparked that would change the construction industry's relationship with competition, community, and pride.SuperTrowel is now the UK's largest bricklaying competition, drawing hundreds of spectators, dozens of exhibitors, and competitors from across the country to watch skilled tradespeople go head-to-head in a one-hour bricklaying race. The 2026 series spans seven regional heats, from Northern Ireland to Cornwall, before culminating at Hertfordshire Showground on 31st July.In this episode, Jack shares:How a post-lockdown conversation between three mates became a national eventWhy the construction industry desperately needs something to celebrate its peopleThe organic growth story behind SuperTrowel, from 500 attendees to a full national seriesWhat it really takes to run a major event with a team of threeHis vision for turning construction into a career aspiration, not a plan BWhere SuperTrowel goes next, and why more trades are on the horizonThis is a conversation about passion, purpose, and proving that the most underrated industries can produce the most electric events.If you work in construction, care about the trades, or just love watching people who are the best at what they do compete, this one is for you.Guest: Jack DawsonCompany: SuperTrowelWebsite: https://www.supertrowel.co.ukLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-dawson-62a744153
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  How Matt Hughes Helps Hotel Owners Make Better Decisions 15.04.2026 22min

  How Matt Hughes Helps Hotel Owners Make Better DecisionsIn this episode, Keith is joined by Matt Hughes, CEO and Founder of Accommodate Consulting. After more than 20 years at Marriott International, most recently as Vice President of Owner Strategy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Matt stepped away from one of the world's biggest hospitality brands to build something entirely his own.They get into the real reasons major hotel decisions go wrong, why owners don't need more data, they need better decisions, and how Matt's registered framework, The C.L.A.R.I.T.Y. System®, brings structure and alignment to the full lifecycle of a hotel asset.The conversation also covers Matt's refreshingly grounded take on AI, why most people start with the tool instead of the problem, what the European hotel market opportunity really looks like, and how he's built a founder-led consultancy where inbound work finds him rather than the other way around.A genuinely insightful episode for anyone in hospitality, property investment, or building a business on the back of deep industry expertise.🔗 Connect with Matt Hughes:🌐 www.accommodateconsulting.com📧 [email protected] The Growth DiaryHosted by Keith Atkinson, The Growth Diary is a podcast exploring the real stories behind successful business growth. After a career as a professional windsurfer on the World Tour, Keith has spent over a decade building and scaling businesses across property, technology, and marketing.Each episode features candid conversations with founders and business leaders on what works, what doesn't, and how to stay sharp while building something remarkable.🎙️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheGrowthDiaryPodcast🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4xRw4dfe3u1LYqja07KgTg?si=b32ae294d09c4b1c🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1865496376
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  People Over Property: How Charley Hall Is Rebuilding What a Letting Agent Should Be 13.04.2026 20min

  Charley Hall didn't set out to run a property agency. She set out to fix one.After years in corporate customer service, working with clients like Shell and Co-op, and then experiencing first-hand what poor agency management actually costs a landlord, she and her husband decided to build something better. Mocha Property Management launched in Liverpool three years ago with a simple but non-negotiable standard: treat landlords like partners, not portfolios.In this episode, Charley shares:The Section 21 disaster that became the catalyst for starting MochaWhy proactive communication is the foundation of everything they doHow she's navigating the Renters' Rights Bill and what it really means for landlords and agentsThe Amazon hiring principle she uses to build a high-performing teamWhy she'll never let AI replace the human touch, and where she thinks it actually belongsThe one thing she'd fix with a magic wand if she couldThis is a conversation about building a business that genuinely gives a damn, and why that's harder and rarer than it sounds.If you manage property, own property, or are building a service business on reputation, this one is for you.Guest: Charley HallCompany: Mocha Property ManagementWebsite: https://mochaproperty.co.ukEmail: [email protected]
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  How Hospitality Tech Is Broken And How We're Fixing It - With Luke Ireland 09.04.2026 14min

  Luke Ireland is the co-founder and CEO of Creventa, the event management platform quietly powering some of the biggest names in UK hospitality, including every major hotel chain running events in the country, over a dozen Premier League football clubs, and cricket venues. In this episode, Luke breaks down how he and co-founder Andrew built Creventa from a scrappy pandemic QR code project into an end-to-end platform saving venues approximately six hours of admin per event. We talk about why hospitality software has such a bad reputation, how Creventa is winning deals through emotional demos rather than features lists, and the very real challenge of cracking the US market without losing the close-knit culture that makes the business tick.If you want a masterclass in niche B2B SaaS growth, selling into a notoriously hard-to-reach industry, and building something people quietly rely on at scale, this one is for you.----Visit the website: https://creventa.com/
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  Ultra Luxury: Gregory Patrick's DreamMaker Blueprint for Serving the World's Most Exclusive Clients 28.03.2026 13min

  Gregory Patrick didn't build a travel company. He built a dream factory.For nearly four decades, Gregory has been crafting once-in-a-lifetime experiences for the world's most accomplished people, from private castle buyouts in Scotland to 48-seat private airliners flying groups to destinations most people can't even find on a map.It started with a newspaper article about a struggling Texas rancher and a bold idea: flip the model, send wealthy Americans to play royalty in Great Britain. What followed was a career spanning 80-plus countries, a client list that doesn't do Google, and a brand built entirely on reputation, creativity, and relentless over-delivery.In this episode, Gregory shares:Why he cold-knocked on Scottish castle doors and walked away with a business modelWhat nearly 40 years of serving ultra-high-net-worth clients has taught him about trust and executionHow he's raising $463 million to build a resort that eliminates every friction point in hospitalityWhy AI will make the butler smarter but must never replace the human touchThe ShareAJet, ShareAYacht, ShareAVilla model and how he's scaling DreamMaker without losing what makes it specialThe legacy he's building, and why he works 75 hours a week by choiceThis is a conversation about creativity, craftsmanship, and what it really means to build something that can't be replicated.If you're building a business that lives or dies on reputation, this one is for you.Guest: Gregory PatrickCompany: DreamMakerWebsite: https://houseofdreammaker.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorylpatrick/
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  Built in Crisis: How Raja Naveed Turned Lockdown Into a Multi-Million Pound Construction Firm 13.02.2026 25min

  During lockdown, Raja Naveed resigned from a stable nine-year career in financial services and launched a construction business from his kitchen table.With no revenue for nine months, a newborn on the way, and the Green Homes Grant scheme collapsing mid-delivery, EEH Solutions was built under extreme pressure. What followed was rapid growth, regulatory chaos, scaling mistakes, hospitalisation with COVID, and hard lessons about systems, leadership, and trust.In this episode, Raja shares how he:• Secured £3.5m in orders within weeks of launching• Survived sudden government policy changes• Built tech systems inspired by Amazon and Uber• Scaled through compliance, automation and quality control• Positioned EEH for 2026 amid major industry reformThis is a conversation about resilience, regulation, culture shift in construction, and why systems matter more than speed.If you’re building in uncertain conditions, this one is for you.--Guest DetailsGuest: Raja NaveedCompany: EEH SolutionsWebsite: https://www.eeh-s.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raja-naveed-820a64ab/
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  The Psychology Behind Home Staging, And Why It Works - with Natasha Collier 22.01.2026 26min

  Natasha Collier started Dressing Rooms Home Staging straight out of university, originally as a practical move alongside property investing. What began as a “makes sense” idea turned into a business she genuinely loves, and a service that’s quietly changing how properties sell across the North of the UK.In this conversation, Natasha breaks down what home staging really does beyond cushions and artwork. We talk about the psychology of first impressions, why furnished rooms often feel bigger than empty ones, and how staging creates demand that can drive price and speed, especially for awkward layouts and tired ex-rentals.We also get into virtual staging, what AI is getting right, what it’s still getting wrong, and why a human designer still matters if you care about realism, scale, and the buyer’s eye. Natasha shares the real challenge of scaling a reputation built on perfection, and what she’s doing now to step back without lowering the standard.If you’ve ever wondered why some listings fly and others sit, this is the behind the scenes.Guest: Natasha CollierCompany: Dressing Rooms Home StagingCall: +44(0)1535 509033 Email: [email protected]: www.dressingroomshomestaging.co.uk