17 Top Insights from Simon Squibb in 2025

I had the chance to join a brilliant roundtable with investor and purpose-driven entrepreneur Simon Squibb, hosted by Virgin StartUp.

Each founder got to ask one big question to help move our businesses forward. Simon gave us raw, honest, no-fluff answers. They were so good, so wide-reaching, I thought I’d share them with you.

Here goes!

Purpose, Mission and Community

• Advice is only as good as its source
  "Only take advice from people whose life you want"
  Don’t blindly follow advice from people who haven’t walked the path. Seek insight from people who’ve actually built the kind of life or business you want aligned with your vision.

• Build around purpose
  “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
  Build purpose into everything you do. When you’re making a difference every day and contributing to society, work becomes really positive.

• The economic future is community
  “I love that people are thinking about community more now. “
  Technology's no longer the economic mode. Tech is easy to build. Community is the new economic mode as people want to be part of something more important than just themselves. Share your purpose and empower your community to lead the mission.

• Communities thrive on value
  “Think about what value you can bring, not how to extract value.”
  Stop promoting and start helping. The best content solves real problems, sparks real conversations and builds on an aligned mission.

• Hire for heart, not just skills
  “Hire the one who is not the best at the job, but the most passionate about the mission.”
  Hire for passion and purpose, not just talent. Those who care deeply will grow into greatness and push the mission forward.

• Don’t invest in other people’s dreams
  “I shouldn't have got involved operationally in something that wasn't my dream.”
  Choose co-founders carefully, do your due diligence and learn from mistakes.

 Growth, Strategy and Sales

• Don't rush to raise investment
  “We’ve all watched too much Dragons’ Den.”
  Focus on revenue first. Sometimes having no money can be a great way of being innovative and different. Raising money from investors can mean giving up freedom and effectively getting a new boss.

• Obsession with sales
  “Sales is the answer to nearly every business problem.”
  Sell your idea, your mission and your value, whether to customers, investors, or team members.

• Let your customers sell for you
  “If I say I’m great, people question it. If you say I’m great, they believe it.”
  One of the strongest B2B sales methods is referral. Start early, use referrals and get people talking about you.

• Start with people, not products
  “Understand the person, build the relationship, then make the deal.”
  Great corporate sales aren’t about what you’re selling. They’re about who you’re selling to, whether you like each other and what they need.

• Don’t start with a big client, start small
  “If you have a big customer and you mess up, then you would've burnt a bridge.”
  Better to test and learn with smaller customers. If you mess up with a big one, you may not get another chance and it may hurt your relationship or your reputation.

• Make your brand stand out in a crowded market
  “Identify a niche and a pain point.”
  Start with a real pain point, then build a mission-led brand that knows what it stands for and truly cares for its customers.

Simplicity and Focus

• Keep it simple
  “I always think that people want to build big, elaborate things.”
  Don’t overcomplicate things and build big elaborate things. Often the easiest, most accessible product can be the best way forward.

• Do one thing well
  “Wake up your entrepreneur muscle in your brain.”
  Stay focused on one idea first, build it properly and grow from there. If it fails, pivot and apply what you’ve learned.

• Don’t be the bottleneck
  ”Let go of control, but definitely not of your vision.”
  Recruit well, trust your team and empower them or you risk becoming the biggest bottleneck in your own business.

• Small is a superpower
  “I had a 5-person team. We’d go to the beach on Wednesdays and the pub on Fridays. It was beautiful.”
  A joyful, profitable business doesn’t have to be big. Focus on what matters, with people you enjoy, chasing your vision.

• Be careful what you wish for
  “There's real power in personal brand, but you've got to really know what you are building it for.”
  Fame just means more people know you than you know them. Sometimes it’s better to be rich and not famous. Build personal brand for purpose on purpose.

Whether you're just starting or scaling up, I hope this gives you a spark of inspiration and a few solid steps you can take right now.

And if you're an entrepreneur in the UK, I highly recommend joining the Virgin StartUp Community - the support, mentoring, networking and real-talk advice you get is second to none.