Barry Jolly didn’t grow up dreaming of building a media agency. In fact, by his own admission, he drifted for years, working hard, doing what he was told, and playing it safe in a corporate career. Until one unexpected trip to London lit a fire he couldn’t put out.

What followed was far from smooth. His first venture crumbled overnight when the affiliate marketing company he partnered with was exposed as a fraud, wiping out his income and credibility in one swoop. But instead of walking away, Barry doubled down.

He started again. This time for real.

In this episode, James Fleming sits down with Barry for a real, unfiltered conversation about what it takes to get back up after a hit, the truth about agency life, and how he’s grown Jolly Media into a results-driven, values-led company in one of the most challenging industries out there.

Barry opens up about the imposter syndrome, the unpaid invoices, the client mistakes, and the lonely moments most founders keep quiet. But through it all, one thing’s clear, he’s not here to fake it. He’s here to build something that lasts.

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Key moments:

✔️ The failed affiliate venture that wiped out six figures overnight

✔️ How his uncle’s belief planted the first seed of entrepreneurship

✔️ From hotel rooms to hustle: juggling a startup with a full-time job

✔️ The personal lessons that shaped Jolly Media’s values and approach

✔️ Building trust in a broken marketing industry

✔️ Why most agencies overpromise and how Barry’s team does things differently

✔️ Becoming the go-to in renewables through speed, transparency, and strategy

✔️ The moment it all clicked, rethinking marketing around audience awareness

✔️ Why he’s now building a media group and acquiring agencies

✔️ Letting go of control and learning how to lead

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Follow James Fleming:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/

Success or Excuses Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/success.or.excuses?igsh=dXdvcHVjNDloM2Zj

YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast

Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Barry Jolly:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-jolly-30a114220/

Website → https://jollymediamarketing.com/

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Subscribe to Success or Excuses for more honest, unfiltered conversations with people who’ve taken the punches, stayed in the ring, and kept swinging.

Success doesn’t happen in a straight line. It’s built in the trenches, through hardship, betrayal, health scares, and moments when giving up feels like the only option.

In this powerful episode of the Success or Excuses podcast, James Fleming sits down with Michael Savage, CEO of Channel Group, for a raw, unfiltered conversation about what it really takes to keep rebuilding, again and again.

Michael isn’t here to share a polished comeback story. He’s still in the thick of it. But what makes his journey so compelling is the relentless mindset that keeps him moving forward, even when the odds are stacked against him.

From building a multi-seven-figure finance brokerage from the ground up, to facing a life-threatening brain tumour and dealing with betrayal during recovery, Michael lays it all bare. He opens up about the mental toll of being a leader under pressure, the moments he felt like walking away, and how the right people (and the wrong ones) shaped everything.

This episode is for the ones still in it. The ones navigating doubt, starting over, or rebuilding when everything feels uncertain.

It’s not about polished success, it’s about the grit that makes it possible.

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Key Moments:

✔️Building a finance business without funding and why banks said noBeing diagnosed with a brain tumour in the middle of running a company

✔️Losing trust in key people and the emotional toll of betrayal

✔️Why resilience is non-negotiable if you want to lead

✔️What it really means to start from zero, twice

✔️Loyalty, mindset, and creating a culture where your name means something

✔️The truth about growing a business in Scotland and redefining the game

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Follow James Fleming:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/

Success or Excuses Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/success.or.excuses?igsh=dXdvcHVjNDloM2Zj

YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast

Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Michael Savage:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/channel-finance-group-uk/

Website → https://www.channelfinance.co.uk

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/channelfinancegroup/

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/channelfinance

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Success is earned in the arena, through grit, failure, and choosing to show up when everything’s on the line. This episode is proof of that.

Success rarely looks like you imagined. It’s messy, painful, and sometimes born from the darkest chapters of your life.

In this raw and moving episode of the Success or Excuses podcast, James Fleming sits down with entrepreneur Stuart Geddes to talk about business highs, personal heartbreak, and the moments that force you to rebuild everything from scratch.

Stuart isn’t your typical founder story. He started out shifting second-hand photocopiers out of a shoebox office with nothing but a laptop, a notepad, and a pack of business cards. He grew that into a successful operation before selling it all while navigating the premature birth of his son and the unimaginable loss of another.

Now he runs Advizion, a thriving digital signage business, and leads a powerful campaign in memory of his son Clark which has gone on to change healthcare policy across Scotland.

This is a conversation about survival. About backing yourself when the odds are stacked against you. And about choosing to make something meaningful, even in the aftermath of pain.

It’s not about glossy wins. It’s about real life. Real loss. And real leadership.

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Key Moments:

✔️The hard truths about building a business from nothing

✔️Selling his company while his son fought for his lifeStarting again in a completely new industry with zero experience

✔️Why the copier industry left him disillusioned and what he did next

✔️How Clark’s Campaign is saving lives across the UK

✔️The reality of grief, fatherhood, and building through it

✔️What it really means to succeed on your own terms

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Follow James Fleming:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd/

Success or Excuses Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/success.or.excuses?igsh=dXdvcHVjNDloM2Zj

YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast

Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/

Follow Stuart Geddes:

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-geddes-0a80a922/

Support Clark’s Campaign → https://action-on-pre-eclampsia.org.uk/clarks-campaign/