Ambition, Integrity and Building a Business With Purpose
From Confessions of an Entrepreneur by Carl Swansbury
March 17, 2026 · 60 min · Season 3 · Episode 3
About this episode
Sophie Milliken MBE shares her entrepreneurial journey and insights on building a business with purpose while navigating challenges as a female founder.
In this episode of Confessions of an Entrepreneur , Carl sits down with North East entrepreneur, author and CEO Sophie Milliken MBE, a founder who has built, scaled and successfully exited a business, and now dedicates much of her time to helping others achieve success in their own careers and ventures. Born and raised in the North East, Sophie shares the journey that led her to leave her role as Head of Graduate Recruitment at the John Lewis Partnership and return to the region to start her first business. What began as an entrepreneurial instinct soon developed into a fast-growing company, originally built with a business partner, which Sophie later sold to a private equity-backed acquirer. Sophie reflects on what that exit meant both financially and personally, and the realisation that the acquiring company’s purpose and direction differed from her own ambitions. After stepping away from the business, she went on to launch her next venture, Moja Group, where she now works with entrepreneurs and senior leaders to help them raise their profile and become recognised authorities in their industries. The conversation also explores Sophie’s experience as a single female founder and…
People in this episode
Host: Carl Swansbury
Guest: Sophie Milliken MBE
Topics covered
- entrepreneurship
- business purpose
- women in business
- career development
- personal journey
Keywords
- entrepreneur
- business exit
- female founder
- career success
- financial independence
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: John Lewis Partnership, Moja Group
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