Join Jill Willis, co-founder at Attract & Engage, author and communications strategist, as she sits down with the county’s most successful business leaders to lift the bonnet on their journey so far.
Celebrating Essex entrepreneurship, Made in Essex is a melting pot of stories, wisdom and humour with tenacious business owners providing insight into the most pressing growth challenges.
Listen in on real conversations and leave with fresh perspectives and thought-provoking stories.
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Wes Crawford, Managing Director of Crawford's Group, shares insights into steering his family-run agricultural and commercial vehicle business from its 1980s origins into the future. He candidly discusses the complexities of succession planning, including his wife and sons joining the enterprise, and how a major health scare reshaped his approach to leadership and long-term sustainability. The episode highlights the critical role of diversification, transparency with the team, and continuous adaptation in a dynamic market.
Jill Willis meets Jeff Dewing, CEO of Cloud - the Colchester-based FM disruptor that grew from a garden shed to a £70m turnover business. A story of bold mindset shifts, bouncing back from rock bottom, and building a culture-first company by doing the opposite.
Jill Willis meets Paul Kelly, MD of KellyBronze Turkeys, the family-run farm that turned the humble turkey into a festive icon. From surviving market crashes and fires to building a global premium brand, it’s a story of resilience, reinvention and staying true to your values.
In this episode of Stories of Essex Limited, we’re joined by Doug Bentley and Adam Jones to reflect on the 2025 Essex Ltd Report and uncover what’s driving growth across the county’s Top 100 businesses.With turnover up 12.3% to £16bn, EBITDA up 16%, and 23 new entrants added to the list, Doug and Adam unpack the stories behind the stats, from the rise of private equity and employee ownership to how Essex firms are borrowing big to invest in future growth.We explore the biggest challenges on the ...
Jill Willis meets Paul Bleck, MD of Bartech Marine, the family firm that grew from a Mersea Island garage to a £10m engineering powerhouse. A story of legacy, leadership and scaling with purpose.
In this episode of Stories of Essex Limited , we sit down with Darren Locker, Managing Director of BEW Electrical Distributors, to explore how a second-generation family firm climbed to No. 41 in the Essex Top 100 and No. 17 in the Fastest Growth list. From leading an eight-figure management buyout to expanding into solar, site lighting, and heat pumps, Darren shares how people-first leadership and steady diversification have powered BEW’s transformation into one of the UK’s fastest-growing inde...
Colin Horton went from earning £14k in a bank call centre to running a multi-million-pound surveying firm and starring on Channel 4. In this episode, Jill Willis lifts the bonnet on Colin’s journey, from bootstrapping Project & Co with just £3k, to becoming one of the property industry’s most outspoken and recognisable voices. Honest, gritty, and full of Essex charm, this one’s for anyone building a business from the ground up.
Jill Willis meets Pod Crowther, co-founder of Tuffon Hall Vineyard, the family-run business putting Essex wine on the map with creativity, courage and diversification baked in from day one.
In this episode of Stories of Essex Limited, we sit down with Martin Series, Director of Global Services at Foxway UK, to explore how a circular tech business scaled to £103 million by rethinking how we use, reuse, and retire our devices. From the early days of Global Resale to joining the Scandinavian-owned Foxway Group, Martin shares how intentional growth, team values, and a focus on sustainability have helped create one of Essex’s most forward-thinking tech businesses. This episode is part o...
In this episode of Stories of Essex Limited, we sit down with Sam Malins, CEO of Dunmow Group, to explore the mindset, decisions, and values behind one of the South East’s fastest-growing waste management businesses. From doubling turnover year after year to navigating the pressures of rapid growth, Sam shares an honest account of what it takes to scale — and stay grounded. This episode is part of a collaborative mini-series created by Grant Thornton UK LLP, Birketts LLP, and Attract & Engag...
Welcome to Stories of Essex – the podcast series that gives a voice to Essex’s most inspiring privately owned businesses.In this premiere episode, we sit down with Stefan Payne, CFO of Titan Airways, to explore the mindset, decisions and values that have helped him build one of the UK’s most respected charter airlines.This episode is part of a collaborative mini-series created by Grant Thornton UK LLP, Birketts LLP and Attract & Engage Ltd to amplify the voices of Essex’s privately owned bus...
Jill Willis talks to Dr Nicola Thorn, CEO of AND Technology, a world renowned business for creating pioneering tech for the medical and agriculture sectors.
Jill Willis talks to Miles Adcock, CEO of Concurrent Technologies, a leading tech firm that designs and manufactures computing products for some of the world’s most rugged environments.
Jill talks to Will Polston, one of the UK's leading business performance coaches and author of the remarkable book North Star Thinking - Master Your Mindset and Live A Life You Love.
Jill Willis talks to John Gladman, Managing Director of AVRT Training, a tech business that’s making the way emergency services and military personnel train for difficult scenarios safer and more realistic.
Jill Willis talks to Marc Jones, Business Director of Antobot which is an award-winning start-up providing affordable robotics for sustainable agriculture.
Jill Willis talks to Joe Tighe, CEO of KleanDrive which is repowering buses, light commercial and heavy-duty vehicles, and marine vessels across the globe, by switching out internal combustion engines for its clean powertrain solution.
Jill Willis talks to Martin Series, Director of Global Services at Foxway UK which is transforming the global tech industry, extending the lifecycle of mobile phones and computers and preventing millions of devices from going to landfill.
Jill Willis talks to Graham Higgins, Managing Director of ACS Aviation Industries which maintains, repairs and overhauls all of the crucial structural components that keep Boeing and Airbus planes flying safely.
Jill Willis talks to Kim Morrish, experienced entrepreneur, social impact investor and owner and director of the country's leading external maintenance business Ground Control.
