Business Leader
Hosted by Business Leader
A recently-exited £4.1bn founder methodically interviews UK founders and CEOs on the practical mechanics of scaling a business.
A long-form interview show where a recently-exited, multi-billion-pound founder deconstructs the growth stories of other UK companies. It's less about abstract theory and more a peer-to-peer conversation between operators, focusing on tactical decisions around funding, international expansion, leadership changes, and marketing pivots. The host frequently shares lessons from his own 30-year journey building HomeServe.
“The host is the key differentiator; Sir Richard Harpin isn't a journalist but a highly successful, recently-exited entrepreneur who shares his own £4.1bn journey and asks questions from the perspective of a fellow operator.”
Who hosts this show
Hosted by Sir Richard Harpin, the founder of home services company HomeServe, which he grew over 30 years and sold for £4.1 billion. The podcast is an extension of his Business Leader platform, which he acquired in 2023 to help established UK businesses scale by learning from his experience and that of his guests.
Credentials & credits
- Founder and former CEO of HomeServe
- Sold HomeServe for £4.1 billion in 2023
- Owner of Business Leader media platform
- Founder of investment fund Growth Partner
- Author of 'How to Make a Billion in 9 Steps'
- Knighted for services to business and charity
Other ventures
- Business Leader (media platform and membership community)
- Growth Partner (investment fund)
- Checkatrade (acquired by HomeServe in 2017)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01Are You A CEO Taking Over From A Founder? #shortsJun 25, 2026 · 35s
- 02How to Save on Every Purchase as a Frontline Worker #Shorts #HacksJun 24, 2026 · 36s
- 03The CEO Who Doubled Blue Light Card Membership In 3 YearsJun 23, 2026 · 42 min
- 04How Little Moons Went From Family Bakery To TikTok SensationJun 16, 2026 · 37 min
- 05Vinted Nearly Went Bust Now It's Worth €8 BillionJun 9, 2026 · 38 min
- 06How Humble Crumble Went From Viral Video To Stores Across LondonJun 2, 2026 · 38 min
Notable episodes
- 01How Little Moons Went From Family Bakery To TikTok Sensation
A case study in managing unexpected hyper-growth after a viral TikTok moment, covering the decision to bootstrap for 12 years before taking on private equity.
- 02Vinted Nearly Went Bust Now It's Worth €8 Billion
Details the dramatic turnaround of a major European tech unicorn, including a near-collapse, a pivotal business model change, and its current €8bn valuation.
- 03The CEO Who Doubled Blue Light Card Membership In 3 Years
Explores the unique challenge of scaling a purpose-driven business and features a first-time CEO taking over from the original founders.
What you'll be asked on this show
Each episode opens with the host, Sir Richard Harpin, introducing himself and his HomeServe success story to frame the conversation. The style is a structured, one-on-one interview focused on the guest's business journey, with Harpin often relating challenges back to his own experiences. He consistently promotes his Business Leader community and its offerings.
Questions Business Leader keeps coming back to
- “Have you had any coaches or mentors along the way?”
- “What was the thinking behind taking on investment?”
- “How should an entrepreneur decide which country they go into first?”
- “What's your advice to any other founder about when's the right time to bring in a proven Chief Exec?”
- “What were the biggest learnings you could take out of that experience?”
- “How would your team describe your leadership style?”
- “What was the 'why' or mission at the business?”
- “How are you using AI to enhance the consumer experience and improve efficiency?”
- “Just talk a little bit about the financing of the business.”
- “What does life look like for you now and in the future?”
Signature segments
- · Host introduces himself as the founder of HomeServe, which he sold for £4.1 billion.
- · Promoting the Business Leader community, website, and newsletter.
- · Host reveals a prior professional connection to the guest.
- · Referencing his "try, try, and try again" philosophy for business success.
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Founders and C-level executives (often the CEO) of successful, high-growth UK businesses that have achieved significant scale, gone viral, or navigated major funding rounds and exits (e.g., Little Moons, Vinted, Blue Light Card).
- Alidad Mohaddamon The CEO Who Doubled Blue Light Card Membership In 3 Years
- Vivien Wongon How Little Moons Went From Family Bakery To TikTok Sensation
- Adam Jayon Vinted Nearly Went Bust Now It's Worth €8 Billion
- Kim Inneson How Humble Crumble Went From Viral Video To Stores Across London
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is the primary content marketing channel for the host's own "Business Leader" media platform, which includes a newsletter, events, and an exclusive membership community for founders and CEOs.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of the Business Leader podcast?
- The host is Sir Richard Harpin, the founder of HomeServe, a company he built over 30 years and sold for a reported £4.1 billion in 2023.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, new long-form episodes are released weekly on Tuesdays, supplemented by shorter clips.
- What is the format of the show?
- It is a long-form, one-on-one interview where Sir Richard Harpin speaks with founders and CEOs about their business journey, often relating it to his own experiences.
- Who is the podcast for?
- It is aimed at founders, CEOs, and leaders of established UK businesses looking for practical insights on how to scale their companies.
- How can I pitch a guest for the show?
- The podcast typically features founders and C-level executives of high-growth UK companies that have achieved significant scale, funding, or brand recognition.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The full video episodes are available on the Business Leader YouTube channel, with audio versions on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Acast.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Richard Harpin: The entrepreneur who sold his business for £4 billion - Enterprise Nationenterprisenation.com
- [02]Richard Harpin - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [03]Business Leader - Official Websitebusinessleader.co.uk
- [04]My Story – Richard Harpin | Building a Billion-Pound Businessrichardharpin.com
- [05]Why Richard Harpin sold half of homeServe for half a million pounds — and what he'd do differently - City AMcityam.com
- [06]Business Leader - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
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