What if the secret to building a £100 million business isn't
following the plan — but staying curious, resilient, and willing to
start over like a beginner? In this episode of The Grown Up
Business Podcast, Paul Avins is joined by Simon Leslie — serial
entrepreneur, author, and owner of Eastbourne Borough Football
Club. Simon shares his remarkable journey from building a global
travel publishing business that scaled to £100 million in revenue
across every country in the world (except Antarctica) to buying and
transforming a football club. He unpacks the mindset shifts
required to scale internationally, the art of selling without fear,
why White Belt Thinking keeps you sharp, and how belief — not
realism — is what drives extraordinary results. Together, Paul and
Simon explore why opportunities are gift-wrapped in problems, how
to sell by transferring enthusiasm rather than features, why most
entrepreneurs quit too soon, and what it really means to play the
long game. This conversation goes deep into resilience,
negotiation, leadership under pressure, and why your life story —
the dash between birth and death — should be worth reading. This
episode is essential listening for founders and CEOs who want to
think bigger, sell better, lead with passion, and build something
truly memorable. Key Takeaways Why a grown-up business is full of
problems — and why that's a good thing How Simon scaled a business
to £100 million without a formal business plan The mindset shifts
required to go from startup to global scale Why selling is like a
job interview — and how to transfer enthusiasm, not features The
three limiting beliefs that kill sales performance: product's not
good enough, too expensive, and hiding behind email Why persistence
and consistency beat tactics every time How Simon sold the same
business four times — and what he learned from each exit Why White
Belt Thinking — thinking like a beginner — keeps you sharp and
adaptable How building trust at every level unlocks high
performance in teams Why opportunities are gift-wrapped problems —
and how to unwrap them The dash between birth and death: why your
life story matters more than your business plan About the Guest
Simon Leslie is a serial entrepreneur, author, and owner of
Eastbourne Borough Football Club. He co-founded a global travel
publishing business that scaled to £100 million in revenue,
operating in every country except Antarctica, before selling it
four times across multiple capital events. Simon is the author of
There's No F in Sales and White Belt Thinking, and is passionate
about using business as a force for good — whether through building
high-performing teams, transforming football culture, or inspiring
the next generation of entrepreneurs. Next Steps Apply it now
Identify one problem in your business right now — and ask yourself:
what's the opportunity hidden inside it? Scale with Paul If this
episode resonated, Paul's work focuses on helping founders step out
of the day-to-day and scale with structure and confidence. Book a
call with Paul: https://www.paulavins.com/book-a-call Subscribe to
the Scale-Up Newsletter:
https://www.paulavins.com/newsletter-opt-in About Paul Avins Paul
Avins is a scale-up business coach and founder of the Grown-Up
Business framework. He works with founders and CEOs to help them
move from operator to scale-up leader — building businesses that
grow sustainably, scale beyond the founder, and create real
enterprise value. Paul's work focuses on disciplined leadership,
high-performing teams, and systems that replace chaos with clarity.
Level Up. Team Up. Scale Up. Fire Up.
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