Billion Dollar Founder: The 9 Steps That Built My $5.6B Business - Sir Richard Harpin

Billion Dollar Founder: The 9 Steps That Built My $5.6B Business - Sir Richard Harpin

From Thriving Minds with Alberto Zandi by A&D Media

May 14, 2026 · 1h 28m · Season 1 · Episode 72

About this episode

Richard Harpin shares the nine steps that led to building his $5.6 billion business, challenging common myths about entrepreneurship.

This week Alberto sat down with Richard Harpin, the founder of HomeServe, investor, and author of How To Make A Billion In Nine Steps, to unpack the practical framework behind building a business that sold for $5.6 billion. Richard’s story challenges one of the biggest myths about entrepreneurship: that you need a completely unique idea to build something great. He explains why copying and improving can be more powerful than inventing, why founders should stay small until they prove the model, why focus matters more than endless new ideas, and why hiring your replacement can be one of the most important decisions a founder ever makes. He also shares the nine steps he believes helped build a billion dollar business, from copying and improving existing ideas, to testing before scaling, finding the right investor, hiring better people, expanding internationally, staying focused, and developing the character needed to survive the journey. You will learn • The 9 steps Richard created to help founders build a billion dollar business • Why you do not need a completely unique idea to build something great • How copying, improving, testing, and learning can create a stronger business…

People in this episode

Host: Alberto Zandi

Guest: Richard Harpin

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HomeServe

Books & works: How To Make A Billion In Nine Steps

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