# 83. Are you selling too early? The succession model most founders have never heard of  | Victoria Stapleton

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/james-reed-all-about-business-7046050/83-are-you-selling-too-early-the-succession-model-most-founders-have-never-heard-of-victoria-stapleton
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/james-reed-all-about-business-7046050/83-are-you-selling-too-early-the-succession-model-most-founders-have-never-heard-of-victoria-stapleton.md
Podcast: [James Reed: all about business](https://stenobird.com/podcast/james-reed-all-about-business-7046050)
Published: 2026-06-15T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://james-reed-all-about-business.captivate.fm
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/b0751997-326d-4318-a8e3-c6aa44167255.mp3
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Duration seconds: 3496

## Resource

Thirty years of building a business without a board, without investors, and without ever wanting to sell, and it just keeps growing, there’s something to learn from that. In this episode of All About Business, James speaks with Victoria Stapleton, founder of Brora, the British luxury cashmere and clothing brand. Victoria has built Brora over 30 years from a single supplier and a home phone number into a business with shops across the UK, a store on Madison Avenue, and a fiercely loyal customer base. Victoria shares what she learned from building slowly and deliberately, and why organic growth gave her control, quality, and a life outside work. She also gives insight about why every founder considering outside investment should think carefully about what they are actually giving if they take it. Together they explore what it really takes to run a product business built on craft and quality: how to manage suppliers, why the shop experience matters more than ever, and what you actually learn about your business by walking the warehouse floor every morning. Victoria's tells is about who she transitioned Brora into an Employee Ownership Trust, one of the most underused business succession models in the UK, and how it works. Timestamps 11:25 First Shop and Doing It All 18:49 Hiring and Building a Loyal Team 20:52 Organic Growth and Staying Independent 30:21 In Store Styling Magic 38:21 Bonuses Profit And Legacy 47:05 Store Locations And New York 54:19 Glasgow Store Failure Lessons 56:14 Final Questions And Farewell Links Follow James Reed on LinkedIn Follow Brora on LinkedIn Find out more Brora and their products here Submit your application to Reed’s Entrepreneurs Fund for a chance to a £20,000 grant HERE All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more HERE…

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