Pressure Points: Real Stories from UK Founders | 365 Finance

Pressure Points is a four-part video series from 365 Finance featuring six UK founders speaking candidly about the realities of building and running a business.

The series brings together Kelechi Okafor of Kelechnekoff Studio, Alana Redick of TryKind Clothing, Lianne Simpson MBE of Diamond Hampers CIC, Julianne Ponan MBE of Creative Nature, Janet Edwards of Janet Edwards Florist and Nick Reed of Neem London.

At 365 Finance, we speak to small business owners every day. We see the financial side of running a business, but that only tells part of the story.

There is the pressure of keeping cash moving, building something from nothing, getting access to the right opportunities and carrying the responsibility that comes with ownership. Much of that happens quietly, away from the milestones and success stories people tend to see.

Pressure Points was created to bring more of that reality into the open.

Across four episodes, six founders talk about the decisions, setbacks, responsibilities and moments that have shaped their experience of building a business.

A business can be growing, bringing in revenue and winning customers while the founder is still worrying about what is actually sitting in the bank.

Janet talks about going two years without paying herself. Kelechi makes the point that however important community is, community does not pay the rent. Julianne explains the pressure created when a large customer can take 90 days to pay, even though the cost of fulfilling that order has already left the business.

The episode looks at the gap between doing well on paper and having enough cash at the right time, and at the decisions founders make when that gap starts to tighten.

Every business starts with a period where there is no playbook, no established audience and usually not much margin for error.

Nick describes the challenge of getting a new brand in front of people when nobody knows you exist yet. In the early stages, that meant keeping quantities low, getting products into customers’ hands and learning from what happened next. Lianne reflects on building an organisation that now depends on staff and volunteers to keep everything moving.

As the business grows, the founder’s role changes too. What begins with doing almost everything yourself gradually becomes hiring, delegating and creating the structure that allows the business to grow beyond one person.

A strong idea and a lot of hard work matter, but they do not mean every founder starts from the same place.

Alana talks about trying to explain a women’s intimates business to male investors. Kelechi talks about the difference between being visible and being given meaningful access.

The episode looks at the role of funding, networks, credibility and who gets taken seriously early on. It also asks what support actually looks like when a business is trying to move from potential to growth.

Owning a business means carrying decisions, people and problems that do not always switch off when the working day ends.

Lianne talks about what it means to run an organisation when people in the community genuinely depend on the services it provides. Janet describes reaching points where the pressure took over something she originally loved. Across the episode, the founders speak about burnout, overwhelm, self-doubt and the difficulty of separating themselves from the businesses they have built.

They also talk about what makes the weight easier to carry. That can mean trusting a team, asking for help, creating some distance from the business and recognising progress before moving straight on to the next problem.

Six founders. Six very different businesses. Each of them brings a different perspective on what it takes to build something and keep it moving.

Kelechi Okafor

Founder, Kelechnekoff Studio

Kelechi is a founder, actress, director, author, award-winning podcaster and cultural commentator. Kelechnekoff Studio is a Black-owned pole and fitness studio in Peckham, built around inclusion, community and creating a space where people can feel safe and seen.

Alana Redick

Founder, TryKind Clothing

Alana is the founder of TryKind Clothing, a clean fashion brand bringing together wellness and fashion through organic cotton, Ayurvedic plant dyes and responsible sourcing. She previously worked in fashion buying and styling before leaving fast fashion to build a more ethical model.

Lianne Simpson MBE

Founder and Director, Diamond Hampers CIC

Lianne is the founder and director of Diamond Hampers CIC, which provides dignified food aid and community support through its shops, food redistribution and crisis support services.

Julianne Ponan MBE

Founder and CEO, Creative Nature

Julianne is the founder and CEO of Creative Nature, an allergen-free food brand inspired by her own experience of living with life-threatening allergies. The business is now stocked by major UK retailers and exports internationally.

Janet Edwards

Founder, Janet Edwards Florist

Janet is the founder of an independent Brixton florist that grew from a Saturday market stall into a shop deeply rooted in its local community. Her work spans everything from celebrations and weddings to funerals and supporting customers through some of their most difficult moments.

Nick Reed

Founder, Neem London

Nick is the founder of Neem London, a sustainable menswear brand focused on lower-emission clothing, responsible fabrics, circularity and a take-back model. He founded Neem after a long career in fashion and retail.

The pressures in Pressure Points look different from founder to founder, but many of them will be familiar to business owners across the UK.

Cash does not always arrive when you need it. Growth often costs money before it makes money. Opportunities are not always equally accessible. And being the person responsible for the business can be difficult to switch off from.

These pressures are shared far more widely than they are talked about. Pressure Points is one way for us to make more space for those conversations, and to hear directly from the people living them.

Find out more about 365 Finance and how we support UK SMEs.