NHS Finance Director Quits to Become Solopreneur (Interview with James Rimmer)

In this episode, I sit down with James to talk about the realities of running a small business when margins are tight and costs keep creeping up. If you’re a business owner or solopreneur, this conversation is all about protecting your profitability without feeling like you’re constantly firefighting. We dig into where profits are often lost without anyone really noticing — things like insurance, mobile contracts, waste, subscriptions, and supplier price increases that start to feel “normal” in an inflationary market. James explains why many of us have become numb to rising costs, and why that mindset can seriously damage the bottom line. One of the key points we explore is that just because prices are going up everywhere, it doesn’t mean you should stop challenging them. We also talk about why the businesses that save the most money aren’t usually the ones in trouble. They’re the calm, well-run companies that regularly review their costs and look for small, meaningful improvements before problems appear. James shares how specialist benchmarking and expert insight can quickly show whether you’re paying a fair price or overpaying without realising it. Beyond costs, we get into the mindset shift from employee to business owner — especially the uncomfortable move into sales and putting yourself out there. I share my own experience with LinkedIn, webinars, and content, and how focusing on being genuinely useful, rather than salesy, changed everything. We wrap up with an honest discussion about AI, what it can realistically help with today, and why human judgement still matters more than ever.