Sara Davies MBE on Why Authenticity Wins in Business and Leadership | Dragon's Den Star Interview

When the BBC asked Sara Davies to be "more dragon-like" before her Dragon's Den audition, she made a choice. She walked into that meeting as herself, legs crossed, warm demeanour, Northern accent intact, and told commissioners exactly what they'd get. That decision transformed her career.

Sara Davies MBE is founder and CEO of Crafter's Companion, a £40 million craft business. She became the youngest woman ever on Dragon's Den, where she's been an investor for six years, and is one of the UK's most recognisable entrepreneurs.

In this episode, Sara explains why being authentically yourself is your biggest business advantage. She spent her 20s shape-shifting to fit each room until her husband asked which version was the real her. That question changed everything.

If You're Building Your Personal Brand: Know what you stand for, then show up as that person consistently.

If You're Managing through Decline: Accept the situation, make the hard decisions fast, and stop using money as an excuse to delay.

If You're Leading a Team: Read what isn't being said. Pair direct feedback with genuine care for growth.

This conversation cuts through the noise with genuine insights on why authenticity works, how to make hard decisions fast, and why emotional intelligence matters as you scale.

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Sales: You're Already Selling (Here's Why That Matters) | Jeb Blount Fanatical Prospecting Author Interview

Most entrepreneurs think they're not in sales. Jeb Blount knows better. In this backstage episode of the Business Growth Podcast at BizX 2026, we reveal why every business owner must become their company's chief sales officer and how keeping your pipeline full changes everything about how you sell, close, negotiate, and choose customers. Jeb built a 1.2 million-person email list over 20 years, hosts the Sales Gravy podcast (top 10 in its category), and has written 18 bestselling books including Fanatical Prospecting.

What You'll Learn:

Why Pipeline Is Life:

A full pipeline makes you better at every aspect of selling. When you have options, you close better, negotiate stronger, and select the right customers instead of taking anyone who says yes.

Selling as Consulting:

The value bridge concept reframes selling from pushing products to guiding people toward their goals. Start with integrity, ask better questions, and position yourself as an interpreter who helps buyers reach their desired future state.

Multi-Touch Prospecting That Actually Works:

Phone calls, voicemail, email, LinkedIn messages, in-person visits, newsletters, and podcasts combine to create powerful sequences. Single-channel approaches fail because no one channel works alone anymore.

Why AI Is Breaking Email:

Salespeople send 8 times more email than 4 years ago but get one-eighth the results. AI-generated messages have saturated inboxes, forcing email providers to filter aggressively.

Bold Calling Is Back:

In-person prospecting is experiencing a resurgence. Jeb shares how he scaled a chain-link fence past 'Beware of Dog' signs, met a business owner, and later closed a $1.2 million deal.

Key Quotes:

"Pipeline is life. When you have a full pipeline, you're better at selling, you're better at closing, you're better at negotiating, and you're better at choosing the right customers."

"Selling is helping people get what they want. If you start with integrity and don't sell people things they don't need, you're just guiding them toward their goals."

"The phone still works. Nobody answers a phone that doesn't ring. Pick it up."

Jeb Blount's Background:

Jeb Blount is a sales trainer, author of Fanatical Prospecting and 17 other bestselling books, and founder of the Sales Gravy podcast (top 10 in its category). He built a 1.2 million-person email list over 20 years and runs a 34-person consulting firm.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.