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 sits down with Gavin to unpack the messy, honest reality of starting something from scratch when you're broke, burnt out, and battling self-doubt. From £8K a year to running a business that works while he sleeps, Gavin proves you don’t need to have it all figured out you just need to start.
This conversation is full of mindset shifts, leadership lessons, and the silver shrapnel (you’ll get it when you listen) that comes from years of learning the hard way.
Key moments include: ✔️ The 3-year round-the-world trip that built his confidence without taking a single flight ✔️ Starting a business with no money, no roadmap, and a lot of Excel spreadsheets ✔️ The brutal year he earned £8K and what kept him going anyway ✔️ How purpose became the driving force behind profit ✔️ Letting go of bad hires (and the guilt that comes with it) ✔️ Why your team suffers when you avoid difficult decisions ✔️ Building a business that makes money while you sleep ✔️ The moment he realised he’d outgrown his own knowledge and what he did next ✔️ Neurodivergent-friendly leadership: building systems that work for real humans ✔️ Gavin’s top 3 tips for anyone starting a purpose-led business from the ground up
Subscribe to Success or Excuses for more unfiltered, straight-talking conversations with people who kept going when everyone else would’ve quit.
Follow James Fleming: LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesflemingtpwtd Success or Excuses Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/successorexcusespodcast YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessorExcusesPodcast Website → https://thepowerwithintraining.com/
Follow Gavin Smith:
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-smith-05423916/
Website→ https://yourenergysource.co.uk
Company LinkedIn (Your Energy Source) → https://www.linkedin.com/company/your-energy-source/
Email → gavinpetersmith@gmail.com
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.