Most founders don’t fail because the product is bad, they fail because they run out of cash, lose focus, or can’t win distribution.
In this episode, Matt sits down with Nishant Sharma, founder of Rutland Square Spirits, to unpack the real story behind building a premium spirits brand from scratch: moving from India to Scotland with £500, hitting near-bankruptcy with £25 in the bank, suffering a near-fatal heart attack, then rebuilding through ruthless product focus (one SKU for 3 years), real-world sales (including selling bottles from a van), and strategic fundraising, including landing a Bollywood billionaire investor.
If you’re building a consumer brand, raising capital, or trying to scale without burning out, this is a masterclass in execution, distribution, valuation, and resilience.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:44 India → Scotland
6:04 Near-bankruptcy + heart attack
11:07 Whisky humbled him, gin saved it
13:11 Spirits economics
15:41 1 SKU for 3 years
16:42 Selling 1,000 bottles from a van
20:19 Fundraising
25:51 £30M valuation
27:50 Billionaire investor
34:48 Where to find Nish
Follow Nish:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nishantsharma08/
Website: https://rutlandsquare.com/
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Connect with Matt Haycox, No BS Business Podcast Host & 8-Figure Entrepreneur.
I’m Matt Haycox, entrepreneur, investor, and your straight-talking guide to building a business that actually works. I’ve raised over £750M, built (and rebuilt) 8-figure companies, and learned the hard way what it really takes to win.
On No Bollocks with Matt Haycox, I cut through the bollocks to bring you raw conversations with 7–8 figure founders, investors, and experts who’ve been there, done it, and got the scars to prove it. No hype, no theory, just actionable strategies you can use today to start, grow, and scale your business.
Whether you’re stuck in your 9–5, building your side hustle, or trying to hit your first £100k month, this is your go-to podcast for entrepreneur tips, startup growth strategies, raising capital, building a personal brand, and avoiding the costly mistakes most founders make.
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