Sam Oliver started his entrepreneurial journey when he was just 22, founding Eydin Property, a property investment company. He then pivoted to tech, creating LeadPro, a successful property marketing software that he took from zero to a multi-million pound cash exit. Now, Sam is diving into the world of AI with his new startup, OpenFi, which is revolutionizing sales processes using conversational AI.

We talk about:

- Starting a property investment business at a young age

- Key lessons from his first failed startup

- How Sam leveraged property investments to build wealth

- How to compete against VC-backed startups

- The ups and downs of building and selling LeadPro

- Lessons learned from nearly going bust during COVID

- The power of negotiation in securing a favorable exit

- Post-exit identity crisis: to retire or to start a new business?

- The value of niche markets and the dangers of limited scalability

- The importance of market validation and how to do it

- The potential of AI in transforming industries

- Overcoming fear and assessing risk in business

Links:

- Sam's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam0liver/

- OpenFi: https://www.openfi.tech/

- Advance To Go book by Sam Oliver: https://www.advancetogo.com/

- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lean-Startup-Innovation-Successful-Businesses/dp/0670921602

- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mom-Test-customers-business-everyone/dp/1492180742

- Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Oversubscribed-How-People-Lining-Business/dp/0857086197

- On Identity by Amin Maalouf: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Identity-Amin-Maalouf/dp/1860467296

🌟 WORK FOR AN INSPIRING UK STARTUP:

The best way to learn about business is by working for a successful company with an ambitious founder. This episode is brought to you by Judge.me - the #1 e-commerce product reviews solution, founded by PJ Cellis (Episode 54). If you’re looking for a job in an inspiring, profitable, and fast-growing UK-based startup, check out https://careers.judge.me.

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🎙️Hosted by Matic Jesenovec

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Or get in touch via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maticjesenovec

Jodie Cook started a digital agency at age 22, fresh out of university. Over 10 years, she built her agency into a successful lifestyle business before selling it for 7 figures using her proven "success system" blueprint. Then she soon started Coachvox, and startup that helps coaches make an AI clone of themselves. Jodie chronicled her entrepreneurial journey in her book Ten Year Career which received praise from prolific entrepreneur Derek Sivers, who stated "every future millionaire needs this wise perspective."

We talk about:

- Starting an agency at age 22 fresh out of university

- Jodie’s "success system" for achieving any goal in life

- How Jodie developed her incredibly clear thinking

- The 3 phases of building a sellable agency

- How Coachvox is changing the game for coaches and creators

- Behind the scenes of an AI startup

- Extreme people get extreme results

- Go where the money is

- Win the mental game

- Balancing time using a "Profession, Obsession, Decompression" framework

- Eliminating decision fatigue with the "perfect repeatable day"

Links

- Coachvox: https://coachvox.ai/

- Jodie’s book: https://www.jodiecook.com/ten-year-career/

- Jodie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodie-cook/
- Jodie’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodie_cook

🌟 WORK FOR AN INSPIRING UK STARTUP:

The best way to learn about business is by working for a successful company with an ambitious founder. This episode is brought to you by Judge.me - the #1 e-commerce product reviews solution, founded by PJ Cellis (Episode 54). If you’re looking for a job in an inspiring, profitable, and fast-growing UK-based startup, check out https://careers.judge.me.

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📣 Please subscribe & share if you liked the episode ❤

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheFoundersLounge

💰 Looking for funding? Get a VC intro: http://vc.foundrs.vip

🎙️Hosted by Matic Jesenovec

Follow me for business ideas & insights: https://twitter.com/MaticJ
Or get in touch via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maticjesenovec

James Roycroft-Davis is a serial tech entrepreneur, mental health advocate, and investor. He has founded multiple companies, including his latest startup Baseline which aims to support people with bipolar disorder through an app-based platform.

We talk about:

- Losing a job and starting a business

- First startup: Productizing his mom

- Running a business with spouse or family member

- Challenges of building a tech startup

- Why 72% of entrepreneurs suffer from some mental health condition

- Bipolar disorder and its impact on building companies

- Vision behind his mental health startup Baseline

- Building an MVP for a tech startup

- Insights on the current fundraising landscape

- Investing experience, getting in on Discord pre-IPO

- Fitting wellness routines into a busy schedule

- Microdosing psychedelics among founders

Links

- James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesrd2024/

- Baseline: https://www.joinbaseline.co/

🌟 APPLY FOR A COO ROLE AT JUDGE.ME

This episode is brought to you by Judge.me - the #1 e-commerce product reviews solution, founded by PJ Cellis (Episode 54). They’re looking for a COO to lead the entire day-to-day and drive commercial planning towards their goal of $50M ARR and a FTSE250 listing by 2030. Could this be you? Full role profile here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13AotWhuLfCyXn4l0pzZLwaCe2AuAnsjG/view?usp=drive_link

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📣 Please subscribe & share if you liked the episode ❤

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheFoundersLounge

💰 Looking for funding? Get a VC intro: http://vc.foundrs.vip

🎙️Hosted by Matic Jesenovec

Follow me for business ideas & insights: https://twitter.com/MaticJ
Or get in touch via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maticjesenovec