56. Banishing bureaucracy: How Octopus Group built a culture of entrepreneurship leading to a $9 billion valuation | Chris Hulatt

How do you build a culture where risk-taking is celebrated, bureaucracy is banished and everyone thinks like an entrepreneur? In this episode, James is joined by Chris Hulatt, Co-founder of Octopus Group, a multi-billion-pound investment and energy business that started in a living room and grew into a global force spanning fund management, renewable energy and technology. Chris shares how Octopus went from backing UK startups to creating Octopus Energy, now valued at $9 billion, and why initiatives like Springboard are helping employees become founders themselves. We talk about how to make fast decisions without perfect data, why bureaucracy kills creativity and what it really takes to scale up without losing your entrepreneurial spark. Timecodes: 02:43 - Octopus Energy: The Startup Story 09:16 - The Importance of Financial Literacy 12:21 - Octopus Group Funds & Investment Approach 17:21 - Culture of Entrepreneurship at Octopus 21:40 - The Springboard Scheme for New Ventures 25:08 - Success Stories & Learning from Failure 28:44 - Barriers to Entrepreneurship in the UK 31:13 - Octopus Group’s Shared Purpose 34:05 - Decision Making & Avoiding Bureaucracy 41:05 - Customer-First Philosophy 44:05 - The Future of Octopus Group Donate to the BigGive Christmas challenge NOW ! Follow James Reed on Linkedin Follow Chriss Hulatt on LinkedIn Find out more about Octopus Group All About Business is brought to you by Reed Global. Learn more here This podcast was co-produced by Reed Global and Flamingo Media. If you’d like to create a chart-topping podcast to elevate your brand, visit Flamingo-media.co.uk