Episode #270 - Lessons Are Learned by Getting Through Hardships - with James Cole

Episode #270 31 Jul 2023

Show notes

We turn to the luxury cruise market this time on ScaleUp Radio. I talked with James Cole, who is the founder of Panache Cruises, and it's not his first rodeo. James also built up and exited from a very successful cruise business before Panache, exiting prior to lockdown. At that point, they had 200 employees and 100 million turnover. So he's not new to the industry or indeed new to business and there are some really great lessons, as well as some fantastic examples of luxury cruise holidays!  If nothing else, you're going to come away from listening to this interview wanting to go on one of these cruises. But some really good business lessons along the way. James seems to like making life difficult for himself though, he started his first business six months before the Lehman Brothers crash and the resulting depression, and he started Panache Cruises during lockdown! He's already built panache to be 15 million pound turnover with a solid EBITDA and 40 employees, so some really rapid success, James knows what he's doing and it is definitely worth listening to this discussion. James can be found here: Resources: Shaa Wasmund: The 5am Club: Mike Finnigan: Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.   If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:   You can get in touch with Kevin here:   Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!    Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.    More on the Book HERE -