Take The Plunge | Business Podcast

When Rachel Harris – better known as Accountant_she – realised the accounting industry didn’t reflect who she was, she didn’t shrink to fit it. She built something better.
From starting as a 17-year-old apprentice to founding striveX, Rachel has grown a 7-figure, bootstrapped accountancy firm while simultaneously turning her personal brand into a million-pound business.

In this episode, Rachel shares how she spotted a gap in professional services, used Instagram to scale in public, and built systems inspired by McDonald’s to create consistency, performance and profit. She talks candidly about hiring too early (and too cheaply), over-investing in team, and why feedback loops and data dashboards are non-negotiable if you want to scale properly.

We also dive into the power of financial education, building recurring revenue without giving away equity, monetising a personal brand beyond vanity metrics, and why being “good at numbers” can unlock real freedom and choice. Rachel opens up about bootstrapping everything, launching a new tech product for accountants, and her long-term mission to make financial literacy more visible – especially for young women who don’t see themselves reflected in traditional business stereotypes.

This episode is perfect for founders building service businesses, creators looking to monetise properly, or anyone who wants a transparent look at what scaling really involves behind the scenes.
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When Aine Kilkenny and her co-founder Fiona couldn’t find a single tampon at home, they didn’t just complain – they created Riley, a 100% organic cotton period care brand now stocked in bathrooms and retailers across Europe.

In this episode, Aine shares how Riley grew from a kitchen table in West Cork to 400+ corporate clients, including Google and KPMG, replacing millions of single-use plastic period products with organic, biodegradable alternatives and expanding into the US. She talks candidly about shifting from DTC to a B2B-led model, crowdfunding on Seedrs, and why profit, sustainability and access all have to work together.

We also dive into the human side of scaling: building a team around integrity, kindness and respect; finding the right balance between remote work and office hubs; getting onboarding right in a fast-moving startup; and learning to celebrate milestones instead of just sprinting to the next problem.

Perfect for anyone interested in women’s health, sustainable consumer products, or what it really takes to build a purpose-driven brand in a crowded category.
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We’ve all had those “should I actually do this?” moments, but not all of us follow through.

This is the story of someone who did.
A founder who, while sitting in a pub, took out a five-figure personal loan and decided to back himself. And years later, it paid off.

In this episode of Take the Plunge, Playter founder & CEO Jamie Beaumont talks through the real journey... the detours, the bad timing, the mistakes, and the moments that forced him to start again. From an HR tech startup wiped out by Covid to building a lending platform that helps thousands of small businesses manage cash flow, Jamie takes us inside:

- The pub-side NatWest loan that kicked everything off
- The failed HR platform that led to Playter
- The nerves behind sending Playter’s very first loan
- Rethinking invoice finance with Playter Pay & Playter Boost
- Why PPC and cold outbound didn’t work, and how brokers changed everything
- The messy reality of 24/7 founder life
- His “high-agency” hiring test (the escalator question)
- What it’s really like raising both equity and debt

If you’re building something, rebuilding something, or thinking about taking a leap, this conversation is full of grounded, honest lessons about resilience, distribution, and the people you surround yourself with.

About Playter
Playter helps UK SMEs manage cash flow by spreading key bills and accessing flexible funding through products like Playter Pay and Playter Boost.

About Take the Plunge
Take the Plunge is the podcast from Swoop where founders share what pushed them to stop what they were doing and build something new. From the first spark to the scaling phase, and everything messy in between.
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In this episode, Ciaran chats with Darren O’Reilly, founder & CEO of WholeSupp, on his journey from rugby and corporate life to launching a whole-food meal shake brand built on science, transparency and taste. Darren shares the grind of finding manufacturers, bootstrapping for three years, and building a challenger brand in a crowded nutrition space. Expect insight on manufacturing, omnichannel growth, hiring, partnerships, cash flow and smart funding.

🎯 Key Takeaways
Problem → Product: After losing 23kg, Darren created a shake with 13 whole-food ingredients, co-developed with Dr. Brian Carson, using clinically backed doses.
Trust & Quality: In a “Wild West” market, WholeSupp ensures transparency through informed-standard facilities and third-party testing.
Taste Wins: 100+ sensory panels proved that nutrition only works if it tastes great.
Data Focus: ~70% returning customers, 100+ monthly interviews, real-time insights and micro-influencer testing before paid growth.
Omnichannel: Digital-first success now reinforced by Holland & Barrett rollout, sampling and staff training.
Next Phase: Launching Ready-to-Drink (RTD) for on-the-go consumers.
Lean Team: Keep fixed costs low, scale great people, and give ownership early.
Funding Smart: Angels, grants, Enterprise Ireland and a fractional CFO—walked from early VC terms until metrics proved out.
Email = Currency: Educational content (like VO₂ Max) outperforms hard-sell emails and drives loyalty.

🔥 Memorable Quotes
“If your product doesn’t taste great, you’re in trouble.”
“Email is currency. Educate first, sell second.”
“We’re data nerds—every decision starts with behavior.”
“Growth isn’t everything; live and breathe the numbers.”
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Intro & mission
01:05 – Rugby to corporate life to 23kg loss sparks the idea
02:30 – 13 whole-foods and allergen-friendly formula
03:40 – Fixing the “Wild West” of supplement labelling
06:20 – Manufacturing pain: MOQs, packaging swings, 3 years to market
08:40 – Bootstrapping reality & the Shopify myth
10:00 – Launching via social proof → paid ads
11:50 – Functional nutrition and category trends
12:40 – Convenience & RTD vision
13:40 – Taste testing and customer honesty
15:40 – Data engine: high retention & feedback
17:30 – New SKU ‘Elevate’: hydration + creatine
19:10 – Defining the “healthy, active” consumer
20:10 – Team culture, first-hire lesson, and advisors
22:20 – Low fixed, flexible cost model
24:50 – Omnichannel proof: H&B rollout & activations
26:40 – Partnerships: Rugby refs, breathwork, Nadia Power
29:10 – Milestone 430k+ meals; target 500k
30:30 – Funding & CFO Val: angels, grants, EI
32:00 – Tracking metrics via StoreHero + Triple Whale
34:00 – Profitability vs growth; knowing when to scale
36:20 – Raising smart, not fast; proof before capital
37:30 – Email education wins; 3-week reorder = 80% chance of third order
39:00 – Next goal: RTD #2 in UK

🔍 Keywords: WholeSupp, whole-food nutrition, RTD, DTC, omnichannel, third-party testing, customer research, micro-influencers, retention, Enterprise Ireland, angels, challenger brand, Holland & Barrett, functional nutrition, startup funding.
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In this episode, Ciaran sits down with Lisa Boissel, CEO of Miss Jones Group, to uncover her bold journey from Dublin’s nightclub scene to owning and scaling one of the UK’s most influential networks for personal and executive assistants.

Lisa shares how she spotted a gap in the PA community, took the risk of acquiring Miss Jones during COVID, and leaned into tech and AI to modernise the business. From event planning stress to leadership growth, this conversation is packed with real-world insights for anyone navigating entrepreneurship, acquisitions, or community building.

🎯 Key Takeaways:
• Lisa transitioned from nightlife to entrepreneurship with no formal business background
• She saw an opportunity in the PA & EA space and turned it into a thriving network
• Acquiring Miss Jones during COVID was a high-stakes move rooted in conviction
• Technology and AI have become essential to business operations and customer service
• Community-building and strong relationships remain core to her event planning approach
• Lisa prioritizes hiring people who are eager to grow with the business

🔥 Memorable Quotes:
“You can always go back and get a job — so take the risk.”“I always trust my intuition on things.“I want them to grow with the company.”

⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 – Intro to Lisa’s Journey
01:25 – From Nightclubs to Business Ownership
05:44 – Spotting the Gap in the PA Market
07:28 – Growing the Miss Jones Network
09:48 – Using Tech to Scale
11:57 – The Challenges of Tech Development
17:48 – AI Integration for Customer Experience
19:25 – Buying Miss Jones During COVID
23:25 – Navigating Event Planning Stress
25:10 – Building a Strong Team
30:21 – Expanding into New Markets
32:47 – Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
34:28 – Lisa’s Vision for the Future

🔍 Keywords:
entrepreneurship, scaling a business, women in business, event planning, community building, PA network, acquisition, business technology, AI in business, startup growth, SME success
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