Running a business is often romanticised online, but the reality is very different.

In this episode of the Built Not Born in Business podcast, Chris and Helen reflect on the biggest lessons they have learned from interviewing successful founders, including entrepreneurs behind major brands, technology companies and high growth businesses.

They discuss the real challenges business owners face behind the scenes, why solving genuine problems is the foundation of successful companies, and how hiring people who are better than you can completely transform a business.

The conversation also explores the “two way door” decision framework used by companies like Amazon, the power of learning from people further ahead in their journey, and why podcasting may become one of the most powerful marketing tools for businesses in the coming years.

If you run a business, want to start one, or are interested in how successful founders actually think, this episode shares honest insights that most people only learn the hard way.

In this episode:

• Why many businesses start backwards and how to fix it
• The real emotional reality of running a company
• Why successful founders hire people smarter than them
• What “standing on the shoulders of giants” really means
• The decision making framework that prevents costly mistakes
• Why podcasting could be a huge opportunity for businesses

Watch the full conversation and learn what building a real business actually looks like behind the scenes.

She shut down her business.

Lost a major client. Closed the office. Thought she was done with entrepreneurship.

Then one conversation changed everything.

In this episode, Kim Antoniou shares how personal tragedy, business collapse and relentless belief led her to build two mission-driven tech companies, including Fonetti, a platform transforming reading confidence for children across the UK.

We talk about:

- Losing everything and starting again

- Why most founders underestimate “how bloody hard it is”

- Building technology that didn’t exist yet

- Collecting voice data across the UK to train AI

- Landing Amazon partnerships

- Why autonomy is the most underrated skill in leadership

- And what it really feels like when children’s lives change because of your product

This is about grit, instinct, trust and building something that genuinely changes lives.

If you’re building something meaningful, this conversation will stay with you.

In this reflection episode of Built Not Born In Business, we unpack the biggest lessons from our recent conversation with Andrew Hulbert and what they mean for founders building real businesses today.

This isn’t a surface-level recap. It’s an honest discussion about what actually stuck with us and what we’re implementing inside our own businesses.

We talk about:

• Why long-form video is one of the most underused growth tools in modern marketing

• How one podcast episode can fuel weeks of content, lead generation and brand authority

• Why hiring the person, not the CV, could completely change your culture

• The reality of equity, ownership and rewarding the people who help you scale

• What your “island” looks like after exit and why most founders never stop to think about it

• The uncomfortable truth about happiness, money, health and what success actually feels like

This episode is for business owners, founders and leaders who are building something meaningful and want to think more deeply about how and why they’re doing it.

Real reflection from two founders still in the game.

Because success isn’t born.
It’s built.