n this special episode, Adam turns the tables and shares his own story - recorded as a guest on the Tom Talks podcast, hosted by Tom, who lost his brother Liam to suicide in 2015 and built his show around stories of overcoming adversity.

It's one of the most personal and in-depth interviews Adam has done. He opens up about the moments that shaped him: going from an affluent childhood and private school to living in the back of a transport café after his dad lost everything; leaving school with a single GCSE and a "U" in everything else; and how being written off academically lit a fire that drove him to build businesses generating over £100 million in sales and earn three consecutive London Stock Exchange recognitions.

Along the way, Adam gets practical - breaking down the four stages of business (startup, growth, scale, exit), why people fail by applying "scale strategies" too early, and how relationship capital and simply having more conversations changed everything. He also reflects candidly on the £1 million it cost him to close a business at 31, the relief that came with closure, and why self-belief - and sometimes the right words from the right person - matter most when you're at rock bottom.

A raw, honest conversation about resilience, mindset, and the belief that life happens for you, not to you.

In this episode:

• Why early adversity became the source of Adam's drive
• Finding your strengths when school says you're "no good"
• The four stages of business and the strategy mistakes that stall growth
• Relationship capital: why business is "mathematical, not magical"
• What it really feels like to lose £1M - and bounce back
• Advice for anyone facing exams, setbacks, or starting over

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Three business owners walked onto the stage, not knowing what their real problem was. None of them left that way.

In this live hot seat session, Adam works with a business owner who thought she had no time - and finds 124 days hiding in plain sight across her side businesses. An accountant who thought her landing page wasn't converting - and uncovers a pricing structure that could take her from £120K to £600K without a single extra hour of work. A consultant running two funnels at once - whose webinar was already working brilliantly, just with completely the wrong offer on the end of it. And two founders who had built a £400K business that runs entirely without them - but had no idea what to do next.

Three different businesses. Three completely different problems. All diagnosed and solved live on stage in under 15 minutes each.

From working at KFC at 16… to building businesses that have generated over £186 million!

In this episode, Adam Stott shares the mindset shifts, mistakes, and one big warning for entrepreneurs that could completely change how you approach business in 2026.

If you're building something of your own, you'll want to hear this one… 🎙️