FOUNDER #22. From 90s Rave Promoter to Multi-Million Yacht Company - Kevin Viles
Dodge Woodall Network
Dodge Woodall
4.8 • 952 Ratings
🗓️ 20 May 2026
⏱️ 84 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Kevin Viles opens up about the journey that took him from painting ships and taking risks abroad to building relationships inside the world of billionaires, investors and multi-billion-pound superyacht companies.
From working on naval frigates and ferries to landing life-changing opportunities in Dubai, Kevin reflects on the graft, hustle and instincts that helped him break into one of the most exclusive industries in the world.
But behind the business deals and luxury lifestyle was a story shaped by pressure, loyalty, setbacks and sacrifice. Kevin speaks honestly about sleeping rough, taking jobs that didn’t feel right, raising millions in funding, and the emotional weight that comes when business and personal relationships become intertwined. He shares stories of travelling the world, building close bonds that became like family, navigating high-stakes negotiations, and learning how quickly trust can be tested when serious money is involved.
He also reflects on the friendships and mentors that changed his life, the moments that nearly broke him, and the mentality it took to keep moving forward when everything was uncertain. From teenage fundraising events and humble beginnings to the pressure of scaling major projects and chasing global opportunities, it’s a raw look at ambition, resilience, brotherhood and what it really costs to build something from nothing.
This is the eventful life of Kevin Viles.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | How did you go from rave promoter in the 90s to owning a multi-million pound yacht company? Ah, good first question. The rave thing was, without me knowing, my first business. He had a big one in a farm. A thousand people turned up. Jamarquai turned up, J.K. Mooli, yeah. J.K. Turned. When was it when you first launched your business in the yacht industry? |
| 0:21.6 | 2003 decided to set up my own company. |
| 0:23.6 | Flew out to Monaco for the Monaco Boat Show. |
| 0:25.6 | Was there a point you remember getting a really big contract for you? |
| 0:28.6 | Yeah. |
| 0:29.6 | Where was that? |
| 0:30.6 | That was a motor yacht, yes. |
| 0:31.6 | The most expensive yacht in the world. |
| 0:33.6 | Who owned the 300 million pound yacht? |
| 0:35.6 | It was the ruler of Abu Dhabi. We had over 100 people |
| 0:40.3 | in the UK supplying the leading names like Princess Sunseek, Oysteers or so all the biggest |
| 0:44.7 | names in yachting. They were all coming to us for our skill supply and our expertise. How good is that? |
| 0:50.4 | So obviously we've put in over two million winters, southerly. We rebranded. What we're looking at now is taking that to the UAE. What you're creating here is the future of boating. It's the only yacht you can have with a lifting kill that you can keep out there. And there's amazing sailing in that region. I only would have done it if I had someone I completely trusted. And have you got somebody completely trusted running that? I did. There's a story there. |
| 1:11.5 | He was our COO. |
| 1:12.7 | We worked together for a couple of years. |
| 1:15.4 | We discovered he'd been embezzling money from company from day one. |
| 1:19.8 | How did you confront him? |
| 1:21.9 | So... |
| 1:26.6 | Hey guys. We've been running this podcast now for five and a half years. |
| 1:32.2 | We've had some most amazing business guests on here. |
| 1:34.7 | Simon Squib, Daniel Priestley, Barry Hearn. |
| 1:37.2 | The list just goes on and on from billionaires to people who've built brands. |
... |
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