Simon Woodroffe founded Yo Sushi, launched Yo Hotel, appeared as an original dragon on Dragons’ Den, performed at Edinburgh Festival, and recorded with the Blockheads.

He started his first business at 45, and the first two weeks after opening, the restaurant was empty. 

On the second Saturday, a queue stretched 100 yards down the block.

There were already 2,500 conveyor belt sushi spots in Japan, but nobody in the UK had heard of them.

So he got on a plane, found suppliers, figured out how to build it, and brought it back to London. 

This was before the internet was a thing. Basic research that most founders skip even now, when everything is at their fingertips.

Among other things, we spoke about:

  • Why “maniac control” works at the start, and when to let it go if you want to grow. 
  • The moment he handed over to an operations director (and what it felt like to watch from the sidelines)
  • How he nearly turned down Dragons’ Den, and the phone call that changed his mind. 
  • The failed ventures that ate through his cash, and the royalty deal that saved him from going broke
  • His hard rule for firing

Three lessons from Simon’s story

  • Go and see the idea work. Simon travelled to Japan, found thousands of conveyor belt sushi bars and met suppliers before opening in London. His research was physical and specific, not just a bet that the idea sounded novel.
  • Hand over control when the business outgrows the founder. Simon says his hands-on style helped at the start. Bringing in Robin Rowland meant letting an operator make calls he disliked, including closing the Yo Below bars. That shift helped Yo! Sushi expand.
  • Think about what pays when a new bet fails. Simon describes how licensing income from Yotel kept coming in while other ventures used up cash. The lesson is to understand the economics of every new idea, including what survives if it does not work.

Listen to Simon’s full account for the decisions and setbacks behind those lessons.

Simon is living proof that the best time to begin was yesterday, and the second best time is right now.