Dominic McGregor: Social media expert turned Fearless VC

Built and sold a company, struggled with alcohol and mental health and launched an investment firm – and he’s still under 30. Dominic McGregor co-founded the award-winning marketing agency behemoth Social Chain, boasting clients such as Apple, McDonald's, BBC, and Boohoo.

Social Chain grew to a business worth over £300m with 700 staff, alongside Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett. After exiting the business at the age of 27 and having gone through struggles of his own at the start, McGregor was certain that he could assist founders in their business ventures by imparting his knowledge and experiences gained from working at Social Chain. He co-founded Fearless Adventures, a venture capital firm that provides funding and support to founder-led businesses.

We spoke to Dominic about developing his leadership style at a young age, tips to raise funding in a turbulent market, his sobriety and much more.

Here's what we discussed:

• What would a younger you say about your career path to this point? (02:53)
• Could you give us an overview of your career? (04:19)
• How did you develop your leadership style? (09:09)
• Do you believe that being young worked in your favour when setting up The Social Chain? (12:20)
• After selling Social Chain, did you have any reservations about not having a business partner by your side in your next venture? ( 14:06)
• Could you tell us about Fearless Adventures? (16:19)
• You set up Fearless Academy, which is a fully funded course to make education free for anyone who doesn't have the means to be able to afford it. Why was this such an important part of the business that you wanted to start? (18:21)
• Why did you go back to university to study History after you sold Social Chain? (20:32)
• You've been open about having a problem with delegation previously, what advice would you have for people who are going through the same experience? (21:51)
• An early venture you started didn't work out, how did you handle that failure? (23:33)
• What was the most significant challenge you faced?(25:21)
• How do you personally deal with stress? (27:53)
• Social Chain came around at the perfect time in history. Do you think that you would have been successful at a different time in life? (30:22)
• How did you find your experience working with Government on its social media strategy? (32:44)
• What tips do you have for entrepreneurs going through the fundraising process?(33:34)
• The Good News Postcard: What was the defining moment for your company?(37:43)
• What makes a great business leader? (39:24)

Thanks to Kiaran from the Jill Dando News for bringing us The Good News Postcard this week. Get your dose of positive news by visiting The Good News Post, a website collated by hundreds of young people aged 8 to 18 in the UK. They've written real-life “news that’s good for you”, covering people, animals, stories to cheer people up, and tips to make lives better.

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