In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Abi Selby, founder of Spabreaks.com, to explore how she built the UK's leading spa booking platform while staying true to a mission of making wellness more accessible, inclusive and meaningful.

What began as a simple idea grew into a £36 million business that now sends more than 16,000 people to spas every week. Along the way, Abi challenged industry norms, opened wellness experiences to people often overlooked by the sector, and built a purpose-led business that has continued to evolve for nearly two decades.

Together they discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, resilience, mentorship, community and the realities of growing a business through major industry shifts, including the challenges of Covid.

This is an honest conversation about purpose, perseverance and building a company that creates impact beyond profit.

• The moment Abi spotted the opportunity behind Spabreaks.com
• Growing a business from startup to industry leader
• Why inclusivity became central to the company's mission
• Supporting people living with cancer through wellness experiences
• The role mentors played throughout Abi's journey
• Navigating Covid and rebuilding stronger
• Founder wellbeing and avoiding burnout
• Why relationships are one of the most valuable business assets
• Lessons from leading a £36m business over nearly 20 years

Looking for support on your own founder journey?

Founder to Founder is brought to you by Virgin StartUp, the not-for-profit organisation helping founders start, grow and thrive through funding, mentoring, expert advice and community.

Find out more at virginstartup.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Pip Murray, founder of Pip & Nut, to explore how a simple idea born from marathon training became one of the UK's best-known challenger food brands.

What started with homemade nut butter, a blender and weekend market stalls grew into a multi-million-pound business stocked in major supermarkets across the UK.

Pip shares the realities of building a food brand from scratch, finding manufacturers, creating a standout brand identity, raising investment through Crowdcube and navigating the challenges of scaling in a highly competitive industry.

Together they discuss entrepreneurship, product development, fundraising, mentorship, leadership and what it takes to build a brand that lasts.

Whether you're launching a food business, building a consumer brand or looking for practical founder lessons on growth and resilience, this episode is packed with honest insights from someone who has spent more than a decade turning an idea into a category-leading brand.

• How Pip & Nut started from a homemade recipe
• Testing products through market stalls and customer feedback
• Finding manufacturers and building a scalable supply chain
• Raising £120k through Crowdcube
• Building a standout consumer brand on a limited budget
• Leadership lessons from scaling a food business
• The role mentors played throughout the journey
• Why patience often beats speed in entrepreneurship
• Growing a challenger brand in a competitive market

Looking for support on your own founder journey?

Founder to Founder is brought to you by Virgin StartUp, the not-for-profit organisation helping founders start, grow and thrive through funding, mentoring, expert advice and community.

Find out more at virginstartup.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Andy McNulty, co-founder of Touch Stay, to explore the journey of building, scaling and ultimately selling a SaaS business with no technical background.

Before founding Touch Stay, Andy held senior leadership roles at brands including Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Victoria Beckham. But it was a frustrating holiday rental experience and a strong entrepreneurial instinct that led him to launch Touch Stay, a digital guidebook platform now used by thousands of hospitality businesses around the world.

Andy shares the realities of startup life, raising investment through the Virgin StartUp Accelerator, navigating rapid growth during Covid, and the emotional challenges of selling a business he had spent a decade building.

Together they discuss intuition, mentorship, community, fundraising, product-market fit, startup exits and what founders often underestimate when building a technology business.

Whether you're launching a SaaS startup, preparing to raise investment or wondering what life looks like after an exit, this episode offers honest lessons from a founder who has experienced the full journey.

• How a holiday rental binder inspired the idea for Touch Stay
• Building a SaaS business without a technical background
• The role Virgin StartUp played in raising early investment
• Finding product-market fit and scaling sustainably
• How Covid accelerated growth rather than slowed it down
• Lessons on fundraising, mentorship and founder intuition
• The emotional reality of selling your business
• Life after exit and what comes next

Looking for support on your own founder journey?

Founder to Founder is brought to you by Virgin StartUp, the not-for-profit organisation helping founders start, grow and thrive through funding, mentoring, expert advice and community.

Find out more at virginstartup.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.