Founder 250 Weekly Wrap: 47 Skin, Apadmi, JOLIE

As part of a weekly series, BusinessCloud is highlighting updates from some of the companies featured in our Founder 250 list.

The UK-wide list celebrates 250 of the country’s best founder-led and founder-influenced businesses.

RSM UK is the headline sponsor of Founder 250, alongside law firm CG, property specialist OBI and investor Mercia Ventures.

1. Video content was 47 Skin’s secret weapon

Nic Taylor has revealed the secret behind how his skincare brand 47 Skin hit its first £1m turnover – video content. Taylor has bootstrapped the business from £5,000 to £20m and said the turning point came when his make-up artist sister featured one of 47 Skin’s products – Serum – in a make-up routine video. This encouraged Taylor to share his story in an advert, which reached millions of people. These two things alone helped grow 47 Skin’s turnover from £120k to £1m. “What I learned was that people don’t connect with polished advertising,” he said. “They connect with stories they recognise.”

2. Fresha expands into Poland

London-based AI-powered marketplace and business management platform Fresha is expanding its operations in Poland. Founded in 2015 by William Zeqiri and Nick Miller, Fresha is one of the fastest-growing beauty and wellness platforms in the world. In May, the firm secured a £60m ($80m) primary growth investment from funds managed by KKR, valuing the company at more than $1bn.

The number of active partner businesses using Fresha in Poland has grown by 296 per cent year-on-year. To build on that momentum, the company has opened a larger Warsaw office and appointed Maciej Walczewski as general manager for Eastern Europe.

3. Ancient + Brave to launch book

Mission-driven wellness brand Ancient + Brave, founded by Kate Prince, is preparing to launch its lifestyle and wellness book, A Brave Life. The book will be published on October 15 and is available to pre-order.

4. Apadmi gets new look

Apadmi, the Manchester-based consultancy co-founded by Garry Partington, has unveiled a fresh new look. Partington, who is the son of a Rochdale butcher, said: “We’ve refreshed our identity and launched a new website to better reflect who we are today, the breadth of our capabilities, and the ambition we have for the future.”

5. Bio&Me win two awards

UK gut health food brand Bio&Me, founded in 2019 by Dr Megan Rossi and Jon Walsh, won two Grocer Gold Awards – SME Brand of the Year and Entrepreneurs of the Year. Rossi worked as a hospital dietitian and nutritionist for Australian Olympians before completing a PhD in gut health. She believes gut health may be the key to overall health and wellbeing.

6. Blakely Clothing heads to Amsterdam

Lifestyle fashion brand Blakely Clothing is heading to Amsterdam. Gareth Newman founded the brand in 2012 and grew turnover to £58.6m in the year ending March 2025. As part of its growth, it is opening a pop-up store in Amsterdam on August 8-9. Visitors will be able to see its latest collections and take advantage of in-store offers.

7. FuelHub makes two key hires

Fast-growing premium meal prep delivery firm FuelHub has made two key hires. The Warrington-based business was founded by former rugby league player James Laithwaite and his future wife Michelle in 2019. The company now has a turnover of £6.5m and is on a mission to make 100,000 meals a week. Sarah Ekin has joined as product manager and Jo-Anne Postlethwaite is the new technical manager.

8. Peter Moody hits gym milestone

Peter Moody, founder of North East-based GAP Group, has been on a fitness regime since his weight peaked at 140kg. “I felt unhealthy, unworthy, and unmotivated,” he said. He joined No6 Performance gym in Ryton, Gateshead, and has just been presented with his T-shirt after reaching 250 sessions. “Losing the weight has made me happier, brighter, and full of more energy than I’ve had in years. If you can’t look after yourself, you can’t look after your team.” Moody established GAP Waste in 2005 and a group structure was formed in 2019. The company processes more than 90,000 tonnes of electrical waste annually.

9. Sweet success for Hilltop Honey

Hilltop Hot Honey is now available in Costco Wholesale UK. Scott Davies is the founder of Hilltop Food Group, which has grown into one of the UK’s fastest-growing honey brands.

10. JOLIE grows international footprint

Franky Rousell and her full-service, sensory-led interior design studio, JOLIE, continue to go from strength to strength. Rousell founded JOLIE in 2017 as a 25-year-old in Manchester and has scaled the business to 20 designers across three studios in London, Manchester and New York, working on schemes across the UK, Europe, the USA and MENA region. JOLIE is now working with One Homes and renowned Miami architect Kobi Karp on a landmark residential development in Lahore, Pakistan. Rousell said: “For JOLIE, this marks another important step in our international journey and a reflection of the trust our clients continue to place in our vision around the world.”

11. Joe Harper joins Gladiators

Could Joe Harper, co-founder and CEO of Just Bee, be about to join the cast of Gladiators? Harper used to be scared of bees as a child and hated honey, so he co-founded Just Bee Honey with Andy Sugden in 2015. Harper grew up watching Gladiators and dreamt of appearing on the show as a contender.

That may not have happened, but he was able to live out his dream by taking part in the Gladiators Experience at the NEC with his brother and sister. He admitted: “I might have picked up a red card for continuing to whack my bro in the duel after he’d dropped his stick.”

12. Principle Networks grows revenue to £8m

Cybersecurity specialist Principle Networks has grown revenue to £8m while significantly increasing EBITDA. Over the past three years, the business has achieved average annual revenue growth of 40 per cent and EBITDA growth of 106 per cent. Russell Crowley and Alex Steer walked away from their well-paid jobs to set up Principle Networks in 2018.

13. Humble Crumble reveals new bakery

Kim Innes, founder of Humble Crumble, has been sharing images of the company’s new bakery in James Street, Marylebone, which is currently under construction. Innes came up with the idea for Humble Crumble while standing outside a normally busy ice cream parlour and trying to work out what would attract customers when the sun wasn’t out.

14. Adanola strengthens leadership team

Manchester-based activewear brand Adanola has strengthened its senior leadership team with a number of key hires. Founded in 2015 by Hyrum Cook, Adanola has built a cult following, with high-profile fans including Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Last year, the company was valued at £400m when it secured a significant minority investment from US-based private equity firm STORY3 Capital Partners to fuel its global ambitions. Erin Washburn has been promoted to brand director after five years with the company. Meanwhile, Gymshark’s former head of people, Ellen Graemer, has been appointed people director, while Georgina Bavalia is the new head of design.

15. Gymshark makes key appointment

Matt Rogers has been promoted to chief supply chain director at cult fitness community and apparel brand Gymshark. Ben Francis founded the Solihull-based business in 2012.

16. ARNE announces café expansion

Fashion brand ARNE has announced plans to open a café alongside its flagship store at Liverpool ONE. ARNE was founded by Liverpool brothers Ryan and Reece Broadhurst in 2018, and the pair now have an estimated fortune of £110m. The online clothing and footwear brand successfully opened its first permanent bricks-and-mortar flagship store in Liverpool ONE last September. Following the success of ARNE Bites, which offers a mix of ice creams, milkshakes, coffee and freshly baked goods, the company will launch its first Café ARNE, offering an outdoor dining experience.

17. Montirex founders awarded honorary doctorates

Montirex co-founders Daniel Yuen and Kieran Riddell-Austin have received honorary doctorates from Edge Hill University.Yuen and Riddell-Austin received honorary Doctorates of Business Administration during the university’s summer graduation ceremonies in recognition of their outstanding contribution to business, enterprise and community impact.

The best mates from Liverpool have grown Montirex into a global sportswear and lifestyle brand which now employs more than 100 people in Liverpool.