Wake Up with Chris Donnelly

About Wake Up with Chris Donnelly

A few years ago, I was just like many of you, figuring out the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, facing setbacks, and chasing breakthroughs. By 25, I had built and sold a leading digital marketing agency. By 30, I was co-founding Lottie, a health tech company transforming care solutions, and growing into one of the UK’s fastest-rising business creators. But along the way, I noticed something: the world is changing, yet most of us are still stuck playing by outdated rules. That’s why I launched Wake Up, a podcast for people who are ready to rewrite the playbook. It’s not just about hearing incredible stories, it’s about taking those stories and turning them into real, actionable steps. Each week, I sit down with some of the most inspiring leaders, creators, and innovators to uncover their strategies, struggles, and unfiltered truths. Wake Up isn’t here to inspire you for a moment, it’s here to empower you for a lifetime. Together, we’ll rethink the way we work, lead, and succeed in a world that demands new ideas. Thank you for joining the movement. Let’s wake up to what’s possible and create something extraordinary.

Publisher

Wake Up with Chris Donnelly

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Dec 2024

Latest episode

5 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

23 of 23 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   5 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

   S2 Ep7: The Man Behind the Sidemen’s $100 Million Global Empire | Jordan Schwarzenberger

   How do you build a $100 million creator business from scratch? This week, Chris sat down with Jordan Schwarzenberger, the man behind the Sidemen’s explosive business empire. From YouTube videos to burger chains, clothing brands, and viral drinks, Jordan has helped turn a group of creators into a $100M+ powerhouse. In this episode, he breaks down: - How the Sidemen scaled from content to commerce - The blueprint for building creator-led IP - The biggest mistakes creators make when launching products - Why community is everything,  and how to lose it in seconds - What makes a product actually go viral - The highs, lows, and lessons from building with one of the biggest creator groups in the world If you’re a creator, founder, or entrepreneur who wants to turn attention into assets,  this is the playbook. 0:00 Introduction 2:15 Jordan Early Years 7:05 Why You Shouldn't Go To Uni 10:15 What is a Monoculture? 13:55 Moving from Vice to LadBible 19:15 Jordan Starting His Own Agency 22:45 The Success of Chicken Shop Date 25:15 How to Command a Room When You're Younger 31:15 Jordan Starting with the Sidemen 35:15 Creating VIRAL Sidemen Brand 39:15 The Worst Business to Start 44:15 What Does Success Look Like for the Sidemen 45:15 Is There Competition with Prime? 47:15 How to Monetise Your Audience 49:15 How to Create Your Own IP 53:15 How to Build the Right Brand After Going Viral 58:15 Build Out Your Brand 1:04:15 Entertainment Vs Education 1:06:15 Creator Enterprise, Going Into SaaS 1:09:15 What Should Creators Stop Doing Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/chrisdonnellyofficial/ (https://www.instagram.com/chrisdonnellyofficial/) Follow Jordan: https://www.instagram.com/jordanschwarz/ (https://www.instagram.com/jordanschwarz/)

2. 

   29 Aug 2025TRANSCRIPT

   S2 Ep6: Psychology Hacks of the World's Best Advertisers - Rory Sutherland

   Ever wondered why your perfectly logical idea still flops? Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, thinks logic is the real enemy of innovation. In this episode, Rory dismantles everything you thought you knew about business, branding, and consumer behaviour. From pricing psychology to irrational decision-making, he shows why people don’t buy what's logical, they buy what feels right. And if you’re a founder, marketer, or builder of any kind, this episode is your blueprint for thinking differently. Here’s what we cover: •  Why logic kills creativity in business • The psychological levers that actually drive sales • Why branding is about perception, not performance • What most startups get wrong about value But this isn’t just theory. Rory also talks about: • The danger of over - optimisation • Why data can’t explain human behaviour • How real innovation happens outside the spreadsheet If you want to build a brand that people fall in love with, not just tolerate, this is the episode to watch. Sign up to Revolut Business at https://www.revolut.com/rb/wakeup (https://www.revolut.com/rb/wakeup) and add money to your account before September 14th, 2025, to receive a £200 / $200 welcome bonus. Subscription fees and T&Cs apply. Available for new Business customers in the UK and US. US Customers: Revolut is not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. The Revolut USA Prepaid Visa and Prepaid Mastercard are issued by Lead Bank pursuant to licensing by Visa(c) U.S.A. Inc. and Mastercard International for Mastercard cards. Your funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through Lead Bank, Member FDIC. See https://www.revolut.com/en-US/ (https://www.revolut.com/en-US/) for more details. 00:00 Introduction 03:04 Fat-Tailed Marketing 05:40 Blockbuster Not Buying Netflix 11:35 Reverse Benchmarking 20:40 Business Idea: Car Rental Company 26:30 How to Think Non-Rationally 36:30 Reframing the Value of Something Psychologically 39:00 Perception vs Value 43:00 Success of Family-Run Business 49:00 Jaguar Marketing 53:20 Why People HATE Innovation and New Inventions 1:03:40 Why Is Marketing Doomed? 1:10:30 Heathrow Pod 1:23:45 Best Marketing Ever 1:25:50 How Marketing Is Changing with AI 1:32:00 Think Like a Cop 1:38:00 How Increasing Your Price Can Make You More Money 1:45:00 How to Find the Best House 1:54:05 How Are Older People Going to Deal with AI? 1:56:50 Why Millionaires Are Leaving the UK 2:01:30 Why the Tax System Is F*cked for Young People Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/chrisdonnellyofficial/ (https://www.instagram.com/chrisdonnellyofficial/) Follow Rory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysutherland/?originalSubdomain=uk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorysutherland/?originalSubdomain=uk)

3. 

   22 Aug 2025TRANSCRIPT

   S2 Ep5: How I went from ZERO To $500 Million In ECOM in 3 Years | Davie Fogarty

   Ever wondered what it takes to go from $0 to $100 million? Davie Fogarty did that with 1 product in 1 year. After 7 failed startups, Davie finally cracked the code, and built The Oodie, one of the fastest-growing eCommerce brands in the world. In this episode, he shares his exact formula: • How to find the right product • His Facebook ad strategy that generated $1M in a day • Marketing, sales, and operations at scale • What most founders get wrong when building a business But this isn’t just the highlight reel. Davie also opens up about the darker side: • Panic attacks, burnout, and stress-induced rashes • The pressure of success, and nearly walking away from it all • Why the biggest wins can also be the loneliest And now? He’s using everything he learned to help millions and investing in them on SharkTank. This is his most honest, unfiltered conversation yet,  and if you're serious about building a business, you need to hear it. Sign up to Revolut Business at https://www.revolut.com/rb/wakeup (https://www.revolut.com/rb/wakeup) and add money to your account before August 31st, 2025, to receive a £200 / $200 welcome bonus. Subscription fees and T&Cs apply. Available for new Business customers in the UK and US. US Customers: Revolut is not a bank. Banking services are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. The Revolut USA Prepaid Visa and Prepaid Mastercard are issued by Lead Bank pursuant to licensing by Visa(c) U.S.A. Inc. and Mastercard International for Mastercard cards. Your funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through Lead Bank, Member FDIC. See https://www.revolut.com/en-US/ (https://www.revolut.com/en-US/) for more details. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:20 Davie early years 6:00 from 0 to 10M in first year 7:00 Skill to build a 10M business 8:00 how to jump on trends 10:30 Why are scared of Ai 11:30 Davie's E-commerce success 13:30 Launching 10 businesses at the same time 18:00 Fear of failing 19:00 Davie's Health Challenges 25:00 Competitiveness 26:00 Understanding Anxiety 30:00 Flexing 34:10 How Oddie exploded (finding the right market) 33:00 Riches in the niches 33:30 How to find the perfect product 37:00 The importance of building a brand not just selling a product 40:00 Best tools find trending E commerce business 42:00 Why Davie stepped down as CEO 45:50 Shark Tank 53:00 E Commerce Exits 1:00:00 Losing money on crypto 1:01:00 Davies fear of Public speaking 1:02:40 Life now after Business 1:07:00 The people who were with you when you had nothing 1:08:50 Biggest Secret about Billionaires 1:10:00 How to stop caring what people think of you 1:13:20 Stop following your passion Follow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/chrisdonnellyofficial/ (https://www.instagram.com/chrisdonnellyofficial/) Follow Davie: https://www.instagram.com/daviefogarty/ (https://www.instagram.com/daviefogarty/)

Inside a recent episode

S2 Ep7: The Man Behind the Sidemen’s $100 Million Global Empire | Jordan Schwarzenberger

Published 5 Sept 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Like KSI these days is obviously like, I don't know, one of the most famous people ever, one of the most successful entrepreneurs ever. Like, is that ever a problem within the group? No, I think, you know, they, success is relative. And for someone like, for example, Harry, he had, I think he still does 60 million subscribers on his main channel, some of that. And he didn't, he didn't want to do it. He didn't want to become that guy. He has a different standard of success. So success isn't just about, you know, scale and growth and being more corporate and having more sort of entrepreneurial endeavors for him. […]

Who has been a guest on Wake Up with Chris Donnelly

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Maya Raichoora
• Sara Davies
• Heather Elkington
• Eric Partaker
• James Smith

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

15 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

64

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact Wake Up with Chris Donnelly

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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