The Success or Excuses Podcast
You can have success, or you can have excuses, but you can’t have both. This isn’t just another business podcast. This is for those who are done with the fluff, the motivational soundbites, and the sugar-coated stories. This is for the ones who want the real conversations about what it actually takes to succeed, no shortcuts, no excuses, just raw, unfiltered truth. James Fleming is a multi-seven-figure business owner who’s been in the trenches, built from the ground up, and knows first-hand the discipline, resilience, and mindset needed to make it happen. But this isn’t just about his story, he’s sitting down with the people who have really been through it. The self-made entrepreneurs, the industry disruptors, the ones who have had it all, lost it all, and fought their way back. Expect straight-talking interviews with high-level business leaders and extraordinary individuals who have mastered their mindset, faced failure head-on, and come out stronger. The kind of people who don’t just talk about success, they live it. No fluff. No sugar-coating. Just real conversations, real lessons, and the reality of what it takes to build something that lasts. If you’re ready to stop making excuses and start taking action, hit subscribe. Success or Excuses, you decide.
Episodes
Yvonne Lindsay didn’t just start a business, she took on an entire industry.
With no funding, no safety net, and a baby on the way, she walked out of a high-paying role at BT and launched a telecoms company from her living room. Fifteen years later, that company now turns over £6 million a year.
But this episode isn’t just about business growth. It’s about grit.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Yv...
Craig Evans didn’t grow up with money, but he had vision, grit, and a builder’s mindset.
What started as a plan to buy his first home on a shoestring turned into a full-scale property business. He’s designed entire houses in 3D before ever stepping foot in them. Negotiated deals most people would run from. And learned the hard way that success isn’t about shortcuts, it’s about strategy.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James ...
Chris McLaughlin didn’t plan on building a business he just said yes to cutting a few lawns. Ten years later, CM Garden Services has grown into a thriving family-run company with a strong brand, loyal clients, and a seriously cute mascot called Bruce.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Chris to talk about what it really takes to grow a business from a handful of flyers to a full team and premises al...
Donna McAteer didn’t wait for opportunity she created it.
Two babies under two. No job to go back to. A partner offshore. And absolutely no time to sit and panic. When her role in Dubai disappeared overnight after maternity leave, Donna didn’t spiral she stepped up.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Donna to unpack what it really takes to build a business from your kitchen table, with a newborn on ...
Gavin Smith didn’t follow the rules he rewrote them.
No confidence. No funding. No business plan. Just a belief that there had to be a better way to make a living and a difference. From growing up in a small Ayrshire mining village to becoming the founder of the UK’s leading renewable heat consultancy, Gavin’s story is a masterclass in grit, growth, and figuring it out as you go.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming...
Scott Weir didn’t just build a business he rewrote the narrative he was handed.
Raised in poverty. Bullied. Stealing food just to survive. Told he’d never amount to anything. For a long time, he believed it. Until he didn’t.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Scott to unpack what it really takes to go from a childhood of hardship to building an award-winning property business with heart.
At 16, he j...
Paul Costello didn’t just build a business he rebuilt the reputation of an industry that had let people down for too long.
No background in estate agency. No formal training. Just the frustration of trying to sell a flat, a camera phone, and a vision to do things better.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Paul to talk about what it really takes to start from scratch, make it work, and grow a busines...
Craig Alexander Rattery didn’t just learn how to run a business he learned how to run a life.
Raised in a council flat in Newmains, he was the first in his family to attend university. But it wasn’t just about getting a degree it was about escaping limits. Craig’s journey took him from a job in accountancy he never really wanted, into the world of corporate finance, private equity, and finally, to running his own business where he ...
He walked away from a global role at Lloyd’s Register. Gave up prestige, a title, and a comfortable salary. Why? Because it no longer aligned with his values.
Today, Steve Harris is the Managing Director of Integrity HSE one of the fastest-growing safety, health, and sustainability consultancies in the UK.
This episode of Success or Excuses isn’t just about business. It’s about values, hard choices, and what it really means to lead...
Stacey McNabney didn’t just build a business — she built herself from the ground up. Single mum at 19. No qualifications. No safety net. Just sheer determination, a door-to-door sales job, and the kind of grit you only get from real life.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Stacey to uncover what it really takes to build a brand when you’ve got mouths to feed, confidence to build, and a business worl...
Ajmal Mushtaq didn’t just build a business, he went all in and didn’t take a wage for six years. No holidays. No nights off. No dinner with his wife. Just pure focus, relentless graft, and a vision nobody else could see.
In this episode of Success or Excuses, James Fleming sits down with Ajmal to unpack what it really takes to scale from a struggling family restaurant to one of the biggest takeaway operations in the UK and now, a ...
Maxwell Muir didn’t just survive rock bottom, he rebuilt his life, his business, and his mindset from the ground up. But not before facing fear, failure, and a cancer diagnosis that would shake anyone to their core.
In this episode, James Fleming sits down with Maxwell for a powerful, no-fluff conversation about what it really takes to come back stronger not once, but time and time again.
From living in a tent with his dog to build...
He fled a revolution at four years old. Lost everything. Rebuilt from scratch. Today, Armin Ossatian runs one of the most trusted IT support firms in the country.
This episode of Success or Excuses is about more than business it’s about pressure, resilience, and what it really takes to lead when the stakes are personal.
James Fleming sits down with Armin for an honest, no-filter conversation about starting over in a new country, bu...
Andrew Morrison didn’t just build a business; he built a legacy.
In this episode, James Fleming sits down with Andrew for a real conversation about building and selling a business the right way, without losing yourself in the process.
From surviving redundancy to navigating the emotional pressure of running a company through COVID, Andrew shares what it actually takes to stay in the game lo...
Gary McAlister is the definition of starting from scratch. No head start. No silver spoon. Just grit, graft, and a relentless drive to build something better.
From his early days as a joiner in Glasgow to running multiple businesses in construction and property, Gary has learned every lesson the hard way, on-site, in debt, and under pressure. But that’s what makes this conversation so powerful. He’s not ...
Barry Jolly didn’t grow up dreaming of building a media agency. In fact, by his own admission, he drifted for years, working hard, doing what he was told, and playing it safe in a corporate career. Until one unexpected trip to London lit a fire he couldn’t put out.
What followed was far from smooth. His first venture crumbled overnight when the affiliate marketing company he partnered with was exposed as...
Success doesn’t happen in a straight line. It’s built in the trenches, through hardship, betrayal, health scares, and moments when giving up feels like the only option.
In this powerful episode of the Success or Excuses podcast, James Fleming sits down with Michael Savage, CEO of Channel Group, for a raw, unfiltered conversation about what it really takes to keep rebuilding, again and again.
Success rarely looks like you imagined. It’s messy, painful, and sometimes born from the darkest chapters of your life.
In this raw and moving episode of the Success or Excuses podcast, James Fleming sits down with entrepreneur Stuart Geddes to talk about business highs, personal heartbreak, and the moments that force you to rebuild everything from scratch.
Stuart isn’t your typical founder...
Resilience doesn’t always come from big wins. Sometimes it’s forged in the moments where everything feels like it’s falling apart, and you show up anyway.
Natalie Jade Pinnell knows what it’s like to be at full capacity. Running a business, raising a family, and fighting a broken system that’s failing her daughter. Most people would crumble. Natalie chose a different path.In this unfiltered conversation,...
Some people crumble under pressure. Others use it as fuel. Billy Farrell is in the latter camp.
In this straight-talking conversation, James Fleming and Billy get real about what it takes to keep moving forward when life throws its hardest punches. No sugar-coating, no empty motivation, just raw insights on resilience, mindset, and why excuses will never get you where you want to be.
Billy ...
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