HOW TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR

What separates a promising idea from a business capable of changing the way people live?

Entrepreneurship is often presented as a story of inspiration followed inevitably by success. The reality involves uncertainty, rejected ideas, difficult decisions and the constant risk of failure. How do founders recognise an opportunity others have missed, persuade people to believe in it and then build an organisation capable of delivering on the original promise? And as a company grows, how can it retain the independence, values and appetite for experimentation that made it distinctive in the first place?

Greg Jackson, Charlie Bigham and Kate Prince have built businesses in three very different sectors: green energy and technology, food and wellness. Drawing on the stories behind Octopus Energy, Charlie Bigham’s and Ancient + Brave, they discuss raising money, challenging established industries, creating strong brands, surviving setbacks and knowing when to take the next risk. Are entrepreneurs born or made, and what does success demand beyond a good idea?

Chaired by Mariella Frostrup.