£27 left in the bank became a company worth over £600M

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards have always prided themselves on spotlighting entrepreneurs' stories, not just the numbers on the balance sheet.

Today, I'm excited to share the incredible journey of Alan and Juliet Barratt, the inspiring couple behind Grenade and our 2019 Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year.

Alan and Juliet started Grenade back in 2010 with just a £500 passport to export loan.

Alan recently shared a LinkedIn post where he posted the below "throwback picture" and said "Despite the smiles, Juliet Barratt and I were absolutely bricking it." This was in 2011 and for me offers a great reminder that for every truly great brand, there's an entrepreneur who's ridden the entrepreneurial rollercoaster many times over.

"A Hobby That Turned Into An Obsession"

Fast forward to 2014, and they had achieved a £35 million valuation. The years that followed were even more impressive, with a £72 million valuation in 2017 backed by Lion Capital, and a landmark £200 million deal with Mondelez in 2021. This is especially noteworthy as Mondelez has only acquired two brands in the UK: Cadbury and Grenade.

As of March this year, Grenade is valued at just over £600 million with 125 dedicated staff members, they reported £120 million in net revenue.

And alongside this explosive growth (excuse the pun), these two entrepreneurs have been so supportive of us at The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, and many of our alumni too.

But there’s more to their story than just business.

At Ideas Fest in September, Alan and Juliet will join us and openly share their experiences of building and nurturing Grenade while navigating their personal lives – from being married to evolving into a formidable business partnership post-separation. 

Their story is a testament to the intricate balance of personal and professional life, and the resilience and adaptability it demands.

This session is for anyone intrigued by the complexities of relationships and business. It’s an honest and human look at how personal dynamics intertwine with professional success.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from two of the most inspiring figures in the entrepreneurial world. “How Not to Be Married” promises to be a session filled with real-world lessons on managing business and personal relationships with grace and success.

If you’d like to hear more from Alan & Juliet then do join us at Ideas Fest in September.

We’re on the look out for businesses who:

Community News:

Dr PawPaw, founded by Jonny & Pauline Patterson were recently featured on ITV's Lorraine ✈️🌞Makeup Artist Hannah Martin shared her favourite products for travel, and spoke about their miracle balm for its multipurpose uses. They reported that they saw an incredible 500% increase in sales across their Original Balm offering on our site as a result 👏

🐱 Killing Kittens, founded by Emma Sayle is bringing its posh, pleasure-seeking brand of revelry to the high seas on a luxury cruise. Killing Kittens, the renowned organiser of exclusive sex parties in grand country houses and swanky London clubs, is taking to the water with a luxury cruise offering a blend of hedonistic nights and relaxing days on the Mediterranean Sea. More here.

⚡️As part of an ambitious strategy to decarbonise its operations, Network Rail is installing state-of-the-art MyEnergi (founded by Jordan Brompton who won Great British Entrepreneur of the year in 2022) Zappi chargers at homes of fleet drivers nationwide to test the technology and help Network Rail understand the benefits of home charging for fleet vehicles.

Want to be featured here and have news to share? Contact me with your latest news or wins.

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More than three-quarters (78%) of companies are already using or evaluating AI. Companies waiting to integrate AI risk falling behind their competitors.

However fear not, many businesses are still in the early stages, mainly using basic tools like ChatGPT.

If you feel behind, you're not alone. There's still plenty of opportunity to fully leverage AI.

We’re producing an event for non technical founders & their teams. You can join the waitlist here:

We would love to directly introduce you to the Seedrs team to find a solution that could work for your fundraise.

The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and EIS are government-backed, tax-efficient schemes designed to incentivise investments into innovative British private companies. Introduced in 2012, SEIS offers a higher rate of income tax relief of 50% to encourage investments into early stage startups. Tax benefits are subject to individual circumstances and subject to changes.

SFC Capital operate the leading SEIS fund, an EIS fund and an angel network and we help connect them to exceptional entrepreneurs within our community.

Have you heard about Female Founders Rise? - a free community for 6,000 female and non-binary here in the UK to support with business fundamentals, funding support, masterclasses and in person events throughout the UK.

🗓 Date: Monday 18th November 2024
📍 Location: Grosvenor House Hotel, London

Join us for an unforgettable evening filled with recognition, networking, and celebration at the biggest event for founders and their businesses in the UK.

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards Gala Final is often referred to as the “Grammys of Entrepreneurship” and is a must-attend event.