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89. The business decision you'll thank yourself for in 5 years | James Perry

2026-07-27 · 60 min · 12 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

  • → hosted by Reed Global person
    0.55
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed author/publisher: Reed Global
  • → founded B Corp UK company
    0.54
    evidence rules-v5
    co-founder of B Corp UK
  • → works at B Corp UK company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v5
    co-founder of B Corp UK
  • → discusses Business company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Business
  • → discusses Entrepreneurship website
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • → discusses Management website
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Management

Entities found in this episode

companys 5

  • mentioned B Corp UK company
    0.68
    evidence rules-v5
    co-founder of B Corp UK
  • founded B Corp UK company
    0.54
    evidence rules-v5
    co-founder of B Corp UK
  • mentioned Business company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Business
  • works at B Corp UK company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v5
    co-founder of B Corp UK
  • discusses Business company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Business

websites 4

  • mentioned Entrepreneurship website
    0.50
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • mentioned Management website
    0.50
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Management
  • discusses Entrepreneurship website
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • discusses Management website
    0.40
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed category: Management

persons 2

  • mentioned Reed Global person
    0.70
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed author/publisher: Reed Global
  • hosted by Reed Global person
    0.55
    evidence rules-v5
    Feed author/publisher: Reed Global

concepts 1

  • mentioned James Perry concept
    0.42
    evidence rules-v5
    89. The business decision you'll thank yourself for in 5 years | James Perry
Episode description as stored
When your business hits an existential wall, are you willing to rethink your entire financial structure to protect your vision, or will you compromise the mission just to survive? Most founders believe scaling requires bowing to traditional venture capital and prioritizing short-term margins. COOK proved there is another way by surviving near-bankruptcy, funding its own expansion through an unexpected subsidiary, and scaling past £100 million while keeping absolute control over its mission. In this episode of All About Business, James Perry, co-founder of COOK and co-founder of B Corp UK joins as guest, and he pulls back the curtain on the messy, high-stakes reality of building a national consumer brand from scratch without burning out or selling out. They unpack the reality of operational risk, the hard lessons of founder resilience, and how building an inclusive hiring model through the RAW initiative turned a perceived workplace risk into one of their strongest operational assets. James shares the gritty mechanics behind COOK’s early years: how a loss-making enterprise was kept afloat by a cash-generating bakery, why he turned away standard venture capital, and how leveraging national media attention led to finding the patient, long-term private capital that saved the business. He breaks down how the 2008 financial crash tested their model and why a relentless focus on product integrity built a moat that traditional competitors couldn't cross. Timestamps 02:08 Cadbury Lessons 10:00 Family Bakery Origins 12:56 Founding Cook 28:48 B Corp Beginnings 37:10 Certifying and Building UK 41:05 RAW Talent Hiring Program 49:19 Systemic Capitalism Glitch Links Follow James Reed on LinkedIn Follow James Perry on LinkedIn Find out more COOK and their products here Find out more about B Lab UK and their work here Sub mit your application to Reed’s Entrepreneurs Fund for a chance to a £20,000 grant HERE All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk