The Dodge Woodall Network

If you’re an Entrepreneur or Business Owner and would like to come on the podcast then you can apply on the link here 👉 DodgeWoodall.com/guest

Paul Richardson opens up about a journey defined by instinct, timing, and building one of the most iconic modern business success stories from the inside out. After meeting Gymshark founders Ben Francis and Lewis Morgan in a local gym, he stepped into a business that was already growing fast but lacked structure, systems, and experience. Acting as a “fixer,” he brought organisation, connections, and key people into the business - most notably CEO Steve Hewitt - helping transform Gymshark from a £4.5 million operation into a global powerhouse. What followed was explosive growth, fuelled by early social media, smart branding, and a young, hungry team riding a wave few truly understood at the time.

But behind the billion-pound valuation was pressure, tough decisions, and real growing pains - from resolving founder conflicts and implementing structure, to scaling teams into the hundreds and navigating high-stakes investment deals. Paul reflects on the importance of timing, culture, and having the right people around you, as well as knowing when to step away. After exiting, he’s focused on building again - this time alongside his daughters - applying the same lessons in a more grounded way. It’s a rare insight into what it really takes to scale a business at speed, manage success, and stay in the game long enough to catch the wave.

This is the eventful life of Paul Richardson

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Website: DodgeWoodall.com

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Every Friday Dodge gets interviewed by Co-Host Mark Masters (You Are The Media).

This chat is all about why live experiences are more powerful and more needed than ever, how Dodge went from selling queue jump tickets as a ten year old to building a festival that has sold over a million tickets across nearly two decades, and why in a world of doomscrolling and digital everything, getting people in a room together is becoming the most valuable thing you can offer.

Dodge also opens up about remortgaging his house, signing a ten year personal guarantee and the brutal reality of what it actually takes to build a live event that survives long after the competition has disappeared.

Guest - https://dodgewoodall.com/guest

Website: DodgeWoodall.com
YouTube: Dodge Woodall
Facebook: Dodge Woodall
Instagram: @Dodge.Woodall
TikTok: @DodgeWoodall
LinkedIn: Dodge Woodall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Rooney and Grant Smith open up about a life built on risk, resilience, and relentless graft - from teenage beginnings in the underground music scene to becoming pioneers of the UK rave and events industry. Starting out young, they threw themselves into record production, launched their own label, and quickly learned hard lessons after being burned by shady distributors. As the rave scene exploded, they evolved with it - moving from pressing vinyl and selling records directly to shops, to promoting club nights, running record stores, and staging major events at iconic venues like Bagley’s, Brixton Academy, Alexandra Palace, and the Sanctuary.

But behind the success was constant pressure - financial gambles, volatile crowds, industry setbacks, and moments where one bad call could wipe everything out. From building brands like Dreamscape and One Nation to navigating the shift from underground raves to large-scale festivals, they reflect on a journey shaped by reinvention, risk-taking, and a genuine love for bringing people together. Through it all, their long-standing partnership has remained at the heart of everything - built on trust, instinct, and decades of surviving the highs and lows of the events world side by side.

This is the eventful life of Paul Rooney and Grant Smith.

If you’re an Entrepreneur or Business Owner and would like to come on the podcast then you can apply on the link here 👉 DodgeWoodall.com/guest

All Enquiries - [email protected]
Website: DodgeWoodall.com

YouTube: Dodge Woodall
Facebook: Dodge Woodall
Instagram: @Dodge.Woodall
TikTok: @DodgeWoodall
LinkedIn: Dodge Woodall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Friday Dodge gets interviewed by Co-Host Mark Masters (You Are The Media).

This chat is all about what it means to back yourself when no one else will, why so many people are held back by the fear of being judged, and why feedback from the right people is the only thing that tells you if you're on the right track.

Dodge talks about building businesses from nothing without outside investment, why you have to promote yourself if you want to make it, and how backing the people around you is just as important as backing yourself.

Guest - https://dodgewoodall.com/guest

Website: DodgeWoodall.com

YouTube: Dodge Woodall
Facebook: Dodge Woodall
Instagram: @Dodge.Woodall
TikTok: @DodgeWoodall
LinkedIn: Dodge Woodall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Friday Dodge gets interviewed by Co-Host Mark Masters (You Are The Media)

This chat is all about what it looks and feels like to start something from absolutely nothing, why so many people sit on ideas for years and never act on them, and why naivety and curiosity are more powerful than any business plan.

Dodge talks about the reality of entrepreneurship, the pressure, the sleepless nights, the people who quietly want you to fail and why doing your homework, and just being yourself is what separates the ones who make it from the ones who don't.

Guest - https://dodgewoodall.com/guest

Website: DodgeWoodall.com

YouTube: Dodge Woodall
Facebook: Dodge Woodall
Instagram: @Dodge.Woodall
TikTok: @DodgeWoodall
LinkedIn: Dodge Woodall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.