E20: Laura Tenison MBE: Founder of JoJo Maman Bébé, on how true success lies in doing good as well as doing well

The Creative Adventure

In this special 20th episode, Greg and Andrew have an inspirational chat with Laura Tenison MBE, founder of JoJo Maman Bébé.

Like many born entrepreneurs, Laura's entrepreneurial tendencies were there for all to see from her tender years when she would make a few pennies selling cold drinks and cakes behind her house. 45 years later, JoJo Maman Bébé, the company she founded, was making £70m in annual revenue and employing 1,000 people, on the way to becoming one of Britain's best loved brands.

In 2022, Laura sold JoJo to retail giant Next, in partnership with a private equity firm. And she now runs Wonderful Escapes which offers a venue for extraordinary group or family holidays, yoga retreats and mindful business bonding at Wern-y-Cwm Farm, Abergavenny.

A joy to listen to and share a room with, Laura is Welsh business royalty, a generational talent, and an inspiration to us all.

We talk about;

• Being one of the few people who came out of the student experience with more money than when she started!
• The power of being unapologetically yourself
• The early ventures that bred the confidence for the big success
• How breaking 20 bones in her body led to the idea that became JoJo
• The importance of not believing the hype
• What it takes to create and run a company that cumulatively generated sales of almost £1bn...
• ...and what led to her finally deciding to sell it
• JoJo's groundbreaking inclusivity, and being one of the first B Corp's
• Always treating your people with respect, and the loyalty you get in return
• Why we all need to spend more time in human contact (and have more sex!)
• How "doing well whilst doing good" has always been Laura's mantra

Laura:

https://www.wonderfulescapes.co.uk/

Us:

www.linkedin.com/in/greg-vartoukian

www.linkedin.com/in/andrewwainstein

www.boxlist.com

https://www.andrewwainstein.com/