An Exclusive Evening with Charlie Gilkes

A day of firsts, the evening also marked our first partnered event, as we were fortunate to co-host the evening with 1 Club, a digital members club for current and future business leaders founded by Akshay Ruparelia.

During the interview, we listened to Charlie’s entrepreneurial story; from when he was at university and organising club nights for his friends, to now, where he stands as the co-founder of an award-winning hospitality group which boasts fourteen venues across London and employs over 500 individuals.

Charlie spoke with much insight when describing the key to the Inception Group’s success, reflecting that their commitment to providing ‘hospitality’, rather than ‘service’, has been instrumental. Charlie also acknowledged the need for business owners to sometimes step back from ventures that have proved less fruitful, noting that the lessons learnt from these experiences have often proved the most useful.   Whilst his success in building his brand is obvious, Charlie addressed the struggles of owning and leading a hospitality business in the post-pandemic era with refreshing honesty, inspiring the budding entrepreneurs in the audience about how strong leadership and resilience can pave a way forward.

Overall, the evening proved an exhilarating and inspiring window into an entrepreneurial mindset, and we are excited to host similar podcasting events in the future. An enormous thank you must be extended to both Charlie and Akshay, and we are very grateful to have them both on the Jobs Foundation Advisory Council. Finally, we are always on the lookout to feature successful entrepreneurs in a similar setting, so please do get in touch if you have any recommendations!