The Engine - Founders Stories

In this episode of Founder Stories, Joel Harrison discusses launching B2B Marketing in 2004 to fill a gap in the marketing media that largely ignored business-to-business marketing, and how the company helped shape an ecosystem where agencies and marketers now identify as B2B. He explains the evolution from a print magazine (which stopped publishing a few years ago) to Propolis, a peer-to-peer advisory platform serving major brands, alongside flagship events like Ignite, the Global ABM Conference, and the B2B Marketing Awards, while noting he has stepped back operationally but remains a co-owner and board director. Joel shares his background in journalism and publishing, family influences in marketing, and how his mother’s cancer prompted him to pursue what mattered. He advises startups to clarify brand and customer pain points, leverage founders/CEOs as authentic ambassadors, and persist through volatility, embracing pivots as reality diverges from plans.00:00 Life Is Short Mindset00:36 Founder Stories Intro02:02 Why B2B Marketing Existed03:38 Building The B2B Ecosystem04:51 B2B vs B2C Buying07:13 Marketing Maturity In Startups08:48 From Magazine To Propolis10:52 Joel Early Career Origins12:39 Why Marketing Became The Topic15:06 Becoming A Founder At 3016:23 Cancer Catalyst And Legacy17:51 Founders Are Not One Type19:26 Choosing the Leap20:01 The 28-29 Sweet Spot21:30 Content Not for Everyone23:09 Stop Spray and Pray25:02 Founder Led Trust26:00 Formats and Authenticity27:53 Stepping Back as Founder30:21 New Chapter After Exit31:04 Where to Follow Joel33:06 Life Balance and Ambition34:57 Advice for Early Founders35:23 Keep Going and Pivot37:13 Closing Thanks and Future

Is AI the "silver bullet" for your business, or is it just creating more noise?In this episode of Founder Stories, Donna Owen sits down with her close friend and serial entrepreneur Andy Hallett. With a career spanning recruitment, technology, and executive coaching, Andy cuts through the current tech hype to discuss the immutable fundamentals of building a successful business.Andy shares why he believes the best performers will always rise to the top and why "human-in-the-loop" remains the most critical factor in high-stakes sales and recruitment. They also dive into the psychological transition from "proper jobs" to prolific foundership and the importance of hitting targets before spending your capital.In this episode, you’ll learn:The AI Reality Check: Why technology is a tool for enhancement, not a replacement for basic business fundamentals.Rising Above the Noise: How the top 1% of recruiters and founders thrive when the market is flooded with automated content.The Human Closer: Why agents and bots can't replace the trust required to close a major deal.Proving the Model: The importance of hitting your internal targets before investing heavily in expansion.Serial Foundership: Andy’s journey through multiple ventures and what it really takes to be a "prolific" guest on the founder couch.🕒 Timestamps:00:00 – Will AI be a "silver bullet" for your business? 00:44 – Introducing the "Prolific Founder": Andy Hallett 01:04 – Why Donna saved the "Proper Guests" for later in the series 25:30 – The transition from a corporate career to entrepreneurship 42:15 – Why the best recruiters will always rise above the AI noise 51:19 – Target setting and knowing when to spend your money #FounderStories #Recruitment #AI #Entrepreneurship #AndyHallett #TheEngine #BusinessFundamentals #SalesTips

Is the story you’re telling yourself about your business actually a prophecy for its failure?In this episode of Founder Stories, Donna Owen sits down with George Terry, Co-Founder & Creative Director at Winbox. George pulls back the curtain on the psychological "mental game" of being a founder, exploring how our internal narratives can either lead us to "weird places" or act as a roadmap for massive success.Together, they dive into the harsh reality of demand generation, explaining why the majority of business struggles are actually just pipeline problems in disguise. If you’ve ever felt like your business is a series of "ups and downs" without a clear direction, George provides the framework to tune back into the story that matters.In this episode, you’ll learn:The Prophecy of the Story: Why the narrative you embrace during the hard times determines where your company ends up.The 90% Pipeline Rule: Why most founders are misdiagnosing their business problems when they actually just have a demand issue.Guiding the Internal Voice: How to manage the "version of yourself" in your head to avoid negative tangents and stay conscious.The Reality of Hard Work: Why everything worth doing is difficult and how to lean into the struggle rather than running from it.Avoiding "Weird Places": The importance of self-awareness and listening to your guiding voice to keep your business on track.🕒 Timestamps:00:00 – Why the story you tell yourself is a prophecy.00:24 – The 90% Rule: Why you probably have a demand problem.05:45 – Everything worth doing is hard: Navigating the ups and downs.15:30 – The Internal Voice: Managing the version of yourself in your head.28:12 – Consciousness and awareness in leadership.42:05 – Guiding your business away from "negative tangents."46:20 – How to stay tuned in when the journey gets tough.

How does a "rebellious" student who failed his A-Levels go on to build a 25-person agency by age 22 and later launch a market-defining AI company? In this episode of Founder Stories, Donna Owen sits down with Leo Rogers, the founder of Curvo.Leo shares his unconventional journey from fixing corporate IT servers at 16 using nothing but a Google search bar to revolutionizing the sales industry with real-time AI coaching. This is a deep dive into the grit, "naive optimism," and the rigorous science required to scale a high-performance sales organization.In this episode, you’ll learn:The "Naive Optimism" Factor: Why the certainty to tackle challenges you don't yet understand is a prerequisite for survival in the early days.Managing "Gray Hair" at 22: Leo’s experience hiring and leading a senior leadership team with decades more experience than him.The $1 Million Founder Rule: Why founders must stay in the trenches and hit the first £1M in revenue before hiring an AE function.Gamifying MEDDPICC: How to move away from laborious "check-box" deal reviews and turn sales methodology into a live, fun, and high-adoption experience.The Future of Sales Tech: Why the trend for 2026 is moving away from annoying meeting bots toward seamless, on-device AI copilots.🕒 Timestamps:00:00 – The 75% jump in meeting Notetaker adoption in 2025.01:55 – What is Kvo? Giving sellers a "second brain" in 500 milliseconds.05:12 – The Science of Selling: Why MEDDPICC and Gap Selling are non-negotiable.07:51 – Turning a "weaponized" methodology into a gamified experience.11:24 – The "Lobby Bot" Fatigue: Why on-device recording is the future.14:02 – Failing A-Levels and the "nail in the coffin" of academia.17:15 – Naive Optimism: Fixing architecture servers at age 16.21:11 – Respect in the Boardroom: Leading a senior team at age 22.27:23 – Solving the Demand Problem: Why the founder must lead the first million in sales.31:22 – Network Effects: Building a cap table of 18 top sales leaders.38:00 – The Knowledge-Performance Gap: Selling complex tech to CTOs.45:47 – Launching Kvo Self-Serve: The 2026 roadmap.47:40 – Work-Life Integration: From the office to salsa dancing.

How do you go from dropping out of school at 17 to building, scaling, and selling a massive B2B software company? In this episode of Founder Stories, Donna Owen sits down with Ed Johnson—the "original influencer" before the word even existed.Ed shares the raw, unfiltered truth about his entrepreneurial journey, including the "bugs" and roadblocks of his early ventures and the critical lessons he used to drive his previous company, Push Far, to a successful private equity acquisition in 2023. Now, he’s doing it all again with URoutine, a new platform centered on the one thing that actually drives success: Accountability.In this episode, you’ll learn:The $5.99 Rule: Why "sweating the small stuff" early on sets the standard for a team of 50+.The Co-Founder Trap: Why you must sign your agreement when you're still happy—and why one co-founder should always be more "senior" on paper.The "Zero AI" Strategy: How simple, "un-shiny" ideas can gain more traction than the latest tech trends.Revenue vs. Reality: Why first-time founders fail by rushing to monetize too soon.🕒 Timestamps:00:00 – The "Misfire": When starting a business takes 5+ years of your life.01:22 – What is URoutine? Solving the accountability gap.04:18 – The hard lesson: Why revenue should follow technology, not lead it.06:58 – Budgeting 101: Questioning every 5.99 subscription.09:32 – Career "Job Hopping" and why Ed never stayed more than a year.13:54 – Being a YouTube Partner at age 10: 15 Million views and counting.20:32 – The 2-year "Side Hustle": Building Push Far while working a 9-5.23:06 – Potholes & Failures: The social app that crashed at 10k downloads.30:42 – The CEO's responsibility: Roles, responsibilities, and tempering your stress.38:52 – How Ed is using URoutine to write a 250-page romantic fiction novel.

What happens when you go from being a well-known industry leader in your home country to a total stranger in a new one?In this episode of Founder Stories, Donna Owen sits down with Paul Ryazanov, the founder of MageCloud. Paul’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, moving from a childhood in the Soviet Union to building a premier global e-commerce agency.Paul discusses the psychological and operational "grind" of the immigrant founder-the necessity of shedding your ego, proving your worth from scratch, and the power of simple human connection in building a world-class network.In this episode, you’ll learn:The "Zero Reputation" Reality: Why moving to a new country means no one cares about your past success and how to build a new name from the ground up. The Soviet Foundation: How Paul’s early life shaped an immutable drive to seek a better life and build something lasting. The "Small Things" Networking Hack: Why the most powerful way to enter a new room is by offering small, immediate value—like a simple introduction. Understanding Local Needs: The importance of getting in the trenches, attending meetups, and talking to people to find the "gap" in a new market. Scaling MageCloud: Insights into the operational grit required to manage a global team and maintain high-level growth. 🕒 Timestamps:00:00 – Starting from scratch: Why new countries don't care about your history. 00:45 – The Soviet Foundation: How a childhood in the USSR fueled the drive for more. 05:20 – Proving your worth: The psychological shift of being a "nobody" again. 12:15 – The Power of Connection: Using small acts to open big doors. 18:30 – Networking from Zero: Why physical meetups are a founder's best friend. 25:40 – Building MageCloud: Scaling an agency across borders. 34:10 – The "Better Life" mindset: Turning obstacles into fuel. 46:10 – How to connect with Paul and join the MageCloud community. 

Welcome to The Engine - Founders' Stories Podcast. Host Donna Owen is joined by Thomas Vose, founder of HireAra, a startup that uses AI to help recruiters format CVs. From a student project to a big tech acquisition, Tom talks about how he turned a simple idea into a fast-growing business and shares lessons on risk, teamwork, and the future of AI.Thomas isn’t just an entrepreneur; he loves finding smart solutions to problems. His journey from launching a startup to a major tech acquisition shows how spotting small pain points and using AI can change industries, especially in making processes faster and easier for businesses.Thomas has a background in aerospace and engineering before starting his company to improve recruitment. At his company, HireAra, he uses AI to streamline CV formatting, making the process faster and easier. He focuses on smart tech and efficiency, applying his experience in engineering and problem-solving to help businesses grow.Key Takeaways:Solving Recruitment Problems: Tom explains how AI can make CV formatting easier.Building a Startup: Lessons learned from taking risks and following his vision.Innovative Thinking: Why using new tech can change traditional industries.Tech and Engineering: How Tom’s background in engineering shaped his business.Faster Processes: How AI speeds up work and makes things more efficient.Additional Insights:Using AI for Efficiency: Tom shows how AI can improve recruitment processes.Building a Business: The challenges and rewards of starting from scratch.Learning from Experience: How Tom’s background in engineering helped him innovate.Simplifying Work: How AI makes tasks faster and more effective.Adapting and Growing: Why being open to new ideas helped Tom scale his company.Here are a few quotes from the episode:“Entrepreneurs are always looking for better ways to solve problems.” - Thomas Vose“A safety net lets you take risks without fearing failure.” - Thomas Vose“AI is changing industries, but human creativity makes it powerful.” - Thomas VoseJoin Thomas Vose as he shares how innovative thinking, AI, and entrepreneurship are transforming recruitment and paving the way for faster, smarter business growth.Episode Highlights[00:00] - Teaser[01:04] - Guest Introduction: Thomas Vose[03:08] - Early Entrepreneurial Journey and the Influence of Family[05:30] - The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Drive, Curiosity, and Problem-Solving[07:30] - From AI and Policy to Solving Recruitment Pain Points[10:55] - The Future of AI: Speed, Revenue, and Corporate Adoption[14:05] - The Journey from Startup to Acquisition and Rapid Growth[16:50] - The Hidden Challenges of Acquisition and Key Lessons for Founders[20:20] - Building a Team: Trust, Relentless Drive, and Friendship[22:45] - The Power of Teamwork and Stress During Rapid Growth[26:01] - The Impact of AI on Critical Thinking and Human Intelligence[27:49] - Founder Mindset, Risk, and the Power of Perspective[35:35] - Building a Sales Team with the Right People and Process[41:50] - Final Thoughts: Embracing Risk and Starting a BusinessFOLLOW THE GUEST:LinkedIn Accounts: Thomas Vose: