How do you build a business from scratch with no assets, no backing and no safety net - twice?
In this episode of Building The Brand, Andrew Coulson shares his brutal, tactical business failure story and comeback. From packing sandwiches at 8 years old after his father’s breakdown, to walking out of school at 15 to become a commodity trader, to building a design agency to 45 staff by age 25 - and then losing it all when his bank pulled a £2.5m overdraft days before a £15M deal.
This is not a motivational story. It’s a playbook on how to rebuild after business failure, start again with nothing, and build a second business from his mum’s kitchen table.
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Check out the very delicious Novo via https://novosnacks.com/
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
→ How to start a business with no money or qualifications - and why sales skill beats credentials
→ The scaling mistake that nearly killed a 45-person packaging design business
→ Why a £15M reverse takeover collapsed: the overdraft trap every UK founder must understand
→ What to do when you have no assets: how Andrew rebuilt from zero after losing everything
→ The gym floor strategy: how rescuing a failing gym rebuilt his momentum and network
→ How he became Head Judge for UK bodybuilding in 9 months - and spotted a gap in the market
→ How he built one of the first online coaching businesses (Body Coaches) - pre-Instagram, pre-OnlyFans - using video + subscription
Key Moments:
0:00 How do you build a business from scratch with no assets? Trailer
01:08 Who is Andrew Coulson? From packing sandwiches at 8 after his father's breakdown
02:45 How to start a business with no qualifications? Becoming a commodity trader at 15
05:30 How he scaled a packaging design business to 45 staff by 25 - then lost a £15M deal
07:40 Why did a £15M reverse takeover collapse a week before completion?
09:55 What happens when the bank pulls your overdraft?
12:30 How to rebuild after business failure with no money? Penny shares and the satellite dish edge
15:10 Sleeping on his mum's floor at 28: Starting again from the kitchen table
18:40 Why rescuing a failing gym was his best business move
23:15 How to become a UK authority fast: Becoming Head Judge for UK bodybuilding in 9 months
28:40 How to build an online coaching business from scratch? The first video subscription platform (Body Coaches)
33:00 How was the world's first protein crisp invented? The birth of Novo Nutrition
46:05 Novo vs Walkers: Can a challenger brand beat the UK's biggest crisp brands?
51:30 How to get into Tesco and Asda? The 72-hour packaging ultimatum that saved the product
59:01 Is work-life balance a myth for entrepreneurs? The
obsession behind building a brand
1:06:20 The true cost of success: Family, burnout and is the juice worth the squeeze?
1:19:50 Legacy over money: Why he's still chasing Tesco after 14 years
