Conversations of Inspiration

This week’s episode of Conversations of Inspiration was recorded LIVE at St Mary’s Church in Marylebone London, as part of the most incredible day in the small business calendar, The Congregation of Inspiration 2019. This week’s guest is Rob Ryan, an artist renowned for his intricate papercuttings. His artwork has featured in Vogue, Elle, and Stylist. One year he created 28 Liberty Christmas windows which started a journey where Rob's work began to be seen by the masses. He has collaborated with Alex Monroe, Tatty Devine and none other than Sir Paul Smith. In this episode, Holly and Rob discuss his childhood, how he discovered his talents at the RCA, to then after a hard 20 years trying to make a living out of his art, the difficult choice he made, to allow his art to be for the masses. Recorded live, in a London church with the light streaming through the stained glass windows, as he told his story - this episode was personally an extra special and spiritual one. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This week on Conversations of Inspiration Holly meets Will Ramsay - founder of the Affordable Art Fair. With a shared passion for art and supporting creative individuals, as well as a joint belief in the power of curation, this is an episode filled with sage advice and a particularly poignant letter to close the conversation.In this episode, Will and Holly discuss his unique upbringing, being one part of a military dynasty, with a very significant grandfather, and how that shaped his life as an entrepreneur.Will founded the Affordable Art Fair just over twenty years ago, with a purpose to democratise the art world, which at the time was deemed snooty and only for the upper elite.  His business has not only made it easier for more people to buy art but given greater opportunities for artists to make a living. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This week on Conversations of Inspiration Holly meets Alan Keery, co-founder of The Cereal Killer Cafe in their awe-inspiring cafe on Brick Lane.From ignoring the naysayers when launching a niche business to gaining media attention from day one and dealing with a completely overwhelming media frenzy when they were targeted with attacks during the London riots, the Cereal Killer Cafe have been on an extraordinary journey in the last 4 years. They have now overcome that to be the feature of a London musical as well as scaling the business to have a global presence! Recorded in an immersive cafe, where retail theatre is brought to life in the very truest sense of the word, Alan's kindness, generosity and honesty with which he recounts the most difficult moments along the journey, make this podcast a fascinating listen.Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This week on Conversations of Inspiration, Holly made the short journey down the road to the beautiful Sipsmith distillery in Chiswick, to meet Sipsmith founders Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall. This is a story that shows the beauty and power of building a company with a close friend, with a shared vision and passion.Sipsmith's story is a special one - in an industry that has not seen a new independent gin distillery opened in over 200 years, Sipsmith single-handedly changed the entire industry, simultaneously bringing with it a connection to the traditions of the gin industry, whilst also bringing the fun that its founders embody so completely.They discuss their startup journey to success, the decision to sell their business after 10 years and their formative years that laid the foundations for building the Sipsmith empire.Sam and Fairfax share incredibly heartfelt and emotional letters at the end of this conversation, they are not to be missed.Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience of 300 in the beautiful surroundings of Manchester Cathedral. Mark Constantine, co founder of the iconic brand Lush, is the ultimate role model of someone who can turn their life around through following their purpose and passion. Abandoned by his father at a very young age, Mark had a very difficult start in life, ending up living on the streets at 16 and with very little prospects. However his sheer hard work, determination and following his passion, he founded his first cosmetic brand for his kitchen table, supplying to the infamous Body Shop. Today Mark and his team are forging the future for retail, with Lush now boasting 928 stores globally, with newest concept stores in Berlin, Milan, Tokyo and most recently Manchester, along with opening the world’s largest Lush store in Liverpool. A highly innovative, creative and conscious brand, Lush is using its power to change the world to be a better place. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This week on Conversations of Inspiration, Holly meets Tina Bernstein, founder of Mapology Guides. In this thought provoking episode, Holly & Tina discuss how Tina used her struggles with mental health to help empower others, and how she now lives the Good Life through founding her business. A designer, blogger, and entrepreneur, Tina started her creative career studying at the renowned art school, Central St Martins. However, after suffering from a nervous breakdown at 26, Tina moved into the world of psychology.  She noticed the lack of colour, design and illustration in self-help guides, so decided to create her own guides to help others. Mapology Guides was born as a tool to empower individuals to adopt their own approach to mindfulness, well-being and personal development, with her love for printed maps and illustrations gave her the idea for this format.  Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This week on Conversations of Inspiration Holly speaks to Fearne Cotton, founder of Happy Place.  A true entrepreneur in the making, Fearne is creating a strong brand from her purpose and passion - building a business doing exactly what she loves. In this episode, Holly and Fearne discuss the difficult transition to taking the leap into starting her own business, the juggle as a working mum, navigating social media as well as the solace she has found in putting creativity at the very heart of everyday.  Fearne started her working life from a young age when she won a competition to be a TV presenter. Her warmth and openness won over the British public straight away and she went onto present shows such as Top of the Pops, Comic Relief and then became the first ever female presenter of the Radio 1 chart show. After suffering from a spell of depression Fearne’s career took on a new direction. She decided to leave her top job at Radio One and instead, publish books focused around happiness, with tools to help others who might also be struggling.   She launched her podcast ‘Happy Place’ in 2017, which draws on her own experiences and shares advice from experts and celebrities, helping everyone to find their happiness. Her brand continues to grow along with a huge allegiance of fans. Her books, podcast, brand collaborations and now her Happy Place Festival, are a testament to her success. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

In this episode, Holly meets passionate and inspiring Petra Barran, the founder of KERB. Throughout this conversation, Petra and her love not only of food, but for inspiring and helping small businesses build their own companies and dreams shines through. With the goal to become part of the fabric of London, this was a podcast designed for those who need to see, how big things can come from the smallest of beginnings - even, out the front of an ice cream van! Petra began her small business journey from an ice cream van, selling her homemade chocolate at markets and festivals, where she discovered her passion for independents vendors and the small business community.  This passion began to take over her life and so she decided to start her new business bringing together the most exciting street food talent on the streets of London and so KERB was born. Her first site for her street food market was in Kings Cross back in 2012 and since then Kerb has grown to five sites across London, with over 90 traders, serving up over 10,000 dishes a week. Launching in’kerb’ator programme her business also helps to support and progress their small business traders building community of entrepreneurs who are driving change across the city’s food landscape. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This week Holly meets Roger Wade, the founder of Boxpark, - to hear about his mission to use his business as a force for good, to bring together communities and make them thrive, safer and happier.   Holly & Roger discuss the future of the high street, their shared passion for independents, and how though his visionary concept for Boxpark, Roger is disrupting the world of retail.Roger started his career in advertising, being fired twice before moving to the US where he discovered his passion for American streetwear and recognised the huge market there was for it back in the UK. So on the third time of being fired, he realised that he needed to be his own boss, and start his own business. He founded Boxfresh in 1989, initially selling streetwear from his market stall, but eventually growing the business to being an international company turning over £20 million a year, before selling it and founding his latest venture Boxpark. Known as ‘the world’s first pop up mall’, Boxpark is a unique shopping concept made up from shipping containers, offering independents a much more affordable and flexible retail space. Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience in Bristol for the second date on our live tour of Conversations of Inspiration, in partnership with NatWest. In this conversation, Holly & Levi discuss his difficult early years, the decision to turn his life around and the passion and determination that powered him to success today, as well as, of course his unforgettable appearance on Dragons Den which would go on to supercharge his brand.  Born in Jamaica, he came to the UK at the age of 11, not being able to read or write, and found himself struggling to find his place in Brixton in the 70’s.  After stints in prison, Levi turned his life around through his sheer determination and returning to his two true passions in life - music and food, and combining them into a business.  His appearance on Dragons Den set his life on a new trajectory, and after gaining investment and mentorship from Peter Jones, Levi's Reggae Reggae sauce went from strength to strength. Since then his life has been a whirlwind of success, expanding his range to include cooking sauces, ready meals, soft drinks and desserts, he has published six cookbooks and a business book, released a new album and most recently, Levi realised his ultimate dream of opening his Caribbean ‘Rasta-rant' in Westfield Stratford.  Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.