Can I ask you a personal question?

Our latest interviewee is Guy Hands, one of Britain's best-known private equity tycoons.

As the founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Terra Firma, Guy has managed some of the biggest businesses in the UK and beyond.

In this episode, Guy speaks to Will about his career, including the highs of his philanthropic work, and the lows of business stress and failure.

He also speaks about coping with dyslexia and his (former) addiction to roast potatoes.

Guy recently wrote a book on his career titled, The Dealmaker: Lessons from a Life in Private Equity.

In this episode, Will speaks to Pat Nevin, a former professional footballer who played for Chelsea and Scotland.

After retiring from the game, Pat moved to the boardroom as he became chief executive of Motherwell Football Club.

Today, he primarily works as a football writer and broadcaster. He recently published a memoir called 'The Accidental Footballer'.

In this episode, we speak to Anthony Matchett, the chief executive of Napster Group.

Anthony is the co-founder of MelodyVR, a business that allows customers to virtually attend musical events. MelodyVR last year bought streaming service Napster and renamed itself Napster Group. 

This week, we take a step out of our comfort zone and bring you an interview with Dunstan Bruce.

If you haven't heard of Dunstan, you will have heard his voice. He was the lead singer of 1990s pop sensation Chumbawamba, famous for its hit song Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down).

Our thesis going into this episode was: building up a band must be similar to building up a business.

Have a listen and see what you think...

In this episode, we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late-night audience.

Theo Paphitis is a retail entrepreneur and a star of TV's Dragons' Den.

In this interview, Theo talks us through his career and his rise to the top of the UK retail sector (he today runs an empire that includes Ryman and Robert Dyas). 

Theo also speaks to us about the challenges of dyslexia, his love of technology and the future of the high street after Covid-19.

Merck Mercuriadis is a music industry veteran and the founder of Hipgnosis, a FTSE 250-listed company that invests in song rights.

In this interview, Merck – who has worked closely with stars including Elton John, Beyoncé and Iron Maiden – talks about his rise to the top of the music industry. 

In this episode, we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with billionaire investor Jim Mellon.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late-night audience.

Jim Mellon is a billionaire investor who became a prominent Brexiteer around the 2016 EU referendum. 

Today, Jim – who built his fortune in fund management – is very much focused on business. 

Jim speaks to hosts Will and Dan about his interests in anti-ageing company Juvenescence and lab-grown meat investor Agronomics (he recently wrote a book called Moo's Law: An Investor’s Guide to the New Agrarian Revolution).

In this episode, we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with former business secretary and Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late-night audience.

Sir Vince Cable is the former business secretary and Liberal Democrat party leader.

In this episode, Will and Dan talk to Vince about leadership and his rise to the top of UK politics.

In 2010, he moved from leading an office of six to heading up an entire government department.

We speak to him about the challenges he faced, and also get some gossip on what David Cameron, George Osborne and Nick Clegg were like as colleagues.

In this episode, we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with AJ Bell boss Andy Bell.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late-night audience.

Andy Bell is the co-founder and long-standing chief executive of DIY investment platform AJ Bell.

A self-made multi-millionaire, Andy and his friend, Nicholas Littlefair, founded their company in a "broom cupboard" of an office in Manchester in 1995.

Today, FTSE 250-listed AJ Bell has more than 300,000 customers and is valued at nearly £2bn.

Andy – who trained as an actuary and spent three years coaching sports in the US in his 20s – is personally worth hundreds of millions of pounds, but remains a humble, down-to-earth character.

Ollie Ollerton is not your typical entrepreneur.

A former UK Special Forces soldier, he is best known for his starring role on Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Ollie has led an incredible life, and fellow entrepreneurs can learn a lot from his drive and determination.

In this episode, he talks us through being attacked by a chimpanzee as a child, hitting rock bottom in Australia, and getting his life back on track via an ayahuasca-fuelled trip to the spirit world.

Ollie parted company with SAS: Who Dares Wins last year and is now focused on building up his business, Break-Point.

'Can I ask you a personal question?' is a podcast that brings you in-depth interviews with some of Britain's best-known entrepreneurs and leaders in under 30 minutes.

Our previous interviewees include Charlie Mullins, Peter Hargreaves, Gina Miller, Spencer Matthews and Martha Lane-Fox.

In this episode, we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with PR guru Andrew Bloch. 

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late-night audience.

Andrew Bloch is the co-founder of PR firm Frank, which he led as managing partner until last year.

Andrew's clients include billionaire entrepreneur Lord Sugar, and Frank has represented Weetabix, Compare The Market, Deliveroo, and several other well-known brands.

In this interview, Andrew gives Will and Dan some top PR tips (including why you should always compliment an interviewer on their questions) and talks them through his rise to the top of the industry.

A storyteller by trade, Andrew also shares details of some of the raucous PR parties he has attended, talks about being "bollocked" by Lord Sugar, and tells us his best anecdote (featuring Helena Christensen and Kelly Brook). 

'Can I ask you a personal question?' is a podcast that brings you in-depth interviews with some of Britain's best-known entrepreneurs and leaders in under 30 minutes. 

Our previous interviewees include Charlie Mullins, Peter Hargreaves, Gina Miller, Spencer Matthews and Martha Lane-Fox. 

If you enjoy this podcast, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or, even better, share the podcast with friends.

Martha Lane Fox, or Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho to give her proper title, is renowned as one of Britain's biggest early internet entrepreneurs, having co-founded Lastminute.com at the age of 25.

In 2004, when she was about to start a new role as the boss of Selfridges after having left her business, Martha was involved in a devastating car crash while on holiday in Morocco. 

Remarkably, as well as recovering from this near-fatal crash, Martha continued her rise to the top of the business world. Today, she is on the board of Twitter,  she is the co-founder and chairman of karaoke firm Lucky Voice,  and she also chairs tech startup WeTransfer.

Away from business, Martha became the youngest female member of the House of Lords in 2013, and she is also today the chancellor of the Open University. 

In this episode we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with Martin Gilbert, the co-founder and former long-serving CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late night audience.

Martin Gilbert is one of the City of London's best known and connected businessman.

The co-founder and former long-serving CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management, Martin currently sits on the boards of mining giant Glencore, fintech startup Revolut and PGA European Tour. 

As in previous episodes of 'Can I ask you a personal question?', Will and Dan ask Martin whether he prefers Donald Trump or Boris Johnson. 

He became our first guest to answer: "Both." It turns out Martin is an old golfing friend of Trump. 

In this episode we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with Sir Lloyd Dorfman, the prolific investor and philanthropist who made his millions by founding foreign exchange retail giant Travelex.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late night audience.

Sir Lloyd Dorfman made his name by founding foreign exchange retail giant Travelex, which he set up as a single shop in London in his early 20s.

In this week's episode, Sir Lloyd tells Will and Dan about how he built Travelex up from a one-man operation into a company with 1,000 stores across the world.

Sir Lloyd is no longer involved in the running of Travelex (having sold down his stake to make hundreds of millions of pounds) but he has remained a prolific investor and businessman, working with companies like the Office Group and Doddle.

In 2018, Lloyd – who is a renowned philanthropist as well as a businessman – was knighted to become Sir Lloyd.

In this episode we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with Mark Dixon, the multimillionaire founder and chief executive of shared office giant IWG. He also owns a very large vineyard in Provence, France, near his home in Monaco.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, you might be subject to a few ’effs and ’jeffs, so it’s one for the late night audience. 

This week, Will and Dan interview Mark Dixon, the founder and chief executive of FTSE 250 shared office business IWG. 

A natural businessman, Mark became an entrepreneur in his teens when he started collecting and selling cardboard.

He soon moved on to sandwiches. And then burgers. And then encyclopedias.

Today, Mark is a self-made multimillionaire who lives in Monaco. IWG is a global giant with offices in more than 100 countries across the world.

In this episode we bring you the unedited interview Will and Dan did with Jimmy Mulville, TV writer and Producer, and co-founder of Hat Trick productions – the company behind dozens of the UK’s best-loved programmes including the flagship show “Have I Got News For You”.

Because it’s uncut, raw footage, there may be the odd swear word in there, so put the children to bed, pour yourself a drink and settle in for a bumper episode. 

In the first episode of series two, Will and Dan interview Jimmy Mulville, the co-founder and managing director of Hat Trick, the production company behind Have I Got News For You, Derry Girls, Mastermind and Outnumbered.

In this episode, Jimmy talks us through his fascinating life story. 

Having started life in a working-class Liverpool family, Jimmy today rubs shoulders with the rich and famous, and is himself a multimillionaire. 

Jimmy also opens up about his experiences with alcohol and cocaine. 

And he has a few thoughts on 'the wokeness', which he says is cramping creativity in his sector.

Listen to the end for a disturbing anecdote about a trip Jimmy took to Vancouver in 1990...

In the tenth and final episode of series one of 'Can I ask you a personal question?' we turn the tables on co-host Dan Hully.

As well as being a top-notch podcast interviewer, Dan is the co-founder and chief executive of finance startup Quantico.

In this week's interview, Dan talks Will and our producer Luke through his entrepreneurial journey. 

Dan started his career at Big Four accountancy firm PwC. A few years in, he came to the realisation that working for PwC wasn't very cool – partly because he found the work environment to be bureaucratic and old-fashioned, but mainly because he couldn't get a girlfriend. 

Dan, who now has a girlfriend, co-founded Quantico in 2017 to offer fast-growing businesses with in-house finance teams. Quantico, like its clients, is growing fast and thriving despite the economic crash caused by Covid-19. 

Scarlett Allen-Horton is the founder of recruitment business Harper Fox. 

She last year progressed all the way to the final of the BBC's Apprentice TV series only to lose out in the final round. 

Despite missing out on winning the top prize, she convinced Lord Sugar to back her business anyway.

In this episode, Scarlett explains why she decided to go on to the Apprentice, how she persuaded Lord Sugar to invest in her business, and what he's really like as a business partner. 

She also opens up about being the target of negative tabloid attention and receiving unwanted advances in the workplace.

David Richards has lived the tech entrepreneur dream. 

Born into a steel family in Sheffield, the University of Huddersfield computing graduate enjoyed some early career success in the UK and then moved with his girlfriend (now wife) to San Francisco in the 1990s. Despite moving to the US with no job or concrete plan, David enjoyed more startup success in Silicon Valley. 

In 2005, after meeting “genius” computer scientist Dr Yeturu Aahlad, David co-founded Wandisco, a data company which has proven his biggest success yet.

In this episode, David talks Will and Dan through his success story, including the process of listing Wandisco on the London Stock Exchange and how he survived being sacked by the company’s chairman.

In the sixth episode of 'Can I ask you a personal question?', Dan and Will speak to Simon Woodroffe, the entrepreneur best known as the founder of restaurant chain Yo! Sushi and hotel business Yotel. 

Simon left his public school aged 16, and went on to work with some of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll as a stage designer. He launched Yo! Sushi in his 40s, and – after selling down his stake in the raw fish business – Simon has since become a serial entrepreneur, also setting up Yotel and Yo! Home. 

In this episode, Simon tells Will and Dan why they should accept mortality, take more financial risks and start making more bold fashion choices. He also speaks about his latest investment – a Bahamian island that he wants to open up to the public.

In the fourth episode of ‘Can I ask you a personal question?', Will and Dan speak to Spencer Matthews. He may be best known for his starring role in TV's Made In Chelsea (and his royal family connections), but Spencer's attention appears to be very much focused on building his low-alcohol spirits business, The Clean Liquor Co.

In this candid interview, Spencer admits he was "quite funny but a bit of a p****" in his Made In Chelsea days. He says he always believed he had a "greater calling than being a cast member on a popular TV show", and feels his future lies in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Spencer also discusses his family background and "discrimination" against privilege. He tells Will and Dan: "I already know that if Clean Liquor becomes a huge success, and I sell it for some huge number, everyone’s going to call me lucky. And I know they will. And that’s a part of going to Eton, and that’s a part of having a rich family."

In the third episode of ‘Can I ask you a personal question?', Will and Dan speak to Gina Miller. She may be best known for spearheading legal challenges to the government’s Brexit process, but Gina has founded and run successful marketing and fund management companies and is long established in the business world. 

In addition to SCM Direct – a wealth management business she co-founded with her husband, Alan – Gina heads up the True and Fair Campaign and recently set up Messages of Love, which is campaigning for changes to will-making legislation in the UK.

In this episode, we find out how Gina fits all of this in (spoiler alert: by not sleeping much and by drinking a lot of coffee), as well as exploring the highs and the lows of her early entrepreneurial life. In addition, Gina – who grew up in Guyana and was named as the UK’s most influential black person in 2017 – opens up about the racism and sexism she has endured throughout her career, and her thoughts on the recent Black Lives Matter movement.

In the second episode of 'Can I ask you a personal question?', Will and Dan speak to Peter Hargreaves, the billionaire co-founder of FTSE 100-listed investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown. 

Peter set up the firm from a spare bedroom in his Bristol home with his friend Stephen Lansdown in 1981. Today, thanks to the success of their venture, both Peter and Stephen are billionaires. 

Peter, 73, is no longer chief executive of Hargreaves Lansdown, but remains its largest single shareholder. He is also chairman of investment firm Blue Whale and a major investor in Cornwall's Goonhilly Earth Station. 

In the first episode of 'Can I ask you a personal question?', Will and Dan speak to Pimlico Plumbers founder (and current chairman) Charlie Mullins. 

Today, Charlie is well known as Britain's millionaire plumber – a friend to politicians and celebrities whose business turns over nearly £1m a week. But it wasn't always plain sailing for Pimlico. 

In this episode, Charlie opens up about the stress and sleepless nights he endured in the early 1990s, when his business was on the ropes and liquidators wanted to close him down. We also hear Charlie's tips for up-and-coming entrepreneurs, and get his no-nonsense views on politics, Covid-19, apprenticeships and more.