🔎 Episode Summary

In this episode, Jamie and David sit down with James Rutter — the creative and strategic mind who helped scale COOK from a £30m family-run food brand to a £130m certified B Corp, all while deepening culture, protecting quality, and refusing to “sell the soul” of the business.

James shares how his early career in journalism shaped his obsession with stories, why people-first companies win in the long run, and how the “Big Relationships” model (unity, clarity, appreciation) has become the backbone of COOK’s culture. He also breaks down strategy in a way that feels human and energising — not corporate, confusing, or abstract.

If you care about culture, purpose, or growing a company without losing the magic, this one is packed with insights.

Hosts: Jamie Dundas & David Brown

Guest: James Rutter – Strategist, writer, longtime culture-builder at COOK, and founder of JamesRutter.com

🧠 Key Takeaways

1. From Journalism to COOK - Following Curiosity, Not a Masterplan

James never intended to work in food. But his journalistic instinct eventually led him to COOK, where he discovered that culture is one giant “story of us.”

2. Big Relationships → Big Results

At the heart of COOK’s growth is a simple model:

• Unity – we’re in this together

• Clarity – know what you’re doing and why

• Appreciation – acknowledge people sincerely and often

This framework acts as a diagnostic tool for almost every challenge a team faces.

3. Scaling With Soul

COOK grew from 400 to 2,000 people without venture capital - on purpose. Slow, steady, values-aligned growth protected product quality and culture. Strategy wasn’t about domination, it was about staying true, staying consistent, and staying human.

4. Storytelling as a Cultural Engine

Small, everyday stories build belonging far more than grand narratives. James helps teams notice meaningful moments and use them to reinforce culture.

5. Strategy Isn’t Complicated — It’s Choice

Good strategy is simply deciding where to play and how to win, and sticking to it.

James breaks strategy down into:

• Clarity — what creates value

• Persistence — staying committed

• Courage — choosing one path and closing off others

It’s not about predicting the future; it’s about increasing the odds you’ll succeed.

🛠️ Tools, Models & Ideas James Uses

• Big Relationships Model: Unity, clarity, appreciation

• Storyworthy’s Homework for Life: A daily practice for noticing meaningful story moments

• Playing to Win (Laffley & Martin): A strategy framework built on choice

• Seven Powers (Helmer): Understanding where true advantage comes fro

💡 Best Quote

“Big results come from big relationships. A business is just people coming together to do something they couldn’t do alone.”

🔗 Connect With James Rutter

🌐 Website: https://www.james-rutter.com/

💬 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/james-rutter-8972079

💬 Connect With Ideas Club

📨 Newsletter: https://good.space/ideas-club

🌟 Join the community for founders, freelancers and creators who believe — ideas will save you.

In this episode, David and Jamie sit down with Alistair Hargreaves, former Saracens rugby player and co-founder of Wolfpack, to explore his unlikely leap from professional sport into building one of London’s most beloved independent pub brands. Hargreaves reflects on the “cliff edge” faced by every athlete, the pressure of figuring out life after sport, and how desperation, resilience and camaraderie paved the way for a completely new chapter.

The conversation unpacks the mindset behind reinvention, the realities of starting a business with zero industry experience, and the culture-first approach that has helped Wolfpack grow from a double-decker bus pouring pints to a thriving network of pubs with a devoted community. Hargreaves shares candid, thoughtful perspectives on leadership, brand building and the joy of creating spaces where people genuinely feel at home.

• Alistair speaks openly about the moment every athlete faces — the unavoidable “cliff edge” where your sporting career ends and real-life decisions begin.
• His shift into business wasn’t driven by a polished plan but by urgency, curiosity and a desire to put his sporting values to use beyond the pitch.
• Resilience, discipline and teamwork became the transferable skills that shaped his next chapter.

• Wolfpack began as a simple idea: serve beer to a captive audience of rugby fans from a converted double-decker bus.
• Early feedback taught Alistair and co-founder Chris that skills from rugby had value — but only if tested outside the sport. That became the catalyst for action.
• What started as post-training pub chats evolved into supplying local venues and eventually opening their own spaces across London.

• Rather than relying on their reputations as rugby players, Alistair and Chris intentionally built Wolfpack as a brand with its own identity, rooted in community
• Wolfpack’s culture — not fame — became its engine.

• Alistair discusses why Wolfpack pubs feel like neighbourhood anchors: places where people of all ages gather, connect and feel part of something local.
• From pouring pints on doorsteps during lockdown to nurturing spaces where everyone feels welcome, community is not a buzzword — it’s lived practice.

• Alistair describes entrepreneurship as equal parts courage and naivety — the willingness to jump in before you feel ready.
• He reflects on weathering tough seasons, taking hits, and staying resilient long enough to find a way through.
• His advice: avoid the “grey zone” of hesitation. Commit fully, embrace discomfort, and surround yourself with good people.

Lean in, take the leap, and trust that the skills you’ve built, whatever world they came from, can shape something meaningful in the next chapter.

“The strength of the wolf is in the pack — it’s all about togetherness.” — Alistair Hargreaves

Explore Wolfpack and their venues: https://wolfpacklager.com/

Follow Wolfpack on Instagram: @wolfpacklager

In this episode, David and Jamie sit down with Oliver Proudlock, sharing his journey from an unexpected start in reality television to becoming a successful multi-business owner. Proudlock opens up about the pivotal moments that shaped his worldview, including his parents' bankruptcy and his mother's unconventional creative spirit, and how these experiences fuel his commitment to authenticity and a strong work ethic today.

The conversation offers a deep dive into the delicate balance between professional ambition and personal life, particularly the desire to be a present father. He explains the driving force behind his businesses, Serge DeNimes and QV. He emphasises the importance of community, long-term relationships and staying true to yourself in the face of a rapidly changing digital landscape.

🔑 Key Themes & Takeaways

1. Joining Reality TV

Proudlock recounts his struggle with the "hardest decision" to join Made in Chelsea for the platform it could provide his fledgling brand.

The philosophy that changed his mind: "You regret the things you don't do in life a lot more than the things you do do".

Maintaining authenticity on the show by avoiding the centre stage to avoid drama and ensure his family and friends could be proud of him.

2. The Dual-Sided Motivation

Inspired by his creative mother, Proudlock developed a tendency to "juggle" multiple things.

His drive for having multiple ventures stems from seeing his parents go bankrupt and a need to be financially secure for the future.

He is learning to juggle less in his workspace to focus on what brings the most joy and reward, allowing more time to be present with his kids and wife.

3. The Power of Authenticity in Business

His personal mantra for business: "Love it, live it"

Authenticity is the most important thing for the content he shares, ensuring it is intertwined in his real life, not a set-up scenario.

His fashion sense, influenced by his mother, is a "super power", being brave enough to stand out and not care about what other people think.

4. Navigating the Digital Realm

The importance of building relationships and fostering community through brands like Serge DeNimes.

His advice for a 22-year-old creative, lean in, go all in and follow your gut instinct.

The key to mitigating burnout is authenticity and staying in your own "lane," avoiding comparison with what everyone else is doing.

🧭 Proudlock's Invitation

Go all in on your idea, believing that the pieces will come together, even if you make mistakes.

Check out Serge DeNimes here: https://www.sergedenimes.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoo19fwDOWK2gQsiszXQM7ZvYW2DyJ-ZhBfdJRBKfIM3ni-wvvPz

Look at his wine here Quatre Vin (wine):

Follow Ollie on Instagram - @proudlock

📖 Featured Quote

"You regret the things you don't do in life a lot more than the things you do do." - Oliver Proudlock

📚 Mentioned in this Episode

Serge DeNimes

Quatre Vin (Ollie's wine brand)

Made in Chelsea

Help I'm a Parent

In this inspiring and heartfelt episode, Jamie and David sit down with Tom Herbert, fifth-generation baker, author, and social entrepreneur behind The Long Table — a pioneering community restaurant built around the question:

“What if everyone in our community had access to great food and people to eat it with?”

Tom shares his personal and professional journey — from growing up in a family bakery and co-hosting the TV series The Fabulous Baker Brothers, to stepping away from his business to start a movement focused on radical hospitality, social connection, and meaningful community.

Together, they explore creativity, leadership, burnout, faith, and the tension between purpose and practicality. This episode is a soulful look at how what we love can serve what the world needs.

1. The Origins of The Long Table

• A restaurant built around community, dignity, and shared meals.
• “Pay as you can” dining as an act of trust, inclusion, and regeneration.
• Reimagining hospitality as a space for belonging rather than exclusivity.

2. From Baker to Changemaker

• Tom’s journey from Hobbs House Bakery and The Fabulous Baker Brothers to social enterprise.
• How dyslexia, creativity, and curiosity shaped his leadership.
• The moment of transition: leaving family legacy to pursue a deeper calling.

3. Leading with Openness

• The challenge of building something bigger than yourself.
• Holding vision lightly so others can color it in.
• Leadership as “soft front, strong back” — strength with vulnerability.

4. Balancing Purpose and Practicality

• How The Long Table sustains itself as a social enterprise.
• “Clear is kind” — being transparent about costs and value.
• Growing “at the speed of trust” and staying agile in community work.

5. The Power of Food to Heal and Connect

• Meals as moments of deep humanity and shared story.
• From loneliness to belonging — food as social glue.
• “If you have more than enough, build longer tables, not higher walls.”

Tom encourages listeners to:

• Eat with someone new. Invite others to your table.
• Visit The Long Table in the Cotswolds and experience it firsthand.
• Support the movement by becoming a Friend of The Long Table or hosting a Longest Table event in your own community.

“How might what I love be in service of what is needed?” – Tom Herbert

• The Long Table – thelongtableonline.com
• Do Wild Baking (Do Book Co.) – by Tom Herbert
• The Grace Network – supporting social enterprise in the Cotswolds
• 
  

Tom ends the episode reading from Do: Wild Baking, a poetic invitation to gather, cook, and reconnect with the wild and with one another:

“It’s satisfying and I breathe out. I catch the eye of the others and we begin to talk more freely. It feels good to be known… We know what it is to be truly alive.”

🎙️ Ideas Club Podcast #11 – Josh Spector: How to Get Clients From Your Content

Hosts: Jamie Dundas & David Brown

Guest: Josh Spector – Writer, strategist, and creator of For The Interested newsletter

In this episode, Jamie and David sit down with Josh Spector — a digital strategist who spent nearly a decade running social media and marketing for The Oscars before building his own successful brand helping creators and businesses get clients from their content.

Josh shares how to turn content into clients, the secrets behind his popular newsletter For The Interested, and why most people overpay for social media management but underpay for strategy. It’s a masterclass in simplifying your content system, creating transformation for your audience, and making marketing actually work.

1. From The Oscars to Entrepreneurs

Josh managed digital media for The Oscars for five years and learned that the same principles that drive millions of viewers can help small creators grow — it’s all about providing value and transformation.

2. The “Everything is Content” Mindset

• Every conversation, sent email, or idea can become content.
• Most people talk about doing things — Josh encourages doing and sharing what you learn.
• Treat your content library as reusable assets: one good idea can become 10 posts.

3. Why Strategy Beats Execution

Many brands hire people to “post more,” but without a clear strategy, it’s wasted effort. The right question isn’t what should we post? but how will this help us reach our business goals?

4. How to Get Clients From Content

Josh’s golden questions:

• What’s your ultimate business goal?
• Who do you need to reach to achieve it?
• What do those people value?
• How can you give them that for free in your content?
• Focus on transformation, not promotion.

5. Newsletter Growth & Retention Tips

• Don’t make newsletters too long — shorter and consistent beats long and sporadic.
• Improving content ≠ growing subscribers — growth requires a separate, active strategy.
• The best subject line? Building trust so people open it because it’s from you.
• Move your key calls-to-action (like booking a tour or product link) higher up — don’t bury them.

• For The Interested Newsletter: 32,000+ subscribers; actionable daily and weekly editions.
• Workflowy: To capture content ideas instantly.
• Content Reuse: About 75% of what he publishes has been shared before — repurposing is key.

“If someone reads your content and can do something afterwards that they couldn’t do before — that’s value.”

• 🌐 Website: https://joshspector.com/
• ✉️ Newsletter: https://fortheinterested.com/subscribe/
• 💬 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joshspector
• 💡 Membership: https://joshspector.com/program/

• 📨 Newsletter: https://good.space/ideas-club

💡 Join the community for creators, freelancers, and founders who believe — ideas will save you.

In this episode, we sit down with the founder of Don’t Tell Dad, Queen’s Park’s much-loved bakery-restaurant that’s become both a local hub and a brand built on story, mischief, and heart. From the playful name to the deep personal history behind it, our guest shares how the restaurant was inspired by his sister Leslie, a tragic loss that sparked a new way of living and creating.

We explore what it means to design a space that feels like the neighborhood’s living room, how brand values show up in every little touchpoint—from the hoarding to the website “Don’t Click Me” button—and why hospitality at its best is equal parts love, chaos, and play.

Whether you’re a food lover, a budding entrepreneur, or someone who cares about how place and community connect, this conversation is full of honesty, insight, and laughter.

• The layered meaning behind the name Don’t Tell Dad—and why mischief is central to the brand.
• How grief and loss can become the foundation for creating something life-giving.
• The lessons learned from founding and selling Coco di Mama, and why brand is more than just colors and logos.
• The role of neighborhood restaurants in shaping daily life and community identity.
• The importance of “every touchpoint” in hospitality, from glassware to newsletters.
• Why balance, family, and joy matter as much as growth and performance.

• Don’t Tell Dad, Queen’s Park
• Book: Eating the Big Fish by Adam Morgan (amazon)
• Book: What Great Brands Do by Denise Lee Yohn (amazon)
• Book: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara (amazon)

• (00:00) Warming up & recording the “backstage” chatter
• (05:12) The story behind the name “Don’t Tell Dad”
• (12:45) Losing Leslie and finding purpose through hospitality
• (24:30) Brand as story, not just design
• (38:55) Lessons from Coco di Mama and the “energy” brand insight
• (52:10) Mischief, chaos, and the sibling spirit in the brand
• (01:05:20) Building for the neighborhood, not just footfall
• (01:15:00) What makes a great brand experience

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend, leave us a review, and of course—if you’re in London, head to Queen’s Park and treat yourself to the legendary hazelnut brown butter croissant at Don’t Tell Dad.

Sign up to be part of the Ideas Club - https://good.space/ideas-club

🎙️ Ideas Club Podcast – Episode with Parul Bavishi (London Writers' Salon)

In this episode, David and Jamie speak with Parul Bavishi about the journey of creating the London Writers' Salon, a global writing community that helps writers find their voice, stay accountable, and connect with others. Parul shares insights into how Writers’ Hour was born during the pandemic, why creative communities matter, and how writing can become a daily ritual for well-being as well as creative output.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Origins of the London Writers' Salon and its early experiments in 2019.
• The launch of Writers’ Hour during the pandemic and how it became the heartbeat of the community.
• Challenges of scaling while keeping a sense of closeness and care.
• The definition of “community” and how to cultivate many-to-many connections.
• Writing as a practice: overcoming self-doubt, resistance, and imposter syndrome.
• Advice and habits from writers including Steven Pressfield, Julia Cameron, Gretchen Rubin, and Kate Mosse.
• The balance between running a business and nurturing personal creativity.
• Parul’s own journey into writing more publicly, including her experiments on LinkedIn.
• 
  

Takeaways:

• Writing communities thrive when they emphasize connection, accountability, and kindness.
• Resistance and self-doubt are universal to writers, but discipline, rituals, and finding what works for you are key.
• Scaling community isn’t about replicating feelings exactly, but about empowering more people to care and host spaces.
• Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary act—community can make it more sustainable and joyful.
• 
  

Links & Resources:

• https://londonwriterssalon.com/#
• Writers’ Hour – free daily writing sessions (use code WRITEAFRIEND)
• https://podcast.londonwriterssalon.com/
• Recommended episodes: Julia Cameron, Seth Godin, Oliver Burkeman

Summary

In this conversation, Sophie Cross, the publisher and editor of Freelancer Magazine, shares her journey of building a community-focused publication that supports freelancers. She discusses the importance of authenticity on platforms like LinkedIn, offers insights into copywriting, and emphasizes the value of starting projects before feeling fully prepared. The conversation also touches on strategies for attracting better clients, the impact of AI on freelancing, and the launch of a new freelance directory to connect members with opportunities.

Takeaways

Freelancer Magazine has evolved into a community-focused publication.

Building processes and asking for help are crucial to avoid burnout.

Authenticity on LinkedIn can help freelancers stand out.

Starting before you're ready can lead to unexpected opportunities.

Lowering benchmarks for success can make projects more enjoyable.

Freelancers should focus on attracting better clients, not just more clients.

AI can be a tool for efficiency, but human creativity remains essential.

Finding inspiration in everyday life can enhance creativity.

The new freelance directory aims to connect freelancers with clients.

Community support is vital for freelancers navigating challenges.

Links

Freelancer Magazine → https://freelancermagazine.co.uk

Freelancer Directory → https://freelancermagazine.co.uk/account/directory/

Sophie Cross on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiecross

Start Before You’re Ready → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0rfSTvGLR0

Do Hope → https://thedobook.co/products/do-hope/

Keywords

Freelancer Magazine, community building, LinkedIn, copywriting, AI in freelancing, starting before you're ready, attracting clients, creativity, membership, directory