In this episode, award‑winning entrepreneur Martyn Dawes, founder of Coffee Nation (now Costa Express), shares the real story behind creating a new market category, surviving early failure, scaling with private equity, navigating a complex exit, and rebuilding identity and purpose on the other side.

Key Take outs
- From consultant to category creator – How Martyn went from a small consulting firm to founding Coffee Nation, creating a new “third space” between coffee bars and vending that later became Costa Express.
- Brutally honest about early failures – Why the first model (instant coffee in corner shops) almost collapsed, and the pivotal customer interaction that forced him to make the product the hero with real bean‑to‑cup gourmet coffee.
- Scaling with retailers and private equity – The revenue-share model that unlocked roll‑out with major retailers, and the upside and pressures of taking private equity money to move fast in a growing market.
- Hard‑won lessons on exits – Why understanding the PE model, cleaning up your cap table, and having an advisor just for you as founder are critical to a successful and sane exit.
- Life after the deal – The emotional reality of exit: identity loss, relief more than euphoria, and how Martyn has channelled that experience into mentoring founders and helping them build and scale new category‑defining businesses.

Advice for Founders & Key Takeaways

- Start with the market problem, not the product:

• Ask: “What big problem in society am I solving?”, not “What product do I want to build?”.
• It’s a market problem, not a product problem.

- Be obsessed with proof of concept:

• Look for repeat usage and genuine enthusiasm, not just early curiosity.
• Don’t scale until you’re truly sure you’re on to something.

- Understand your investors’ economics and timelines:

• Especially with private equity, know what return they need, in what timeframe, and how that maps onto your own ambitions and risk tolerance.

- Have your own independent adviser for an exit:
Someone who only represents you, not the fund, the company, or the acquirer.

- Think about category creation, not just competition
Coffee Nation effectively created a new category: self-serve gourmet coffee between coffee bars and traditional vending.
Category creators (like Airbnb, Uber, etc.) often capture 70–80% of the profit pool in their space.

Books he’s currently reading and recommending:

• Category Creation Formula by Kevin Maney and Mike Damphousse – on how to identify and create new market categories.

On this episode of Entrepreneurs at Scale, we’re joined by Luke Dejahang, founder and owner of Crown Pavilions, a company that has grown from a tiny workshop in Barking in 2005/06 into what Luke believes is now the UK’s number one luxury garden room and gazebo manufacturer.

Luke shares how he moved from a successful but unpredictable career in TV and acting—including roles in shows like London’s Burning—into carpentry, and how that path led him to meeting his late business partner on a building site. Together they built Crown Pavilions from the ground up, taking on everything from design and marketing to manufacturing, delivery, and installation, often with almost no initial capital.

In this conversation, we’ll explore:

• How Luke turned early hardship and a shoestring start into a premium, nationally recognised brand
• The impact of losing his business partner and why he chose to carry on rather than be defined by tragedy
• The continuous improvement mindset that still drives the business today
• How his acting background gave him unexpected strengths as an entrepreneur and leader

It’s a story of resilience, reinvention, and relentless standards, and a great example of what it really takes to scale a craft-based, operationally complex business.

To find out more about these beautiful Garden pavillions and Summer Houses find a link to their website below:
https://www.crownpavilions.com/

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score: https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/
Are you ready to achieve a high-value exit? https://extraordinaryexit.scoreapp.com/
Scaling Up Tools and Resources : https://scaleups.com/

ABOUT THE HOST
Neale Lewis is a business growth expert and Strategic Exit Coach. He is focused on helping the entrepreneurs that he works with maximise the value of their organisations and when the time is right guiding them to achieve an extraordinary exit

His “Entrepreneurs at Scale” podcast, has more than 10k downloads in over 30 countries.

CONTACT DETAILS

Neale ’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealelewis/
Neale's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scaleup_coaches/
Scaling Up Coaches website : www.scalingup.co.uk
email: neale@scalingup.co.uk

In this episode, Neale Lewis talks with Rob Follows, founder and chairman of STS Capital Partners, about what it really takes to achieve an extraordinary exit as an entrepreneur.

They explore:

• Rob’s journey from being pushed out of the family business at 18, to building and selling his own company (at 27x EBITDA but later learning he’d left 75% on the table), to running $1B of business for a global buyer and founding STS Capital.
• Why so many founders are under‑represented in exits, the biggest myths and traps (including “private equity pays more than strategics” and “VCs are your friends”), and how the system is often structurally stacked against first‑time sellers.
• How to define your Owner’s Outcome – the must‑haves and nice‑to‑haves for your exit – so you don’t accept the wrong deal or walk away from the right one.
• Why strategic buyers typically pay more than financial buyers, and how to create competitive tension by mapping and engaging a global universe of strategics.
• The concept of “Rembrandts in the attic” – hidden assets in your business (IP, distribution, technology, relationships) that can be worth far more to the right buyer than to you as a stand‑alone operator.
• The Value Max approach: preparing years in advance, getting early feedback from strategics, and working with a coach and advisory team to deliberately build exit value.
• The importance of assembling the right exit advisory team – strategic coach, wealth advisor, M&A lawyer, tax specialist, and (if you’re staying) employment lawyer – rather than defaulting to long‑time but non‑specialist advisors.
• Rob’s life‑planning philosophy from his book “What Is Your Everest”, and how defining your “next chapter” helps you avoid the post‑exit “purpose cliff” and negotiate from a position of clarity, not fear.

STS Resources and recommended reading
What is your everest e book by Rob Follows
The Intelligent Exit by Mark Carmichael
The Extraordinary Exit by Andy Harris
STS Capital partners website - https://stscapital.com/

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score: https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/
Are you ready to achieve a high-value exit? https://extraordinaryexit.scoreapp.com/
Scaling Up Tools and Resources : https://scaleups.com/

ABOUT THE HOST
Neale Lewis is a business growth expert and Strategic Exit Coach. He is focused on helping the entrepreneurs that he works with maximise the value of their organisations and when the time is right guiding them to achieve an extraordinary exit

His “Entrepreneurs at Scale” podcast, has more than 10k downloads in over 30 countries.

CONTACT DETAILS

Neale ’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealelewis/
Neale's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scaleup_coaches/
Scaling Up Coaches website : www.scalingup.co.uk
email: neale@scalingup.co.uk

On the latest Exit advisory team we welcome the team from Breeze corporate finance. Breeze are an award-winning M&A boutique, based in Nottingham.
Guests:
Guy Harris & Nigel Winkett, Breeze Corporate Finance
Hosts: Neale Lewis & Debra Martin, Exit Advisory Team

Who Are Breeze Corporate Finance?

Founded in 2018 to provide world‑class corporate finance support to SMEs and family‑owned businesses planning an exit, event, or buyout.

Track record: 70+ transactions, over £1bn in total deal value

Deal size focus: typically £5m–£50m, average c. £17m

How Breeze Help Owners Prepare for a Successful Exit
Breeze Readiness Proposition

• Aimed at owners who:
  • Want to go to market now but are not truly exit‑ready, or
  • Are thinking of exit in 3–5 years with no clear plan.

Breeze:

• Assesses current position vs. desired outcome
• Builds a plan to increase value, reduce risk and stress, and smooth the transaction.

The Three Ps: Breeze’s Value‑Creation Framework
1. Professionalise

• Move from owner‑dependent, informal operations to professional, process‑driven structures.
• Build a stronger leadership and management team, so the business doesn’t rely solely on the founder.

2. Plan

• Corporate and personal tax planning to maximise net proceeds.
• Review and structure shareholdings, including incentivising key team members.
• Many measures need 12–18 months to be fully effective.

3. Performance

• Drive EBITDA growth via efficiency and top‑line growth (new markets, services, geographies).
• Create a credible growth story that excites investors.
• It’s about “selling the future to the next owner,” not collapsing at the finish line

The Situation Report

A structured diagnostic that answers: “Where are we now, what could we be worth, and what’s the gap?”

• Starts by clarifying the owner’s “magic number” and timeframe – the north star.
• Explains deal types and exit routes (MBO, private equity, strategic buyers, etc.), cutting through myths and anecdotes.
• Uses financials, diagnostics, and market data to:
  • Estimate current value, and
  • Map a realistic future value in ~2 years if key improvements are made.
• Identifies specific levers (e.g. recurring revenue, customer concentration, senior team strength) that move strategic value.

Exit Advisory Team

• Successful exits need a joined‑up advisory team:
  • Lawyers, bankers, accountants, tax and wealth advisers, and strategic/scale‑up support.

For more information on how Breeze could help you achieve a successful Exit on your terms: https://www.breezecf.co.uk/

In this episode of the Entrepreneurs at Scale podcast, Neale Lewis is joined by former Disney leader and customer experience strategist Vance Morris to unpack what it really means to “Disney-fy” your business. Drawing on a decade inside Disney (including helping design the iconic Chef Mickey’s experience) and his own portfolio of successful home-service businesses, Vance shows how even the smallest company can create world‑class experiences that drive retention, referrals and genuine raving fans.

You’ll discover why customer experience is fundamentally emotional, how to turn mundane touchpoints into memorable moments, and why focusing on systems, mission and service standards is the fastest route to both freedom for the owner and consistency for the customer. Vance also breaks down the hard numbers on retention vs acquisition, shares vivid examples of service recovery that turn mistakes into five-star reviews, and explains why in an AI-driven world, having a real human answer the phone may be your biggest competitive advantage.

Key Takeways

• Disney-fying Small Business – Former Disney leader Vance Morris shares how simple “what–how–why” systems from Disney can transform small business service into memorable experiences that drive loyalty and referrals.
• Example from Chef Mickey’s:
  
  
  • What: Greet guests at the hostess stand.
  • How: Warm, scripted welcome and expectation-setting (Mickey is about to meet them).
  • Why: Make guests feel welcome, special and excited that Mickey is there “just for them.”
• These simple systems make it possible for young, inexperienced staff to deliver a world‑class, consistent experience.
  
  
• Experience = Emotion – Customer experience is fundamentally emotional. Vance shows how to build emotional connection (not just satisfaction) so customers feel, “Thank God I finally found you.”
• Retention Over Acquisition – Vance breaks down the economics: it costs him $136 to acquire a new customer vs $23/year to keep one, and why aiming for Disney’s 80% repeat / 20% new mix is a powerful benchmark.
• Turning Mundane into Magic – Practical examples of “Disney-fying” the ordinary: welcome rituals, small gifts, and thoughtful service recovery (like showing up late with flowers) that turn problems into five-star reviews.
• Humans First, AI Second – Vance explains why humans answering the phone will become a competitive advantage in an AI-driven world—and where AI should support, not replace, the customer experience.

Recommended Resources from the Episode

• Unreasonable Hospitality – Will Guidara
  • How to turn ordinary service into unforgettable hospitality.
• The Business Owner’s Emergency Survival Guide for the AI Revolution – Dan Kennedy
  • How to leverage AI in your marketing and operations without letting it run (or ruin) your business.
• Paddi Lund – Happiness-Centred Business & “Critical Non-Essentials”
  • The power of small, thoughtful touches that are “non-essential” operationally but critical to delight.
• Vance’s free resource: “52 Ways to Wow Your Customer Without Breaking the Bank”
  • One practical idea per week for a year: Wow52Ways.com

In this episode, we explore the idea of “Rembrandts in the attic” – the hidden sources of value inside your business that most owners and many buyers overlook. Using a simple house‑buying story, we show how one buyer who spots a hidden Rembrandt painting can justify paying far more than anyone else. The same applies to your business.

We unpack what these “Rembrandts” look like in practice: a strong and deep executive team, standout culture and low staff turnover, unique processes or a proven buy‑and‑build strategy, high‑quality customers, and strategic market access that a buyer can’t easily replicate.

You’ll hear a practical framework for:

• Identifying your value drivers early and “painting” new Rembrandts over 4–5 years
• Demonstrating repeatable growth and strong forward earnings
• Attracting multiple buyers to create real competitive tension
• Comparing offers on more than just price – including structure, cultural fit, and your own personal goals
• Using experienced advisors to level the playing field and negotiate the right deal for you

If you’re a founder thinking about an exit now or in the next few years, this episode will help you see your business through a strategic buyer’s eyes – and start maximising the price they’re willing to pay.

Read our Blog on the Rembrandts in the Attic below:
https://www.exitadvisoryteam.co.uk/exit-blog/rembrandts-in-the-attic

Ready to discover where you stand?

Take the Exit Readiness Scorecard — a 3-minute “yes/no” assessment. You’ll receive a personalised report instantly to find out where you’re strong, where the gaps are, and how to start taking action with the right advisors beside you.

👉 Take the EXIT Readiness Assessment now by clicking on the link below:

https://extraordinaryexit.scoreapp.com/

The Exit Advisory Team

For more information on how the exit advisory team can help you prepare and achieve an exceptional exit, click on the website link below:
https://www.exitadvisoryteam.co.uk/

In this episode of Entrepreneurs at Scale, Dan Silverston, founder of The Soho Sandwich Company, shares how he turned a failing North London coffee shop into a premium sandwich manufacturer, survived a CVA after the 2008 crash, scaled through focus and culture, and ultimately exited the business. Dan talks candidly about what it really takes to grow in food and hospitality, the power of people‑first leadership, how to get your company “exit‑ready” years in advance, and the emotional reality of selling the business that’s become your identity.

Key points from Dan’s story:

• From coffee shop to manufacturer: Soho Sandwich began as a premium coffee shop in North London; after multiple failed experiments (airline food, catering, retail), Dan focused on manufacturing sandwiches for wholesale, spotting a gap for “coffee‑shop quality” sandwiches in the foodservice market.
• Lessons from early failure: The original business failed post‑2008 crash due to lack of focus, too many experiments, and over‑reliance on small, risky customers. Dan’s biggest learning: pick one thing, do it well, then move on.
• Finding a market gap: Dan identified space between cheap, drab, value sandwiches and ultra‑premium offerings like Daily Bread; he built a premium, differentiated product and brand instead of competing purely on price.
• Bootstrapping and cash discipline: The business was bootstrapped with no external investment, survived a CVA, and rebuilt through strict cash discipline—watching creditors, debtors, and cash at bank “like a hawk”, pricing for margin, and keeping overheads low.
• People, culture, and key hires: Dan built a people‑first, family‑style culture, celebrating milestones and walking the floor daily.
• Hiring for culture, not just skills: As the company grew, they formalised a robust hiring process with diverse interview panels, multiple stages, and a non‑negotiable focus on cultural fit—“hire for attitude, train for aptitude”—even when highly qualified candidates looked attractive on paper.
• Becoming exit‑ready early: Years before a sale, Dan and his advisors improved governance, management autonomy, meeting structures, and data readiness, making the business less dependent on him and more attractive and “exit‑ready” even before a deal was on the table.
• Hard truths about selling your business: Dan shares the reality of the exit process—limited competitive tension between buyers, underestimating the impact of taxes and debt on the “headline” number, and the importance of having a tough negotiator solely in your corner rather than just relying on general advisors.
• Emotional aftermath and loss of purpose: Post‑sale, Dan experienced an unexpectedly flat, underwhelming, and emotionally difficult period, with loss of role, purpose, and control as new owners made changes. He stresses the need to plan not just the deal and the number, but your life, role, and purpose after the exit.

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach

In this episode of Entrepreneurs at Scale, Neale Lewis talks with Dr. Dimi Vichas, founder of Eudai Clinic, a performance-led longevity and lifestyle medicine clinic for ambitious entrepreneurs, CEOs, and senior leaders. Trained as an NHS emergency doctor, Dimi became frustrated with reactive healthcare and built a model focused on early detection, prevention, and optimisation so founders can build, scale, and exit without their health becoming the bottleneck.

• Why traditional healthcare is too reactive, and how shifting to preventive, performance-led medicine transforms outcomes for high performers.
• How Eudai’s two-hour deep-dive consultation and advanced diagnostics create a precise picture of a leader’s current and future health risks.
• The most common issues CEOs face—brain fog, low energy, poor sleep, chronic stress—and why they’re often among the least healthy people in their organizations.
• Why gut health, sleep, stress management, and individualised nutrition are the non‑negotiable foundations of sustainable high performance.
• How wearables and continuous data (HRV, sleep, resting heart rate) are integrated with lab and imaging results to guide real-time health decisions.
• The concept of a strategic health plan—a year-long intervention and optimisation program, akin to a wealth management strategy but for healthspan.
• Why investing in executive health is a commercial decision: healthier leaders drive better culture, performance, and more reliable exits for companies and investors.
• Dimi’s key entrepreneurial lessons: focus early on product–market fit (you can’t serve everyone with a premium service) and build a strong team so the founder isn’t the bottleneck.

If you would like to understand more about the work that Dimi is doing at the Eudai Clinic you can go to their website here:
https://eudai-clinic.co.uk/

To book a complimentary consultation:
https://eudai-clinic.co.uk/free-consultation/

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach