Why Not Now! Podcast S2E1 with Linda Plant: From Market Stall to The Apprentice… Why You Should Start Now

What does it take to go from working on a market stall to interviewing candidates on The Apprentice?

This week on WHY NOT NOW!, Emma Elston MBE and Chloe Everton sit down with entrepreneur Linda Plant for a candid conversation about building businesses, raising a family and having the courage to begin.

Linda shares how helping her mum on a market stall sparked her ambition, why she left school at 15 without formal qualifications, and how she went on to build businesses across fashion and electronics and take a company to the London Stock Exchange.

But success comes with a few “what ifs”… including passing up a £250,000 investment opportunity in the business that became Matalan.

From trusting your gut when hiring to learning from mistakes, Linda explains why relationships matter, why children need encouragement to find their own path, and why waiting for the perfect moment can leave you waiting forever.

Thinking you’re too old, not qualified enough or already too late? This conversation is for you.

IN THIS EPISODE

• From a childhood market stall to working full-time at 15.
• Finding what motivates you and building on your strengths.
• Raising three boys while growing a business.
• Taking a company to the London Stock Exchange.
• Moving from fashion into electronics.
• Why relationships are the backbone of business.
• Trusting your instincts when hiring.
• Joining The Apprentice as an interviewer.
• The Matalan investment opportunity Linda turned down.
• Handling regret, learning from mistakes and moving forward.
• Why you can start at any age.

CHAPTERS

00:00 How Linda became an interviewer on The Apprentice
02:03 From a childhood market stall to working full-time at 15
04:26 Building ambition by taking opportunities
05:54 Find what motivates you
08:05 Different children, different paths
09:26 Raising a family while building a business
11:21 Taking a company to the London Stock Exchange
13:14 Applying trading skills to electronics
15:07 Why relationships are the backbone of business
16:40 Why Linda trusts her gut when hiring
18:34 How she joined The Apprentice
20:43 The Matalan investment she passed up
23:22 Regrets, mistakes and moving forward
24:46 Why there’s no perfect time to start
26:00 What “yes you can” really means
27:25 Authenticity, inspiration and connecting with people
29:33 The life lesson Linda puts first: relationships
31:08 Why age is no barrier to starting again

WATCH, LISTEN AND FOLLOW

Watch WHY NOT NOW! on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhyNotNowPod

Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/5a4P14l6fBPeacxLRc9Ayi

You can also listen on Apple Podcasts and Podbean.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. If this conversation gives you the nudge you needed, share it with someone who’s been putting their idea off.

What would you start if you stopped waiting for the perfect time?

Real people. Real stories. Real change.
There’s no right or perfect time. There’s only now.