Strategy & Tragedy: CEO Stories with Steph Melodia

EP27: Meet the REAL Obi-Wan of Business | Farhan Lalji, LTV Capital

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Farhan Lalji is the Founder & General Partner of LTV Capital, a platform for emerging managers & investors in world-changing ventures. He is also a Teaching Fellow at London Business School and Entrepreneur in Residence at King’s College.
 
In this episode, Steph and Farhan discuss:
 
📈 The UK as a player on the global stage
📈 Thoughts on venture capital scout networks (and who’s doing well)
📈 When his business got acquired *during* a crowdfunding campaign (hint: it was a bit awks)
📈 His view from the boardroom table (he sat on EIGHT!!)
📈 Privilege in entrepreneurship
📈 How to successfully pivot
 
For more information on what Farhan is building, take a look at https://medium.com/ltv-capital/ltv-capital-so-why-the-lion-8071d3ec7dfb
 
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EP26: "Our house BURNT DOWN - and not a *single* order went out late!" | Charlotte Ayoub, TLC Sport

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From 1984 in Cairo to 2024 in London, Stephanie Melodia interviews Charlotte Ayoub of TLC Sport, the inclusive sportswear brand featured in the likes of Cosmopolitan, The Times, Marie Claire, The Independent, The Guardian, and more.
 
In this episode Steph and Charlotte discuss:
 
🧘🏽‍♀️ Building a body positive brand that connects with women’s empowerment
🧘🏽‍♀️ The importance of product development in line with customer needs
🧘🏽‍♀️ Marketing an anti-trend product in a trend-led industry
🧘🏽‍♀️ Retailer partnerships including lessons from fashion buyer c*ck-ups 
🧘🏽‍♀️ No (wo)man is an island - the importance of a good team
🧘🏽‍♀️ Learning that 'perfect' is the enemy of 'good' - thanks to Black Friday catastrophe!
 
Discover more about TLC Sport: https://tlcsport.co.uk/
 
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🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/
 
🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos
 
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EP25: From SANDY BALLS to 3x exits and 20x investments | Richard Hadler, Founders Capital

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Richard Hadler is the 3x exited co-founder of Founders Capital, angel investor in 20 companies (including Spacegoods, Odin, Freja) and author of 'Marketing: The Bottom Line.' 
 
In this episode, Steph and Rich discuss:
 
🚀 Hiring strategies
🚀 Lessons from a D2C cocktail brand
🚀 The role of boards and gaining diverse perspectives 
🚀 Rich's role as an advisor, helping to provide a helicopter view to gain perspective
🚀 Leaning into your entrepreneurial gut instinct
 
Learn more about Founders Capital here: https://www.founders-capital.com/
 
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🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/
 
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EP24: AI, winning teams, and overcoming a "warm intro" in VC | Ziv Reichert, LocalGlobe

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Ziv Reichert is a VC Partner at LocalGlobe, the seed stage venture capital firm behind the likes of Citymapper, Wise and Zoopla.
 
In this episode, Steph and Ziv discuss:
 
💰 Top tips on getting a busy investor's attention
💰 A VC’s perspective on the fundraising environment ("we’re an easy scapegoat")💰 What gets Ziv excited as an investor (top themes and specific breakdown of favourite companies)💰 How Ziv tries to stay ahead of the curve and cultivate a futurist "crystal ball" mindset
💰 The key ingredients for startup success 
💰 Thoughts on AI
 
Learn more about LocalGlobe here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/localglobe/
 
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🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/
 
🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos
 
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EP23: Meet the Tina Turner of finance! | Norma Cassius, Think Like a Bank

Norma Cassius is a Money Management Consultant and Psychotherapist with 20+ years' experience in the financial Sector and 17+ years' as a qualified Psychotherapist in Harley Street, London.
 
Our finances and mindset are so intertwined that it makes perfect sense that Norma has combined her financial and psychotherapy expertise with her mission to help people manage both their money and their mindset.
 
Norma has successfully helped hundreds of people and delivered financial education talks to over 16,000 individuals in 2024 alone.
 
In this episode, Steph and Norma discuss:
 
💸 Norma's background, including the influence of her Jamaican parents and raising three kids under the age of 6 while working part-time
💸 How Norma discovered her "ikigai" and now living her best life in her 60s
💸 The fundamentals of money management including financial language and basic terminologies💸 The links between personal finances and your mental health
💸 How to take the leap into entrepreneurship financially
💸 How to use money as an empowering tool
 
Learn more about Norma Cassius here: https://www.normacassius.com/
 
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🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/
 
🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos
 
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EP22: Our merger was a fashion FAUX PAS | Vanessa Jacobs, Circulo

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Vanessa Jacobs is the exited Co-Founder of The Restory, a luxury aftercare service named as one of Walpole’s Brands of Tomorrow in 2019. She is now on her third venture with Circulo, harnessing her passion & expertise in the circular economy space to deliver her mission of reducing fashion waste.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
👗 Converting a personal pain point into a viable business
👗 Putting the customer first via a concierge MVP (think "mechanical turk")
👗 Startup pivots and increasing success with each new business venture
👗 How demand and funding and all the good stuff *still* doesn’t equate to huge success IF you haven’t got your unit economics nailed!
👗 Biggest lessons learnt from a sour marriage...
 
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Follow Steph:
 
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/
 
🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos
 
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EP21: "It 3X the business and HALVED the CAC!" | Daniel Hegarty, ex-Habito, Founder & CEO of Communion

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Daniel Hegarty is the Founder & ex-CEO of Habito, the proptech scale-up which raised <$90M in venture capital, and now Founder & CEO of Communion, the mobile-first fintech on a mission to help people build a financial buffer against the world and fix their relationship with money.
 
In this episode, Steph and Daniel discuss:
 
👉 The power of brand & the importance of storytelling
👉 Having the balls to take big, brave bets
👉 Founder mental health, especially as an introvert 
👉 How entrepreneurship can make a difference to people’s lives
👉 Solving the anxiety of personal finances with Communion - from being at the whim of capitalism to galvanising yourself with a tiny act of defiance every day.
 
Learn more about Communion here: https://www.communionsaves.com/
 
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Follow Steph:
 
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/
 
🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos
 
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EP20: SPECIAL SOLO EPISODE | Top FOUR Lessons in Entrepreneurship

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In this special solo episode I wanted to reflect on the different conversations I’ve had with entrepreneurs over the past 20 episodes, and share with you the most common themes and top lessons learnt that have come up on the show so far… Tune into to find out what they are!
 
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EP19: "It's entrepreneurship or STRIPPING for me!" | Anu Obe, To All My Black Girls

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Anu Obe is the Founder of To All My Black Girls, a D2C ecomm business that specialises in naturally textured hair extensions for Afro-Caribbean hair types.
 
In this episode, Steph and Anu discuss:
 
👩🏾‍🦱 The importance of self-belief and optimism - your reality is not your identity!
💜 Having a clear mission, identifying a gap in the market, and solving one fatal customer problem
👩🏾‍🦱 The idea of whether or not entrepreneurship is for everyone?! 
💜 The power of self-confidence, and where that came from for Anu
👩🏾‍🦱 The top books that impacted Anu the most. (Hint: one of them is a religious text).
💜 How Anu went about finding her very first customers
 
Learn more about To All My Black Girls here: https://toallmyblackgirls.com/
 
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EP18: 4 KIDS, 3 EXITS, 2K MEMBERS, ONE WOMAN | Emmie Faust, Female Founders Rise

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Emmie Faust is the 3X exited entrepreneur-turned-angel-investor, now Founder of Female Founders Rise - the supportive and inspiring resource for female founders to help them succeed with their businesses.
 
Emmie invests exclusively in female founders and her portfolio includes ONEWAYX, RunYourself, and Mamma Wellbeing among others, as well as her role with Ventures Together.
 
In this episode, Steph and Emmie discuss:
 
✊ The impact of motherhood on self-confidence✊  Female role models, including Emmie's first powerhouse boss!✊ The power of mindset shifts in order to serve a more personally fulfilling mission✊  How entrepreneurship can lead to financial freedom, and why women need to consider this path for empowerment✊ Angel investing, including Emmie’s portfolio and what she looks for in a deal (hint: numerology features!!)
 
Learn more about Female Founders Rise here: https://femalefoundersrise.com/
 
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Follow Steph:
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🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/
 
🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/videos
 
🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517
 
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