In this episode of SRLV’s Not Just a Number, we bring together five of the UK’s most inspiring female founders for a no-holds-barred conversation on what it really takes to build a business from scratch - and scale it into a multi-million pound success story.

The panel conversation, brilliantly hosted by Natasha Thomas, Founder and CEO of Total Management Group (TMG), covers bootstrapping beauty brands and disruptive fashion tech, consumer-first media, mental wellness and key considerations around venture capital and fund raising.

This episode is packed with actionable insight, candid reflections and brutally honest advice from founders who’ve been through it all.

Our Founder Panel:

• Natasha Thomas, Founder and CEO of Total Management Group (TM G) and Co/Founder of Lockdown Liquor – leading luxury cocktails and corporate travel brands with bold strategy and resilience.
• Georgie Coleridge-Cole, Founder of SheerLuxe, Luxe & Co and Blush Talent Management – digital media mogul behind one of the UK’s most influential online lifestyle platforms.
• Maria Hatzistefanis, Founder of Rodial & Nip + Fab – best-selling author and beauty trailblazer with 25+ years of experience and no external investment.
• Victoria Prew, Co-Founder & CEO of HURR – the tech-first fashion rental platform revolutionising sustainable style through peer-to- peer lending and retailers, such as Selfridges, John Lewis, and Net-A-Porter.
• Olivia Ferdi, Co-Founder of TRIP – the UK’s fastest growing CBD drinks brand and largest privately owned soft drinks company, with offices in Paris and Los Angeles.

• Equity vs. control: How to fundraise (or not) without losing your vision
• Building a tech-first business from the ground up (literally, line by line)
• Hiring mistakes, culture killers & how to spot who really “gets it”
• Surviving near-bankruptcy, factory fires & million-pound setbacks
• Why founder energy can’t be delegated - and how to show up as a leader
• How these formidable women drive large teams, whilst still remaining good leaders and striking the right work/life balance

0:00 - Meet the panel who know what it really takes to build a business from scratch and scale it into a multi-million pound success story.

01:21 – Georgie Coleridge-Cole on the Evolution of SheerLuxe

03:22 – Maria Hatzistefanis on Growing Rodial Without External Funding

06:30 – Victoria Prew on Raising $10m and Scaling HURR

08:47 – Olivia Ferdi on Building the UK’s Largest Privately-Owned Drinks Brand

11:46 – Natasha Thomas on TMG’s Evolution and Founding Lockdown Liquor

16.45 – The Challenges of Getting Start-up Investment

19:50 – Venture Capital Vs Control: Raising Finance Without Selling Out

27:15 – The Personal Financial Pain That Can Come with a Start-Up

28:48 – The Finance Options for a Product Business in the UK

31:43 – Scaling a Business in the United States

36:54 – Building a Business that is Consumer-First (not SEO-First)

39:30 – The Importance of Finding a Peer Group for Female Founders

44:50 – How HURR Developed the Tech Behind the Brand

50:22 – Founder vs CEO: Wearing All the Hats

54:06 – The Importance of Switching Off and Being a Flexible Employer

57:14 – Biggest Business Mistakes (And What We Learned)

1.04:32 – Balancing People and Cash: Getting the Right Team in Place

1.06:21 – Delegating, People Management and Trust

1.08:38 – When Big Hires Don’t Deliver

1.08:51 – How Culture Champions can Help Scale a Business Internally

Prefer to watch? Head over to our YouTube channel to watch the full episode.

Not Just a Number is a podcast for entrepreneurs, creatives and industry pioneers who want to grow businesses and protect what matters most to them and to their families.

Produced by SRLV - one of London’s leading boutique advisory firms - the show goes far beyond tax and accounting to bring a unique perspective on business, innovative thinking and leadership from the people shaping global industries, including music, entertainment, technology, consumer brands, and private wealth.

Each episode’s candid conversation focuses on personal stories, business strategies, top tips and trends - from scaling up companies and international relocations to creative rights and real-world business growth.

Whether they are clients or professional contacts, all our guests are friends of our business and so much more than “just a number”. People and relationships always come first at SRLV.

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