Phones 4u Founder: The Pain Of Becoming A Billionaire: John Caudwell

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

FlightStory

Society & Culture, Business, Education

4.6 • 13.2K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2022

⏱️ 80 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

John Caudwell is one of the richest people in the UK, for many years he has been the UK’s highest-paying taxpayer. Making his money on the back of the mobile phone revolution, he is worth £3 billion. And he has built his fortune from nothing. Growing up in a sometimes unstable household, John ran his first business while working full time as an apprentice mechanic. His energy and drive sustained him throughout his money-making journey. But this single-minded determination came at a cost. He sacrified friends and a social life, and has called his experience founding Phones 4u “twenty years of grief”. Perhaps no one has been more open with me about what it took to build their empire, and what it ultimately took from them. Follow John: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/johncaudwell Twitter - https://twitter.com/JohnDCaudwell Caudwell Children: https://www.caudwellchildren.com Follow me: https://beacons.ai/diaryofaceo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I grew for nothing to 12,000 employees, 2.4 billion turnover.
0:12.3	John Cordwell, the billionaire founder of Phones for You.
0:16.2	As it relates to his wealth, he has it all, but it's come at a real cost.
0:21.9	I was sitting on the edge of my seat nearly every day for 20 years
0:25.4	facing threat after threat after threat. It did nearly finish me and I think
0:30.3	anybody's would you know because you can't work 22 hours a day
0:33.3	wonder immense pressure. It's a monster deal the biggest that ever been done in the
0:37.8	marketplace by anybody you know I don't mind fair competition but it was very
0:41.9	unethical if I didn't find a solution it was instantly
0:45.0	terminal, you know, my turnover was going to drop immediately my stores were empty. Nothing.
0:50.8	I'd have been bankrupt and I wouldn't be here talking to you today.
0:54.0	Without further ado, I'm Stephen Bartlett and this is the driver CEO.
0:58.0	I hope nobody's listening, but if you are, then please keep this to yourself.
1:02.5	I suppose if I had had a little bit more love I would have been happier.
1:15.0	Do you remember saying that?
1:17.0	I don't actually but I can understand why I might have said it.
1:22.0	Why do you think you might have said that?
1:24.0	Yeah, it would certainly be to do with my childhood
1:28.0	because my father was not the kindest to me, not abusive, but in a way I, well in a way maybe was
1:39.2	abusive but not abusive in the way normal sense of it. He just wasn't very fair with me and certainly not
1:44.8	very affectionate. And I think my mother was struggling through all those early childhood
1:49.8	years. So I understand completely why I might say if I'd had a bit more love I might have been happier.
	...

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