James Reed: all about business

When your business hits an existential wall, are you willing to rethink your entire financial structure to protect your vision, or will you compromise the mission just to survive?Most founders believe scaling requires bowing to traditional venture capital and prioritizing short-term margins. COOK proved there is another way by surviving near-bankruptcy, funding its own expansion through an unexpected subsidiary, and scaling past £100 million while keeping absolute control over its mission.In this episode of All About Business, James Perry, co-founder of COOK and co-founder of B Corp UK joins as guest, and he pulls back the curtain on the messy, high-stakes reality of building a national consumer brand from scratch without burning out or selling out.They unpack the reality of operational risk, the hard lessons of founder resilience, and how building an inclusive hiring model through the RAW initiative turned a perceived workplace risk into one of their strongest operational assets.James shares the gritty mechanics behind COOK’s early years: how a loss-making enterprise was kept afloat by a cash-generating bakery, why he turned away standard venture capital, and how leveraging national media attention led to finding the patient, long-term private capital that saved the business. He breaks down how the 2008 financial crash tested their model and why a relentless focus on product integrity built a moat that traditional competitors couldn't cross.Timestamps 02:08 Cadbury Lessons10:00 Family Bakery Origins12:56 Founding Cook28:48 B Corp Beginnings37:10 Certifying and Building UK41:05 RAW Talent Hiring Program49:19 Systemic Capitalism GlitchLinksFollow James Reed on LinkedInFollow James Perry on LinkedInFind out more COOK and their products hereFind out more about B Lab UK and their work hereSubmit your application to Reed’s Entrepreneurs Fund for a chance to a £20,000 grant HEREAll About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk

What if becoming mortgage-free wasn’t about earning more money, but about using what you already spend more intelligently? In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Jinesh Vora, Founder and CEO of Sprive, the UK fintech app helping homeowners pay off their mortgages faster without changing their lifestyle.Jinesh shares his journey from a 14-year career at Goldman Sachs to fintech founder, shaped by a three-generation family legacy of entrepreneurship. He reflects on leaving a high-paying corporate role, bootstrapping a startup through the pandemic, and building trust with banks and lenders in a highly regulated industry.The conversation explores scaling a fintech responsibly, from angel and venture funding to securing a major TV-for-equity deal with Channel 4. Jinesh also shares candid lessons from pitching on Dragons’ Den, alongside insights on leadership, resilience, AI, and avoiding growth at all costs.This is a practical conversation about financial freedom, fintech innovation, and building a purpose-led business that helps people take control of their money.Timestamps01:49 The birth of Sprive: A mortgage app revolution11:10 Jinesh's entrepreneurial journey and family legacy14:39 The Goldman Sachs experience24:01 Navigating the pandemic and launching Sprive32:09 Networking and angel investors34:11 Dragon's Den experience41:15 Hiring strategies and team building48:49 Future vision and personal goalsFollow James Reed on LinkedInFollow Jinesh Vohra on LinkedInFind out more about Sprive App hereAll About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk