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Phones 4u Founder: The Pain Of Becoming A Billionaire: John Caudwell | E124

John Caudwell is the founder of Phones 4u and one of the richest people in the UK, making his money on the back of the mobile phone revolution, he is worth $3 billion. Perhaps no one has been more open with me about what it took to build their empire, and what it took from them. Topics: 0:00 Intro 01:10 Your early years 10:06 What techniques have helped you become self-aware? 18:01 Criticism vs recognition with employees 22:39 What skills made you great in business? 26:59 How does one build resilience 33:29 Your hardest moments in business 54:33 What was the cost of building businesses? 59:48 When was the moment you decided to give away your wealth? 01:04:48 Your child falling ill 01:15:30 What have you learnt about what actually matters? 01:17:15 Romantic relationships 01:20:39 The last guests question John: https://www.instagram.com/johncaudwell/ https://twitter.com/JohnDCaudwell Listen on: Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-by-steven-bartlett/id1291423644 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7iQXmUT7XGuZSzAMjoNWlX FOLLOW ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteveBartlettSC Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-bartlett-56986834/ Telegram: https://t.me/diaryofaceo Sponsors: Huel - https://my.huel.com/Steven Craftd - https://bit.ly/3JKOPFx

Steven BartletthostJohn Caudwellguest
Mar 10, 20221h 22mWatch on YouTube ↗

Episode Details

EPISODE INFO

Released
March 10, 2022
Duration
1h 22m
Channel
The Diary of a CEO
Watch on YouTube
▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

John Caudwell is the founder of Phones 4u and one of the richest people in the UK, making his money on the back of the mobile phone revolution, he is worth $3 billion. Perhaps no one has been more open with me about what it took to build their empire, and what it took from them. Topics: 0:00 Intro 01:10 Your early years 10:06 What techniques have helped you become self-aware? 18:01 Criticism vs recognition with employees 22:39 What skills made you great in business? 26:59 How does one build resilience 33:29 Your hardest moments in business 54:33 What was the cost of building businesses? 59:48 When was the moment you decided to give away your wealth? 01:04:48 Your child falling ill 01:15:30 What have you learnt about what actually matters? 01:17:15 Romantic relationships 01:20:39 The last guests question John: https://www.instagram.com/johncaudwell/ https://twitter.com/JohnDCaudwell Listen on: Apple podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-diary-of-a-ceo-by-steven-bartlett/id1291423644 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7iQXmUT7XGuZSzAMjoNWlX FOLLOW ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteveBartlettSC Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-bartlett-56986834/ Telegram: https://t.me/diaryofaceo Sponsors: Huel - https://my.huel.com/Steven Craftd - https://bit.ly/3JKOPFx

SPEAKERS

  • Steven Bartlett

    host
  • John Caudwell

    guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Diary of a CEO, featuring Steven Bartlett and John Caudwell, Phones 4u Founder: The Pain Of Becoming A Billionaire: John Caudwell | E124 explores billionaire John Caudwell’s Hidden Costs Of Relentless Entrepreneurial Success John Caudwell, founder of Phones 4u, traces his journey from a tough, emotionally starved childhood in Stoke-on-Trent to building a £2.4 billion turnover empire with 12,000 employees, and the psychological and physical toll that journey took. He explores how early unfairness from his father hard‑wired his obsession with fairness, his extreme resilience, and his unforgiving standards as a leader.

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