{"id":14225,"date":"2023-07-24T10:05:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T09:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/?p=14225"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T14:36:27","slug":"sound-advice-how-to-come-back-from-bankruptcy-frankie-thorogood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/sound-advice-how-to-come-back-from-bankruptcy-frankie-thorogood\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming back from the brink of bankruptcy"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--audio entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--audio\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tComing back from the brink of bankruptcy\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-07-24T10:05:16+01:00\">24 July, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Coming back from the brink of bankruptcy\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/sound-advice-how-to-come-back-from-bankruptcy-frankie-thorogood\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/author\/bexburncallander\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/12\/Rebecca-burn-callander-podcast.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" height=\"40\" width=\"40\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Bex Burn-Callander<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignfull is-type-rich is-provider-buzzsprout wp-block-embed-buzzsprout wp-block-sage-buzzsprout-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-13236479\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/1422304\/13236479-frankie-thorogood-coming-back-from-bankruptcy.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-13236479&#038;player=small\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-sage-podcast-networks\">\n\t<div class=\"container has-dark-background-color on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"h4\">Listen to Sound Advice on:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"unstyled\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/sound-advice-get-year-one-in-business-right\/id1544479344\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"160\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/06\/2-US_UK_Apple_Podcasts_Listen_Badge_RGB.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Listen on Apple Podcasts\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2yhPIOebSiBpEYek6q2GZJ?si=UWWTKrgIQ2OsUAlnHrzHTQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"330\" height=\"80\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/06\/spotify-podcast-badge-blk-grn-330x80-1.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Listen on Spotify\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xNDIyMzA0LnJzcw?sa=X&#038;ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwios_fb8YnuAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"76\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/06\/EN_Google_Podcasts_Badge_2x.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Listen on Google Podcasts\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/show\/sound-advice-get-year-one-in-business-right\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"558\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/06\/Stitcher_Listen_Badge_Color_Light_BG.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Listen on Stitcher\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frankie Thorogood\u2019s business journey started with the football snood craze. He couldn\u2019t purchase one anywhere, so decided to start up his own sportswear brand where other football fans could buy them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TCA soon turned into a company selling everything from snoods to compression shirts and other athleisure wear, and it became a multimillion-pound business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, one small oversight threatened to bring TCA crumbling down\u2014Frankie was not on top of his cash flow and was buying more stock than he could afford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After digging himself out of a \u00a3300,000 (\u20ac347,000)&nbsp;financial hole, he later went on to sell the business and set up his second venture, Pott\u2019d, using all the lessons he learned from running TCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This episode explores the importance of branding, cash flow and how to stand out from your competitors on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is all his unfiltered advice below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#how\">How a football snood inspired the creation of TCA<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#creating\">Creating a range of products will help you to build a sustainable business and brand<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#youll\">You\u2019ll need to pay suppliers before you have time to sell the stock\u2014so don\u2019t order more than your current cash flow can cover<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#dont\">Don\u2019t leave it all to your accountants\u2014make sure you are aware of the financial position of your business<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#to\">How to dig yourself out of a \u00a3300,000 financial hole<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#price\">Price is an indicator of quality, so discounts won\u2019t always help to sell your stock<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#ignorance\">Ignorance is bliss and it will help you to keep your confidence from wavering<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#entrepreneurs\">Entrepreneurs thrive in a crisis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#be\">Be an agent of your own destiny\u2014if you can get yourself into the mess, you can get yourself back out<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#make\">How to make your brand a multimillion-pound seller on Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#communicate\">How to communicate quality and stand out from competitors on Amazon through your copywriting<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#starting\">Starting with a great original product will get you good reviews<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#covid\">How Covid and mental health challenges inspired Pott\u2019d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#rely\">Don\u2019t rely on one hero product\u2014slowly expand your range<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#finding\">Finding a timeless product<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#is\">Is it important for people to understand your brand name?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#business\">Relinquishing your business can give you a fresh start to try something new<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#the\">The future for Pott\u2019d and working with mental health charities<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#fighting\">Fighting absurdity with absurdity<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"video-container-wrap -mode-full\"><div class=\"video-container\"><video\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sage-video video-js vjs-default-skin \"\n\t\t\t\twidth=\"640\"\n\t\t\t\theight=\"360\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-setup='{ \"controls\": true, \"aspectRatio\" : \"16:9\", \"poster\": \"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/VsbBlDk4CgU\/maxresdefault.jpg\", \"techOrder\": [\"youtube\"], \"enablejsapi\": 1, \"origin\": \"https:\/\/www.sage.com\", \"sources\": [{ \"type\": \"video\/youtube\", \"src\": \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VsbBlDk4CgU\"}], \"youtube\": { \"ytControls\": 0, \"cc_load_policy\": 3, \"modestbranding\": 1, \"hl\": \"en_GB\", \"playsinline\": 1 } }'\n\t\t\t\tcrossorigin=\"\"><\/video><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how\">How a football snood inspired the creation of TCA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So tell me, you\u2019re a serial founder, but you\u2019ll have to cast your mind back to the previous venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So your TCA days, it all started with a football snood, is that right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Correct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, I think it was one of the coldest winters on record in the UK and footballers started wearing snoods, so I went out to try and buy one for myself to wear at Sunday league, and I realised you couldn\u2019t actually buy them anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JD Sports and Sports Direct didn\u2019t stock them, and that was when I got the seed of the idea that, well, there must be other people as well as me that want to buy them and no one\u2019s selling them, so let\u2019s maybe give it a go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So you had your finger on the pulse, you managed to source them yourself presumably, and perhaps started selling them before anyone else had cottoned onto the idea?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, I\u2019m sure I was the first person in this country definitely to be selling them. I still don\u2019t know to this day where the footballers were getting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They must have had some overseas supply, but I was the first one to start selling snoods, and that business turned out to be obviously a bit of a craze, so it came and went quite quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But it\u2019s what got my foot in the door in business to start with and then obviously that kind of gradually became a sportswear brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t>Download your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"creating\">Creating a range of products will help you to build a sustainable business and brand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because you got into all different kinds of apparel. You had loads of different SKUs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how did you go from the one hero flash-in-a-pan product to actually having a range that people wanted to own the whole thing of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, I think it was pretty obvious to me that snoods were going to be a fad and a craze, and it wasn\u2019t going to last forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, in fact, what did eventually happen was the Football Association banned them, so footballers had to stop wearing them, which ironically turned into a huge day for sales because it hit the news, but the writing was on the wall for snoods from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I kind of knew that wasn\u2019t going to be a sustainable business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So as a person that loves doing sports, and I was playing football all the time, I was just kind of aware, I could see, basically, see footballers started to wear something underneath their jerseys, which was a new thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when they would exchange shirts at the end of the game, they were wearing something underneath it. And it turned out that this was coinciding with the time of the rise of Under Armour in the US, and so I realised that if the footballers were wearing these compression tops, maybe that was something I could look into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I hadn\u2019t noticed any people in Sunday league wearing it or kind of amateur sports people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that\u2019s where the next idea came from, and I thought, \u201cLet me investigate compression wear, the benefits, and maybe I can kind of go there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that was the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And compression wear turned into one of our core product lines at TCA, and they still sell the compression stuff that I developed back then to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"youll\">You\u2019ll need to pay suppliers before you have time to sell the stock\u2014so don\u2019t order more than your current cash flow can cover<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So you build this sustainable brand, your gear is being rocked by these athletes, and you\u2019ve got a big name out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So tell me how did it nearly all come crumbling down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What was your flirtation with bankruptcy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, I think to simplify it, I didn\u2019t understand the concept of cash flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, to be honest, it\u2019s still something I\u2019m not that great with, but I, basically, had no idea this business was going really fast and whatever we developed and launched was selling. Customers loved it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I had to wrap my head around this idea of cash flow. I, literally, didn\u2019t understand the concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So when things were going really well, I was like, \u201cOkay. Let\u2019s expand the range. Let\u2019s launch 20 or 30 new products this year instead of the five that we\u2019ve been doing because clearly there\u2019s demand for what we\u2019re producing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We developed about 30 new styles, and I believe this was in the Q4 of 2017 when we were due to launch them. And they were great products, carefully developed with the team, so we were pretty happy with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the problem was I hadn\u2019t understood the concept that I would need to pay the suppliers back before I\u2019d had time to sell the stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Honestly, it\u2019s so simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is embarrassing to admit now, but I\u2019d managed to get this business to millions of pounds of revenue without coming up against this problem and all of a sudden, I wanted to supercharge the growth, launch all these products all at one time without any finance in place whatsoever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was just running off the sales cash flow of the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, of course, it didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it got to the point where I was like, \u201cHang on a minute. I owe my suppliers all this money for stock that we\u2019ve received, but I haven\u2019t had anywhere near enough time to sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it\u2019s, pretty much, as simple as that, and that\u2019s how we ended up in that mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dont\">Don\u2019t leave it all to your accountants\u2014make sure you are aware of the financial position of your business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can you remember the day or where you were or how it all came unravelling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Did you suddenly speak to your accountant, your FD or did you open a banking app?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What was the moment that hit you, and you were like, \u201cWhat am I going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, the thing is it comes on a little bit slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s one supplier, say, invoiced you, and I\u2019m like, \u201cOh, God, that\u2019s a bit of a stretch. We can pay it, but the bank accounts are looking a little bit empty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then the next one comes in, and you\u2019re kind of then scraping the bottom of the barrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And eventually it dawned on me that this was a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At that time there was, basically, no financial control in the business at all. And it\u2019s just because it\u2019s not something that I\u2019m interested in or good at. I\u2019m good at the other stuff,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I just hadn\u2019t bothered to think about it enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it wasn\u2019t a single day, but it just slowly crept up on me, and I was realising that we weren\u2019t being able to pay these people back and the stock wasn\u2019t selling fast enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it was at that point I started to reach out, and I spoke to my accountant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At that point the accountant had really just been doing the kind of compliance work, like paperwork and submitting tax returns and stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They weren\u2019t actually overseeing the finances of the business and making sure something like this didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I think, to be honest, it\u2019s maybe a lesson for people listening is that, at least for me, I kind of thought my accountants, although they weren\u2019t being paid much, they were, essentially, just doing, like I say, the compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I kind of had this idea in the back of my head that maybe they would know, or maybe they would warn me if something was going wrong, but they weren\u2019t paid to do that, and they weren\u2019t doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that was a huge kind of oversight again by me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I think that maybe I was just sort of wishful thinking, \u201cI\u2019m sure we\u2019ll be fine. The accountants might be on it.\u201d They weren\u2019t on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was lucky to have a really great accountant that I was working with, and I went to her, and I said, \u201cI think I\u2019m in a bit of trouble. What can we do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And she was one of the people that really helped dig me out of the mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t>Download your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"to\">How to dig yourself out of a \u00a3300,000 financial hole<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how big a hole were you in? How much did you owe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think it was about \u00a3300,000 (\u20ac347,000), what we ended up in a hole with, and so a huge amount. And the problem is once you need that money desperately, people don\u2019t want to give it to you because you\u2019re not a really particularly attractive borrower at that stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though we had a really healthy business, we had products, perennial sellers that, even to this day, are the top sellers on Amazon. We knew we had a good business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Banks just don\u2019t want to dish out money quickly and to fill that type of hole that we had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it was about \u00a3300,000 (\u20ac347,000), and I think we\u2019ll come on maybe to the solution shortly, but it cost us a lot of money to unravel at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I often hear this from entrepreneurs where it\u2019s like the bankers only want to give you an umbrella when the sun is shining. When it starts to rain, that umbrella, there\u2019s no sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get your umbrellas early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get your umbrellas early. Yeah, that should be the motto on every founder\u2019s T-shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what did you do? How did you raise that kind of capital at very short notice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And also how did you handle those conversations with your suppliers who were presumably left waiting for their money?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, so this is quite a few things ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so, I mean, the first thing is we had a great relationship with suppliers, and I used to visit them, which I found out since is a little bit unusual, especially if people mainly operate in the Amazon space, but I met my suppliers in 2012 and the company still works with them to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we built up a good relationship with them. I used to go and visit them at least once a year, usually two or three times, out in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we had reasonable terms, although they weren\u2019t good enough to allow for the mess that we were in, but we also had a good working relationship, a personal relationship with those guys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So some of them, we were a trusted customer of theirs, they were kind of happy to just hang on a bit and trust us, and so that kind of bought us a bit of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was so many people involved that helped get me out of that. I mentioned my accountant, Debbie. She then introduced me to Gary, who became the finance director of TCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then Chris, who I\u2019d recently hired as my COO, were kind of like three of the main characters that really helped me to understand what was going on and dig me out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So they were kind of helping me actually put together a cash flow spreadsheet for the first time and work out what that all looks like. Then I spoke to every single bank under the sun to try and get some funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I borrowed money off of all of my parents, all four of them. I borrowed money from the bank. I pretended that I wanted to buy a car, so they gave me a loan for a car that obviously went straight to China to some invoices that were owed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I\u2019d beg, borrow and didn\u2019t steal, but I probably would have if you pushed me just to try and raise cash any which way I can. And so that was kind of how we did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then that wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bank wasn\u2019t going to move that fast to give us the trade finance that we needed, although they ultimately did, which we really needed to continue to grow the business anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But we ended up selling, I\u2019m going to say \u00a3600,000 (\u20ac695,000) worth of stock for about \u00a3100,000 (\u20ac116,000). So a half a million just written off to try and dig out this hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it took years, took three years to actually unravel the mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"price\">Price is an indicator of quality, so discounts won\u2019t always help to sell your stock<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What, you just discounted so heavily to make sure people bought it just to get the turnover coming in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We learned quite a lot through this, aside from the basic things, but we did lower price, and it didn\u2019t work that well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that\u2019s one of the things that has actually influenced my thinking going forwards is that what we realised, ultimately, is that customers wanted to pay more for our products, not less, which is counterintuitive, but it was a very interesting lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we did discount. Obviously, that was a first thought we had. Didn\u2019t really work. People just thought\u2026 I don\u2019t know what they thought, to be honest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But price is an indicator of quality and if you\u2019re too cheap, you\u2019re going to put, certainly, some customers off, and our customers care about quality so that was an interesting lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the end, by the time we sold the business, we raised prices like every three or four months. Slowly but surely, they were 50% higher than they had been before, and sales weren\u2019t dropping off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we realised that we could actually sell our stuff for more money, which is another separate lesson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the way we actually offloaded that stock was we found wholesale buyers who were looking for sportswear for actually physical retail stores, and they wanted to buy in bulk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And we built up a great relationship with a couple of them, and they got an amazing deal off us because they bought all of our stuff for some sort of crazy discount. But we had no choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oh, that\u2019s really interesting. But that\u2019s better than going direct to the consumer with crazy discounts because then it\u2019s really hard to raise prices back to the previous levels, at least not in one jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that\u2019s clever. You go to a wholesaler and then people still feel like they\u2019ve got a decent deal, they make their margin, and you get some instant cash flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ignorance\">Ignorance is bliss and it will help you to keep your confidence from wavering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frankie, you say you have four parents. I have to go back. How do you have four parents?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tell me a little bit about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, I think it might be beyond the scope of our conversation, but parents separated, new partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re all raised by all four and most of all just came in handy when I needed money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hopefully, they\u2019re not listening to this show, \u201cYou only want us for our bank balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No, I just had to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No, it\u2019s fine. I did borrow money from all of them and significant amounts, which I didn\u2019t appreciate at the time how much they were trusting me because I\u2019ve now come full circle and people have asked me to help them out in a situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m like, \u201cAre you kidding me? That\u2019s a huge amount of money, which you may never see again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The funny thing is when we were doing all this, I was meeting with the banks and asking people for money, I actually was almost so ignorant and so naive of the depth of the problem that we were in, that I never lost faith, I never lost confidence that it would all be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it\u2019s almost like that kind of ignorance, I guess, ignorance was bliss. It just gave me that confidence to go to people and say like, \u201cNo. You will get your money back. It\u2019s a really good business. We just have a short-term problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think, ultimately, that really helped, not only with the friends and family. The family would have probably given the money anyway and just wrote it off because they love me, but the banks had to take a little bit of a risk on me, and I think it did help almost being so naive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I paid back my parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"entrepreneurs\">Entrepreneurs thrive in a crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But talk to me a bit about your mindset then because you\u2019ve mentioned the positivity that you brought to the situation, which I think is amazing, and we can expand on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what were your feelings when you realised that you had spent all this time building this amazing business, and this one mistake, this one kind of silly oversight, threatened to completely unravel everything that you had made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What was your emotional state like at this point? Did you have feelings of terror? Failure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How did you feel at this point?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I really think I\u2019m the type of person, and I think a lot of entrepreneurs that might be listening could relate to this, but I thrive on a crisis. I love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I\u2019ve got my back to the wall and the odds are against me, to be honest, is when I perform my best. I kind of thrived on the challenge and I just said, \u201cIt\u2019s time to knuckle down and go to work to solve this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I really back myself in those type of situations where everything is on the line and, like I say, I\u2019ve just got to knuckle down and go to work and turn it around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it\u2019s also the times when other people would be keen to write me off is probably my motivation more than anything is to try and disprove people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that was kind of what the feelings were for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Underneath that I think if I\u2019d had time to dwell and stew on it, it could start to become the less productive emotions of fear and just kind of like ruminating on what \u2026 Because I\u2019d put so many years into the business at that point, it could all be coming to nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I just think of my natural state as not to go down that negative route, and it\u2019s just to, like I say, come out swinging, try and solve the problem. So that\u2019s kind of how it played out in my head really.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t>Download your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"be\">Be an agent of your own destiny\u2014if you can get yourself into the mess, you can get yourself back out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And when you say, \u201cBack yourself,\u201d do you mean just having faith in your instincts and trusting that you will be able to work it out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does back yourself mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think I\u2019ve got what they call in psychology, an inner locus of control, which, again, I think a lot of entrepreneurs probably need this to be successful, but that means that I feel that I am responsible for what happens to me, whether it is good or bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so I felt responsible for creating the mess that I was in, and I also felt that I was in control of being able to turn it around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think it\u2019s a natural innate, something I was either born with or developed early on, it\u2019s just that inner self-confidence. And I\u2019m not like that with everything, but I do think whether I win or lose, I always feel like it was in my power to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I think, as a general rule, it\u2019s probably quite a good place to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the flip side of that is you can start to think that you need to control everything, or you need to do everything, and you start to struggle with things like delegation. And maybe sometimes things aren\u2019t directly down to you, and they were good or bad, but you might take responsibility for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it\u2019s a double-edged sword, but I think the good side of it is what helped me out in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s really fascinating, and I think a lot of people listening will, as you say, identify with that feeling and that feeling of being an agent of their own destiny and being able to steer the ship one way or another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"make\">How to make your brand multimillion-pound seller on Amazon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And you did steer this ship soundly in the end and TCA became a multimillion-pound brand on Amazon where it can be extremely hard to stand out from competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Especially in something like sportswear where I don\u2019t even want to imagine how many different shops and Amazon itself selling all these different types of sportswear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how did you do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think the Amazon piece is quite interesting, and I actually did a presentation on this at an Amazon event last week and it kind of forced me to go back and investigate the story and what I had done a bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I think the way I was able to be successful on Amazon, ironically, was to do, pretty much, the opposite of what every other single person who tries to be successful on Amazon will do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So by way of example, I didn\u2019t turn up to Amazon thinking I want to sell something and make money on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What my mission was, was to create a world-class sportswear brand that just happened to be selling on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does that mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, I think Amazon is a marketplace, right? That\u2019s what it\u2019s called. It\u2019s called a marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And when you think about the term marketplace, imagine a marketplace in the real world that\u2019s not on the internet. What is a marketplace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s basically somewhere where almost anyone can turn up and start selling whatever they want, and they tend to go towards lower quality products because of that reason because there\u2019s a very low barrier to entry to turn up and sell in the marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My instinct was everybody is shopping on Amazon, and they actually want to buy good products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They don\u2019t want the cheapest thing, and so if we can create, like I say, a world-class sportswear brand with incredible products that we spent months and months, sometimes years, developing and designing, and we put that into the Amazon Marketplace where everybody else is playing a price game and selling low quality things we might just clean up, and we\u2019ll be the outstanding brand in that context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that was what turned out to be a bit of a USP with the business, was a focus on great products, focus on a great brand, and just taking that and putting it into a context where that was actually quite rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"communicate\">How to communicate quality and stand out from competitors on Amazon through your copywriting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How do you communicate that on Amazon though?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because you\u2019re presented with this very sort of anodyne shop window, and it\u2019s very hard to stand out because, ultimately, you have to just show a picture of what you\u2019re selling, and you\u2019ve got limited space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how do you communicate quality, especially if people are searching, and you just see all these little icons, all these little different versions of things?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how did you do that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, good question. I mean, it changed over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So back in 2012, the Amazon Marketplace was very in its infancy, and you actually got very few tools to play with. So you had, basically, a product gallery and some bullet points and a title, so very constraint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But even within those variables, I was able to convey to the customer that they were buying a great product with a team behind it that had thought about what they were selling, and they weren\u2019t just churning out cheap rubbish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it\u2019s small things, but my background is in marketing. Before I started TCA, I actually wanted to go into the advertising industry and that\u2019s because I love working out how to communicate to customers, which is what advertising is to me. So it was tiny things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the bullet points it was a tone of voice and the copywriting, which I did all myself and I still do now because I still think that that\u2019s something unique that I can bring to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So writing in the right tone of voice, it would stand out from maybe a competitor that\u2019s just listing some features in a very direct way and there\u2019s no kind of emotion behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the simple things I did was just naming the colours of the product. So we would have, let\u2019s say, a compression top in the early days that was blue, red, black, and yellow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I spent hours, probably too long in hindsight, thinking of what shade of blue that represented to me and what I would like to label it to a customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can\u2019t remember what\u2019s a good example now, but there\u2019ll be a cool name for a blue colour and there\u2019d be a cool name for the red so weren\u2019t just these obvious primary colour names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that speaks to customers. They understand that you\u2019re working with a real design team it\u2019s kind of like a brand that\u2019s got some thought behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So even in the early days, 2012, when all you had was pictures tied to bullet points, we could still stand out. The product imagery, of course, we spent hours on just to make sure that the lighting was correct, and we would show off to its best ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it takes a little while because you might not be the cheapest product on there, but once you start to get a couple of sales, and you get what we got, which was rave reviews because the product they got was so good, you can slowly but surely rise up the rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that\u2019s how we did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"starting\">Starting with a great original product will get you good reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that\u2019s it. You can\u2019t fake reviews. Basically, you have to have a good product because otherwise you will get slaughtered in the reviews and there\u2019s just nothing you can do about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, I mean, we\u2019re talking about Amazon specifically here, and it is more relevant. Like reviews are your lifeblood of your business on Amazon, but if you start with a great product, you don\u2019t actually have to worry about getting good reviews because everybody likes what you\u2019re selling, and we never had to worry about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re always looking over our shoulders worrying about negative reviews and whether our rating was going down to four or three, it was never an issue because we knew the product was great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so I say to people starting a business specifically on Amazon, don\u2019t fall into the trap of just finding something to sell. To me, that\u2019s running a business backwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t turn up to Marketplace and say, \u201cWhat can I sell?\u201d That\u2019s crazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You need to work out what customers need that they don\u2019t currently have and then put the work in to make a great product and kind of the brand bills itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We had a seller from Amazon, her company is Gamely Games, and she said, \u201cI don\u2019t understand why people go with a me-too product to Amazon. Then you\u2019re in a race to the bottom from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou need an original product so that no one else is selling what you are selling, and then you can choose your price point, and you build in enough of a kind of buffer there that Amazon can take what\u2019s theirs, and you still have a decent margin otherwise it\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that resonated with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that\u2019s clearly the path that you took as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, exactly. Like I say, it was, \u201cI want to build a sportswear brand. There\u2019s this thing called Amazon, which makes it really easy to get your product in front of customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that\u2019s how I did it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it\u2019s only with hindsight that I can see that that was really the opposite of what almost everyone was doing on Amazon at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And to be honest, still to this day the question I get is, \u201cHow did you find what to sell?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m just like, \u201cWhat are you on about?\u201d This is really not the way to run a business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I mean, to be honest, some people might be good at that. Maybe they can, and it\u2019s all game in the system but, for me, it\u2019s make a great brand, make a great product, put it on Amazon because that\u2019s where the customers are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t>Download your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"covid\">How Covid and mental health challenges inspired Pott\u2019d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So speaking of make a great brand, make a great product, your new business is Pott\u2019d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So tell me where you got the inspiration for that. It\u2019s a massive step away from sportswear. So how on earth did you come up with the idea for this venture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lockdown was very helpful actually for me to get the headspace to prepare TCA for sale just to kind of close that off because that\u2019s when we ended up selling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was right in the heart of Covid and being able to work from home and just having a bit more space to myself and less interaction with the team really gave me the space to actually go and sell that business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And 18 months prior that TCA was valued at less than a thousand pounds by a business broker and 18 months later it was a multimillion-pound exit. So Covid was quite helpful for me in the sense it gave me the time and space to think about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then, of course, it changed everyone\u2019s lifestyle, so myself included, a lot more time in the house. And, unfortunately, what I found was I would fill that time with screens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so it came to the point where me and my girlfriend, we sat on the sofa, this is after work hours, and we\u2019re both hunched over on separate sofas, scrolling our phones with the TV in the background, and I just thought, \u201cThis is not how I want to spend the rest of my life. It is not a good use of my time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I could feel the negative effects on my mental health. And I\u2019m a creative person and I wanted to do something creative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we decided that we\u2019re not going to do this anymore. And we started to experiment with different types of craft products because that was obviously a great thing to do in Covid at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And we tried various bits and pieces and the one we liked most was air drying clay. And, basically, that\u2019s where the idea came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I thought to myself, \u201cWell, I know that TCA is going to be sold in a few months,\u201d because we were on that process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I thought, \u201cWhat am I going to do afterwards?\u201d I\u2019ve heard a lot of stories about people that put their heart and soul into a business for years, and they sell it, and then they\u2019re just depressed afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I thought, \u201cI really don\u2019t want that to be me, so why don\u2019t I start a little side hustle with this air-drying clay and that will keep me busy when TCA has sold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So that\u2019s kind of how it got started. That was the inspiration. And like I say, it really just started as a little bit of a hobby on the side, really started from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We were cutting up blocks of clay on the kitchen table, wrapping them up, posting things out. It was kind of like back to day one of TCA again. But that\u2019s how it all came about,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But did it very quickly mushroom from this tiny little side hustle type venture to being something that was a bit more\u2026 Had legs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And how quickly did that happen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, yeah, it did. I mean, we started off very small, 50 units of this thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like I say, we were, literally, chopping clay ourselves, so it\u2019s kind of like labour-intensive, but they sold well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then it is, literally, like the same as the snoods. That sold. Let\u2019s order some more and sell some more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it just kind of started ticking over and growing and growing until it became obvious that there was at least a reasonable size business in this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TCA got sold. And, to be honest with you, I wasn\u2019t actually feeling in need to run a new business as I predicted. I was quite happy to just spend time in the gym and just relaxing and doing other stuff, but Pott\u2019d kept going, kept going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then probably six months after I was like, \u201cThis is a really serious business now. There\u2019s an opportunity to do something special so let\u2019s now start to invest the time in it and see what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rely\">Don\u2019t rely on one hero product\u2014slowly expand your range<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I noticed your approach with Pott\u2019d is a bit different because when I looked at the website, very simple, only one particular product for sale at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you planning to sort of branch out or are you going to keep it very simple, very pared back, concise?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think one of the issues, I guess, with TCA, which was the sheer number of products that we had and that did kind of come up in the sale process, and it\u2019s like people were saying, \u201cHow do you manage so many?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To us, it didn\u2019t seem like a big deal, but it did make me think, \u201cOkay. Maybe it\u2019s better to have a bit of an 80:20 principle where we don\u2019t have to spread ourselves so thin over so many products.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So Pott\u2019d is great because we have the one kit which is doing really well. I don\u2019t think one product makes a business, or very rarely. People\u2019s tastes might change, so anything could happen really. One product is too much to be pinning all your hopes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So at the moment we\u2019re developing other products in the space, which is kind of like a new space that we\u2019re defining as a creative activity space. And so I don\u2019t see any reason why we shouldn\u2019t expand the brand and expand into more products that kind of hit the same points for customers that Pott\u2019d did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it\u2019s about encouraging creativity and being good for your mental health and ideally being able to share it with someone else, whether it\u2019s a partner or friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So at the moment it\u2019s the one product that\u2019s doing most of the work for us, but this year we\u2019re launching three or four more, what I think are amazing other products in the similar space as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"finding\">Finding a timeless product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I love that you say, \u201cShare with a partner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve got this vision of all these people across the nation with their Ghost moment with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze having their Pott\u2019d kit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But you said that it was, \u201cA hit with customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But how are people finding you? Are these fans of the TV programme The Great Pottery Throwdown? Has there been a big clay pottery revival? Have you been riding that wave?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a good question. To be honest, we\u2019ve not taken a step back and looked at it on a really macro level what you\u2019re talking about there. Is pottery or is air drying clay a huge wave at the moment?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ve not actually looked at that as in terms of a macro trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of people ask me, \u201cMaybe this was a lockdown thing?\u201d It\u2019s not. People still want to do creative activities as we call it now when they do have the option to go out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I don\u2019t know on that level whether there\u2019s a pottery revival, but I do think people are more conscious of mental health, they\u2019re more maybe cost conscious as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Pott\u2019d is very affordable and a great value product. Like I say, you can do it with two or even four people with one kit, and it\u2019s kind of hours of entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think that doesn\u2019t really change. People want to be creative. They like to get into a flow state, which is extremely easy when you\u2019re working with your hands, that\u2019s a scientifically proven thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working with your hands gets you into a flow state, people like that. Do more creative stuff and kind of bonding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what me and my girlfriend found as well was it\u2019s just like you can sit there, and it\u2019s actually different sitting shoulder to shoulder with someone as opposed to maybe opposite somebody, and you\u2019re working on your own thing together with your clay, and you can just start to talk more and open up a little bit more, and it\u2019s this beautiful bonding that happens, and it can happen with a friend as well or family member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think all of that stuff is kind of timeless, and I don\u2019t think people will stop wanting that anytime soon. So again, that\u2019s why we got the confidence to launch these other products which had nothing to do with clay because they hit all those same kind of points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"is\">Is it important for people to understand your brand name?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Can you keep the same name? Can you still have everything under the Pott\u2019d brand or are you going to have to do a radical change there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No, we\u2019re keeping the name Pott\u2019d, and when it\u2019s not a pottery product it won\u2019t make sense, but I don\u2019t think it matters and I don\u2019t think anyone really cares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, basically, at TCA I remember I worked with a guy called Peter. He was actually the creative director of Under Armour at one point, and he came and worked with me on TCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I remember saying to him, \u201cOh, the brand name, I don\u2019t know whether we should change it, or could we really expand with this because it kind of doesn\u2019t mean what it used to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And he said to me like, \u201cAnything can be a brand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I thought, \u201cOh, my God. You\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look at Under Armour. I mean Under Armour is probably one of the worst brand names ever invented. Under Armour makes no sense on a pair of trainers. It sounds like underarm is too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People spell armour differently in different countries. There\u2019s just so many things wrong with it and yet it\u2019s a top three sportswear brand in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I think it doesn\u2019t matter what the brand is called. I think this is what Jeff Bezos says, \u201cYour brand is what people say about you when you\u2019re not in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It doesn\u2019t matter what the name is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Amazon\u2019s a terrible brand name. It\u2019s about the value and the equity that you build up into through everything you do and your products and how you interact with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does TCA stand for, by the way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, so I kind of regret bringing that up because that was a question I hate getting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So originally it was Total Compression Advanced because it was compression wear that we were doing. We changed the meaning of the name to Thorogood Competitive Apparel, so it could be broader than just the compression clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But ultimately, TCA is the brand and that\u2019s what people know it as. And, like I said, it kind of doesn\u2019t really matter. People know what the brand stands for in their minds and in their experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it turned out not to be a problem and I think the same will be true for Pott\u2019d as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t>Download your free small business toolkit: a guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template so you can manage your business effectively<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"business\">Relinquishing your business can give you a fresh start to try something new<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you still watch TCA like a hawk? Do you still go on Amazon or do you still look out for how the brand is going down here and around the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is it possible to ever really let go when you\u2019ve put so many years of your life into something?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, I did wonder but, for me, it actually came as a relief to be able to let go of TCA. And I think maybe it comes back to that kind of inner locus of control topic that we were talking about before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I\u2019m one of these people that I\u2019m kind of 100% obsessed with something, or I\u2019m not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it had come to the point with TCA where I actually had an urge to go and explore other things in life, hobbies and different types of products and brands I had ideas for, but I couldn\u2019t do it with TCA still under my control. I had to be all in on TCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So it became a real relief to me to be able to relinquish it and have a clean break and say, \u201cYou know what? I\u2019ve done my part on this now, and it\u2019s someone else\u2019s job to take the journey further.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So from that perspective, it was a very good thing for me to sell the business and the team stayed on after the sale, so I knew it was in good hands and I did get updates and I heard about things they were doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They launched some amazing new products which I probably wouldn\u2019t have done, and they had a different leadership, so they went and explored those new products in kids\u2019 sportswear, which I think is some really awesome stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I was really happy with how they took it on, and the only bad news was that whenever I need new things, I actually have to go and buy it now a normal person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, you don\u2019t get a founder discount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think the founder discount has run out now. I, literally, have to go on Amazon and order things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the\">The future for Pott\u2019d and working with mental health charities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that point about moving on to new things: so you\u2019re still young, is Pott\u2019d your swansong venture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is that going to take you to the end of your days, or do you have loads of other ideas that you are desperate to bring to market at some point?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yeah, I think a lot of my ideas are around the creative activity space that we\u2019re doing with Pott\u2019d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We talked about mental health a little bit and creativity. Those are two of my passions and I guess my core values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So Pott\u2019d, it is a very successful brand, but I also would like to see an impact on another level as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, for example, with Pott\u2019d we work with a charity called North London Cares, which is helping older neighbours in the area who are struggling for a social connection, and the charity brings those people together for activities and stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I started volunteering at some of those, and I said, \u201cWell, how about we do a clay pottery night?\u201d And so we did. We donated all the clay, and we went in and taught these guys how to use it and I think people had an amazing time, and it was a real hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So we\u2019re continuing to do that type of work with North London Cares, and I want to start working with some other mental health charities as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I\u2019m excited about that for the future of Pott\u2019d is to make an impact outside of just the business which, to be honest, is kind of a strange thing for me to even say. It doesn\u2019t seem like me, but it\u2019s something I\u2019m passionate about, so I think that\u2019s driving me forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then, no, I don\u2019t think Pott\u2019d will be my last business. It might be my last physical product business for a while. I\u2019m not sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s something I do know how to do, but I\u2019d be keen to learn how to maybe do a different type of business model in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And I think I\u2019ve got personal projects that I want to work on, like writing and other creative pursuits, so they might turn into business as well I\u2019d imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fighting\">Fighting absurdity with absurdity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bex Burn-Callander:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s interesting how as a leader, as an entrepreneur, as a human being, obviously we always evolve and our motivations change, our goals change, so it\u2019s good to leave some space for that to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Frankie, I have one more question for you and I can\u2019t resist asking you this: I saw on your LinkedIn the quote on your pages, \u201cThe best founder and CEO of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And there\u2019s like a list of the awards every year and then into your future, into perpetuity, \u201cThe best founder and CEO of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tell me about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frankie Thorogood:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I mean, I don\u2019t know if you spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, but it is full of garbage. It is just full of it and I haven\u2019t got time for that type of stuff, people really beating themselves up, going on about how great they are, these awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I mean, that joke about the best CEO was because I went on someone\u2019s profile who was trying to help me sell TCA at one point and his profile had like CEO of the year award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was thinking, \u201cWho\u2019s giving out CEO of the year? And who are you? I\u2019ve never heard of you. You\u2019re not CEO of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know what I mean? It\u2019s just ridiculous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I just don\u2019t have time for that stuff on LinkedIn. So I think I just deal with the absurdity of existence by shoving absurdity down existence\u2019s throat, I guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inspired by this small business story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wherever you\u2019re listening or watching, subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/sound-advice-get-year-one-in-business-right\/id1544479344?_gl=1*6o40wv*_ga*MjA5NDY4NjE4OC4xNjE0NzM4MTI4*_ga_N0V23L0VEC*MTYzMzUwOTU4NS4xOTYuMS4xNjMzNTA5NjA2LjA.\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sound Advice on Apple iTunes<\/a> here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2yhPIOebSiBpEYek6q2GZJ?si=UWWTKrgIQ2OsUAlnHrzHTQ&amp;nd=1&amp;_gl=1*1h0trqy*_ga*MjA5NDY4NjE4OC4xNjE0NzM4MTI4*_ga_N0V23L0VEC*MTYzMzUwOTU4NS4xOTYuMS4xNjMzNTA5NzQ3LjA.\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">We are also on Spotify<\/a> and anywhere else you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Join our community to share your insights and stories on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sageireland\">Twitter @SageIreland<\/a> using the hashtag #SoundAdvicePodcast, on Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sageofficial\/channel\/?hl=en\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SageOfficial<\/a> or in the comments below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Want to know more about Frankie Thorogood, Pott\u2019d or TCA?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can find out more on Frankie on his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/frankie-thorogood-3ba50624\/?originalSubdomain=uk\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more on Pott\u2019d, check out their <a href=\"https:\/\/pottdpeople.co.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website<\/a> or drop them a follow-on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pottdpeople\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And you can check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/tca.fit\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TCA website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Small business toolkit<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get your free guide, business plan template and cash flow forecast template to help you manage your business and achieve your goals.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-73c0a131-e4f3-485b-a6c6-62c451003a2f\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free toolkit<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/08\/YBCA_FY19_Intacct_V3_0338-1-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/08\/YBCA_FY19_Intacct_V3_0338-1-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join 1.5 million subscribers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-53abbdcc-410c-4c8c-bf97-ca5c6982eebd\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"999\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/z.5E3A0481_All-Uses.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/tag\/grow-business\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to grow your business\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/tag\/start-business\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to start a business\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/tag\/sound-advice-podcast\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSound Advice Podcast\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/tag\/startup-stories\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStartup stories\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-18286 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-people-leadership tag-business-costs tag-business-management tag-grow-business tag-recruit tag-hr-process tag-looking-after-your-employees tag-payroll business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1035512574-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1035512574-1-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1035512574-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1035512574-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-07-09T15:55:14+01:00\">9 July, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/minimum-wage-ireland\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tMinimum wage Ireland 2026: the real impact on your margins\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tThe minimum wage in Ireland is \u20ac14.15 in 2026. Learn how higher wages, employer PRSI and pay differentials could affect your business costs.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-17040 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-trends-insights tag-business-intelligence tag-business-performance tag-business-planning tag-business-strategy tag-grow-business tag-state-of-small-business business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/black-friday-expert-tips\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1447845897-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1447845897-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1447845897-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1447845897-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-11-04T15:47:23+00:00\">4 November, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">7 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tBlack Friday Ireland 2025: 11 expert tips to boost sales and win loyal customers\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-16772 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accounting-102 tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-cash-flow tag-financial-decisions tag-grow-business tag-profit-loss tag-trending-news business_type-small-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/roi-calculator\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1086590348-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1086590348-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1086590348-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1086590348-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-10-31T09:30:00+00:00\">31 October, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">11 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tReturn On Investment (ROI) calculator (Sales &#038; Investment option)\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-16742 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accounting-102 tag-bookkeeping tag-business-planning tag-cash-flow tag-financial-decisions tag-grow-business tag-startup-stories business_type-small-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/business-loan-calculator\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1327235816-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Working on business funding applications\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1327235816-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1327235816-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1327235816-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-10-31T09:30:00+00:00\">31 October, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">18 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tBusiness loan calculator (with amortisation schedule)\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-16429 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accounting-102 tag-business-finances tag-business-intelligence tag-cash-flow tag-grow-accounting-practice tag-grow-business tag-trending-news business_type-small-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/cash-flow-statement-explained\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/206250_25480_1200x600-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/206250_25480_1200x600-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/206250_25480_1200x600-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/04\/206250_25480_1200x600.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-10-30T11:22:59+00:00\">30 October, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tCash flow statement explained\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Frankie Thorogood shares the mistakes he made with his multimillion-pound business TCA and how he used those learnings to launch Pott&#8217;d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":14219,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_sage_video":true,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/1422304\/13236479-frankie-thorogood-coming-back-from-bankruptcy.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-13236479&player=small","footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[130,132,332,153],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[232],"imagine_tag":[230],"coauthors":[439],"class_list":["post-14225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-business","tag-start-business","tag-sound-advice-podcast","tag-startup-stories","post_format-post-format-audio","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-ie","author_name":"Bex 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