From becoming CEO of Zambrero at 23 years old with no business experience to now being a successful business owner and investor with troves of knowledge, this entrepreneur knows how to make it happen. Stuart Cook is the Founding Partner at TWIYO Capital, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of plant-based food concept Flave, and investor and friend of The Entourage who shares with us some of his favourite moments and lessons from his past 12 years in business on this episode of The Make It Happen Show.
Moments like when the ATO called him saying he owed them $100,000+, to how he made the BRW Fast Lists while making no money, to launching a food & hospitality business in a global pandemic, Stuart shares all with our host, Tim, in our 100th and final episode of the season.
If you want to know how someone with no experience grew a franchise from 2 to 100 or what will help a business scale quickly and sustainably from an investor and Founder's point of view, then this episode is for you. Don't miss out - this ep is filled with gold nuggets made to help you make it happen. And to listen to more, check out our old eps and stay tuned for an epic season 3...
Timestamps:
1:49 - How Stuart Cook became a CEO at 23
3:27 - How to build a successful business with limited money
5:34 - Why you should learn from people who have failed
9:10 - The value of finding the right leadership type for every entrepreneur
11:06 - The elements of building a reliable board
15:00 - Traps every business owner should avoid
17:52 - The impact of surrounding oneself with like-minded people
25:33 - The importance of seeking 'wisdom' over 'intelligence' in business
28:13 - Why Stuart opened a hospitality business in the middle of a pandemic
37:24 - Why the most successful entrepreneurs are the most coachable