Roger Wade: Streetwear, street food, and the streets of South London

In this episode of Nothing Ventured, host Aarish Shah sits down with Roger Wade, the visionary founder behind Boxfresh and Boxpark, two iconic British brands. Roger shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings on a South London council estate to building successful companies, including scaling Boxpark into a cultural landmark in East London. He discusses the importance of having a clear destination when starting a business, emphasising that entrepreneurship is not just about quick wins but enjoying the journey. Roger highlights the significance of migrant stories in the UK and advocates for a 'less is more' approach in venture capital. He also sheds light on the philosophy of transparency in investment terms and the importance of innovative thinking in business. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation about purpose-driven entrepreneurship and the power of community. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Roger Wade 00:00:10 - Roger Wade's Background and Achievements 00:00:32 - Founding BoxFund and Views on Venture Capital 00:00:42 - Journey from Rags to Riches 00:01:39 - Importance of Knowing Your Destination in Business 00:01:54 - Host Introduction and Podcast Purpose 00:02:36 - Starting the Conversation with Roger Wade 00:02:49 - Roger Wade's Early Life and Challenges 00:03:12 - Moving from Malaysia to the UK 00:04:06 - Experiencing Racism in 1970s Britain 00:04:39 - Struggles with Identity and Education 00:06:00 - University Life and Early Career 00:06:34 - Transition to Entrepreneurship 00:06:54 - Building BoxFresh from a Market Stall 00:07:48 - Selling BoxFresh to Pentland 00:08:09 - Early Motivations and Drive 00:09:02 - Challenges of University and Entrepreneurial Traits 00:09:23 - Shifting Motivations with Age and Success 00:10:14 - Ego and Purpose in Business 00:10:31 - Financial Stability and Legacy 00:11:04 - Building BoxPark and Achieving Financial Freedom 00:12:19 - Eastern Philosophy and Life Stages 00:13:30 - Learning from Business Exits 00:14:33 - Planning for an Exit 00:15:20 - Importance of Knowing Your Business Destination 00:16:02 - Building a Team for Exit 00:17:01 - Rapid Growth of BoxPark 00:18:03 - Differences Between BoxFresh and BoxPark 00:18:28 - Connecting the Dots of Life Experiences 00:19:18 - Belief in Physical Retail 00:20:00 - Evolution and Adaptation in Business 00:21:02 - Pivoting BoxPark to Street Food 00:22:23 - Taking Over Alcohol Licenses at BoxPark 00:23:06 - Launching BoxHall Concept 00:23:30 - Relationship with Enough 00:24:09 - Period of Reflection and Therapy 00:25:08 - Controlling the Monkey Mind 00:26:01 - Working Three Days a Week 00:27:06 - Importance of Calmness and Experience 00:28:01 - Time as the Most Precious Commodity 00:29:20 - Life as a Dance Floor 00:30:40 - Realizing Money Doesn't Define Happiness 00:31:11 - Practicing Stoicism and Simple Living 00:32:05 - Focusing on Health, Relationships, and Legacy 00:33:00 - Celebrating Migrant Contributions 00:34:02 - Multicultural Britain 00:35:06 - Migrants and Entrepreneurship 00:36:00 - Personal Reflections on Being a Londoner 00:37:05 - Potential Political Shifts and Immigration 00:38:03 - Positive Impact of Immigrants 00:39:02 - Personal and Family Contributions to the Economy 00:40:11 - Migrant Necessity for Entrepreneurship 00:41:14 - Critique of Traditional Venture Capital 00:42:07 - Broken VC Model and BoxFund's Approach 00:43:11 - Hands-On Investment Approach 00:44:49 - Rejecting the Herd Mentality in Investments 00:45:10 - Issues with Liquidity Preference Shares Find Roger Wade online at: LinkedIn:https: //www.linkedin.com/in/rogerwade1/ BoxFund VC: https://www.boxfund.co.uk/ This episode is sponsored by EmergeOne, fractional CFOs for venture backed tech startups from Seed to Series B. Get in touch at https://emergeone.co.uk/contact-us/ or join the CFO team at https://emergeone.co.uk/join-the-cfo-team/ Sign up for EmergeOne’s weekly newsletter, Off Balance at https://off-balance.beehiiv.com/subscribe