22 Sep The Advice Most Entrepreneurs Learn Too Late

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur, whether waiting for the economy to improve is holding you back, or what it really takes to build something that lasts beyond your lifetime, this conversation is going to change the way you think about business forever.

Lisa sits down with Charlie Hoult, fourth generation family business owner, founder of Opencast (a tech consultancy with 750 team members), founder of Dynamo (the region’s tech network), and runner up in the 2019 election for Mayor of North of Tyne Combined Authority.

Charlie’s career has taken him from growing up in a family business in the 1970s during Britain’s boom bust economy, to returning to Newcastle to run a 100 year old family business, and build a tech consultancy that partners with central government on major IT projects!

This conversation goes deep into what it really takes to become a successful entrepreneur. You’ll hear why waiting for things to get better won’t change your life. Why your upbringing shapes your ambition but doesn’t determine your success. Why you need to make yourself dispensable if you want to build a business rather than a you project. And why reputation matters more than short term success when you’re building something that’s meant to outlive you.

Charlie shares the exact lessons he learned from running a fourth generation family business during COVID, why he decided to run for mayor, how he’s using AI without outsourcing his thinking, and what he believes the Northeast needs to do to rebalance prosperity and opportunity.

This isn’t about hustle culture or grinding until you burn out. It’s about understanding that entrepreneurship is about taking control of your own destiny, contributing to society, and building something bigger than yourself.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why waiting for the economy to improve or something external to change won’t save your business
• The mindset of an entrepreneur and whether it’s something you’re born with or something you can learn
• When to push hard in your business and when to rest at base camp before climbing to the next peak
• Can anyone become an entrepreneur and what actually makes someone successful in business
• How your upbringing shapes your ambition and why Charlie wrote a note to his parents at six years old saying don’t worry about money, I will sort it
• Why you need to make yourself dispensable as an entrepreneur if you want to build a business rather than a you project
• The lessons Charlie learned from running a 100 year old family business during COVID and why he chose reputation over short term profit
• Why reputation matters more than short term success when you’re building something that’s meant to last 110 years
• How Charlie is using AI without outsourcing his thinking and why AI is good for tasks, not jobs
• Why Charlie treats employees as customers and how that’s helped him scale a tech consultancy to 750 people
• What it’s really like to run for mayor and why Charlie decided to get into the ring instead of shouting at the screen
• Why the Northeast needs to wrestle control back from London and how to rebalance prosperity and opportunity in the region
• What’s next for Charlie and whether he’s going to run for political office again

This episode is for you if:

• You’re wondering whether you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur
• You’re waiting for the economy to improve before you take action in your business
• You want to understand what it takes to build a business that lasts beyond your lifetime
• You’re trying to figure out when to push hard and when to rest in your business
• You want to learn from someone who’s built both a legacy family business and a fast growing tech consultancy

This is Produced.

Guest:

Charlie Hoult, fourth generation family business owner, founder of Opencast, founder of Dynamo. Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn.

Find Charlie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliehoult/

More from Lisa:

Lisa Bean – coaching, speaking, books + latest work: https://lisa-bean.com/

Connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lisabeanuk/

Connect on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/lisambean 

Straight Line Through – Lisa’s two-year business growth programme: https://www.straightlinethrough.com/

First Sh!t Version – Lisa’s first book: https://lisa-bean.com/books/first-shit-version/ 

Am I Healing? – join the waiting list + be the first to read the first chapter when it’s released. https://lisa-bean.com/books/am-i-healing