Many dream about starting a business. Far fewer understand what it takes to succeed.

This week on The Merri-Cast, I’m excited to be joined by Dan Dunn, Co-founder and CEO of Paperplanes, a business that’s helping reinvent direct mail by combining traditional marketing with modern technology and data.

Dan’s journey is striking. Like many others, he took the leap into entrepreneurship with courage. But what really comes through is a deep sense of personal responsibility. Nobody else is going to build your business for you, he says.

His resilience isn’t about being fearless. It’s about getting back up, learning from what didn’t work and continuing to move forward even when progress feels slow.

In this episode, Dan shares:
• What sparked his ambition to become a business owner
• Why having the right co-founder can make all the difference
• The challenges of scaling and building a team
• Why resilience really, really matters
• Why he's passionate about mentoring the next generation

If you're building a business, thinking about starting one, or just curious about what it actually takes, you can’t miss this episode.

Dan Dunn:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-dunn-1a2b763a/
Paperplanes: https://paperplanes.co.uk/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk

Some entrepreneurs build businesses around products. Others build them around problems they can’t stop thinking about.

This week on The Merri-Cast podcast, I’m joined by Steve Dineen – Founder and Chief Storyteller at Fuse Universal, and a pioneer of digital learning.

From the early days of e-learning to launching fuseschool and Fuse Universal, Steve has spent decades exploring one central question: how do people learn better?

What stood out to me most in this conversation is the way that Steve thinks. Fast, curious and constantly making connections, he talks about the difference between improving what already exists and solving problems people don’t yet realise they have.

In this episode, Steve shares:
• Why every business needs to start with a problem worth solving
• How he makes decisions quickly without being reckless
• What it really takes to scale knowledge, learning and expertise
• How a charitable education project became part of a much bigger mission
• Why storytelling sits at the heart of better learning

If you're building, leading or growing a business, there's plenty of insight here on entrepreneurship, learning and thinking differently.

Steve Dineen:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevedineen/
Fuse Universal: https://www.fuseuniversal.com/demo

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk

A common challenge founders face isn’t strategy, sales or even growth. It’s learning how to stop doing everything themselves.

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Kate Davis – founder of Meraki People, leadership advisor and champion of building businesses where people genuinely thrive.

Kate’s journey into entrepreneurship was anything but straightforward. From starting her career in law, to live events and then corporate change management, she eventually built a business helping founders scale without losing themselves or their culture along the way.

What really stood out to me in this conversation was Kate’s honesty about leadership, confidence and the realities of growth.

In this episode, Kate shares:
• Why so many founders get trapped “doing all their own stunts
• The hidden people and culture issues behind scaling problems
• Why curiosity and self-awareness matter more than most leaders realise
• The role mentors have played in helping her build confidence as an entrepreneur
• Why businesses grow faster when leaders focus on people, not just processes

One thing that really stayed with me was Kate’s point that most “people problems” in business aren’t actually people problems at all. Underneath the surface, they’re usually structure, communication or leadership issues.

If you’re building, leading or scaling a business, this episode is packed with practical insight and honest reflections.

Kate Davis:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katedavisleadership/
Meraki People: https://www.merakipeople.co.uk/

Trevor:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevormerriden/
Merriborn: https://merriborn.co.uk/
Email: trevor.merriden@merribornmedia.co.uk