Billionaire Business Podcast
Welcome to Billionaire Business. In this series we will be popping the myth that you cannot create a billion pound business in the UK - that’s simply not true
• Inspirational interviews • Advice on how to raise equity and debt • Mistakes to avoid • How to scale rapidly • Create the next billionaire business
Listen on:
Co-hosts: Chris Godsmark & Ian Fishwick
Hello I’m Ian Fishwick (on the right), I’m a technology entrepreneur who started a business in a spare bedroom with little money and eventually sold it in a £100 million transaction. I've been listed on the stock market and done over 40 acquisitions along the way. I had the honour of reporting 29 consecutive years of rising EBITDA, and was named UK CEO of the Year on 3 occasions. I wrote 'The Street-Smart MBA' - I’ve been in business for over 30 years and I’ve got all the war stories to prove it.
And I’m Chris Godsmark (on the left) and for over two decades I’ve been advising technology led companies with valuations of up to a billion pounds and more on mergers and acquisitions. And along the way I helped to create an advisory business which we scaled and sold.
Episodes
Friday Oct 31, 2025
Friday Oct 31, 2025
How to Sell Your Business for the Best Price
In this special Bonus episode for Series 1- Episode 7, Chris and Ian discuss 'A Life In Deals'. They talk about "HOW TO SELL YOUR BUSINESS FOR THE BEST PRICE." Over the last 20 years, Chris and Ian have acted as advisors, buyers and sellers on hundreds of mergers and acquisitions - they are possibly worth listening to.
Ian and Chris explain:
▪️ The importance of data
▪️ When you should start getting ready to sell
▪️ How soon should you meet potential buyers?
▪️ When is the best time to sell?
▪️ What factors will impact the price you get?
Follow Ian Fishwick:
LinkedIn com/in/ianfishwick
Email –fishwick@billionairebusiness.net
Website – billionairebusiness.net
Follow Chris Godsmark:
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/chrisgodsmark
Email –fishwick@billionairebusiness.net
Website – billionairebusiness.net
Billionaire Business:
Website: billionairebusiness.net
Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick
HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2
Sponsors for Series 1:
NETS International - https://nets-international.com
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
£25bn of UK Tech Funding with British Banking Giant NatWest
In this episode we interview Neil Bellamy, the Head of Technology Media and Telecoms [TMT] at NatWest. He set up a sector-specific lending team that has now lent £25 billion to over 25,000 UK technology businesses. This sector approach has now been copied into many other industries. Neil appreciates that many TMT businesses want the 3 B’s – get Backing, get Big and get Bought.
We ask the UK’s largest bank – how do you decide which companies to lend to, and what is the new concept of lending against Intellectual Property? If you want to understand how business lending works, this interview is a great place to start.
At the end, in the section called ‘Ian and Chris’s Takeaway’, the hosts discuss the key lessons to learn from this interview and how it shows that the UK’s largest bank is constantly seeking new companies to lend money to.
Neil explains:
▪️ How much money is he trying to lend each year?
▪️ What proportion of applications for loans are approved and why?
▪️ How big does a company need to be before they can get a loan approved?
▪️ What does he mean by Intellectual Property?
▪️ How many loans are not repaid, and what happens then?
Follow Neil Bellamy:
LinkedIn - com/in/neilbellamy
Email – bellamy@natwest.com
Website - https://www.natwest.com/business/sector-expertise/technology-media-telecoms.html
Billionaire Business:
Website: billionairebusiness.net
Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick
There is a chapter in The Street-Smart MBA specifically devoted to Banks. The chapter on bank borrowing is for people who are serious about setting up a business and want to know how to deal with banks. Lessons that you rarely see elsewhere.
HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2
Sponsors for Series 1:
NETS International - https://nets-international.com
Friday Oct 03, 2025
Friday Oct 03, 2025
It is rare for a family business to decide to go global. In this episode Jahangir Ahmad tells how NETS International now operates in 8 countries worldwide, with almost 1,000 staff.
At the end, in the section called ‘Ian and Chris’s Takeaway’, the hosts discuss the key lessons to learn from this impressive family story.
Jahangir explains:
▪️ How he sold his business in Pakistan and moved to Dubai to start again
▪️ How he spotted the fastest growing part of the technology market and pivoted the company
▪️ How they identify which countries to move into next
▪️ How they use ‘academies’ to transfer skills to new countries
▪️ How a family business cannot afford to fail
▪️ How working with key suppliers can help you grow
Follow Jahangir Ahmad:
LinkedIn - com/in/jahangir-ahmad-76b08917
Billionaire Business:
Website: billionairebusiness.net
Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick
HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2
Sponsors for Series 1:
NETS International - https://nets-international.com
Thursday Sep 25, 2025
Thursday Sep 25, 2025
Bob Falconer, former CEO and Richard Bligh, former CO, are two of the UK Telecom’s industries best known figures of the last two decades. They explain how they took a business with c£3 million revenue to a valuation of £1.5 billion before they finally stood down.
They made a visionary decision, about 15 years ago: the future of phone calls will be over the internet rather than using conventional Telecoms networks. The success of GAMMA in the B2B market has been extraordinary.
At the end, in the section called ‘Ian and Chris’s Takeaway’, the hosts discuss the key lessons to learn from this remarkable story – one of the few examples ever of a business floating on the London Stock Exchange and then the share price increasing over 10x.
Bob and Richard explain:
▪️ How they hit £100m revenue in 3 years and then decided they were in the wrong part of the market
▪️ How they had about 5,000 salespeople – without paying a salary to any of them
▪️ How they used an imaginary customer ‘Tracy’ as their guiding light
▪️ How keeping IT systems simple is key to rapid growth
▪️ How an obsession with refining their products constantly was key to keeping growth going
▪️ How a forward-looking investor played a critical part in their success
00:00 - Welcome and Hosts Intro
01:58 - Acquiring Distressed Assets: The Atlantic Telecom Story
03:11 - From Asset Acquisition to a Viable Business Model
09:30 - Meet 'Tracy', The Mythical Customer That Drove Success
13:10 - The Visionary Pivot to Voice Over Internet
16:07 - Exploiting Incumbent Weakness: The Innovator's Dilemma
18:10 - The Strategic Rationale for an Initial Public Offering (IPO)
19:35 - Our Sponsor: NETS International
21:25 - The Indirect Sales Model: Scaling Through Channel Partners
28:00 - The Strategic Advantage of a Focused Product Portfolio
33:00 - Cornerstones of Company Culture
38:48 - Ian and Chris’s Takeaways
Bob Falconer is now retired. Follow Richard Bligh:
LinkedIn - com/in/rbligh
Billionaire Business:
Website: billionairebusiness.net
Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick
HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2
Sponsors for Series 1:
NETS International - https://nets-international.com
Friday Sep 19, 2025
Friday Sep 19, 2025
Maxine Laceby is an absolute inspiration to single mum’s who have teenage children. Her eldest daughter went to University, and the next, a year younger, learned to drive. She was then faced with the decision that all mum’s face – what do I do with the rest of my life?
The tale of how she became convinced that collagen was vital to the health of women and then quickly turned it into a hugely successful business is amazing.
At the end, in the section called ‘Ian and Chris’s Takeaway’, the hosts discuss the key lessons to learn from this extraordinary lady.
Maxine explains:
▪️ That she had never run a business before and hates the concept of a spreadsheet
▪️ The business hit £12m revenue still operating from her garage
▪️ Her obsession with the customer – what she calls ‘the absoluter’
▪️ Within 6 years she hit £30m revenue
▪️ What it was like to work with her eldest daughter, Darcy
▪️ How she chose which private equity investor to work with, to help them grow, even faster
Follow Maxine Laceby:
LinkedIn - com/in/maxinelaceby
Website – absolutecollagen.com
Billionaire Business:
Website: billionairebusiness.net
Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick
HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2
Sponsors for Series 1:
NETS International - https://nets-international.com
Friday Sep 12, 2025
Friday Sep 12, 2025
Lessons for Scale-Ups from a European Venture Capital Leader, Dawn Capital Dawn Capital, with 2 billion Euros under management, are probably Europe’s largest Venture Capital fund investing in software companies. Nils Howland has been involved in many of their investment decisions and is very clear about what they look for. There are millions of coders out there, but which ones will be backed to become the next big software company? And which types of AI company are they looking to invest in? At the end, in the section called ‘Ian and Chris’s Takeaway’, the hosts discuss the key lessons to learn from this interview. Nils explains: ▪️ How a €2 billion Venture Capital fund decides which software and AI companies to back ▪️ What type of founders are they looking for? ▪️ How important is the actual code? ▪️ Do you need a complete senior leadership team? ▪️ How big do you need to be to attract investment from Venture Capital? ▪️ How do you decide whether a business is capable of being valued at over £1 billion? Follow Nils Howland: • LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/nilshowland Billionaire Business: • Website: www.billionairebusiness.net • Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick • HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title • PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title • KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2 Sponsors for Series 1: NETS International - https://nets-international.com
Friday Sep 05, 2025
Friday Sep 05, 2025
This is probably Scotland’s greatest ever technology story. How do you take a software app (for booking flights) and turn it from a startup to a $1.75 billion sale?
Shane Corstorphine played many C-suite roles at Skyscanner, including CFO, and explains clearly how they did it. Some of the lessons are not what you expect.
At the end in the section called ‘Ian and Chris’s Takeaway’, the hosts discuss the key lessons to learn from this remarkable interview.
Shane explains:
▪️ The type of leadership team you will need
▪️ How employee share ownership can play a part
▪️ How you tackle international expansion on an incredibly rapid scale
▪️ How they attracted the greatest ever investor name from Silicon Valley - Sequoia
▪️ At the time this was the largest fundraise by a privately-owned UK tech company in history – but the record only lasted weeks
00:00 Welcome & hosts intro
00:01:07 Guest background: startup → banker; execution mindset
00:05:30 Joining early stage Skyscanner & founder vision
00:08:40 Execution v strategy; COO cadence & weekly reviews
00:11:00 Travel’s frequency problem & tracking PMF (product market fit) metrics (AARRR)
00:13:40 Sequoia joins: valuation, fundraising & dilution
00:16:30 Sponsor: NETS International
00:17:40 Equity that retains staff: options, buybacks & secondaries
00:23:08 Scale cultures: UK prudence vs US/China speed
00:28:45 Go to market playbook: test and learn
00:33:10 The exit (2016): sale process, buyer & lessons
00:36:00 Closing: What’s next and Key takeaways
Follow Shane Corstorphine:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanecorstorphine/
Blog – com/@shanecorstorphine/
Billionaire Business:
Website: billionairebusiness.net
Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/billionaire-business-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
Buy the book “The Street-Smart MBA – Mastering Business Acumen Without Going to School” by Ian Fishwick
HARDBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B0FLD5Q8Z5/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
PAPERBACK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without/dp/B08735HP2W/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title
KINDLE https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Smart-MBA-Mastering-Business-Without-ebook/dp/B08738NVS8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VOX3UKOWGT6R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jGqkZxFG3WEufxz7M-1iVgGElqr83rgD-VAM-9WLfXz4fii5xR10ZsWDNVlnOGAfLdZG4lksR0cCtaRyzjKlwxD8Gh4WKr2ZP8TuayLmYBiPqNWQi66IAM3QDfoxZeEa.ZUymM2LEtrzNGeYhyP9yoJQknWJe8w7LOx6GDaS6ano&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+street-smart+mba&qid=1755704706&sprefix=the+street-smart+mba%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-2
Sponsors for Series 1:
NETS International - https://nets-international.com