Mike Clare, founder of Dreams, joins us to share the story behind building the UK’s largest bed retailer from a single store and £15k of cobbled-together capital.
Over 21 years, Dreams grew into a national brand, increasing revenue and profit every single year before being sold in a landmark deal just before the financial crisis. Mike reflects on the early days of relentless hard work, creative retail thinking, and the realities of scaling a business from salesman to CEO.
We also discuss life after exit — the challenges of sudden wealth, lessons from investing, philanthropy through the Clare Foundation, and why sometimes the best advice for entrepreneurs is simply: just get on and do it.
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