Shows
Confessions of an EntrepreneurAgainst the Odds: ADHD, Adversity & AmbitionIn this episode of ‘Confessions of an Entrepreneur’, Carl sits down with global recruitment specialist Steve Rawlingson. Founder of Samuel Knight, Steve overcame a challenging childhood to become a trailblazer in the recruitment industry, carving a significant niche in the international renewable energy sector. He has embraced ADHD as a ‘superpower’ to drive him to the success he is achieving and talks frankly about how the condition impacts and influences his life, and entrepreneurial spirit. Having left school with no qualifications and little idea of the direction he wanted to take, Steve opens up about...
2025-08-191h 14
A Cast of Entrepreneurs20. Going Global: Richard Lane, Steve Rawlingson, Claire Rutherford Welcome back for another episode of A Cast of Entrepreneurs. Today, the cast is made up of another three brilliant entrepreneurs from the North East. Hosts Elaine Stroud, Chief Executive of The Entrepreneurs’ Forum, and Sally Cowling, Head of Member Experience, are joined by: Richard Lane; the co-founder and chief commercial officer of durhamlane, a multi-million-pound strategic B2B sales & marketing agency established in 2011, which focuses on sales opportunity creation in the UK, EMEA and North America, bridging the gap between marketing outputs and the inputs that sales teams need to be...
2024-06-1345 min
Unlock Your MindsetCyrus Pattinson: Fighting Adversity in and out of the RingThis week on Unlock your Mindset, I’m joined by Cyrus Ramone Pattinson. Cyrus is a British professional boxer and was an amateur boxer for Great Britain and Birtley ABC. Cyrus was born in Ashington and raised in Alnwick. He left school to complete a sports scholarship at Gateshead College, focusing solely on boxing. However, he first turned to boxing as a form of self-expression which had a huge impact on his life early on. In this episode, we're unlocking the mindset of a sporting professional. We delve into the adversities Cyrus faced...
2024-02-2219 min
Unlock Your MindsetToby Bridges: Maintaining Innovation in a 4th Gen Family BusinessThis week on Unlock your Mindset, I’m joined by Toby Bridges. Toby is the fourth generation of the family business, NBT Group Ltd. He’s worked there since 1993, becoming CEO in 2008. Under Toby’s tenure, the company’s value grew from £3m to £14m in just three years. As a result, NBT Group made the prestigious North East’s 50 fastest growing companies list for two years in a row. In 2014, Toby went on to become the founding director for Vytech Solutions Limited, a technology led business based in Newcastle. In this episode, we...
2024-02-0842 min
Unlock Your MindsetCharlie Hoult: An Insatiable Passion for BusinessThis week on Unlock your Mindset, I’m chatting to Charlie Hoult. Charlie was founder and chief executive of marcom group Loewy – building the business to £50m and going from four to 400 staff. He is MD of Hoults Yard and chair-angel of UK-leading digital recruiter Futureheads.Charlie is the fourth generation of the Hoult family business which has evolved from a removals company to a dynamic business village. But Charlie didn’t start his journey in the family business…In this episode we’re chatting about what makes Charlie Hoult who he is, how he star...
2024-01-2555 min
Unlock Your MindsetChloë Clover: Wander's Unstoppable Ambitions to Becoming #1This week on Unlock your Mindset, I’m chatting to Chloë Clover, the Co-Founder and CEO of the multi-award-winning agency: Wander. Wander is a Personality First Content Agency disrupting the way businesses market themselves online.Wander was formed in 2018, and since then they have worked with some of the biggest brands on the planet. They craft next level campaigns and create boundary breaking content & social.Clover’s hard work and ambitions certainly haven’t gone unrecognised. She appeared in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list, highlighting her as a trailblazer and new world ent...
2024-01-1138 min
Unlock Your MindsetNigel Mills: Building a Global Luxury Whiskey BrandThis time on Unlock Your Mindset, I’m talking to the person behind the The World’s Best Single Malt Whiskey.Nigel Mills CBE is a serial entrepreneur. Along with Paul Currie and Dr Alan Rutherford, Nigel co-founded The Lakes Distillery Co plc in 2012. From working at Price Waterhouse Coopers, to building a chain of award-winning convenience stores and a property portfolio, Nigel is now on the path to establishing a global luxury whiskey brand.In this episode, Nigel reveals his entrepreneurial journey and the path he travelled to get to where he is t...
2023-12-2825 min
Unlock Your MindsetBill Scott OBE: Scaling your Business is an UltramarathonThis week on Unlock Your Mindset, I’m talking to the Chief Executive of Wilton Universal Group, Bill Scott. Bill started Wilton Universal Group at the age of 32.Wilton Universal Group has achieved unparalleled success specialising in designing, manufacturing, coating and loading out large, complicated structures for the Offshore Oil & Gas, Subsea, Marine, Decommissioning, Offshore Wind and more latterly the defence Industry. Bill is passionate about all things to do with engineering and coating, creating opportunities for apprentices, equal rights for women, workplace health & safety and supporting local charities. He is a keen advo...
2023-12-1436 min
Unlock Your MindsetAtul Malhotra: Navigating the Dynamics of Family BusinessUnlock: The mindset of the Malhotra Group COO.This week on Unlock Your Mindset, I’m talking to the COO of the Malhotra Group, Atul Malhotra. Atul joined the group in 2003, following in the footsteps of his dad and Uncle who had paved the way. However, it wasn’t all served to him on a silver spoon. Far from it.Atul started from the bottom, working in every facet of the business. His journey through working in the family business has been instrumental in shaping Atul into the businessman he is today.In...
2023-11-3041 min
Unlock Your MindsetSophie Milliken: Adversity can be a SuperpowerThis week on Unlock Your Mindset, I’m talking to award-winning businesswoman, author, podcaster and proud solo mum, Sophie Milliken. Starting out on the John Lewis graduate scheme fresh from uni, Sophie left in 2013 to start her first business venture.Since then, she has exited that business and founded a new business in early 2022, Moja. Moja work with entrepreneurs and senior executives to amplify their personal profiles and become known authorities in their industries.Alongside this, Sophie has written two books, launched a new podcast, is chair of Smart Works Newcastle, and was re...
2023-11-1642 min
Unlock Your MindsetPete Watson: Discipline Tops MotivationUnlock: The mindset of a tech CEO.This week on Unlock Your Mindset, I’m talking to CEO of Atlas Cloud, Pete Watson. A former recruiter, Pete took time off to study an MBA and then formed Atlas Cloud to solve unmet IT needs in the SME space.He led the company through its start-up phase to become a recognised player in the managed services sector. In this episode, Pete shares his story of becoming a CEO at 30, and how his values in discipline got him to where he is today.We delve in...
2023-11-0226 min
Why Small Business MattersAre all small business owners entrepreneurs? Steve Rawlingson - CEO Samuel KnightIn this episode Sarah Stephenson is joined by recruitment entrepreneur and group CEO Steve Rawlingson. Steve founded Samuel Knight, a specialist renewable energy and sustainable transportation recruitment business in 2014 from a single person office in Newcastle. Steve discusses how despite some tough school years, he always felt he would be an entrepreneur. Fast forward to 2023 and Samuel Knight employs over 100 consultants with offices throughout the UK, USA and Middle East. They generate $35 million annually and offer recruitment project solutions across 48 countries. Steve has over 20 years of international human capital and specialist staffing experience within the engineering and t...
2023-10-2349 min
Unlock Your MindsetNeil Stephenson: Scaling to £30m and BeyondUnlock: The mindset of a tech entrepreneur. This week on Unlock Your Mindset, I’m talking to North East tech entrepreneur, Neil Stephenson. From marketing executive to CEO of Onyx Group, Neil gained his experience in managing the growth and development of this very fast-growing business focused on internet and technology solutions.Neil was the driver in growing that business from less than £1m turnover to £30m. He exited the business in June 2016 when Onyx was acquired in a deal reportedly worth £65m. In this episode, Neil shares his story of where...
2023-10-1935 min
Unlock Your MindsetUnlock Your Mindset TrailerWelcome to Unlock Your Mindset with me, Steve Rawlingson. Get ready to open the door to the world of business, entrepreneurship, and the art of achieving remarkable success, no matter what your background is. We’ll determine how a growth mindset drives success, from core motivations to sparks of ambition. The journey to success starts here. So let’s go…. Let's connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenrawlingson/
2023-10-1201 min
MisbehaveThe Fearlessness Behind Scaling A £35M Business - Steve RawlingsonOn this episode of Misbehave, we’re joined by Steve Rawlingson, Founder and Group CEO of recruitment company Samuel Knight International. Samuel Knight are renewables specialists, placing candidates all around the world.In less than 10 years, Steve has grown his business from start up to £35 million annual revenue.In the episode, we talk about everything from organic growth to institutional investment, how to get recruitment right to build a high performing team, and the impact of being fearless in business. Steve shares his key learnings from scaling a muti-million-pound organisation, and we uncover the leadership beh...
2023-08-3144 min
PRsonalEP13: ‘I’m giving them the love and life they deserve’: Meet the person behind CEO and single dad, Steve Rawlingson.Steve Rawlingson is a successful CEO - and a single dad. In the latest episode of PRsonal, he opens up to Charlotte about the challenge of raising a teenage daughter alone.Steve discusses his rocky road to success, from being expelled from school, to founding the successful energy recruitment firm Samuel Knight.He also shares his philosophy on wealth, family and the importance of having a positive inner-voice – while emphasising that money really isn’t the key to happiness, but rather a tool to fulfil ambitions and make a positive impact in the world.
2023-08-161h 09
Real World HRSteve Rawlingson: Prioritising People to Scale a BusinessWhen you’re scaling a business, people should be your priority. In this episode of Real World HR, host Louise Kennedy is joined by Steve Rawlingson, Founder and Group CEO of recruitment company Samuel Knight International. Steve has scaled his business to a muti-million pound global success, earning multiple awards and employing over 100 people. On the podcast, we explore what it takes to scale a business with this success whilst prioritising people to build happy, high-performing teams. Steve explains how his approach has changed from when he founded the business to now, why it’s important to hire based on v...
2023-08-1031 min
GINWAGSteve Rawlingson: Striving for excellence
Steve Rawlingson, Founder and CEO of Samuel Knight International, has strived since childhood to build a better life for himself. In doing so, he has built a company that spans two continents and is looking at £1 billion as its next financial goal. Steve’s story is an inspiration to budding entrepreneurs everywhere.
2020-12-0341 min