Yesterday evening Juls and I were privileged to attend a B&S end of year celebration. ...And it was nothing like any corporate event/dinner I have ever attended. No seating plan. No hierarchy. No 'formal' speeches. ...just fun, friendly, inspirational shares From the cleaner to the founders. Everyone equal. Everyone valued. It was not a business dinner. It was a family dinner... a frienship dinner And suddenly it became crystal clear why this business has gone from one pharmacy to over £500m. ...And why I have zero doubt we will hit/surpass £1bn within 3 years. This business does not talk about values. It lives them. If I had to sum up what I saw, felt and experienced in 5 words, it would be 5 Ps. - People - Passion - Pride - Principles - Processes People first. Not on posters. In behaviour. You could feel it in the room. The ease. The respect. The shared purpose. No airs or graces. No power plays. Just people who matter 'knowing' they matter. Passion that shines through generations. Multiple generations working together. And a genuine commitment to employ future generations of their people too. This is not telling people they are important. This is showing them. Pride in every role. Every customer. Every transaction. Principles that are lived, not laminated. For everyone. At every level. And processes that think beyond today. Not How do we fix this fire? But How do we build a system so it never happens again? Always asking Who is best in the world? What are they doing better? How is the world changing? And how must we change to stay ahead? Samit & Alpa are extraordinary people. Their Children are shining examples continuing that legacy Kish a shining example of that next generation Giving back at scale. Building free schools for hundreds. Growing people as the business grows. Founded on values that are embodied every single day. I do not often call out individual companies on this platform. But this is an outstanding example of how to build something special.

FREE - would normally cost an hour with a clinical psychologist: There are 64 combinations but I will DM your personal interpretation: Answer honestly No overthinking First instinct only You can only choose one answer for each 1. What drives you the most right now? A. To be successful B. To be respected C. To be secure D. To be free 2. When you are with people you care about most, you are usually: A. Fully present B. There but your mind is somewhere else C. Distracted by work D. Thinking about the future 3. What do you avoid the most? A. Failure B. Disappointment C. Conflict D. Not being good enough There are 64 possible answer combinations Each one reveals a specific psychological driver That is either accelerating your success Or quietly sabotaging your potential If you want your personal behavioural interpretation Drop your 3 letters in comments below Example: A – C – D For confidentiality, I will send (DM) you a custom profile breakdown within 24hours: Explaining what your answers reveal about → Your dominant motivational driver → Your hidden behavioural blind spot → The subconscious pattern affecting your decisions → The growth challenge you must overcome next → The Limitations vs liberating impact of your responses Self awareness is a competitive advantage Answer honestly

Most founders get this wrong. They try to tell investors everything they can in one go. Technology. Features. Market trends. Their personal backstory. Pages of detail nobody asked for. Except the one thing that actually matters. What is in it for the investor. I can tell you as someone who has: - Sat on Dozens of investment panels - Run my own panel - Invested in 36 SEIS and EIS startups - Seen 1000's of pitches - Ran Pitch-fests for the IOD - Spoken for LDC about Start-ups and pitching Investors do not want your life story. They are not buying your childhood memories. They might nod politely at your mission and passion, but they are really listening for only one thing. Return. What problem do you solve Why will it win How will it make money When do I see a return ...how big a return That is it. Less than 3% of entrepreneurs pitching outside their friends and family ever get funded. The most common reason they fail is simple. They never give a clear commercial hook. A pitch is not a business plan. It is not due diligence. It is not therapy. A pitch is a filter.... like a speed date If I am interested, I follow up. If I am not, nothing you add in minute seven will save you. Keep it simple. Lead with value. Stop overwhelming people on the first date. ....Make me want the second date. Watch my podcast with Rosie Joly - I believe the best person at pitching i have ever met https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zeh6j4UNVgM

Blaming never serves us. I’ve seen it in business, relationships, sport, and in myself. You can hang on to the anger, the betrayal, the injustice… Or you can let it go and move forward. You can’t do both. When I sailed in the 2013–14 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, every single thing on board was judged by one question: Does this help us move forward, or hold us back? If it didn’t serve the mission... it was ballast. Every extra kilo meant more drag. Every unnecessary item meant more fuel, more strain, more resistance. We even debated how much water to carry. Do we store it or make it daily? Do we keep fresh food or switch to dried rations? Do we pack spare clothes or just accept we’ll stink by the time we reach port? There was never the luxury of water to wash. For six weeks between ports, “washing” meant five baby wipes a day… and I’ll leave you to guess where those were used 🙂 Every ounce mattered. Because the truth at sea is the same truth in life: Anything that doesn’t propel you forward slows you down. And that includes blame. Whether it’s an abusive stepfather, an ex-partner, a business betrayal, or an employee who stole from you... hanging on to resentment is like sailing with the anchor still down. - It’s heavy. - It’s draining. - And it’s completely self-imposed. The wind can be perfect, your crew can be world-class, your boat can be fast... but if you’re carrying emotional weight, you’ll still move slower than you could. So, the real question is this: What ballast are you still carrying? Let it go. Strip it out. You don’t need to forgive to forget: you just need to stop feeding the weight that’s no longer yours to carry. Because blame keeps you in the past. But focus, faith, and forward motion.... they’re what get you home. A few reminders I live by: → “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Buddha → “Let go or be dragged.” Zen proverb → “Ships don’t sink because of the water around them. They sink because of the water that gets in them.” Unknown

We’re fortunate to have @Alexandra Wood as part of our group... The only woman on Savile Row, recognised by the world’s leading fashion brands, biggest fashion magazines, awarded for excellence in fashion, and trusted by many of the best-dressed men in the world. Never underestimate the power of how a car, a watch, a suit... or any well-tailored piece of clothing, can make you feel. It might seem like “just a little extra,” but that little extra can be the difference between: - closing the deal or missing it, - being recognised or overlooked, - walking into the room with confidence or hesitation. People can dismiss it as shallow. They can say it shouldn’t matter. But it does: massively. Tomorrow I’m heading into town for a fitting with Alexandra on Savile Row, and I couldn’t be more excited. If anyone tells you that investing in a properly tailored piece (or whole wardrobe) isn’t worth it… they’re wrong. ...and an icing on the cake is that i will be catching up for lunch with Richard Waters of Go Assist and our resident Legal genius @Ian Brent