Why The Wealthy Should Be Paying More Tax with Photobox Founder, Graham Hobson

“Entrepreneurship is a process of natural selection. You can't ever guarantee that the playbook you're going to follow is going to guarantee success.”  In this week’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by Graham Hobson, the Founder of Photobox, a photo printing company that acquired Moonpig and was later sold for a reported £400 million. Today, Graham is an angel investor, mentor and advisor, working to support climate change initiatives, fairer tax and social impact.  In this episode, Graham shares candid insights into the brilliant journey he’s taken Photobox on and the chapter that followed, including:  ➡️ How Graham’s upbringing and natural inclination to not follow a traditional path has brought him to entrepreneurship [07:54]  ➡️ Why social mobility played a huge part into the leader he is today [09:37]  ➡️ How Photobox was created on Graham’s commute to and from work and what the early years were like [11:58]  ➡️ How Graham and his Co-Founder Mark navigated the bumpy growth journey Photobox was on  [18:38]  ➡️ Graham’s candid advice for anyone looking to merge businesses [23:37]  ➡️ How he transitioned from CEO to CTO and the challenges that came with that [26:56]  ➡️ Why Photobox acquired Moonpig and what exiting the business was like for him [30:11]  ➡️ Why it didn’t take a long time for Graham to get back into work after exiting Photobox and his advice for any Founders preparing for their exit [34:12] ➡️ Graham’s involvement in driving for higher taxes for the Wealthy and why this is a topic so close to his heart [40:58]  ➡️ What Founders should keep in mind as they navigate the economic downturn and impending recession [47:52]    ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ More about Graham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamhobson ➡️ More about Photobox: https://www.photobox.co.uk/   💙A big thank you to our Sponsors: Alchemist - an industry leading learning and development company, whose learning journeys and experiences help organisations who want to grow, change or transform by putting the learner first to optimise organisational performance. To learn more about Alchemist and see how they work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, head over to https://thisisalchemist.com/40minutementor/  to find out more.    Pacaso - a co-ownership platform for luxury homes. Picasso curates stunning holiday homes in top vacation destinations around the world. Find out more over on https://www.pacaso.com/   📅 Join us at the Sifted Summit!  We’ll be recording a 40 Minute Mentor panel discussion at this year’s Sifted Summit in London, on Thursday, October 6th.  To join us at the event and a chance to ask your questions during our live recording, claim one of our 40 FREE tickets, by redeeming the code: 40MMFREEE on on www.summit.sifted.eu   ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices