A Young CEO Lost His Family Business to Rebuild Purpose & Legacy in Succession - James Kell Part 1

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Welcome to The Art of Succession Podcast. Host Barrett Young talks with James Kell, Co-Founder of scratchie.com and Founder of Sailing Virgins. James shares how he took over his family’s construction company at 28 when it was close to collapse, and how he managed to keep it running for another 10 years. He explains what went wrong, what he learned about leadership and culture, and why the business eventually went under. James also talks about rebuilding his life after losing the company, including sailing across the Atlantic in 2012 and starting his own sailing business in June 2016.

James shares how he stepped into his family’s construction business at 28, after his father asked him to return and try to save it while the company was already in crisis. He explains how he became CEO right away, faced major financial pressure, and kept the business running for 10 years before it eventually went under due to tough decisions and deep cultural issues. James talks about taking full responsibility as a leader, even when outside factors were involved, and what he learned from that loss. He also shares how he reset by sailing across the Atlantic in March 2012, then later started Sailing Virgins in June 2016 to rebuild his confidence and prove he could run a business again.

Key Takeaways:
1. James joined his family’s construction business at 28 and became CEO during a major crisis.
2. He led the company for 10 years, facing financial strain and leadership challenges.
3. James learned the importance of full ownership and accountability as a leader.
4. After the business ended, he sailed across the Atlantic in 2012 to reset his life.
5. He founded Sailing Virgins in June 2016, applying lessons from failure to build a new business.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:
“I was CEO on day one, whether I liked it or not.” - James Kell
“If the culture is broken, the business will break too.” - James Kell
“I had to fail before I could trust myself again.” - James Kell

Join James Kell as he shares how he became CEO of his family’s construction business at 28 during a crisis. He reflects on leading the company for 10 years, the lessons from its failure, and how sailing across the Atlantic helped him reset before founding Sailing Virgins.

Episode Highlights
[00:00] - Tease
[01:26] - Intro to Guest James Kell
[03:14] - Family business history & crisis
[05:06] - Taking over at 28
[06:44] - Accepting responsibility
[10:34] - Warranty & defect challenges
[12:26] - Father-son leadership dynamic
[19:28] - Financial lessons & mistakes
[22:32] - Mental health & lack of passion as CEO
[25:02] - Attempts to sell the company & move on
[27:49] - Business collapse & reset

FOLLOW THE GUEST:
LinkedIn:   / jameskell  
Company LinkedIn (scratchie.com):   / scratchie-app  
Company LinkedIn (Sailing Virgins):   / sailing-virgins  
Company Website (scratchie.com): https://scratchie.com/
Email: [email protected]

FOLLOW THE HOST:
LinkedIn:   / barrettyoung  
Company LinkedIn:   / gwcpa  
Website: https://gwcpas.com/
Email: [email protected]

FOLLOW THE PODCAST:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
YouTube:    / @gwcpas  
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7uhogBx...
LinkedIn:   / art-of-succession-podcast  
Website: https://gwcpas.com/podcast