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The idea behind Swim Against The Tide podcast is to meet founders and leaders of businesses who have launched and operate in competitive markets, taking the bigger, more established players head on. It is about exploring what drove them, how their brand stood out, what they had to do to win and what lessons they have learned that they can share with the listeners to hopefully inspire them to take their own journey. The show is presented by Steve Henry, Co-Founder of the specialist marketing group Audience Collective. Steve has enjoyed a 30-year career in advertising helping 100s of brands...
One designer jacket, two sales channels: suddenly you're worrying about selling it twice.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A plainspoken founder story about grit, speed, and retail momentum.
Colette Laxton's path reads as a straightforward lesson in grind and follow-through. She talks about a very modest upbringing, three jobs as a teenager, paying her own way through university, and being the first in her family to go.
A steady look at hospitality, social enterprise, and careful growth.
Lisa Donohue's route into social enterprise runs through marketing and PR and lands in practical work that helps people gain a foothold in food and hospitality.
Rob Walling on bootstrapped SaaS growth, plateaus, and exits — with founders who lived them.
Abbey Ashley's playbook for turning your job skills into a virtual assistant business.
Naval Ravikant on epistemology, startups, and crypto, from David Deutsch to Vitalik Buterin.
Alex Theuma interviews SaaS founders and investors on scaling to $10M-plus ARR.
Guy Raz traces founders' origin stories and fields live advice-line calls from entrepreneurs.
Alex Blumberg interviews guests like Megan Phelps-Roper and Shane McAnally about failure and reinvention.
Four-week program paying London living wage achieves 60% employment rate for vulnerable populations
Colette Laxton says she paid her own way through university after three teenage jobs, then spent 10 years at Boots learning buying, merchandising, product development, and brand development.
Sahil Verma explains how an economics and consulting career led to co-founding Cookaway with his wife Nidhi, whose 15 years of cookery teaching shaped the business.
Antonia Johnstone, CEO and “re-founder” of Sign of the Times, traces the business from a secondhand shop idea during her economics degree to a luxury resale marketplace operating online, in stores, and through retail partners.
Swim Against The Tide’s Ep084 features Julian Warowioff, UK MD of Lemonade Beverages, describing how he joined a German social drinks startup and built its Swiss market to about €1 million in annual sales.
Barnes Edwards shares his journey from product design to running an organic garlic farm on the Isle of Wight, balancing commercial success with sustainability and community values.
The host interviews a glamping business founder about his journey from a backyard tent to multiple sites, discussing the realities behind overnight success.
Mark Murphy shares his journey to co-founding Burgerism, discussing entrepreneurship, team culture, and building a loyal fan base.
Chris Miller shares his journey from finance to founding White Rabbit Projects and launching the UK's largest sauna, discussing risks, customer experience, and entrepreneurship.
Host Steve Henry interviews Mark Scott, co-founder of Bella and Duke, about his entrepreneurial journey and lessons learned.
Interview with Annabel Turpin, CEO of Storyhouse, discussing her journey in the arts world, community engagement, and balancing commercial viability with charitable goals.
CEO Simon Gray shares his journey building Boost Drinks in a market dominated by Red Bull and Lucozade.