How Change Please turned coffee into a way out of homelessness

How Change Please turned coffee into a way out of homelessness

Author: Virgin StartUp April 20, 2022 Duration: 41:41

The final episode shares a founder story that captures what The Jump is all about: seeing a problem, taking the leap, and building something that changes lives.


Meet Cemal Ezel, founder of Change Please, the social enterprise helping people move out of homelessness through coffee.


Cemal shares how he went from City trader to purpose-led founder, why the first version of Change Please did not work as planned, and what he learned about building a business where quality, impact and sustainability all have to matter.


He also talks about receiving a Virgin StartUp loan, being mentored by Richard Branson on Necker Island, and why founders should start small, stay open to feedback and keep moving before everything feels perfect.


For anyone wondering whether to take the leap, this is a powerful reminder: you do not need to have it all figured out to begin.

Looking for support to start or grow your business?


Virgin StartUp is here to help with funding, mentoring, and a community of founders building businesses across the UK.


Explore resources, access support, and take your next step at virginstartup.org


This episode is brought to you in partnership with Virgin Money, supporting founders with brighter business banking.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Behind every new company, there's a moment of decision, a leap of faith that changes everything. The Jump, brought to you by Virgin StartUp, digs into those pivotal moments with the people who lived them. Host Ben Keene sits down with founders to hear the raw, often untold chapters of their journeys. Imagine launching a travel venture right before a global pandemic shuts the world down, or finding the inspiration for a brand from your child, only to see it attract clients like Beyonce. These aren't polished fairy tales; they're real accounts of ideas that began at kitchen tables and grew into multimillion-pound enterprises. Each conversation in this podcast peels back the layers of entrepreneurship, focusing on the human stakes behind the business plans. You'll hear about the doubts, the unexpected turns, and the resilience required to build something from nothing. Tune in for a candid look at the messy, inspiring reality of starting up, where every story is a testament to taking that crucial first step. This is where the business of building gets personal.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 6

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